Invisible Fence?

[Alton Bay]

I'd like to let my dog have some off leash time and am trying to figure out the best "invisible fence" system for my waterfront home.
Does anyone have suggestions for me? I also need the name of the person who installs such things.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Alton Bay

I'd like to let my dog have some off leash time and am trying to figure out the best "invisible fence" system for my waterfront home.
Does anyone have suggestions for me? I also need the name of the person who installs such things.

I used "Canine Fence Company" for both my island home and my mainland home. 1-800-818-3647

They did a great job installing and they were very quick to service it when I needed. I also felt that the rate they charged for install was very reasonable also.

Dan

[Dad sold the C * C]

Good luck with the fence, we still haven't decided if one would be good for our dogs.

There was a thread last year with a lot of good information:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...nvisible+fence

[Misha888]

DogWatch of New Hampshire

Ernie Roy
(603) 366-2755
http://www.dogwatchofnh.com

Good guy. He does a lot of lakefront properties.

[brk-lnt]

I know a local breeder that has a pedigreed line of invisible dogs. They'd go great with the new fence, very low maintenance too!

[Lakeboater]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

I know a local breeder that has a pedigreed line of invisible dogs. They'd go great with the new fence, very low maintenance too!

That's awesome! Roflmfao. We just wait for one of these to "appear" at the NH Humane Society

[Pineedles]

We like Dogwatch, albeit if it is the same in NH as Conn. We paid $1,000 for 2 collars, training, and installation of the control box and buried wire. it has worked well for nearly 10 years. The only "escapes" we have had was when the battery died in the collar and we didn't notice. Also, we tried not having the dogs wear the collars and after a while they get very close to the edge as time passes. We learned that not putting the collars on every time is a no no. One thing about the installation of the buried wire. Don't make it too close to the sidewalk as people walking by may try to unwittingly coax the dogs out of the area to pat them, or feel threatened if the dogs get too close.

There are kits you can buy that are significantly less expensive, but without the proper equipment to bury the wire, you will be doing a lot of digging by hand. Good luck!

[Joebon]

We have used Ernie at Dogwatch of NH. He is a great guy and he does great work with the fences on waterfront property.

[chipj29]

This is my post in the other thread linked above. I did mine myself and it really wasn't hard. Saved a TON of money, took about a day.

Originally Posted by chipj29

If you do decide to get the wired electric fence, I would suggest doing it yourself. To have one professionally installed can cost big $$. I have over an acre, and did mine myself. I rented a machine from Taylor Rental that makes laying the wire real easy. It basically cuts a slit, and lays the wire down in there. I did have to cut into the driveway, but I bought a diamond asphalt cutting blade at Home Depot for $10 and did it. As someone said upthread, if you need to run a wire across an area where you will let the dogs go, just criss-cross the wire and it cancels itself. I paid about $150 for the Pet Safe kit, bought extra wire for about $30 for the spool. And the machine rental was less than $50 for a half day rental.
Make sure you plan ahead. Make a diagram of your house/yard, plan where you are going to plug in the receiver. Once you do that you can measure the distance around the area you want to cover so you make sure you get enough wire.

[Merrymeeting]

Ditto what Chip said (and I also said in the other post). Extremely easy DYI job.

[BroadHopper]

My experience they do not work. A neighbor in Dracut put up an invisible to retain a couple of Rottweiler. They were the vicious types and neighbors were afraid of them. One afternoon after school was out they were able to 'break' the fence and attacked a couple of young girls. The parent sued,

The doq owners sued the electric fence company only to find out there was a disclaimer that the fence company is not liable if dogs should get loose.

That's one neighborhood that don't believe in electric fences. Google and you should find similar stories.

[sarc]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

My experience they do not work. A neighbor in Dracut put up an invisible to retain a couple of Rottweiler. They were the vicious types and neighbors were afraid of them. One afternoon after school was out they were able to 'break' the fence and attacked a couple of young girls. The parent sued,

The doq owners sued the electric fence company only to find out there was a disclaimer that the fence company is not liable if dogs should get loose.

That's one neighborhood that don't believe in electric fences. Google and you should find similar stories.

YES!! As a vet who's seen injuries when invisible fences fail, I feel compelled to chime in and give my 2 cents.

Things to keep in mind with invisible fences:

1. They do not keep things OUT. Dogs, children, people, wild animals, etc can still come onto your property and interact with your dog.

2. If the stimulus outside of the fence is exciting enough, the dog WILL break through the fence. The fear of the pain when crossing the line only keeps the dog in until something outside is more exciting and over rides the fear, or until theyre so fixated on something outside that they simply dont care about the pain

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by sarc

YES!!

2. If the stimulus outside of the fence is exciting enough, the dog WILL break through the fence. The fear of the pain when crossing the line only keeps the dog in until something outside is more exciting and over rides the fear, or until theyre so fixated on something outside that they simply dont care about the pain

This is absolutely true. We tried this with our Siberian Husky...he knew that once he broke through and was beyond the shock zone he was free. He would run right through it ignoring the pain for what, less than 10 seconds.

[Pineedles]

I must agree with the last 3 posters. If you have a dog that could be a threat to anyone, I would not recommend this type of enclosure. My two yellow labs are only liable to lick someone to death and therefore the invisible fence is appropriate for them.

[chipj29]

All 3 of our Dalmatians broke through the fence once.
One time in 13 years for Carrie
One time in 11 years for Ace
One time in 5 years for Pirate.

After that one time, they never broke through again.

It is true that the fence only keeps them from going out, but cannot prevent something/someone from getting in. But in my experience, the electric fence worked perfectly. Like most things in life, this may not be every single persons experience.

I think if you take the time (yes, it takes time) to train them with the fence the RIGHT way, you will see good results.

[SAMIAM]

My daughter's golden only needed the collar for a few weeks and has learned where the borders are.Stops short even while chasing a ball.
Also.....a note of interest. Neighbors had company visiting for a week last year and they laid the wire loose on the ground without burying it to give their pup a place to run.Seemed to work fine and they took it when they left.

[codeman671]

I have 4 dogs. I have had 3 systems by Dogwatch in the past and have Invisible Fence now.

They both work well and offer containment guarantees.

At our new house we switched to Invisible Fence as they were available faster than Ernie. The day after we moved in 2 of our dogs disappeared for a half day so we went into panic mode to get a fence done asap.

It was expensive as we started from scratch (new collars for all, indoor units, etc) and wired 3 acres of lawn. We have a large perimeter.

Our Japanese chin is a little guy, he is terrified of it.

Our golden, when he has his collar on, is pretty responsive. Sometimes we take the collar off to give him a break and forget to put it back on. If he figures out he doesn't have it sometimes he will test it.

Our English bulldog is responsive to it, but he is an idiot so sometimes he will run through if provoked.

Our leonberger is a 175lb moose and is very hairy. We have to shave his neck down to get contact, and it doesn't always stop him. There is a lot of wildlife in the area such as turkeys, deer and squirrels that grab his attention often.

Our island home had a Dogwatch system. So far I am thinking the Invisible Fence system works better for my home application. Ernie is in the lakes region though so you will get faster service than we do down on the seacoast. Dogwatch systems are user-adjustable for shock and alert. Invisible Fence systems need to be adjusted by the installer. That is one drawback.

[tis]

Please listen to sarc. My daughter has a fence and her dog was good with it for 8 years. One evening, he wanted something, we think maybe deer, and he went right out into the road. We were devastated. So while they are good, they are not 100%. We also had friends whose dogs did the same thing. Just please don't be too sure of them as it could cause you heartbreak.

[sarc]

Originally Posted by tis

Please listen to sarc. My daughter has a fence and her dog was good with it for 8 years. One evening, he wanted something, we think maybe deer, and he went right out into the road. We were devastated. So while they are good, they are not 100%. We also had friends whose dogs did the same thing. Just please don't be too sure of them as it could cause you heartbreak.

Thats awful Tis. I'm really sorry. Its tragic, but ironic, that we're having this discussion and I'm currently working and had an invisible fence disaster come in tonight. Dad came home, Mom let the little dogs out to say hi. Neighbor's dog broke through their invisible fence (older, large dog, had never broken through the fence before), charged the young little dog, grabbed it and shook it. Big dog crushed little dog's chest, and little dog was dead by the time it got to me.

I've seen dogs get hit by cars, be attacked, and attack other dogs all because a dog broke through an invisible fence. No matter how good you think your dog is, I dont think invisible fences are ever worth the risk.

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by Alton Bay

I'd like to let my dog have some off leash time and am trying to figure out the best "invisible fence" system for my waterfront home.
Does anyone have suggestions for me? I also need the name of the person who installs such things.

I installed an invisible fence at my home on Lake Wentworth, and de-activated it after about a year of use.

The pro: It really works. Your dog will, eventually, never break the fence.
The con: Your dog will, within your perimeter, be "free". Our dogs (2) eventually began to exhibit typical canine behaviors when "free" that they had been trained out of when leashed or accompanied (digging, barking, whining, eating rhodedendrons).

[Pricestavern]

Our neighbor had one installed for his Samoyed. One day, he broke thru but then couldn't get back into the property once he lost interest in whatever it was that got him to break out.

On a separate note...if the property is waterfront, what's to prevent the dog from going into the water, swimming (or wading) around and coming out on the other side of the 'fence'?

[Orion]

Originally Posted by Pricestavern

On a separate note...if the property is waterfront, what's to prevent the dog from going into the water, swimming (or wading) around and coming out on the other side of the 'fence'?

Our neighbor's dog figured out that escape route pretty quickly.

[State]

They work--until a squirrel entices the meatheads. I had a male golden who decided the temporary pain was worth the infinite pleasure of squirrel hunting. Living in the sticks of Sandwich there was no harm.

But I'm ambivalent about invisible fences. Not as good as a real fence, which isn't fail proof either, but _much_ better than nothing.

[noreast]

Originally Posted by Pricestavern

Our neighbor had one installed for his Samoyed. One day, he broke thru but then couldn't get back into the property once he lost interest in whatever it was that got him to break out.

On a separate note...if the property is waterfront, what's to prevent the dog from going into the water, swimming (or wading) around and coming out on the other side of the 'fence'?

Brings back memories. I had an insane Samoyed that wouldn't rest until he escaped at any cost. Usually ended up in an 8 mile chase. Now I have a Newfy that has no interest in running anywhere.