Electric Dog Fences – The Good and the Bad
There are plenty of ways to keep a dog confined to a certain area, but each method seems to come with its draw backs. For example, you could build a traditional dog fence around your lawn or property. However, this is generally rather expensive, and it is extremely time consuming as well, especially for those that have a very large yard. And on top of that, if you do not own your own land, and you rent, then there is a very good chance that your land lord would never even consider letting you put a fence around the property that you live on.
So what about chaining your dog to a tree, or using a “dog run” (which is basically just a longer chain when you think about it). While people use to do this sort of thing on a regular basis, the general theory nowadays seems to be that this is very inhuman for a dog, which it sort of is in a way. Just think about how boring life would be for you if you could only move back and forth just a few feet, and you were confined to the same tiny area day in and day out?
On the plus side of things, technology has given us a much more human option, something that is extremely effective and very simple and fairly inexpensive to implement. What I am referring to is the electric dog fence, which has become extremely popular nowadays, at least when it comes to dogs. Also, another great thing about these electric dog fences is that many land lords do not have a problem with their tenants using them to confine their dogs.
Despite what you may think, an electric dog fence is not a physical wire fence with electricity running through it; those types of fences are used for cows, sheep, and horses. An electric dog fence is invisible; it is just a specific parameter that you can setup around your yard just like you would a normal fence. This perimeter sends out radio signals that communicate with a special shock collar that your dog wears when this type of fence is used. If the dog travels into (or past) this special fence perimeter then they receive an electric shock.
So now that we have gone over the benefits of these fences (which are worth their weight in gold in all honesty), lets go over some of the bad things about them as well. For starters, if a dog gets excited enough, for example, if they see a small animal run by, then they can actually force themselves to run out of the fence’s perimeter, ignoring the pain of the shock. This is a pretty bad scenario, because once the dog is out of the fence, they will be afraid to go back in, for fear of being shocked when they pass through the boundaries of the fence.
Another bad thing about these invisible electric dog fences is that they allow other animals (or even humans) to come and intimidate your dog, and there is nothing that you dog can do about it, since they know that they cannot pass the boundaries of the fence with out getting zapped. Yes, the downsides of electric dog fences are pretty minimal when compared to the benefits, but you should still take them into consideration. Also, if you do decide to go with one of these fences, it is best that you keep an eye on your dog now and then, just to see what is going on.
