omg thats horrible we bought an invisible fece and it was only supposed to shoch him if he touched the invisible fence but rite wen he left the paddio it shocked him to the point were he was crying and now he wont leave the paddio even though we got rid of the fence

That's awful. :( I bet the average dog owner who buys these devices doesn't have the first idea about what they can lead to! Something really has to be done...

HORRIBLE! First of all, if you are too lazy to keep an eye on your pet so that they can be outside, DONT GET A PET! We trained our dog with a collar that sets a tone when you push a button, somehow letting our dog know that she should pay attention to us- we still stay outside with her, but now she doesnt run off when we go out, and she can play with our other dog more freely instead of being on a leash. The tone is not harmful or frightening to the dog (Ginger seemed to be happy and perky when the tone sounded), just made her ears perked up and her tongue hang out like "hey mom here i am!" The colar did have a shock feature, which I felt was unnecessary, as Ginger was EXTREMELY hardheaded and hyper and the tone worked just fine; after 5 or 6 days, she didnt even need the collar any more, and no shock was needed! I really recommend this as a way to keep your pets in bounds without hurting them or scarring them emotionally!

I'm glad I read this article-I have actually been thinking about installing an invisible fence. I thought it would keep my dog safer. The marketing for this product can be very deceiving-of course I was never told about how harmful this could be to my dog.

That`s really horrible!

Why arent these things banned from the government??

When I was 12, my dog had this type of fencing, my mum couldn't afford to build a fence that she couldn't jump and we were renting the house from the government because we were poor. I tried this collar on once, it hurt like hell! It never stopped her anyway, so eventually we just gave up and took it off her. I remember thinking it was awfully cruel when I tried it on myself. I didn't want her to have to feel that pain.

Gosh, that's DISGUSTING.

That's why I only keep a cloth collar on my dog. I couldn't ever handle it or forgive myself is something happened to him. :(

Poor baby.. =[
That makes me really sad

see that's the problems with this country today.people depend on machines and devices to do everything for them,why do you think fat people are moving around on hoveround's.it's because they're depending on a machine to do there job.this is a horrible story.people if you want to train your dog to not do something,train him/her the right way and don't buy any stupid shock collars.and learn to use your knowledge.
stop depending on devices to do everything for you.
god,i often wonder how people can be so stupid.
sorry the truth hurts

I've heard of this. I know someone whose dog got its fur burned off by a bark control collar. There are other ways to train and control your dog without shocking them.

I bought invisible fence for my dog, but used it on me before I used it on him. After I used it on me I decide to NEVER put in on my dog, ever!!

As I am a dog owner myself, and not an owner of one of these devices, I would think that my comments here will be posted. If not, I will be at least able to guess as to why.

First and foremost - Stop blaming the manufacturer of the device. If the owner was not responsible enough to check the collar on a regular basis (this is WAY more than 2 days of damage), then it is their own ignorance and not the fault of the collar.

Second - Even supposing that this is just 2 days worth of damage, the owner of the dog should have informed the dogsitter of the collar, how to check it, and most importantly, how to disable or remove it if necessary. Again, responsibility should be on the uncaring owner of the poor animal, not the device.

Please, get your priorities and responsibilities right for once.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi JT,
I understand what you're saying, but the owner in this case had no clue that the collar could be so destructive. If you go to the Invisible Fence Web site, you won't find any warnings about this sort of thing, and apparently the technician who installed the fence didn't give any warnings either.
KP

That's a sad story. My dogs are in the Invisible Fence for about 2 years now. They were trained to respect it and I've never seen the least bit of irritation on them from the collar. My dogs are happy and healthy. In spite of the story I'd still recommend it totally.

Personally, we have one. We live on a very busy street. This is the entire way the dogs are "trained". It’s a whole system. Before they put it around the house the put up red flags where the "fence" will be. We took the dogs outside, about 4 times a day, and walked to the flag and hit it and said no. If the dogs went to it we hit the flag again and said no. It was a week of this. The guy explained that there is like a 6 in. diameter around the actual electricity. If they get to that diameter their collars beep. The idea is for them to be conditioned to know where they can not go. We have had it and are dogs (the sutbborn one) got schocked once....no big deal really. My husband and I walked over the area touching the collars and it did shock but no biggie. To me this is much more humane than my dogs being cooped in the house 24/7 or running freely in and out of the street. When I first heard about it I thought it was insanely inhumane.....now I think completely different. That is impossible. When you purchase this they tell you not to leave the collar on the dogs for long periods of times. They say to put them on when they go out and take them off when they come in. The only way this could have happened to this dog is if it ran around in circles on top of the underground electric fence. The entire inside of the yard is not electrified. Dude.....I have this fence and I am getting personnaly p.o.-ed. I would never do anything to harm my dogs. This is impossible. I’m not trying to cause drama but I just definitely want to show the other side.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Candace,
When you shocked yourself, you knew exactly what you were doing and when it was coming, etc. That's completely different from being shocked out of the blue, not knowing why, etc.
Also, there are other alternatives--painless ones--besides being cooped up in the house 24/7 or running freely into the street.
You're lucky that you were given complete instructions to your satisfaction about the fence, but obviously not every customer is being completely informed.
These fences are known to malfunction, and that's probably what happened in the situation that I described.
KP

That's really sad what happened to their dogs! My parents were thinking once of getting an invisible fence but after what i've read today I will encourage them to NOT get one. That's disgusting how they covered up what really happens to the animals.

If someone is going to buy this torture device they really don't love animals in the first place.

I tried a wireless version of the invisible fence on my Beagle who just cried when the collar shocked him and continued to follow whatever scent he picked up in spite of the pain. As I was adverse to causing my little guy pain, I stopped using it and erected a chain link fence myself. It was fun and only took a few weekends. When my wife and I moved, I had a fence installed on our new property. I've seen other dogs go right through these types of fences and believe they aren't correct for ALL dogs. I also believe too many people use containment as an alternative to walking their companions which often causes behavior problems due to dogs being deprived of exercise.

Peta is crazy they make up results to shock people. there was obviously a malfunction in the shock collar. I have owned that collar for three years, and i had no problem with my dog, and ive tried it myself and it stings like a bee sting but not much more. Peta is a shock organization and half their results are fake fuck you all

>>>KP's Response:

Hello Ben,
No, I think you're right that there probably was a malfunction in the collar, but that's not uncommon, and who would risk something like that on their beloved dog?
A bee sting hurts a lot--how can you possibly downplay the effect that that has on an innocent dog who is just being a dog? for the dog, it comes out of nowhere--that's different from when you shocked yourself. You knew what it was, you knew when it was coming, and you knew that it would only happen once.
KP

It's pretty bad that you can bad mouth who ever or what ever products you want with out giving them a chance to respond. It's very convenient for you to approve comments only from those people that agree with you. I have an Invisible Fence and it in no way causes any harm to our dog what so ever. All this site does is run at the mouth about things that half the time you haven't fully checked out. I don't expect this to get posted but I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate mail!

>>>KP's Response:

Hello Bryan,
I publish all but the most hateful (or off-topic) comments, and anyone is welcome to submit them. If you read through the comments, you will see many dissenting opinions, so perhaps you are the one who needs to do more checking since you obviously didn't look into that prior to making your remarks.
I hope that your dog agrees with you about not being harmed by your Invisible Fence, but if your dog has two prongs stuck into his or her neck every time he or she is outside, then I would bet that your opinions differ.
KP

ahh thats terrible, the stuff that people do now days for money is unreal...
that invisible fence company should be sued, just because the victim is an animal doesnt mean they can hurt them and still get away with it.

I recentyl adopted a mini daschaund from a rescue and his previous owners did the same thing to him. He had two burn marks on his neck, there was no denying what this was from. I don't understand how you can let these wounds get to this point. I think that there is a huge amont of laziness needed to hook your pet up to such a creul device. If some people would get off their asses and walk their dogs outside, there would be no need for these fences!

How sad. How terrible. And how aweful that the owners were led and fooled to believe this was the "right" thing to do. Aren't there safer ways of keeping dogs in ones yard? How about makiing sure the fence surrounding the house is properly installed and made so the dog can not escape. And to shock an animal? We wouldn't do this to our kids to keep them in the house. Why would we do this to our pets? Do people truely believe that pets pain tolerance is any different from a human's?

i am shocked that the dog sitter didn't think to check the dog or take it to a vet when the poor thing started to act differently. even though i'm only 13 as a dog lover as soon as my dog starts to look or act down i will check her for any cuts or something that shouldn't be there and watch her till she is back to normal. but seriously "dogsitter" you should of used your common sense. Get Well Soon Koukla!

I'm on both ends of the debate. For 1 thing I beleive Shock collars are a good solution to make sure your pet doesnt run away. I dont beleive it was meant to be a torture device but I beleive you should stop using the collar once your pet is able to try and not run away.

i agree with not having an invisible fence. but i think the fact that you think that people without a regular fence shouldn't have dogs is ridiculous! we walk our dogs, on leashes. they don't need a fence because they have full run of our large house while we are at work, and then we take them for walks on lunch break and after, then we play. having a fence doesn't necessarily solve the problem. my Freddie can climb and dig, so that's setting up for failure! what dogs need is supervision! p.s. i bring one dog to work with me every day, we rotate.

I just had that Invisible Fence Brand installed for my Goldendoodle. He has had the PROPER Training done by myself and the invisible Fence trainers. A total of 4 sessions over a 10 day period and twice daily by me. He is happier now that he isn't restricted by his leash or 20ft lead that I had in the backyard. He totally understands the boundries and what will happen if he comes close to the boundries. THATS PART OF THE TRAINING. Not to get constant corrections is the goal here. It should not happen if the dog is trained correctly. I personally held the collar in my hand to feel the "correction" that he would/has received and its effective but not to a point where he would feel any major lasting pain or major discomfort. Its effective and if Vets approve it, then its no problem. NOW WHATS VERY IMPORTANT that many owners probably Do not do, and the invisible fence company RECOMMENDS is at night I take that collar off him, gently massage his neck and we go to sleep. Ok, maybe the massage part is not needed, but its a routine that I do so its part of our routine in showing him constant love and effection and he doesn't or ever fear his collar. He is more mellow now and definatley happier and much safer. I thank you invisible fence.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Larry,
I think it's sweet that you massage your dog's neck, but I just don't understand why you think it's OK for him to have those prongs poking into his neck all the time. Can you not empathize with how uncomfortable that must feel? Dogs are stoic. They don't show all their pain.
And one other thing--please don't trust everything a vet tells you is OK. Some vets are wonderful, and some are really horrible.
KP

please let there be a petition
if there is let me know

kala4444rally@hotmail.com

The problem is not the electric fence. If the people would have watched the CD, it tells you to remove the collar each day. DUH! I do not think you need to build $6,000 fence to control your dog. (Not when people pop kids out with out them.) Somtimes I think some of the expectations are a little exagerated.lets not limit fido a home because he jumps a fence. With proper training they actually can work. READ THE DIRECTIONS PEOPLE!

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Amanda,
But I still would never strap a collar onto a dog with two prongs pointed inward. Anyone who says that a dog doesn't mind that is delusional.
KP

no one without a fenced-in yard would be allowed to have a dog, period? That's crazy! I own 2 rescue dogs and we go to the park and hiking every day, they are the happiest dogs in the world!! So you would have them stay in a shelter and be put down because i have no back yard? You should re-think that. i have many friends that own dogs also with no back yards and are THE BEST dog owners and have the happiest dogs. I also have family members who let their dog sit in the back yard all day alone. You are way off on this one.

So, people who don't have a fence at their home, shouldn't have a loyal companion? What if they can't afford one? That 's a pretty harsh statement :o(

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Lauren,
Well, I think that would be ideal. Dogs shouldn't have to be leashed every time they set foot outside. And they shouldn't have to get shocked in the neck, either.
KP

This is terrible! And you know what is amazing? I bet that more than half the people here don't care that the exact same thing happens to poor cows going to slaughter. They are shocked until they pass out and sometimes it doesn't even work. When it doesn't work, they go through the entire slaughtering process alive. It is exactly like something that I saw on the news. They busted someone for having a puppy "farm" in which all of the puppies were kept in small cages stacked on top of each other in a very small, cramped warehouse. Hmmm, kind of reminds me of what poor pigs and chickens have to go through. Go ahead. Enjoy that BLT. I'm sure that pig doesn't mind. Just as long as your happy.

*EDIT*
I am not saying that meat eaters are bad people. Many of them don't know how they got that burger. But the ones who have been informed and know all of this happpens, they really need to look at themselves. Meat isn't bad. The way they get it is just inhhumane. -Meat IS murder, no matter what you put on it.

that is really sad! poor Koukla! electric fences are so mean! what the dogs need it supervision, not to be electracuted. if you have one, you shuould at least just make it beep every time they get near the edge of your yard just to remind them, but there is certainly no need to electracute them ...but its partly your fault because you are supposed to check to make sure there is nothing wrong under the collar every day, and if there is take it off. you surely could have and should have told the dog sitter this.

my family had an electric fence one time (and we will NEVER get one again) and the thing didn't even turn on.

now the dogs go out with somebody so they can run around and play and we can make sure that they stay in the yard.

but they are so attached to our family that they don't go too far away (like if i'm at one side of the yard they're at the other side.) there is no fence and i honestly believe that if there was a fence there that they would be extremely unhappy and possibly turn aggresive. but that's just me and my opinion.

poor girl!!

awwww... this is realy sad. :'(

thats really sick i cant stand people who do that to their dogs. if someone wants to use this on their dog they should have to feel the pain their dog will feel and see if they still want to use it. people want a pet but none of the Responsibilities. how hard is it to watch your dog go outside or maybe build a fence.

What is pathedic is that the sellers (Invisable Fencing) are obviously fully aware of the detrimental effects towards these helpless dogs but yet they continue to sell their product for thier own profit. Its a dirty shame! I agree with Lindsay, where she states the "owner" should wear the collar...the "sellers" of these invisible fences should drive a couple prongs in their necks...oh and get zapped on raw skin and see what kind of pleasure they get out of it? This picture of this poor helpless beautiful dog is absolutley disturbing and so unfair.

I am 15 and an owner of the invisible fence, the dog DOES know when he is going to get the shock because he is trained to understand the boundries, also we dont have this because we are lazy people who want to leave our dog outside all the time, in fact my dog is beside me right now and i was petting him until he went onto the carpet to lay down, this isnt cruel, its not a torture device, its not inhumane, we need the fence so he can go to the bathroom and not run off after a fox or car. he has run through the fence before but he didnt freak out or anything when he was brought back in, he was a little hesitant but my dad had taken off the collar and switched it with the one we use for walks. Also the prods are not anymore than an inch and my dogs collar is not extremely tight, we keep it loose enough so he isnt choking but tight enough so that the 2 small metal prods touch him, he still gets the shock if he goes through but it doesnt choke him. And if somebody stands on the other side of the fence and teases my dog or runs around or whatever, he will not run through the fence to get to them, he will sit on the other side and watch them, at most he might bark a couple of times. But our dog also goes for walks as often as possible and whenever somebody is on the bottom floor of the house he is allowed in and sits with us or walks around. Im sorry but i would still recommend invisible fence as long as YOU are willing to take the time to train your dog properly.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Robert,
Thanks for writing. I just have two questions for you: How would you like to have two 1-inch-long prongs poking into YOUR neck? And how would you like it if your parents shocked you in the neck every time you did something that they didn't like?
KP

That's horrible. I actually have the invisible fence brand fence at my house and never had an issue before. Then again, our dogs rarely ever wear their collars. Regardless, I check their collars on the fence regularly on myself (we have it on the lowest setting) just to make sure it's working properly. I think it really depends on the owner, common sense tells you when your dogs collar is too tight. I also do E-collar training and again, it all depends on the person in control of it. The purpose is to get the dogs attention, never to hurt them. If I'm going to subject my dogs to anything my wife and I ALWAYS TEST IT ON OURSELVES FIRST. They trust us to make the right decisions.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Ian,
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see how you can use electric shocks to train dogs without hurting them. Also, testing the shock collar on yourself is not the same as having to wear the thing and be threatened with shocks for long periods of time.
KP

I just read some more posts and wanted to comment about prongs being forced into the dogs neck every time it goes out. My dogs wear their collars maybe half the time, the other half I put them on as a just incase. Regardless, their collars are not on tight. They recommend you fit them so you can only fit yoru finger under the prong. My dogs collars fit quite less snug than that. We got the fence because the neighborhood we live in doesn't allow chain link and a vinyl fence would have cost nearly 3k dollars. The invisible fence was 1100 dollars. That's a little bit different. Either way, I know my guys are safe if they want to hang out in the yard. We also walk our dogs about 3 miles a day so they are absolutely our top priority. Most people who are uneducated about the E-collar training methods fear them or think they are inhumane. Like I said previously, if done correctly, it builds confidence in dogs who lack (like my boxer murphy) or teaches boundries to extremely dominant dogs (like my other boxer Maya). Some of these people are so clueless it's scary.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Ian,
I don't think it's a question of education--I think it's a question of empathy. People who don't like shock-collar training have more empathy for dogs than people who do. Look, you even use a euphemism to describe it: E-collar. That sounds so benign, but you're just fooling yourself.
You're willing to shock your dogs and make them wear collars with prongs pointing inwards in order to save $1,900. I guess everyone has their price. I wouldn't shock my dogs to save $100,000, but that's just me.
KP

I cant believe that it is legally allowed for a company to manufacture such an inhumane product-it is disgusting. If parents put a "invisible fence" on their children to keep them from wandering of on outings-they would be sent to jail but because it is for dogs-"just an animal",it is accepted. Dogs are our family,they are furry children who deserve just as much compassion as humans.It really sickens me that some people think that this type of treatment is ok. This company,although they may think they are doing the right thing, are letting caring and un-informed owners use these torture devices on their beloved pets.Please stop selling these horrible collars.Proper training and actual fences are the answer.

I don't get it, why use a fence like that? Why would people commenting use a fence like that?

I have a fenced in yard so that my dogs, and rabbit cannot escape, and other animals can't get in. (Cats don't come in because of my dogs, little do they know my dogs love cats, we have cats too.)

I would never even contemplate getting a collar that shocked my dogs, or made loud noises in their ear like someone above mentioned. My dogs are trained well, and I'm contemplating trying clicker training.

Would you put collar that gives off shocks to a child? No. Would you use clicker training? Sure if it worked, it wouldn't harm the child in anyway.. I believe positive reinforcement is the only way to go!

First of all why do people put theses collars on their dog when they know that he's going to get hurt (not always to this extent) there is another way of keeping dogs on your propety
1. A proper WOODEN fence
2. Some old fashioned TRAINING, i live on a 2 acre farm with 3 acres of forest and my dogs stay on my land without an invisisble fence just because we took them to training classes. These are ways to keep your dog on your land that work and are 100% cruelty free.

I wonder what Health and Human Services would have to say if we put shock collars on kids to keep them from running into the street or wandering out of their yard. It is safe, right? And you would only be looking out for their best interest. Besides, if they were "trained properly" they wouldn't ever get shocked. Sorry folks, if you wouldn't do it to your kid you shouldn't do it to your pet.

But opinions aside, anyone with a shock collar on their dog should double-check with the Humane Society and local animal enforcement to ensure you are not in violation of city ordinances. Most cities require dogs to be confined by a leash or physical fence and can impound any animal in violation of this law (ours goes so far as to call out invisible fences as inadequate confinement.) This unfortunately means they will come into your yard and will shock your pet on the way to the truck that will take them to the shelter. I saw this go down a little over a year ago and the Humane Society employee didn't listen to the pet owner or several other passerbys when they loaded the crying dogs into the truck. So not only did my neighbor face a hefty fine to bail his dogs out, the dogs were the ones who had to suffer for it (and these are really good little dogs who never "test" their fence when people walk by.) So in a way, these fences might not be legal after all.

I've had three invisible fences. The first one was a store bought self installed one and I believe it malfunctioned. I noticed my dog licking in the air constantly. Upon removing the collar I found blood from her scratching at it, took her to the vet where she was given antibiotics. Never really found out what happened and she won't tell. We abandoned that fence and called the pros out. I believe you get what you pay for. Fence #2 - in ten years my two dogs got off once in a 36" snowstorm. Totally recommended. Fence #3 in a new house, same two dogs plus three more and called a similar fence company. It's the best thing we ever did! They spent two weeks training the dogs! It's not a matter of laziness to not watch my dogs as inferred in many comments, it's allowing dogs to roam around their space at their will. Fence gates get left open and dogs get hit by cars. It's less cruel than seeing a dog get hit. How about the puppy who accidentally hung herself to her death by her collar from a fence cause she was jumping? I think it's in the quality of the invisible fence as well as in the fence training. LRD

>>>KP's Response:

Hi LRD,
They've still got those prongs poking into their necks the whole time, though, don't they? I'm sure that that compromises their enjoyment of being able to run around in the yard.
Gates only get left open if owners don't lock them. My gates can't even be opened from the outside--only from inside the yard.
I'm sorry, but I find it really shocking (no pun intended) that you would go out and buy another invisible fence after seeing how much your dog suffered from the first one.
KP

If this "fence" is invisible, how is the dog suppose to know where the boundry is? Just by getting shocked for going into unknown areas? I have heard of this product but the only ad I ever heard started out with some kid talking about his dog getting ran over.
Would this product really be cheaper than an actual fence, even a basic one?

i too have an invisible fence for my 110lb, choc.lab who is strong as a bull, i have a disability so I think it's great I can let him out with out worries, he's happy, I feel awful for the dog in the picture, they had it on too tight, maybe on too strong, you can have them turn it down and still be effective. I love all animals and never want any harm to come to them

I live in England and as far as I know people dont have these type of invisible fences. 10 out of 10 to the girl who tried it out on herself, I think you should as animals cant talk to you can they.

I think it is terrible what happened to this dog, the company should be sued.

Your laws seem a bit strict to me, keeping your dogs on leashes all the time and not letting them run, your dog's psychology must be absolutely poor. You must get a lot of attacks that is all I can say, caused by that type of human dictatorship behaviour.

I am so glad I live here in England.

Rebecca Wp;bert's letter shocked me. If someone authority or not came to take my dog, noway would they take him, not even for a short time. Even if it was the army or anyone, they would not get past me and in that I am totally serious. I would die for my dog.

Thank you for sharing that story. I had no idea they could burn an animal I wouldnt use an invisible fence anyway. I lived in the country for 23 years. Invisible fences are NOT safe. I caught a beautiful yellow Lab running up the middle of a busy country road. He became afraid of a hot air balloon and ran through his fence. My other neighbors dog ran through his fence and ended up trapped in the back of another neighbors "invisible" fenced yard hiding scared to death for 3 days. It only takes one car, one coyote or agressive stray dog to end your dogs life. They may looks "pretty" but they are not safe.....

I have an active German Shorthair. We put Invisible Fencing in so it covers about a mile area. From deep in the woods to all around the house. We can walk her and be out playing with a ball but her greatest fun is playing in the woods and her usual 30 laps around the house first thing in the morning. Our fence was put in professionally and the tech spent 3 days (at 3-4 hours per day) training with the flags, with us, and alone with the dog. There is a beep for 10 feet before the shock. She just goes as far as the beep and never gets a shock. She is so very smart that if the fence is down (battery dead or something) she will run off and she is 5 blocks away in about 3 minutes. Our other German shorthair was killed on the highway 2 years ago about 10 blocks from the house before we got this fencing. I agree, at the level we have the collar set on it would take WEEKS to get injuries like this and, who doesn't look at the dog several times a day so they would see redness, swelling, this was owner neglect actually. I will use this collar in the way it was intended and it works great here. Thanks for the opportunity to hear all sides! Linda

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Linda,
Ten feet isn't much of a warning if a dog is running at full speed. I'm sure your dog has gotten shocked.
And knowing as you do that the battery can go dead and your dog can run off and get killed, I'm really incredulous that you would still rely on such a fence. A solid fence is much more secure and safe for our dogs. And it doesn't hurt them.
KP

Are you serious?

What sort of animal "lovers" would put up an invisible fence and a collar that shocks....I cant believe some of you people....Why is it you need an invisible fence? To make your house look better without a fence? Or to let the dog feel free only to be shocked once its past a point....Its nasty,i have a normal fence and my dog lives happy without a collar...Perhaps people should get their yards done before owning such an animal....How would you like to be shocked? And i dont care if its a small shock or big,you have to ask yourself should you own an animal if you cant look after it the normal and correct way? I hope they stop making things like that,gives people an excuse to cause discomfort to their animals..To bad for the poor dog when the collar doesnt function properly and it fries your dog...Silly silly people.....Christ almighty!

We have been using an underground fence for the last 2 years. When we bought the fence it came with a dvd and booklet on how to train your dog and use the equipment.(the same as Candace explained)The collar is only suppose to be on for short periods of time and not digging into the skin, just in contact with the skin. We also have a real fence in the backyard, but our dog was a runner. She would run out the front any chance she got, and would run and play for hours until she felt like coming back. She is a happy dog and we do walk her, but she just loved to run around the neighborhood like it was a game. We would try to bring her home. She would stop as you would approach her,then sprint off smiling and probaly laughing because we couldn't catch her. We'd drive and walk for hours trying to get her. We did the best we could to keep her from running, but we have small 3 children and if guest ever came over she'd almost definetly get out. She would harrass the neighbors and like to run in front of cars. We love our dog and didn't want her taken away or hit by a car. We heard from a friend how well the fence worked. We bought the fence and trained her. She's been shocked maybe 2-3 times in the last 2 years, and that was in the very beginning. It gives a warning noise first and you can adjust the setting to be on the lowest shock or just on a beep noise. She stays in the yard and we don't even have to have her wear the collar most of the time or we just put the setting on the beep, instead of shock. We tested the shock and it feels like those gag hand buzzers. It's more surprising than painful. I think the fences are good if you use them right. This case was definetly a malfunction and improper use. Why would they leave the collar for days at a time? The dvd we recieved warns about that, the prongs alone would cause sores if left on for days at a time. Our instructions told us to leave it on no more than a few hours, to check the site and to alternate where it's placed. I do agree that these collars/fences can harmful if used incorrectly like this one seems to have been. In our case it works really well and keeps or dog safe.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Melissa,
There are other, more humane ways of accomplishing the same thing so that your dog doesn't have to be shocked and doesn't have to wear prongs poking into her neck, and doesn't have to be at risk from people or other animals who can get at her since she isn't protected by a real fence. For example, I don't have a fence in my front yard, either, so I simply installed a gate on my front porch, so that if I open the front door to visitors, they have already shut the gate behind them (it closes automatically) and no one can run off.
KP

This certainly was an unfortunate experience. Obviously the house sitter was not informed as to how to watch the collar and the dog. Possibly the IF trainer was remiss or inexperienced. The written instructions clearly state to take the collar off every night and check the neck for the first month. After the first month, the dog's neck is able to wear the collar. The collar did not "burn" the neck,,,the holes were caused by the collar being TOO TIGHT. I have been selling these fences for 25 years and totally support them. Most often the problems occur when the human doesn't follow directions. These fences have saved millions of dogs' lives.

>>>KP's Response:

HI Jan,
Shame on you for selling a product designed to inflict pain on dogs. There is no excuse for it.
KP

Ian,
Wrong. Invisible fences and E-collars are crutches for the truly uneducated people who are either too lazy, too stupid or too mean to train their dogs properly. Shame on you. You're the one who needs to get a clue.

It is unfortunate what has happened to Koukla, however, it is up to the owner to insure proper use of the fence, as well as the welfare of their dog.

My family uses the Invisible Fence - and it is not because we are lazy or don't watch our dogs, or because we don't have a fence. We have two very large mixed breed shelter rescues, Porter and Rico. Rico is a very smart and athletic dog. He was always jumping over our small chain link fence and running into the street, and has several times almost been hit by a car. Out of concern for him, we built a SIX FOOT tall wooden fence, which he was STILL able to jump. After he started jumping the wooden fence, we began walking him in the backyard on a leash, and he would sometimes yank the leash out of our hand and still jump the fence, one time even getting the leash caught on the fence, which posed a threat to his safety (luckily it was a retractable one that continued to stretch when he got caught, rather than stopping and strangling him). His jumping soon became a bigger problem when he would encounter other dogs in the street, so much so that another dog owner called Animal Control. We turned to Invisible Fence as a last resort. If we had not installed the fence, Rico would have kept escaping and we would have risked getting him taken away. Many of you might think his jumping is a result from improper training, yet we had a personal trainer help us out in the past, which helped with some of his behavioral issues, but could not solve his jumping. After installing the Invisible Fence, we made sure to follow all of the directions in training our dogs, such as using the flags provided to show boundaries of the fence, as well as putting his shock level on the lowest setting. Since the installment of the fence a year ago, Rico has not escaped a single time, and is rarely buzzed by the collar because of the process of showing him the flags and establishing the boundaries of our wooden fence, which is where we installed the Invisible Fence.

The Invisible Fence has given us peace of mind that he won't jump our fence and possibly get hit by a car or taken away, and Porter and Rico are now able to run and play freely in the yard. Without the Invisible Fence, we probably would have lost Rico in a car accident, or have him pulled from our home and put back into the shelter where we rescued him from.

Please don't assume that anyone who uses this Invisible Fence is cruel or uncaring for their animal's welfare. It is because my family DOES love and care for our dogs so much that we made the decision to install it.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi L,
Again, there are more humane ways to solve these problems if you just put your mind to it. It sounds like you just gave up.
A different, more effective trainer, perhaps? An adjustment to the fence to make it more difficult to climb?
My guess is that Rico doesn't get enough walks outside the yard and was trying to tell you something, like, "Hey, I want out of this kennel once in a while!" but instead of listening, you just suppressed his self-expression and his needs.
KP

See, you keep saying shock, but it depends how you use it. I'm completely against the use of shock collars for training (I'm aware this is a double standard) but e collars (granted half of you will say they'r the same with a different name) are not the same as shock collars. When I train my dogs, I put it on a low setting and keep it much looser than they suggest. I'm not trying to hurt them or scare them. I use it to get their attention b/c when training them, they are on a leash half the time. The other half is running through what they know without the leash and using the same principles. I've seen people train with these collars that make me cringe b/c they use believe if the dog doesn't listen they need to feel a painful response. I don't agree with that.

As for the fence, I'm not thrilled with the idea, but we couldn't afford a regular fence since the neighborhood we live in are wooden fence nazi's. Since a vinyl fence would have cost $2,700 we looked into it. I tried the invisible fence on myself and it wasn't that bad (i had it turned way down b/c it's not a rhyno its a dog). They experienced it 2-4 times in a year and haven't tested the boundaries since. The collars do not sit on their skin very snug. Actually, it would be hit or miss if it actually shocked them b/c it's so loose. However, they know the beep before the shock (it is on a delay) means step back. For us, it was a matter of knowing our dogs would not run into the road and get hit by a car. Call it lazy, but most people commenting on here don't have a clue how well we treat our dogs. Most people don't perform 2 months of research before choosing a vet or feed them a raw diet. We are now transitioning them to a vege diet with the help of our vet. Anyone on here that feeds their dogs kibble should probably keep their mouth shut, since that is probably the most disgusting thing I can imagine feeding my dog next to garbage.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Ian,
Well, you're making an awful lot of excuses here, but the bottom line is that you bought two different types of devices to shock your dogs. Testing it on yourself is not the same as getting shocked out of the blue, so let's not compare apples and oranges. There are other ways to get your dogs' attention besides using electricity, but they take more effort. Your dogs would appreciate it, however.
KP

They really aren't excuses as much as they are explanations to people who really don't understand such methods. Regardless, I absolutely understand everyone's point on here. Let's just say agree to disagree. As for your response, is that your way of saying you feed your dog garbage?

Hello,
I was so glad to see the article about the invisible fence collar burns on the dogs neck. We
investigated all the fence companies in our area and found a fence company that truly cares about our dogs. Dogwatch in West Chester has no sales people. It is a family business filled with trainers and installers because they have a mission statement that every dog they put on the fence will be trained for 10-14 days by one of their trainers. They use an audible tone..several commands and a vibration setting to train our dogs without zapping them. They also made sure we new to take the collars off every night and massage our dogs necks. I believe in their training which made all the difference in the world with our dogs. They learned to stay 3 feet away from the audible tone by the trainer saying "Careful Bodhi" in an ominous tone. They repeated this over and over with my dogs taking the time to teach each dog separately since each dog learns at his own speed. On the 3rd training day I was amazed to see both dogs outside together on dropped leads with 2 pound weights tied to the handle of the 10 foot lead...they were running around and playing with the trainer who was throwing balls all over the front and back yard. Along came me neighbor walking her dog right passed my front lawn and the trainer hollered "Careful Bodhi and Otis" "That's a bad flag". Both dogs stopped on a dime and just watched as my neighbors dog walked by. The weighted lead is only needed for a day of training to stop the dogs from bolting through the fence and it works like a charm. The next day the Dogwatch trainer brought her lab over to walk around the outside of the flags and cause distraction for my dogs. Each dog went up to the flags and as soon as they took a step behind the flags they got a small static electricity zap and jumped back. I felt what they felt and it was not painful..it was startling. My guys chose not to cross their boundary line and the trainer ordered her dog to cross the line and Stormy came in and ran around with my dogs. When she ordered her dog to leave the yard she told my dogs "Careful" and they both stopped and watched Stormy. My Dogwatch fence has changed my life and has given freedom to my dogs. We do not think any other company gives you this kind of service for free. In our area Invisible is $1499.00 an acre. They put the fence in the ground and hand you an instruction list of how YOU are to train your dog for the next 18 DAYS!!!!
I love your web sight and just wanted you to know that there is another fence company out there all over the country that makes sure your dogs are safely trained...as well as taking the time to train my husband, my kids and myself on how to make our dogs safe. We did not pay anything extra for the 10 days of personal training and our fence cost less than Invisible Fence or any other company we had out. I can't believe any dog owner could not know to take the collar off at night and put it on in the morning!! I wouldn't want to sleep with prongs! And we were told to adjust the collar as our dogs grew. I tell everyone that will listen to me about my experience with this company and now I am telling you so you can tell your readers it does not have to be a horrible experience. There are professionals out there who do love dogs and put the dogs safety in front of the almighty dollar. Gas is over $4.00 a gallon where I live and this company came out and trained our 2 dogs so they would not have to be like a ping-pong ball bouncing off of zapping perimeters!!! They each received a low zap once when their "will" was to cross and not listen to the warnings the trainer gave them. Neither one cried but both jumped back and seemed to understand what the trainer was trying to tell them Be Careful......Danger.....etc, after that one time they never went near the line again and love being free and safe in their yard, I feel it is the pet owners job to make sure their dogs are trained completely by the company that puts the fence in...if they don't offer it...show them the door and call Dogwatch!
Thank you for taking the time to read my comment,
Carol Fremont!

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Carol,
I'm sorry, but this doesn't really sound any different from the other invisible fences. The dogs still have prongs poking into their necks every time they go outside, and they still got zapped in their own yard. It's doesn't sound humane to me. It seems like you're trying to make it sound humane, but if I were one of your dogs, I would want to get those prongs out of my neck, and I would have a certain amount of anxiety over the possibility of getting shocked again.
KP

Hi KP,

You can post this if you want, but it's really just directed toward you. I just read you're little bio on here and wanted to say that I think what you are doing is great. In fact, I think your page really is great. I hadn't gone through it as much as I did today.

With that said, I think in a large amount of cases you are correct regarding the e-collar training. There are a number of different schools of thought on this. I steered clear of this in the beginning b/c I really wasn't comfortable with it. Then I met a trainer that uses the collars the same way a trainer uses a clicker. She marks the good behavior. I probably don't need to go into anymore detail on this since you have probably done reading on this. I'm sure many people reading here haven't done as much, so if they are really interested in these different schools they can do some homework. My point is, as much as I am not a fan of the invisible fence, I am okay with it because I know that althought they may have been zapped a handful of times, they understand that if they hear a beep, they should step back, which they have plenty of time to do so. I understand and respect your opinion, but our dogs are not being treated in a cruel manner. The handful of times they did get zapped it was heartbreaking b/c they were pretty confused. But they had it completely figured out after a week. They actually figured out how to trick it so they can get out w/o getting zapped, but that's a different story. I don't think we would ever do this again since our thinking has changed somewhat on that issue, but again, I know that if they want to hang outside in the sun on a saturday morning, they are safe to do so and won't run out into the street b/c they know the boundary. These aren't excuses, but explanations. I guess I take offense to the idea that I would ever do anything to harm my dogs. They are so important to us. But so is their overall safety. I would never chain my dog outside or keep them in the house until I wanted to sit outside. And as far as being lazy. That's just crazy. We walk these guys 5-7 miles a day and take them on hikes over the weekend. We do training daily. As I mentioned, we're also switching them over to a homemade vegan diet. This is getting way too long and drawn out, so I'll cut it here. Just wanted to say some of that and also apologize for the dog food statement toward you. I'm sure you are smart about your choices and that wasn't a very nice thing to say. Thanks!

>>KP's Response:

Hi Ian,
Thanks! That's very nice of you to apologize. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by the remark, but it sounded mean.
Anyway, it's great that you exercise your dogs so much--I'm sure they LOVE that.
On the fencing, though, we will just have to agree to disagree, but I do have to say one thing more: I think the safety factor of invisible fences is overrated. I don't think your dogs are safe at all if they're inside an invisible fence unsupervised. They have no protection from other dogs or cruel people or thoughtless children. And dogs have been known to take the zap and cross the fence if the incentive is strong enough. Then they're stuck outside the yard and can't get back in. I would be worried.
KP

KP:
This is in response to a reply you made to an earlier post of mine (posted July 19.)


Thank you for your reply, but I find it very difficult for you to be able to fairly judge my family's methods to protect our dogs. As I said before, the installation of our Invisible Fence was our LAST resort.
We do not mind spending money in order to protect and care for our dogs and other animals. However, it got to the point where the methods we were using became very costly, very fast.
In my first post, I stated how we had a trainer to help Rico with the behavioral issues he was having, though his jumping could not be solved. We would have tried another trainer, but as you know, a good trainer takes alot of time and money, and with a family of four that works and attends school, the time necessary to dedicate to a trainer could not be scheduled. This is when we decided to build the 6 foot tall wooden fence, which we figured would protect them.
We installed the wooden fence to replace our small chain-link fence for the SOLE purpose of protecting our dogs when we let them out. I'm sure you're also aware of the cost involved to install a wooden fence-a cost we didn't mind shelling out in order to keep our dogs safe. Does this really sound like we "gave up" as you put it? Your suggestion to make an adjustment to the fence to make it more difficult to climb would be helpful if climbing was Rico's issue. However, JUMPING over the fence was his problem, and to find a suitable adjustment or extension would have been costly, not to mention that the time taken to get it taken care of would pose too much of a risk to Rico's safety as we would have needed approval from all three of our neighbors (as the extension would be visible in their yards also) as well as time to shop for and install a suitable adjustment.

How many methods must we try and watch fail as Rico escapes, each time risking his life? How many times must we endure the thought of his life ending on the hood of a car, or seeing him taken away from us, all from failing attempts to keep him protected?

As for your comment that Rico was trying to say "let me out of this kennel"- we allow our dogs plenty of supervised time to play outside, as well as take them on lengthy walks around the neighborhood.

I know your suggestions were intended to be helpful, but your judgment and unaided guess that we "suppressed" and ignored Rico's self-expression and needs was completely unqualified and you seem to be fully ignorant of the fact that by installing the Invisible Fence, we are ensuring the safety and well-being of our dogs, which should be the main concern of any loving, caring animal owner.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi L,
This is a very long message, but it doesn't change the fact that you knowingly purchased a product that would shock your dog into behaving in the way that you wanted him to behave.
I would also argue that no dog is safe when confined only by an invisible fence. Rico is not protected from anyone, human or canine, who would want to do him harm. He's also not protected from any malfunction of the fence.
KP

hi my name is allissia sherant and i was thinkin about givin my dog the invisablefence but should i cuz of spunkey could that happen to my dog and i love how u guys get the word out to people about the good and the bad im gonna become a gromer and this is a good way to not be a bad one

That is horrible dont they think of these things before making them i cant even begin to imagine how much pain that poor dog was going through i think the government should BAN! invisible fences, Thanks for listening to my opinion Louise x

To everyone blaming the device itself... Maybe people should THINK about what they are doing. Of COURSE a shock collar is going to harm yo