Electric Pet Fencing Can Keep Your Pet Happy, Healthy, and Safe on Your Property

As much as you love your pets, you can’t keep an eye on them 24 hours a day. For indoor/outdoor and outdoor pets, consider installing an electric pet fence to keep your dog or cat from wandering off your property and into harm’s way.

Is your dog constantly turning up in the neighbor’s garage, eating their cat food? Does your cat disappear from your property for days at a time, leaving you a nervous wreck until she comes home? Are you worried that your beloved pet will accidentally wander into the street and get hit by a car? It’s natural to want to give outdoor pets a degree of freedom, but at the same time you want to keep them safe and out of trouble. Wooden or chain-link fences may not do the trick; your dog could dig under them, whereas a cat can often climb over or squeeze between the slats. Instead, you can install an underground electric pet fence, which will establish a safe boundary around your property that your pet will be reluctant to cross.

How It Works

When you hire a company to install electronic pet fencing around your property, what you’re getting is a wire buried underground, creating an invisible perimeter. This wire gives off a radio signal. Meanwhile, your pet wears a specially designed collar that picks up the signal. If he gets too close to the wire boundary, the collar will emit a warning sound. If your pet continues toward the fence, he’ll receive what’s known in the industry as “static correction”-a small, persistent vibration that is uncomfortable, but not painful. The general idea of electronic fencing is that the pet will learn over time to correlate the warning sound with the uncomfortable sensation, and eventually will stay within the boundaries of your property by choice.

Training Your Pet

No dog or cat will understand the new rules immediately, especially if they are used to roaming freely. That’s why it’s vital to hire a fence installation company that will also participate in a fence training period with you and your pet. Even though modern static correction collars are designed not to harm your pet, your dog or cat may still find the collar upsetting or stressful. A dog or cat fence training professional will guide you through the transition to full-time electric fence use. Training tactics might include using the lowest correction setting to start, gradually adding on more stimuli, and using verbal commands to reinforce the property boundaries. Remember that you’re installing this pet fence for your animal’s safety and security-not as punishment. Give your dog or cat affection and positive reinforcement as he adjusts to his new boundaries.

Considerations

There are a variety of electronic pet fencing brands on the market. When you’re considering fence installation for your property, do your research. Some brands require you to change out collar batteries, while others feature rechargeable batteries. Some companies may not offer pet fence training as part of the package, or will charge you extra for the service. In general, the costs will vary depending upon the size of your property, the number of pets you have, and how much training your pets require.

Some pet owners are concerned that the so-called “shock collar” will hurt their pet. However, today’s correction collars are specifically designed to be humane. Many veterinarians and pet behavior experts highly recommend electric fencing to protect your animals from cars, toxins, and other hazards they might encounter by venturing away from home. Coupled with proper training and positive reinforcement on your end, a quality electric pet fence can be just what your dog or cat needs to feel like master of his domain.