They always say that a good fence makes a good neighbor. This is especially true when you have a dog, or two dogs, or any animal that belongs to you and depends on you for his well-being — and the well-being of your neighborhood. And your own peace of mind. Depending on your situation and your dogs, you may want to consider an electric fence for dogs.
Dogs tend to stay in a pack, and thus you may find your furry friend sitting at your front door if you leave him out. However, dogs also like to hunt and check things out. They don’t like it when you leave them home alone. And they may go looking for you. My dog always knows when I’m getting ready to leave town, and she will sit by the door to make sure I don’t forget to pack her as well.
But even if you’re home most of the day, some dogs will wander if given the chance. Sometimes you have to leave your dog at home in the yard. If you are lucky enough to have a good-sized property, you may need an electric, invisible fence to keep your dog safely in your yard, and within the bounds that you have set.
Take a look at getting a virtual fence for your dog. Yea, I know, we have virtual everything today, but a virtual fence is a really good idea. I’ve seen this method work well when training a dog to stay away from rattlesnakes.
I’m a big believer in the e-collar, and I’ve used it with my German Shepherds with good results and no severe shocks or pain for the dog (or me). A nick from the e-collar was enough to let my dog know that I did not approve of her chasing that coyote.
A virtual fence allows you to set up a pet containment system. That means, you set up a fence that you cannot see as a regular fence — it will be a wire perimeter, buried in the ground.
Here are the steps to keeping your dog home, with a virtual fence:
First — Decide if a virtual fence is the right choice for you and your dog. Right now, my dog is about 9 years old and we have a pretty good fence around the backyard. So, I don’t need a virtual fence. But I am hoping to move out to the country and add another dog — then I will want one. Check out invisible fence reviews.
Second — Choose the invisible dog fence that you want to use. This is probably the biggest step, because, unless someone has told you what they use and how good it is, you will have to read a bunch of reviews and compare them. Since, I do not have first hand knowledge (my dog is older now, and she does not want to wander) I read the reviews and discovered that I don’t have to pay big bucks for a professional to come in and do it. This is a DIY project. This website has some excellent choices for purchase: Dog Fence DIY
Third — Plan where your fence will go and how much area you are going to cover. This is an example of a boundary wire circling the backyard only. And buy your new virtual fence.
Fourth — Install the fence. I recommend you get a little helping hand here, and make this a team project. My husband and I love to work on the house together, and this is certainly something we can do ourselves.
Fifth — Train your dog — don’t just put him out there in the yard and let him find out about the fence the hard way. Just as you must follow guidelines when using an e-collar, you must follow guidelines when using a pet containment system, or underground dog fence.
- Introduce your dog to the boundary fence. And remember to train one dog at a time. All the effort you put into this training will make for a happy home — remember how I said that a good fence makes for good neighbors. Well a good fence makes for a good dog too. so take your time to train. Do not overlook this important step.
If you decide to go for the electric fence, let me know what you think.
