Question re. Invisible Fencing - Page 1

Okay, I have HAD it!! My male GSD has decided to go on a digging binge. The only problem is the spots he's digging in are the ones I want to put a vegetable garden and a perennial garden in. He's welcome to the other fenceline, so he can sniff noses with his girlfriend, the female Shepherd next door, just so long as he leaves me the other one for gardening. The garden forms about a 4' wide strip from my patio to the back fenceline, running parallel to the picket fence on the west side of my property. Is it possible to put invisible fencing as a single strip like that, or does it have to form a circuit, coming back to its point of origin, in order to get a current flow? Of course, the new puppy is learning his bad habits, and they BOTH come in covered in mud, and my house is just a muddy MESS! The pup seems to suffer from ADHD and is constantly taking a few slurps of water, dribbling water all over the floor, and stepping in it, then tracking muddy footprints everywhere. Two minutes later, she's back at the water bowl again, and does the same thing! Believe me, an outdoor kennel is starting to look more and more attractive, despite the cost!

Sunsilver-- Go right out and purchase a large, absorbent bathroom rug and put it under the waterbowl. Easy to throw in the washing machine---been there. (LOL)

I don't know the answer - but if a circuit is required you can still lay it in a single line, just run the cable one direction and then back again over top of the first pass, before filling in the trench - wala, a physical loop the takes the form of a straight line. -Calvin

The invisible fence has to come back into the circut in order for it to work. So you have to do a loop type of thing. Calvin had a good idea, but if you lay the wire on top of one another they will cancel eachother out. I know they suggest if you want a dog to pass through it, to twist the wire 8-10 times a foot or if you just want to do one area of your yard and you want it to be live, to sperate the wire 6-8 ft... Its kinda hard to explain it, but If I find the website with all the layouts its easy to understand. You have to be careful though as some dogs will run right through the fence. I know before we moved the neighbors behind us had his GSD on an invisible fence w/ a regular fence and he got through both. Whenever we heard a beeping collar(it was shocking him from passing through) we all said "HUNTERS HERE" and the dogs would go nuts! Although we loved to have him over to come and play, his owner wasent to thrilled about it. They do make a "stubborn dog" collar wich I think would probably work best. I will post the link for the layouts if I can find it. Best Regards, Andrea

This isent the one I saw before, but it works Here it is: http://www.radiofence.com/cat_fence_layouts.htm

LmH, the problem is she doesn't finish 'drinking' until she's halfway down the hall, or across the kitchen! Maybye I need to get her a bib? LOL!

I so glad someone else girl does the same things. My 9 month old loves to dribble her water everywhere and plays in the mud everyday. She a long coat so some days, when I come home I look at her all in mud and just wonder if she does it to get back at me for having to work.

I sympathize, Willy. I really, really wish I had a mud room where I can confine the dogs until they dry and most of the mud falls off! Alas, the only entry from my backyard is into the dining room, with its hardwood floor. The kitchen is just off the DR, and has white ceramic tile, which shows every single footprint....

Another question re. Invisible fencing: the control unit has to be located inside, or covered over outside. Are there wires that run from the control unit to the underground part of the fence, or is it controlled by a radio signal? I have been to three different pet stores today, and not one of them could answer all my questions!

An Invisible Fence needs a transmitter that is permanently mounted usually inside the home or in a sheltered area. You will want to mount it where you can hear the warning beep if it's disabled for any reason. The dog wears the receiver on its collar. If the dog ventures into the area protected by the transmitter, he can first receive a warning beep, then a correction if he fails to stop. Instead of a human activating the correction with the use of a hand held transmitter, the correction is given automatically. The original Invisible Fence, the brand name, needs a continuous underground wire to work. There are other brands that also work that way while others operate via a radio controlled field. Those wires are above ground on posts. If you are thinking about installing an underground fence, I would have one professionally installed by the Invisible Fence company. It's been my experience that the ones you buy and install yourself do not work nearly as well. In addition the Invisible Fence personnel will help you to train your dog to the fence. It take a few weeks of taping the prongs, using flags, walking the property, etc to get the dog trained correctly. YOuo just can't put the collar on him and turn him loose. I.F. will work with you to beef up the receiver if needed depending on the temperament of your dog. For example if your dog is the type to challenge the fence, then you might not want him to get a warning beep, you might opt for an immediate correction so he does not wander too close to the protected area. Each dog is different. My first GSD needed a 4 pronged collar, a wide field and a very strong correction to keep him in the yard. Blitz only needs 2 prongs with the mildest level of correction, a small field and a warning beep. The beep alone sends him running in the opposite direction. Also, it's easy to get a break in the wire if you forget where it is and cut it while gardening, etc. If that happens, the I.F. people will come out with a device that locates the break and they will fix it for you immediately. If you don't know where the break is, you could end up excavating your entire yard to find it. Freezing weather can cause the earth to heave and that too can sometimes break the wire. These fences are not maintenance free. You may as well just save your money rather than going to Tractor Supply or PetCo to buy one of their owner-installed underground containments. Many times the failure of the fence is the result of the dogs' not being trained properly, the transmitter or the receiver not being strong enough and some owners do not keep the batteries fresh or the collars tight enough. If your dog has a lot of coat, it will necessary to trim him so the prongs can touch the skin. Most I know who have had failures with underground fences have installed them themselves. I don't know how the radio tramsmitted fences work.