Need Advice on Hidden Fence

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I'm looking for advice and product reviews for hidden fencing.  We are not allowed to have a physical fence and are looking to having an electric, hidden fence installed.  Does anyone here have a DogWatch Hidden Fence?  The reviews that I can find on line are all good but of course who can you really believe?  How does this fence compare to the Invisible Fence line.  One of the good things that is has is that it uses standard batteries so no having to go to the dealer for expensive replacements is a plus.  My boys would NOT be allowed outside without me right with them - this is so that we can play and potty in our yard off leash.  Any help or advice?

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

We chose the Invisible Fence Brand due to the support and customer service. I have a friend who has Dog Watch, and although it works for her dogs, the support and training was not the same as we received. Our package included 3 lessons with a trainer. It also came with the in home unit. We used that to start training in the house with some white flags. We still have the in home unit, but I never use it except at Christmas. I put it under the tree. :) Initially it was to keep Hudson away when he was a puppy, but now it is because he likes to chase (I like to say "exercise") one of our cats who likes to play games with him. She likes to hide under the tree and I'm sure you can see what would happen there..... Anyway, we love our system. There is a power unit that is in our garage and it flashes green to show all is well as it sends a signal along the fence lines. If there is any interruption in the line, it will beep continuously. The trainers that we had were awesome and were a great help. The level of correction gets adjusted during the training depending on how the dogs do. We had an older Beagle at the time, and she needed a higher level than Hudson. Hudson was a super quick learner and even the trainer remarked after his first session that Hudson was more like a dog that had been trained for a couple of months with it. It is really important to practice it in between training sessions and I didn't let Hudson out without us for a long time after that. Even now, he isn't out more than a few minutes alone. He did cross the line once, but stood on the other side of it after he got the correction. I went and got him, took off the collar and threw it over the boundry so neither he or I would get a poke and I carried (yes- carried :) him over the line. He did not get burned by the collar, and he has never been burned. I would know, as he has sensitive skin. He is so good with the boundries now- even with his high prey drive. He chases squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc. and knows right where to stop. We live in the country, so I'm not sure what they tell you to do when taking your dog for a walk and trying to cross the boundries (if you have your front yard wired). We have our front yard wired too. Hudson is rarely out there at all and we did it more for a safety issue. If the car is parked down the drive closer to the boundry, Hudson will refuse to get in it- even with his collar off. They recommend that you take it off when taking your dog in the car because although it doesn't usually work from inside the car, it may. I know some prefer the batteries that you can buy in the store, but I would rather have the kind that come with Invisible Fence. Yes, they are more expensive and you must replace them every 3 months, but I think they probably work better (just like lithium ion batteries last longer and work better in digital cameras) and because you sign up for a battery plan with them, you are reminded to replace them when you get the new ones in the mail. I think that may be part of the failure with some invisible fences- batteries (and lack of training on the owner's part). We were told that we could start training Lily when she is 16 weeks old, so we will have the trainers come back out in August to do that with us. I know there is a lot of negative feedback on Invisible Fencing, but we couldn't be happier with it and it works very well for Hudson.

[Brandi]

Hi Jane, I have invisible fence brand and have had it for 15 yrs or so.  I love it and wouldn't give it up for the world.  Yes the batteries are a drawback because they are kind of costly, but, I have found that Petstuffwarehouse.com carries the generic batteries for the invisible fence collars MUCH cheaper, about half the price as they are normally through the fencing company and its free shipping too.  But, no matter what fencing company you go with, the training is essential.  It is the most important part and if you follow their training recommendations you will be fine.  

About not leaving the yard for 4 wks, I think what she meant was don't take your dogs out of the yard (on a leash) for a month or so.  If you do it'll just confuse them.  Once they are trained, you can take them out on a leash and only on a leash, but ALWAYS use the same place to do it, like a imaginary gate so to say.  I personally never take mine out of the yard, except in my car.  

Pretty much all the fencing is the same idea for the most part, its the training that is so important.  I've had several dogs since having this fence, all did well with it, but my doodles, they were the easiest to train to it.  I started both of my doodles training at around 5 months, and they understood right away.  My sister started her doodle at 4 months and she did fine too. 

before you decide what fencing company to go with, check out the warranty on it.  Our box got struck by lightning a few times and fried it and they came and replaced it right away.  Without the warranty that could have been costly.  They are there for support, and they will help you with anything.  If something goes wrong, they will fix it and fast.

Do your homework and weigh out your options with the different fences.  Like I said, they are all pretty much the same idea, I think once you get your babies settled in and trained, everyone will be very happy with it.   

Good luck :)

[Stella]

We have a Petsafe wireless electronic boundary fence.  It allows a 90 foot (or metre??  I can't remember now!!) radius around the house.  We followed the training exactly -  one of my labradoodles won't go within four feet of the boundary and respects it totally.  The other one has crossed it several times in persuit of the deer that regularly cross the property.  He won't cross it for any other reason, but it shows that these fences do have their limitations.  We never leave the dogs outside alone because we have wolves and bears in our area.  The wireless fence has helped teach them boundary limitations and (deer notwithstanding) we can now have them outside without their collars and they won't cross the boundary.  The batteries for the collars are quite expensive and only seem to last 4-6 weeks.  I like this fence because the unit is portable, so if you go to someone elses place that isn't fenced, or go away camping for example, all you have to do is pulg it in, show your dog the boundary, and he can go leash free!!