The Advantages Of An Invisible Dog Fence

When you're erecting a dog fence at home, spare a thought for the people who built the Dingo Fence in Australia. It was put up in the 1880's to protect enormous flocks of sheep in Southern Queensland, where Dingoes had almost been exterminated.

To prevent Dingoes from other areas getting to the sheep, the fence was built. It is 6 feet high and there is one foot of it underground, with uprights every 9 metres. It's the longest fence in the World, stretching 5,320 kilometres which is over 3,305 miles! Ironically, it has not been a complete success - dingoes still lurk in the area!

Does Your Dog Need An Invisible Fence?

Some dogs delight in damaging flower beds and destroying vegetable gardens. Worse still, they might escape and cause an accident - for which you would be liable. If you don't want very high, solid fencing around your property - or the price of it, it might be time to consider an 'invisible' fence.

What Is An Invisible Fence?

There are many of these on the market now and they all work in a similar way. An invisible fence allows you to have one or more dogs running freely on your property, within boundaries chosen by you.

How Do These Fences Work?

A wire (of anything up to 400m long) is put onto the ground, buried just under the surface or attached to a fence that is already there. The wire carries a signal transmitted from a small unit. The dog wears a special collar that receives a signal if he goes near the wire.

The signals are usually zoned. When the dog gets anywhere near the wire he goes into a 'warning zone' and he will hear a warning 'beep' from his collar. If he gets even closer, he goes into a 'correction zone' and will receive a buzz from a small electrical impulse via the collar.

Once the dog begins to realise the boundaries, the owner can reduce the electrical impulses and rely on the audible warnings. Eventually, once the dog is reliable and not going anywhere near the fence, the collar may be taken off - or substituted for a dummy collar while he's on - 'probation'!

Making Adjustments To The System

These fences can be set up to suit any dog and any layout defined by the owner. The distances of both the warning and the correction zones can be adjusted. The strength of the electrical impulse can be altered to suit the size and temperament of the dog.

Will My Dog Be Hurt By The Electrical Impulses?

No - it doesn't hurt. It's not a new idea - this has been used in different forms of dog training for more than 40 years.

I Have More Than One Dog - Will This System Still Work?

Yes - with these systems, as long as each dog has a collar with a receiver, the system will work for them all.

Don't Forget The 'Dummy' Collar

Most systems recommend that your dog wears a dummy collar for a few days prior to the invisible fence being set up. This is for two reasons. It lets the dog get used to the collar so that it's not distracted by the unusual feel of it when the zone impulses start to be used. It's also important because it can be counter-productive for the dog to associate the impulses with the collar, rather than the fence.

What Happens If My Dog Gets Through The Fence?

This is very rare and usually means that the collar isn't fitting properly, leading to the dog receiving weak or no impulses.