Dog Fence – Blog

Just the other day Cesar Millan lost Daddy, his beloved dog and right-hand “man” on the job, appearing in more than 50 episodes of “The Dog Whisperer.”

 Daddy, a Pit Bull who previously survived cancer, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, at 16. The dog had lived with the Millan family since he was four months old.

 In Daddy’s honor, the Dog Whisperer and his family have established an emergency animal rescue fund in his name.

 Daddy’s Emergency Animal Rescue Fund will help dogs who are victims in large-scale disasters (hurricanes, fires, and other natural catastrophes), man-made disasters (hoarder and puppy mill rescues), and one animal victims of abuse or violence.

 Fans who would like to contribute to Daddy’s fun can visit this site.

 The SHOCKING truth about E collars!

 Whilst many people feel e collars are cruel & pain invoking devices, nothing could be further from the truth.

Most people fail to notice when their dog is being stimulated during training, the idea is to use the lowest level perceivable by the dog to gain outstanding results.

Over the years we have heard every horror story imaginable about e collar training, but when push came to shove, most of the story tellers had never even used an e collar let alone seen one, & after feeling the stimulation from my collar, they couldn’t believe any results could be gained from the “tickle” produced. Indeed when exhibiting at agricultural shows we have had members of the “do not agree with products”, try and buy after being re-educated.

There are some trainers around who will try & tell you that e collars are a strict aversive, will burn the skin and could even kill the animal. The truth of the matter is, these so called trainers lack the skills required to read dogs, they often fail to produce results & feel threatened by something like the e collar as the results that are gained with it in the right hands make their work look ridiculous. E collars are not capable of burning and all modern collars go through rigorous testing by veterinary colleges prior to going to market.

Often these people will attempt to tell you that dog training is all about morals & purely positive methods, plying you with guilt is their only option when they can’t get results with your dog. E collars where first designed to stop dogs from chasing stock. The old style collar many years ago, deserved their reputation as “shock collars” as the levels were considerably higher than is deemed acceptable or necessary in today’s market.

Modern collars have come a long way; out of hundreds of people, including children, we have found only one who could perceive level one. Few could feel two & most people can feel three, but often need to go to level four to make sure they felt three. The universal response is “is that it”?or “that’s not strong enough to control my dogs!”.

When they see it work they universally ask “can you put it on the kids/wife/husband”? People perceive electricity as a bad thing, electrocution, electric chair etc, few see it for its positive aspects.

When used correctly in dog training, few if any can equal the results gained by using a remote training collar. The unfortunate thing is, abuse is not limited to e collars, we don’t know anyone who would spend upwards of £150.00 on a collar to abuse their dog. A choke or check chain is one of the most misused pieces of training equipment on the market, unlike an e collar, it doesn’t come with a video, or instructions or any type of training course & they are cheap.

We recommend e collar training to many to many of our customers, its easier to teach the novice trainer than lead techniques & the results are, on average, outstanding. The other common problem is that people reach for the e collar as a last resort, when all other methods have failed to produce results. We can’t emphasise enough how big a mistake these people are making. They think the e collar is a kill or cure method & by the time they are willing to try it, the dog has built up an aversion to what ever behaviour is being asked of it. The dog may have gone trough positive training, then a training program that issues lead corrections in which all the dog has learned is to fight off the method long enough & the owner will give up & try something else.

The e collar is a subtle cue to get the dogs attention, if you wait until a dog is chasing stock & press the button, more often than not, a dog in drive will simply ignore the stimulation, even on it’s highest setting. Agreed the collars of old could blast a dog off a chase in high drive, modern collars are not very powerful, they are for training, not blasting.

One thing we find amazing is the tunnel vision of some trainers when it comes to e collars. We have come across so many people who have not used an e collar but will be the first to cry how bad they are, we can’t believe that such ignorance still exists.

Here are a couple of facts that surprise most people:

The modern e collar has an output some three thousand times less than the average electric fence.

The modern e collar has an output 6 times less than static electricity
you get off the carpet in your home.

E collars have a positive and negative probe, one inch apart. Unlike an electric
fence or cattle probe that use the body to travel to earth, the current produced by an e collar only travels from one probe to another. That eliminates the possibility of having any effect on the nervous system.

Modern collars have a time out feature, no stimulation can be delivered past 8 to 10 seconds.

Modern collars have levels so low, most people & dogs can’t feel them on the lowest settings.

Many Police departments, SAR groups, assistance dog groups & so on around the world use modern e collar training.

I believe a good trainer should be versed in more than one method & have tested & evaluated most if not all dog training tools.

Have your say – let the Welsh Assembly know why you use a hidden fence.

 On 25 June 2008 Elin Jones announced his intention, subject to consultation, to introduce legislation to ban the use of electronic training devices in Wales. Consultation on the draft legislation has been taking place over the last 18 months and in a recent up date it has been announced that hidden dog fence systems are to be included in this ban. We have until 8th February 2010 to reply to this recent draft and would be grateful to all users of hidden fence systems worldwide to write in with their support. Please give your support by writing and objecting to the ban.

 Your reply can be submitted via email to: 

sian.smith@wales.gsi.gov.uk

 Subject: Consultation on the Animal Welfare (Electronic Devices)(Wales) Regulation 2010.

 Below are some myths that perhaps the assembly should take into consideration:-

Five Hidden Fence Myths Addressed

Hidden fencing (aka electric dog fencing, invisible fencing, or underground fencing) has been around for a over 30 years but has recently become more popular as people now rely more on technology and the ever increasing fence restrictions in many neighborhoods. There are some people, however, that are still wary due mostly to myths associated with this type of pet containment.  We want to address these myths.

The five most popular myths associated with hidden fences are 1) the shock is dangerous and inhumane; 2) it doesn’t work on my breed; 3) my dog will never want to come outside again; 4) it will make my dog become aggressive; and 5) it is too expensive.

1. Many people feel that “shocking” a dog is harmful and an inhumane method of training. With Hidden Fences there are so many more factors involved than just a shock. 

The “shock” involved is simply a static shock that is similar to what you would feel after scuffing your feet on a carpet and then touching another person. There is no amperage involved so burned skin or heart complications are not possible. Tests have been carried out and it has been scientifically proven that is impossible for a dog fence collar (or indeed training collar) to cause burning. The amount of voltage output on the maximum level equates to 0.0138 milli joules – to put this in perspective the average stock fencing when set to the lowest level will output at around 2.0 joules.

During the training process there are flags placed along the boundary to give dog or cat a visual idea of where the “no area” starts.  In most cases, after the initial training dogs do not test the system and they only experience the audible warning.  The audible warning gives the pet a chance to turn around before the correction even occurs.

Lastly, there is around 5 days of training involved to help teach your pet where they can and cannot go, as well as how to react if they get too close to the boundary (turn around instead of bolting through).  A correctly trained pet will not “run” the boundary. This leads us to the next myth…

2. Being in the hidden fence industry for many years we have successfully trained thousands of dogs to the fence. Hounds, Huskies Terriers, Beagles, big dogs, tiny dogs, hairy dogs and hairless dogs – we have worked with many dog breeds with many different escaping issues. With the proper training ALL breeds of dogs (and cats) can be trained to a hidden fence.  Lack of or improper training is why claims are made that these types of fences don’t work.  This type of fencing does work – which is why any reputable company will offer you a money-back guarantee if they cannot contain your dog.  They should also offer training assistance if you experience any sort of problems – it only makes sense to stand behind your product.

The only dog we will  never try to contain on a hidden fence is a dog with a history of aggression.

3. The most common reaction for a dog newly trained to a hidden fence is to stay close to the house or the front door. The training flags will still be in place and the dog needs time and input to learn that the entire garden is safe to run around in. Some dogs take to it straight away and others, just like humans, take a little more time to adjust. They ALL will eventually utilize every square inch of the garden. You just need to spend a little time with your pet and once the training flags are removed the dog or cat will venture closer to the boundary. With the high statics of cat deaths on the UK roads a cat fence offers a safe and affordable soloution.

4. Some people believe that dogs will become aggressive if they are contained with a hidden fence. While there is no evidence to either prove or disprove this theory we have noticed that some dogs have never been properly socialised and are not used to other people coming in contact with them. It could be argued, and potentially proven, that hidden fences are far more effective in containing dogs safely, than traditional fencing. Social animal behavior could, in some ways, be improved with dogs all maintaining the same habitat status. The ability to view other dogs, people or animals regularly without physical fences acting as blockades could, in fact, prevent aggressive behavior as the pet gets used to seeing other dogs, peo

5. Many people think that hidden fencing is going to expensive so they never even explore the possibility of using it for their pets. The fact is,  that a professionally installed Hidden Fence is roughly an eighth of the cost of a traditional fence. The more acreage involved the greater the savings, comparatively speaking and of course traditional fences offer no protection for driveways or exits.

Although hidden fencing isn’t for everyone, we hope that addressing some of these more popular myths associated with it will help open your mind to the possibilities.