Fencing For Dogs

Fencing For Dogs – A Beginners Guide

Considering fencing for dogs…. now spring is in the air!  There is nothing quite like getting out and about in the fresh countryside air,  and taking a walk.  This time of year is when many people decide, they would like a pet to accompany them, on there great adventures.

As a new pet owner, one of the first considerations should have is to ensure the fencing, you have is suitable, to effectively contain your dog.

The Benefits Provided by Having FencingFencing For Dogs

There are a number of reasons fenced gardens are beneficial for dogs and their owners.

Some of the most important include:

  • A fenced yard will give a dog room to run, jump, and play, and encourage him to get plenty of exercise.
  • Fenced gardens help prevent boredom. Dogs who get the chance to chase squirrels, smell interesting things, and bark at passing pedestrians will enjoy a ton of mental stimulation.
  • A fenced garden makes it easy to just let your dog go outside and answer nature’s call.
  • Fences are great for those who cannot go to the park. Many dogs have a fun filled time at the local park, but some are not capable of playing nicely with others. Other dogs can’t go to the park for medical reasons.
  • Fencing may help your dog ward off intruders. Even relatively small dogs will often bark up a storm when strangers approach, so a fenced garden may help keep your home a bit safer.

Above all fences do not replace walks, in addition to any fence, you will still need to take your dog out daily.  Dogs need to explore and enjoy wonderful smells and pee in all the right spots and need that stimulation.

Dog Proof Fencing

Fences are obviously not a one-size-fits-all item.  You’ll have to go with a style that suits your home effectively,  no to mention your tastes, and your dog. In actuality, dog fences are, therefore almost, always “custom built” to satisfy these and other criteria.

This means you’ll need to think carefully, about a number of issues, when selecting the best dog escape proofing for your home.

Some of the most important things to consider include:

  1. Installation
  2. Aesthetics
  3. Property Lines
  4. Durability
  5. Maintenance
  6. Security
  7. Cost

In conclusion, ff your dog is a jumper, digger or great escape artist, you should seriously consider an up to date type of fencing for dogs.  The  invisible dog fence is a growing more popular as a way to contain your dog whilst giving them freedom to roam and safety.  For instance it is ideal for unusually shaped gardens and perimeters and for those pet owners who do not wish to have a physical fence around their garden.

Get in touch with us today to get clarification on your dog fencing requirements and our friendly team will be happy to advise you on how an invisible fencing system can benefit you and your pet.

Dogs having freedom from a garden fence in the spring

How To Keep Your Dog’s Freedom Safe This Spring

Freedom as Spring is just about to arrive, with this comes the pleasure of getting out and letting your pet roam and explore inside the garden fence boundaries once more.Dogs having freedom from a garden fence in the spring

Spring Pet Freedom Safety Tips.

  1. Use heartworm and flea and tick preventive Now!  Your dog or cat should be receiving year-round monthly heart-worm preventive.
  2. Be lungworm aware. Lungworm can be contracted either by dogs eating slugs and snails, or from drinking water from a bowl where a slug or snail has been.  Even picking up a toy that a slug or snail has crawled into poses a risk.  So don’t leave toys in the garden overnight and regularly clean out any water bowls in the garden.
  3. Spring clean carefully – As you clean out your garages and prep your gardens, treat your fence etc.  Remember these activities may pose a risk to your pet. Fertilisers, pesticides, weed-killers, and even mulch can all be dangerous to dogs and cats.  Take care when you are putting things like this inside your garden boundaries,  where they are accessible for your pet to investigate or worse consume.
  4. When gardening, DO NOT use slug pellets to protect your plants, as these are tasty but toxic to dogs and can have fatal results.
  5. Just because the suns out doesn’t mean you should instantly take your pet out on long walks.  Your dog will be just as out of shape from winter inactivity as you are.  This is the time of year veterinarians see torn ligaments, strains and sprains, and a variety of aches and pains in dogs. Take it easy. Gradually build up strength and stamina, this is especially true in older pets.
  6. Longer days also mean pets go into “heat.”  For many stray, homeless, and neglected dogs and cats, this means unwanted litters. Animal shelters and rescue groups are typically stretched to capacity during spring.  Do what you can.  If you know someone looking for a pet, encourage adoption or rescue.
  7. It is a legal requirement for all dogs in the UK to be micro-chipped, so make sure your dog is chipped and your contact details on the microchip database are kept up to date.  Also your dog should wear a collar and tag, bearing the owner’s details whenever he is out in public.  If your dog makes a bid for freedom, beyond your garden fence, it can mean paying a sum to your local dog warden to get your pet back.
  8. The sun can be quite intense even in the Spring so do not leave dogs in cars on hot days.
  9. Plants are popping up in the spring and there are some flowers and plants which pose a danger to your pets.  Lilies are especially toxic to cats, if ingested every part of the lily came cause serious health problems and even be fatal.  For dogs – lilies, azaleas and foxglove flowers and even daffodil bulbs can present a danger to your dog.
  10. Always keep your dog on the lead in fields where there is livestock. Chances are they will have young this time of year, especially lambs. Also be aware that birds like pheasants and swans nest on the ground so don’t let your dog disturb the nests.
  11. Keep an eye on your dog in the garden as dog thefts from gardens are on the increase.  NEVER tie your dog up outside a shop – every day we see stories of dogs being stolen in this way.

What else happens in spring?Freedom beyond the fence in spring for dog walking

That’s right Easter – a time for chocolate and sweets.  Children and adults can accidentally drop these around the house, in the garden and out in public. A dogs trusty nose can sniff out a sweet treat with ease.

But here it is, its not a treat, it’s a danger – Why?

Chocolate – Chocolate, even in the smallest amounts, can cause serious health problems if ingested by a dog. The darker the chocolate, the greater the danger to the dog. Beyond the initial symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea, chocolate toxicity can lead to tremors, increased heart rate, heart failure, seizures, and in some cases, can be fatal.

Xylitol – Sugar-free candies and gum can contain large amounts of the artificial sweetener Xylitol.  Xylitol is highly toxic to some dogs and has been found to cause low blood sugar and liver failure.

Freedom For Your Dog?  Have You Checked Your Fence?

Your dog may spend longer in the garden now, so check your fencing and gates are secure both to prevent your dog escaping and to prevent your dog being stolen.

Perhaps you would prefer a specialist invisible pet fence so you have peace of mind that your beloved pet won’t escape.  They get out through open gates, dig their way out under a fence or even climb or jump over it, thereby having the freedom to roam.  Worse still your dog could end up in a road accident.

With a little foresight and planning, spring can be the best time of year for your pet. Go out in the fresh air and enjoy the freedom of spring!

 

robotic mower and dog fence with dog wearing dog collar

Dog Fences and Robotic Lawn Mowers working together

Dog fence and robotic lawn mower can they work together?

So you have a dog fence and want to buy a Robotic Lawn Mower? You’ve been online and worked out that the two products may well interfere with each other. You don’t want your dog fence to fail and equally, you don’t want grass up around your ears! You need to find a robotic mower that will work with your dog fence or vice versa?

Why do robotic mowers and dog fences interfere with each other?

Both dog fences and robotic lawn mowers use a buried wire that acts as an antenna and conducts a radio signal. An electromagnetic signal field is created around the cable. All but one dog fence systems use an AM radio frequency. This is the issue with installing both robotic mowers and dog fences next to each other. As with a magnet when you bring the same poles together they repel the signal. If no signal is being emitted one or other of the units will not work.

Are there any robotic mowers and dog fences that will work in harmony?

Yes, there is one brand of dog fence that will work with some robotic lawn mowers. The DogWatch brand which is sold by DogFence in the UK is the only system that will work in close proximity with a robotic lawnmower without interference. We have noted from experience that the cheaper brands of robotic mower tend to be more prone to interference than the Premium brands. Similarly, cheaper dog fences are highly susceptible to false activation from all sorts of household objects. If you are installing a robotic lawn mower and a dog fence the chances are you will have to keep the two miles apart in order for them both to be effective. With the DogWatch fence, nothing will interfere with the dog fence.

The DogWatch system uses a Digital FM signal on either 4 or 8 kHz. These frequencies are very low and the FM signal is much less prone to false activation. AM frequencies are very susceptible to noise. Notably, noise affects amplitude which is where information is stored with an AM signal (AM = Amplitude Modulation). With an FM signal (Frequency Modulation) the signal is transmitted through frequency modulation and not amplitude. Noise-based interference is a common issue for AM dog fences.

What happens when there is interference with the robotic mower and the dog fence?

With our DogFence the robotic mower will not cause any loss of signal or false activation to your dog’s fence collar. If in the event there was any interference it would be the mower that would be affected. In these cases, the robotic mower tries to read the dog fence signal and becomes confused (poor thing!).

Moving the boundary wire may help the situation. Ideally, we recommend placing the dog fence wire outside of the robotic lawn mower loop. Depending on which brand of mower you choose you may have to keep a gap between the dog fence and the robotic mower boundary wires.  Our Dog Fences can be re-programmed by the owner to either frequency and in many cases, this eliminates any interference issues.

To date, we have had very good success with the following products when used in close proximity. Interestingly we have found that the larger capacity mowers are more prone to picking up interference than those covering a smaller area. We strongly recommend that you do not cross over the wires with either system.

robotic lawn mower husqvarna

Husqvarna works well with DogFence

Husqvarna

Robomow

If you would are interested in purchasing either a robotic lawn mower or dog fence and have any technical questions please call us on 01628 476475.

 

dog with lead - no dog fence collar on

How do I take my dog for walk if I use a dog fence?

How do I take my dog for a walk if I use a dog fence?

After you have had your dog fence installation one of the most common questions we get asked at DogFence is “how do I take the dog for a walk?”.

It’s actually really simple. The DogFence installer will have trained your dog or cat to stay within the dog fence boundary.  This is a reverse training protocol and usually takes the dog approx 7 – 10 days to feel fully comfortable with leaving the property.

There are 2 main points to observe:

  • Never allow your dog to cross the boundary unless he has contact with you. This could be with the lead or by carrying him or simply having a hand on his shoulder.
  • Never allow your dog to cross the boundary with his fence collar on – even with the system turned off.

To cross the boundary:

  1. Remove the dog fence collar and put it in a safe place. Do not turn off the fence.
  2. Pop him on his lead and walk him up to the exit.
  3. Ask him to sit or stop him before the boundary line (only for the first week).
  4. Give the command to walk and walk slowly out of the property.
  5. Give him praise when you have crossed the boundary.
  6. Repeat the process when you re-enter the property.

The best way to see how it works is to watch the lovely Lionel demonstrating how it’s done:

When we install a dog fence for you we will run through how to take your dog for a walk after. As with any new training, it may take your dog a few days to adjust to going out for a walk. If you would like to learn more about how we can give your dog freedom in the garden check why not call us today on 01628 476475?