A Question For Dog Owners of ATS

Have any of you tried out the dog collar system where you set up a perimeter and if the dog crosses the perimeter the collar gives the dog a mild shock so as to keep them from crossing said perimeter? And if you have tried such a system what were the results? Did it work well without causing severe pain to the dog?

I have never considered using such a system before, but I'm kind of in a predicament. My husband rescued a starving dog that someone had dumped off at his work. You could see every single bone in this dogs body. She is a sweet dog and is on her way back to health. Problem is we had to put her outside into a fenced in portion of our yard because we already have a large dog and a cat in the house- and the new dog is not cat friendly at all. Also, while she is very big she will get much bigger. Apparently she is a Great Dane mix. At around 7-8 mo. old she is already taller than our 7 year old Pitbull by a few inches.

So anyway, she can already jump higher than the top rail of our chain link fence and it's just a matter of time before she goes "over the wall". We live near the highway and would be heartbroken if she were to get run over. Chaining her on a dog runner is out of the question as we once had a dog who got tangled up and nearly choked to death on one of those. We figure it would be more humane for her to get a small shock than to get run over.

So, have any of you used that type of system with success? I can't afford a new fence and don't want her at risk of getting killed.

reply to post by littled16


Wireless perimeter fences can be very effective...but you have to spend a few hours outside with them while they learn!

I have one for two dogs and will never go back to "caging" my animals up again!

Good luck...and have patience!

the shock from those collers is way less than that it takes to kill a dog there has never been a death caused by those if you want to see how much shock it gives off just try it on yourself first

reply to post by littled16


You don't need that.

When I was 14 or 15 I was walking around in my cousins neighborhood.
One of his neighbors had a 12 inch high fence that went around his front yard.
While I was looking at the fence I didn't notice the ginourmous doberman. Of course the doberman noticed us and was coming at us full tilt. Barking up a storm.
As my life flashed before my eyes the dog stopped right at the fence line and continued to bark at us like cujo.

It seems that the neighbor had trained the doberman to not cross the fence.
The fence even had a little gate that the neighbor would open up and use when he wanted to get the dog out from behind the fence.


So with enough training i guess you could do the same.

reply to post by jerryznv


Thank you for the reply! I'm not into caging animals either, and I didn't know anybody with this system. They aren't cheap, and I really wanted some input before spending the dough.

Most people I know either keep their pets inside (like me) or chain them up (I just can't make myself do that). I have a really big yard and I would love for the new addition to our family to be able to roam the property freely without being worried about her getting in the road.

I have no problem with spending some time outdoors to help her get used to it. I've been bringing my inside dog out to play with her every day, and the grandkid asks to go play with the "puppy" several times a day, so I'm out there a lot already.

Thanks again for the input!

reply to post by stealthmonkey

That's a good idea, but I think I'll play it smart and try it on my husband first. It might be a good idea to get one for him too, then I wouldn't have to go searching for him at the neighbor's when it's time to do yard work!

Just joking about one for the husband, but I think I will try it. Thanks for the idea!

reply to post by littled16


Personally I'd put the cat outside.
My Brother has a collar/perimeter setup and it does not work for him, the dog crosses and is free.
I cannot say for others though.
I wouldn't use them myself but then again, I'm an awesome doggy daddy and my pack stays home cuz this is where the hugs and rawhides are.
Best of luck to you though.

We had one.
We also have always had big dogs. Seems our big dogs didn't mind the shock that much, because they would just run through it.
We now have a fenced in area. After spending some time with them, they don't mind being out there and stay very well, even though if they wanted to, they could go under pretty easy. Only the bulldog figured that out.

reply to post by grey580


I haven't had much success with training a dog to stay within a set perimeter, but I've heard that Doberman's are really good at learning this. I've tried it with every dog I've ever had, reading and studying dog training videos and doing what they've instructed and still always been unsuccessful. The Dog Whisperer I ain't!

reply to post by littled16


seems to me that some dogs will learn not to run away others will never get it out of their system. it does help if you had them from a pup or if they are above average intelegence.

I put electric fencing at the top of my fence after my hand me down dog kept taking himself for a walk. it worked for about two years till he figured out he could dig out under the fence.

now he has a chain and a run to go out and he still manages to get off that once or twice a year he is 13 now and still wants to roam.

good luck to ya!

reply to post by littled16


I have 4 dogs and use the invisible fence....the only problem we have ever had is when the batteries in the collar run out which, doesn't happen a lot without us noticing they are pushing the boundaries.

As another poster mentioned...you just have to train them where the boundaries are. Oh, and we used flags around the boundaries for a few days after we trained them. It just helps as a visual reminder until they are more sure of themselves.

Good for you taking in an abandoned dog....we have a rescued boxer that is just as sweet as can be although still a little shy of most other humans.

reply to post by g146541

I can't put the cat outside- it kills spiders. When my husband found out that the cat was killing spiders he declared that the cat could stay inside for life! Since he doesn't get to decide much of what goes on around here (he works out of town a lot) he insisted I let him have that one. Small price to pay to keep a happy hubby!

reply to post by littled16


My parents have a very large piece of land that they have it. For their Golden Retriever it works wondrously. So well, in fact, that even without the collar on anymore, she still wont cross the magic line.

reply to post by chiefsmom

I have heard that, but with her being a puppy still (albeit a huge puppy) I figured maybe it would work long enough to train her to stay within a set perimeter, and maybe by the time she's old enough that it wouldn't bother her too much she would already be trained not to cross the boundaries.

Thanks for the input!

reply to post by lunchmanstan


Thank you lunchmanstan! Let's hope she WANTS to stay in! After my husband found her nearly starved to death I'm hoping the food and the love keep her here, but dogs will be dogs!

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


Thanks for the tip! Right now the fence is pretty much acting as a visual boundary, cuz if she really wanted out she could jump smoothe over it! I just want to keep her safe!

reply to post by littled16

Have any of you tried out the dog collar system where you set up a perimeter and if the dog crosses the perimeter the collar gives the dog a mild shock so as to keep them from crossing said perimeter? And if you have tried such a system what were the results? Did it work well without causing severe pain to the dog?

I would never in any lifetime.

They can be effective but are generally unnecessary. Its all about confidence and repetition.

Take the dog for a walk around the perimeter where you want him to stay, at least a couple of times a day. Have others come by (people or pets) on the opposite side of said perimeter and have your dog sit by your side while you talk /interact with said people/pet.

Doing this consistently will show the dog that this is his/her property and that not all people or animals that approach are a danger.

After some time your pet will grow confidence in its ability to keep his/her home safe and will lose the desire to chase things away.

I actually had to train my daughters Chihuahua, which are notoriously sketchy around any type of living creature that is not its owner. Now she will occasionally bark at passers by but no longer does she crawl under the gate and chase things down the street.

Originally posted by littled16
Have any of you tried out the dog collar system where you set up a perimeter and if the dog crosses the perimeter the collar gives the dog a mild shock so as to keep them from crossing said perimeter? And if you have tried such a system what were the results? Did it work well without causing severe pain to the dog?

I have never considered using such a system before, but I'm kind of in a predicament. My husband rescued a starving dog that someone had dumped off at his work. You could see every single bone in this dogs body. She is a sweet dog and is on her way back to health. Problem is we had to put her outside into a fenced in portion of our yard because we already have a large dog and a cat in the house- and the new dog is not cat friendly at all. Also, while she is very big she will get much bigger. Apparently she is a Great Dane mix. At around 7-8 mo. old she is already taller than our 7 year old Pitbull by a few inches.

So anyway, she can already jump higher than the top rail of our chain link fence and it's just a matter of time before she goes "over the wall". We live near the highway and would be heartbroken if she were to get run over. Chaining her on a dog runner is out of the question as we once had a dog who got tangled up and nearly choked to death on one of those. We figure it would be more humane for her to get a small shock than to get run over.

So, have any of you used that type of system with success? I can't afford a new fence and don't want her at risk of getting killed.

I used a similar device on my german shepherd - a bark collar. Once she learned it was not going to kill her, she put up with it. It no longer worked. Ive heard similar stories w/ the permiter collars....once a dog learns he can actually get past it and he is fine, it wont work.

Originally posted by grey580
reply to post by littled16

 

You don't need that.

When I was 14 or 15 I was walking around in my cousins neighborhood.
One of his neighbors had a 12 inch high fence that went around his front yard.
While I was looking at the fence I didn't notice the ginourmous doberman. Of course the doberman noticed us and was coming at us full tilt. Barking up a storm.
As my life flashed before my eyes the dog stopped right at the fence line and continued to bark at us like cujo.

It seems that the neighbor had trained the doberman to not cross the fence.
The fence even had a little gate that the neighbor would open up and use when he wanted to get the dog out from behind the fence.


So with enough training i guess you could do the same.

That is what I did also, but my 3.5 acres had no fence. Even when harassed by a bunch of boys who threw things at her because the knew she would not cross off the trained property line. She still never went after the brats. She was a German Shepard though and they are very smart.