# "underground" fence dog containment systems **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669 "2005-06-10T00:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/21 "2005-06-10T21:05:09Z")
> [@Kilvert's Pagan](#): > > Ours works great. We have a 50 lb lab/husky mix. To an earlier poster’s point, though, she is a relatively submissive dog - although very playful and energetic. Foster is submissive and very intelligent, which makes me think he’ll adapt to it well. He’s playful and energetic and I look forward to being able to let him run in the yard without worrying about him straying off elsewhere. Thanks for the post! ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/22 "2005-06-10T21:07:56Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > As a former pet sitter, I’ve had a lot of experience with other people’s invisible fences, and they have about a 50/50 success-to-failure rate. I appreciate your post! Some of it doesn’t apply to my situation, as I don’t let any of my dogs out unsupervised, ever. I’m not worried about a stray dog wandering in or anything like that. He’s tagged and microchipped in case the fence DOES fail, and we rarely get power outages, so that’s covered at least. Thanks for posting your experiences- it helps a lot! ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/23 "2005-06-10T21:11:15Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > My father has used them for years and years… Works a champ for him. He usually keeps _VERY_ large and powerful dogs, none of whom were particularly submissive. The key to success in the fence, he found, is in training. . Fantastic post- thank you! The only thing I wonder about is the “if he gets outside the fence, go get him” part. Hell, I"d need a tranq gun. He’s a terrier and runs like a jackrabbit. I swear if they sold them to the public I’d get one and just shoot him in the ass as he crossed the neighbors yard! Thanks again- that’s a fantastic training method and sounds like it works well. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/24 "2005-06-10T21:15:52Z")
> [@SP2263](#): > > We had a Pet Safe brand fence. > > Ours worked great for the most part. Our dog was a border collie/ german shepherd mix. She was a well behaved dog anyway. She _would_ decide that some things were just worth the shock. She would inch closer and closer to the line (she could hear a warning signal when she got close) whining the whole way because she knew what was coming. Then she would race through, screaming in pain and do whatever she wanted, usually chasing a squirrel or following one of us on a walk. > > I never trusted it if we weren’t home. I worried that a kid could come into the yard and get bit. > > Once I put her in the car and pulled the car over the wire and shocked her in the car, I felt so bad. Then she was afraid to go in the car. That’s the system I’m eyeing. I could see one of my dogs doing the “inching forward, knowing what’s coming” bit, but not Foster. Example- our cat beats the crap out of the dogs. The Rottie will bug her anyway, KNOWING she’s going to claw him in the nose. He’ll prepare for it, close his eyes, and harass her. Foster (the terrier in question) will avoid her at ALL costs and simply won’t go past her if she’s around. That’s why I think the fence will work on him. And OMG on the crossing over the fence in the car- thanks for pointing that out! How awful for your pup and you! ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/25 "2005-06-10T21:18:16Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > My Brother has two large dogs and an unfenced house in Colorado. The underground fence worked very well for his dogs. At first they needed to wear the zapper collars all the time they were out, then they could be allowed out without them. If they were spotted going out of bounds they were punnished by having to wear the zapper collars, Nowadays they don’t seem to ever need the collars, and stay within bounds even when there must be great temptation to go further (like when another dog is outside the bounds, or when the ground squirrels are active outside bounds). This is the case for my neighbors across the street. After a year or so of using the fence, the dogs have no interest in leaving the yard at all, collar or no. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/26 "2005-06-10T21:18:30Z")
Terriers… Fortunately most of them have short legs! 😉 Smaller dogs have a tougher time busting out, in general - It takes them longer to go through the barrier, and few dogs are willing to tollerate the pain for that long. OTOH, terriers are known for being a bit bloody-minded about doing what they want to do. I’d say, in your case, should your terrier crash the boundries, that you’d need to bait him to you, with a toy or treats. Gotta be careful, though, that you don’t encourage him to make a break for it, just to get play time or treats. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/27 "2005-06-10T21:19:40Z")
> [@GraphicsGal](#): > > I have 2 aussies and a standard fence, so I don’t have personal experience myself. > > The trainer we had for Neilli said her biggest issue with invisible fencing was the inability of the fence to keep people and animals out. > > Hope you come up with a solution that works for you! I can see where other animals and humans would be an issue for a lot of people- we don’t let our dogs out unattended though (ever) even the well trained Rottie who wouldn’t wander out of sight for all the money in the world. I hope I find a solution too- thanks for your post! ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/28 "2005-06-11T03:37:59Z")
**BoBettie** - My mother’s dog Casey, the wire fox terrier, weighs 32 lbs at his last vet visit. He’s a terror to squirrels and chipmunks but never tries to cross the line. Even if his collar is off he stays in the boundary. StG ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/29 "2005-06-11T13:08:50Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **BoBettie** - My mother’s dog Casey, the wire fox terrier, weighs 32 lbs at his last vet visit. He’s a terror to squirrels and chipmunks but never tries to cross the line. Even if his collar is off he stays in the boundary. > > StG Thanks for the info- so far my terror…I mean, terrier seems to be of the digging around the yarn type- I’ve not seen him chase after anything at all. Interesting! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669/30 "2005-06-11T13:20:30Z")
My son had a friend that used the invisible fence to great success. An added source of entertainment was the kids (and by that I mean Adult Kids) putting the collar on and pushing each other across the line. While I wasn’t there to see it, it sounded hilarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underground-fence-dog-containment-systems/307669.md?page=1)