# Invisible fence



## 07wingnut (Mar 4, 2016)

We have a 5 acre property and would like to put up an invisible fence. Because the entire property is treed, it would be convenient to run an overhead wire, could somebody please inform me if this would work. As well, does the wire have to be insulated copper, or could it just be electric fence wire, run thru insulators.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I have no opinion about brands or installation methods. 

I do, however, think the e-fence product category is way more risky than people realize. I know these things work for some people and some dogs, but I frequently see GSDs in animal control shelters who are wearing e-fence collars, and the dogs were picked up stray, often injured. I've seen enough of these dogs in shelters with the e-fence collars that I don't trust these devices.

If that thing fails, your dog is GONE, and possibly even hit by a car.


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

I know of several breeders who won't sell dogs to people who have them.
If you live in an area that gets snow, the collars don't pick up the signal thru heavy snow. 
This type of fencing is not the safest, if you got a dog with high prey drive it will most likley be gone.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I tested this many years ago with my oldest dog. She kept going even with the shock, didn't even phase her.


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## 07wingnut (Mar 4, 2016)

I realize that many dog owners do not approve or like the invisible fences, but what I am after is do these fences function with a steel wire running thru electric fence insulators, above ground level?


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I would probably call the fence manufacturer. They would be able to answer any questions you would have. I have only seen them used under ground.


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## 07wingnut (Mar 4, 2016)

Update.
We installed an invisible fence controller, and for wire we used steel electric fence wire, strung around the property about 2 feet above the ground on insulators, just like you would install an electric fence. Human entry points thru the fence are achieved by burying the wire in insulated form, an inch or 2 under the ground. Our dog had not yet started to wander, and so training was maybe easier than with a dog that had. Initially, he was led around the boundaries with only the buzzer active. Later on the shock collar was activated at its lowest setting, and we have witnessed 3 incidents of shocks over the course of the 1st week. Now, weeks later, he has never crossed the boundary.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Unfortunately wild animals and criminals don't wear e-collars to stay out of your yard. I have seen sad situations where dogs would not even dare to go outside. It is a fake sense of security and doesn't take in account how dogs learn or behave.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

For anyone else with a large, espl wooded or uneven property: I fenced in about 3 acres behind my house with Tenax 5' pet fence. It is plastic fencing that you stake down at bottom and attach top to a tension wire. 

I have had it for a year and never had a dog challenge it. I do not leave dogs out there unattended because I am sure a dog could rip it open by biting if they had an idea and motivation to do so. 

You can literally run this fence anywhere, up and down steep, uneven terrain, around and over rocks ect. It is practically invisible from more than 10 feet which is good because it doesnt mess up your nature view but I do always walk new dogs around the perimeter to be sure they know it is there to prevent running into it. It is strong, I had a 100lb golden slide down a hill on some ice and crash into the fence sideways, it was fine. My puppy at about 70lbs ran into it for some silly puppy reason.

It has its downfalls and I wouldn't trust most dogs out there totally unsupervised, but for enclosing larger areas for supervised exercise it is great. I have metal fencing in the front yard so that is where I start unknown dogs. I have a kennel in the back so if I have to duck out and leave a boarder dog for a minute I toss them in there so I know they will be there when I get back 

I did find it slashed open one morning, I think by a bear because there were apples under the apple tree so I think our local bear just let himself in. I fixed the fence and threw all the fallen apples over the fence and it hasn't happened again.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

We have two 1/3 acres and part of it is woods. We have black chain installed and I have to say those fencers earned their pay! Not only did they clear the area where the fence was installed, leaving as much growth alone as possible, they also had to deal with thorn bushes, mostly wild raspberries and some other nastier vine. 

We had an invisible fence buried by the previous owners but have never used it. It would be good to know if you go this route how it works out. I've never seen it strung above ground before. 

One other thing about the invisible fence, we like to let our dogs out to play naked, no collar. Can't do that with the invisible fence.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

The biggest problem with invisible fences is they require training that people don't normally put in. Conceptually we see it as oh dog gets near the border of the yard hears a buzz or warning tone and if he ignores it gets stimmed and runs away from the border to escape it. 

Problem is nobody told the dog that. He runs toward the border hears the warning and stim and then escapes by running in the direction he was going already, to leave the yard. He punches through and then is afraid to come back in. Especially when he knows the escape that works is away from the yard. 

You have to train it. Best results are when you train the dog for two weeks about how to escape the tone back to the house. The other thing is a dog that wants to critter badly enough might punch through anyway and discover they can just blow through the line that way.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I have known a lot of dogs who ran through their invisible fence. One was a sweet little lab puppy from across the street whose owner didnt spend much time with her and she would see me out playing with and training my dogs every day and bust out to come be with us. I could not get her to go home, you had to drag her back with all 4 feet dug in. She decided it was worth it to take the hit to come hang out with me and my dogs for even a few minutes.

There is an invisible fence system here that came with the house. I can see the flags and in some places the wire, very similar to the yard I actually built but I never used for a lot of reasons, one of which being some dogs I used to walk when I was a dog walker and their owner installed a multi acre invisible fence for them. After thd shepherd got her first taste of it she would not go out into her own yard, would huddle on the porch with her tail between her legs. Those dogs did get a considerable amount of training preparation, I know because I was given instructions to work on it when I came to walk them.

One of my shepherds would not go near the barn with me on my old property for 6 months after I forgot to turn the hotwire off and he touched it. To be fair it was a pretty strong hot wire...I think I bought the baddest one TSC sold because I had panthers and bobcats and bears all wanting to eat my little goats and chickens at night so I rigged the open air barn so that if you tried to dig in or climb over you'd get 10000 volts

So I am wary of higher shocks and the possible side effects, although I do use e collars on my dogs.

I am told by my neighbors that the invisible fence here didn't contain the dogs who used to live here and they were out all the time.

I can think of one person I have met recently who is happy with her invisible fence...


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

A few years back, neighbors where I was living installed invisible fence for their lab. They had a hard time getting the dog to go on a walk afterward. They had to take it across the fence line in a vehicle. 

If you do above ground electric fencing of any type, check your zoning ordinance to see if that is legal where you live.


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