# DIY Invisible fence for dogs?



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

Morning all;

I found this thread on invisible fencing (just realized there's a search option on the forum, praise Aphrodite!) 

https://www.homesteadingtoday.com/threads/electric-dog-fence-question.561422/#post-7850737

But it didn't really answer my question I suppose. 

I've found a website on the internet that is apparently just focused on DIY invisible fencing and compares the pros and cons to the available products on the market. I liked the page (not sharing it here but I suppose anyone can PM me if interested; just didn't know the rules of outside links) but it didn't really give me enough real life reviews. I always question the reviews they provide because I suspect they wouldn't include the crappy ones. 

So my question is whether any of you beautiful people have tried your hand at installing an invisible fence on your own, what your opinions of them have been and any other tips/pointers. As I've not purchased one of them yet, I don't really have any idea of any specs or necessities required other than what I suspect is a lot of digging for placement of the line? 

I've got 6 acres and one side has a neighbors' fence dividing it. South side abuts a farm field, west side has a woods line but an elderly widow with a small dog on the other side somewhere and north side is the country road. 

I intend to scale it's placement back some odd feet from the actual perimeters, some odd yards back from the front road (Don't want them that close to the road to begin with, let alone the utility easement that I suspect exists) and then one in the back just to keep them on property. They've not wandered off our technical property lines yet but I don't want them to either. 

Eventually I'll put up a fence that would help deter predators but I was suspecting that for doggy containment this would be the less expensive and more timely option. 

Input?


----------



## In The Woods (Apr 27, 2017)

We recently setup a wireless system.

We’ve had Mastiffs all our lives and never had to contain them on our 6 acres - they simply didn’t want to go anywhere out of our sight or of sight of the house.

Fast forward to this past spring when we got our first non-Mastiff dog - a border collie mix. Oh boy.....we’re not dealing with Mastiffs any more.

I worked hard a training him to stay in the yard which is about 3 acres of mowed grass. Tried everything I could find including extensive leash and long lead training with no success.

So I started looking at the wireless fence systems. This would work great but with one issue - trying to bury that cable in some heavily wooded areas. Then someone suggested a differest type - a wireless system that doesn’t use any underground cable.

https://store.petsafe.net/wireless-pet-containment-system-trade

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Guardian-by-PetSafe-Wireless-Fence/43935140

Still a little skeptical, I bought it from Walmart since it would be no hassle to return.

This system has been a godsend! It works perfectly. I did the initial training by the book which was basically 2-3 20 minute sessions a day for a week. Then the day came to let him loose. Yeah - he got “corrected” a few times that first day but quickly learned his boundary. It’s been 6 months now and I know I could let him out without the collar and he would not go beyond his boudary. Only those first couple days did he get “corrected”.

The only issue I can see is that it covers only about 1/2 acre. At first I worried about that but that seems to be plenty of room for him having some open lawn areas and some woods areas. He is outside almost all day most of the time by himslelf and has plenty to do out there to expend all that energy.

It also works well for the deer. In the evening we always have deer grazing at the far end of the mowed area. He can be out there within his boundary and the deer (now knowing he can’t go out there) can graze in peace.


----------



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

That's impressive that the deer seem to know the dogs are bound to their area. Deer around here seem to bolt at anything. I turned onto my county road and there was a deer springing across the street from one farm field to the next. I stopped the car (just in case there were any more deer to follow) and I noticed it seemed to stand in the middle of the next field, staring at me. Which, of course, made me giggle because of the term 'deer caught in headlights'. But I figure since it was so spooked by me turning on to the road, he'd probably flee if I wouldn't so much as sneezed 

As for the DIY fencing, I do like the lack of buried cables in that option. Only thing I would be remiss about would be the half acre boundary. I completely agree 1/2 an acre is plenty for dogs to do their business; especially considering our old home was only on a .16 acre lot. But! I intend to really get gardening this upcoming spring and I know my little dork dogs would be up my butt where I'm at. With those types of boundaries, they'd sit and whine on the other side of the correction line. I really just want them to not go near the street (which they haven't but for when they follow me to put the trash cans out) or near the ponds and wooded lines. I figure even if I go to the pond areas and they whine, they'll just have to get over it because I would like to have ducklings in the spring and to NOT have them plowed over by my 125# dork rottweiler. 

Oh! And I wanted to let you know that Border Collies are one of the best dogs ever. I had one and I had never had before, nor afterwards, a dog that was smarter than that beautiful pooch. He was technically half border collie and half shepherd but I figure that didn't take away any intellect (not like my doofy chihuahua LOL). He was... I just can't describe how much I loved that dog and how I was always so impressed with his smarts. I trained him on sits, stays, etc. by hand signals. His 'brother' is the doofy chihuahua that's still alive and while he can't help it he has the dingbat chihuahua brain, he still remembers the hand signals I taught him and the collie. With the rottie, we put him through professional dog training in order to be Grumpy's service dog. He is just a dweeb (LOL) but a well behaved dweeb.


----------

