Invisible Fences

Invisible fencing is a technology that's developed in the last twenty years or so.  It consists of a wire buried underground that transmits a signal to a collar worn by the pet within a certain distance. Some collars give a warning tone first, and then what the company terms a "static correction"-- a shock, in other words -- to encourage the pet to move away from the area.

Look out, pal -- you're awfully close to the edge!

The pet must be trained to respond correctly to the warning signal; to move away to avoid the zap. Companies that install these systems usually provide some education for the owners, with a training lesson or a video that shows how to work with their pets to teach them.  Systems bought in pet supply stores have videos or booklets that explain the training process.

I know you're waiting for it: what do I think of invisible fences?

I hate them.

Oh, Karen! You hate everything!  Look at that doggy -- he's got all that big yard to play in, and he seems happy. What on earth makes you hate invisible fencing?

Here's a scenario for y--

Oh, you and your wild scenarios. They're always full of crazy mishaps that could never really happen. 

Like a dog chasing a ball? I don't know about your dog, but mine's part lab and she's a maniac for her ball. The retriever up there in the picture, I bet he's the same way. Let's call him "Buddy". You know he's got a bucket of muddy tennis balls with the fuzz chewed half off.  So let's put him in his invisibly-fenced yard, and let's say he's been very well trained by a competent invisible fence professional.  His owner gives the ball a throw and it bounces outside the "fenced" area. Buddy goes tearing after it and doesn't care about the tone or even the zap because BALL BALL GOTTA GET THE BALL!  Ha ha, retrievers, right? They're so goofy.

Now Buddy is outside his perimeter and has his ball and when he tries to come back -- ZAP! He circles around a bit and tries another way and ZAP! Fortunately his owner (who threw the ball) is there, and can help him out by taking off the collar and bringing him back into the yard. But what if Buddy had been playing by himself? Let's change that scenario a bit: Buddy sees a squirrel, another dog, something irresistible out there and away he goes. Five minutes later he returns, abashed and repentant, and tries to re-enter his yard. ZAP! How does he get home? What happens next?

Or here's another one for you: a stray dog comes into the yard and attacks Buddy -- there's nothing to keep other animals out. Or someone walks up to him, takes his electric collar off, and leads him away with promises of bacon. Or the neighbor kids decide it's fun to see the doggy jump and tease him by pushing or chasing him towards the buried cable. Or Buddy becomes injured or stuck close the the fence line and is repeatedly shocked with no way to escape. Or the collar malfunctions and delivers repeated or stronger shocks.

From experience with a client, I can tell of two dogs that would run to the wood fence around their yard to bark at passersby. The owner decided an underground electric fence would stop this behavior, and put one around the wood fence.. Every time the dogs approached the wood fence to bark, they'd get zapped, but they didn't understand it was the fence doing it -- the dogs connected the zap with the people and dogs they were barking at. The two formerly amiable dogs became aggressive and unpredictable, and were ultimately put to sleep.

Is this dog running free, or in an invisible fence?
You have about 20 seconds to decide if you need to defend yourself. 

And just as a final personal note, it's frankly terrifying for me to see a dog come running, apparently uncontrolled, across a yard towards me -- only to stop short three feet from me because of the invisible fence I can't see. Once those little training flags are gone and the owner takes down the "This Yard Protected by Invisible Fence!" sign because he's sick of mowing around it, there is nothing there to tell me that the dog charging at me is not going to attack.

And even worse is the jerk who has the sign, but the fence is turned off or no longer works, and the dog runs up and does attack. It was a great dane/lab mix, if you're interested, and I had to kick him in the head twice before he stopped trying to bite the shy elderly golden retriever I was walking responsibly on a leash.

So, scenarios aside, let's look at the positive things an electric fence does, compared to a standard traditional fence :

Electric underground "invisible" fence:
-keeps your dog in (except in cases of malfunction/breakage/willful disregard)
-allows a panoramic view of open property

Standard fence:
-contains pets and children safely
-keeps stray/dangerous animals out
-keeps unwanted people out
-adds to property value
-adds privacy
-provides a trellis for vining plants and flowers

All in all, I can't see any reason to prefer an electric fence over a standard visible one.  I have a picket fence in the front yard and my dog is never out there unattended. The back yard has a six-foot chain link fence with locks on the gates and a dog door into the house. I never worry about my dog hanging out back there during the day. Why would anyone want to mess with an electric invisible fence?

Read more about the dangers of invisible fences:

Whole Dog Journal tells of a dog who suffered severe electrical burns.

Dogtime talks about the safety and ethics of underground electric fences.

Associated Press article tells of injured dog, upset owners, and a lawsuit.

Pictures of shock collar damage, which aren't as uncommon as you'd hope.  (Warning: Graphic)