Imagine that you have finally gotten the house that you had been saving up for so long. You have everything you wanted including that wonderful garden you have always dreamed of. However, the next day, when you go see your garden, you see that the best flowers have been unrooted and thrown apart. It makes you cringe, since you worked so hard on it the day before. You then turn around to see the family dog greet you and cover you with the same mud that his paws are covered with. It’s maybe time to invest in an invisible fence.
Pros and Cons of an Invisible Fence
An invisible fence comes in handy when people own a dog that’s specially playful and active. Dogs tend to roam a lot and get into things they don’t need to. That’s when an invisible fence can be helpful. The fence will limit the dog to an area so that it doesn’t destroy flowers or gardens by accident. When your dog tries to cross the boundaries you’ve set for it, it’ll recieve a small “punishment,” which will prevent it from trying again.
The punishment is normally some sort of electric shock that stings the animal for a bit. You might remember some behavior experiments where dogs are rewarded and punished in order to modify their behavior. In this case, the static shock is the punishment the dog gets if it tries to leave the assigned perimeter.
The shock is given to the dog through a collar that it has to wear. The intensity of the shock should be adjusted by the owner so that it’s not so strong that it hurts the dog or is painful for it, but not so mild that the dog can just ignore it (dogs have a much ticker skin than humans and much bigger resistance to pain). After a bit of experimentation (not on the dog, of course), you’ll find the right level that will work nicely.
An invisible fence is a good idea to keep your dog within a fixed area without altering your property. Your dog will not be able to destroy gardens or other things in your garden. In addition, an invisible fence will protect your dog from running towards guests or running cars.
