The Almighty Electric Fence

Do you have one? I'd be interested in how it's working out for you, if you have one. Did your dog have to be shocked multiple times, or was once enough? Did you get an invisible fence because you were not allowed to put up a real fence? Or, were you convinced the electric shock option was a good one? I'm following and supporting the Never Shock a Puppy blogs and campaign, which is one reason I ask.

This blog post is not to judge anyone. I will openly state that I, Yvonne DiVita, do not like electric fence options. I will also admit that we had one in NY. I was lured into paying for an electric fence by the idea that it would leave my nice yard pristeen - and that the dog, our beloved Carmie who is no longer with us - would learn quickly not to break through the electric barrier.

All of that happened. The yard we had was very nice, full of great flowers and plants and trees, and a "real" fence would have marred the appearance, no doubt. So, I researched electric fences and discovered they were every bit as expensive as a wooden or chain-link fence! I settled on that option because I did not see any reason to suppose there would be a problem. The literature said the dog would only go through the electric barrier once - and, having learned her lesson, never again.

Carmie was a rambuctious dog, when we got the electric fence. She was hard to handle and prone to running off on her own, always to return an hour or so later. It seemed like a good idea to contain her within the backyard, via the electric fence, since she was a smart dog and would learn quickly. And, she did. Sort of. She learned that it hurt. Even at the lowest setting. However, she ran through it twice - which was 2X too many for me. She howled, but did not pause, and ran off to parts unknown.

After the second time, yes, she was 'trained.' She never tried to get out of the backyard again. But, I will never forget those two times she did, and the worry in her eyes when she returned home, as if she might get shocked again. (luckily, the fence was only in the back - once she arrived home, to the front door, she was safe) You can see from this picture she was a sweetheart.

At this moment in my life, I know that I will never again do the electric fence thing. It can be very cruel, and truth be told - it doesn't always work. Just yesterday, Tom and I were walking Chester and Emily and a small pit bull puppy leaped out of his yard, to come and play. He wore the collar and his 'master' was in the yard, but...no amount of pushing that button could deter him. He never even winched. He came over, did the sniffing thing, and seemed thoroughly delighted to be in the company of other dogs.

My heart went out to him. His owners did not shout or act unduly upset, which was good. But, they did keep shocking him... with no result. Maybe the shocker wasn't working, I don't know. And, finally, he went back to them and cowered in submission. To which they just gently took him indoors. So, I don't think they were going to punish him, I think they were going to call the electric fence people. At least, I hope that's what they were planning to do.

I do know is that this little guy was so sweet and beautiful, and he totally loved our dogs (they patiently allowed him to sniff to his heart's delight but neither one is big on puppy-play, so they merely stood there waiting for him to stop his little puppy antics), and his shock collar was just a collar, to him. I can only believe it wasn't working, as he never made any indication that it bothered him.

Perhaps they have it working today. Perhaps they still believe it's better than a traditional fence. Perhaps he's learned not to go near the perimeter of his backyard. Perhaps...perhaps. I don't know because he hasn't been there again. I just wish people would get the kind of training for their dogs that teach the dogs to come when called, no matter what.

Better than any kind of fence, IMHO. We surely have to get it for Chester and Emily. Good as they are, I am not convinced they would come when called...if a rabbit distracted them. 

Comments

[Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart]

Thanks so much for the support and mention of Never Shock a Puppy. We're in the final week of the initial 8-week campaign, and we still have a ways to go to reach our fundraising goal of $2,500 for Humane Society of Boulder Valley.

Clearly, I'm NO fan of electric fences... not only because of the shock collar, but also because they don't keep other animals out, and in our rural community, there are lots of loose dogs who roam around causing trouble.

That pup you met sounds darling. I hope everything turns out alright.

[Lorie Huston]

Carmy does indeed look like a sweet girl, Yvonne :-)

Thank you so much for writing this post. Though it makes me sad to think of that poor puppy, I'm glad you shared your story.

Don't beat yourself up too much about using an electric fence for Carmy. Times change and we know a lot more about dogs and their behavior now than we did even a few years ago. Fortuntely, as it often does, knowledge has led to the development of new techniques and new methods. Happily, these newer techniques and methods that are used in dog training today are much more humane than those we had available in the past and we now have viable alternatives to electric fences and shock collars.

Thanks for a great post!

[Kellie Roberts]

Thank you for this post, Yvonne. My belief is that thoughtful, educational communication is more effective than the in-your-face 'this is right and this is wrong' stuff.

[Yvonne DiVita]

@Roxanne - you're welcome. I totally support the Never Shock a Puppy campaign.

@Lorie - choosing that electric fence will haunt me forever. But, it did teach me that I can choose a better way.

@Kellie - I agree, education is best. I know there are people who use a shock collar and have the best at heart. I would urge them to consider other ways. As we learn more and more about how dogs think and feel, it makes sense to me to focus on learning - learning to find the tools that work for you and your dog, and don't cause anger, fear, or pain.

[dog fencing options]

We had a much better experience with our dog fence that we purchased last summer for our little rambunctious one. No cowering or any scared emotions on our end