Invisible Electronic Dog Fencing – Are There Any Advantages?

Proponents of invisible electric dog fences – those that sell the electric dog fences, and those who buy them – claim that this particular tool is essential to the overall well-being of your dog. The major argument for these invisible electric fences is that your dog will suffer much more if it is hit by a car than it will if it is shocked by electricity.

Well, I suppose that this is true. But if the dog is hit by a car, it is an accident. If it is shocked by the invisible electric fence that you have installed, it is on purpose.

In all fairness, there are certain consumers who really do not have a choice about whether or not to install an electric fence. Some areas have ordinances that prohibit traditional wooden fencing, and some people simply can not afford to have the traditional fencing installed. And it must be said that electric fencing is better than no fencing.

But if you have the option, consider the many factors that are involved with electric fencing. First of all, electric fencing only serves to keep your dog in the yard. It will not keep a child out of your yard. Or another dog, or a thief, or a rabid raccoon. Electric fencing will protect your dog from running away or getting hit by a car, but it will not protect it from any of the many other dangers that exist.

And as far as keeping your dog contained in the yard, even that is open for debate. Many dogs, if chasing a squirrel or a cat, will run right through the fencing, no matter how well they are trained. When this happens, they can not get back into the yard.

Speaking of training – proponents of the invisible electric fencing claim that if a dog is well-trained from the start, eventually there will be no need to wear the collar. Having owned a very stubborn black lab, who needed to be retrained for just about everything about every six months, I would not have trusted that theory to work for a minute.

There is also the issue of malfunctioning collars. Some collars will react to other electronic equipment, such as computers or even doorbells. If your dog is wearing the electronic collar, there is a decent chance that it will get zapped for no good reason.

In the end, though, the simple question remains – why would anyone want to purposely hurt their dog? Electrocution is not a pleasant sensation, and as for having it done repeatedly – it just makes no sense.