# Electronic Dog Collars - any experiences good or bad?



## LouthLass (18 Jul 2009)

Hi all,

Looking for some opinions on the safety and effectiveness of using an electronic dog collar to keep a dog within an 'invisible' boundary.  Recently got my male dog neutered but for some reason now his behaviour has slightly changed!  He has taken to leaping the side gate to get in the front door of the house and doesnt like being left on his own out the back garden anymore!  I realise I have probably enabled this behaviour as when he did jump the gate I immediately opened the front door so he wouldn't be loose in the estate so know he associates it with gaining entry to the house.

Have tried raising the height of the gate and closing it off but to no avail, he started to jump the boundary fence into the neighbours instead!  As a previous poster said in her response, collies are too smart for their own good.  Now if I have to, I will have to raise the level of the entire fence around the garden but someone recommended the use of the above collar instead as a more practical and cost effective measure.

But, I am a bit apprenhensive about using an 'electric' device on him, I am not a professional dog trainer and I dont want to be the cause of any long lasting problems to the dog so I just want to get the opinions of anyone, like myself, who has used such a collar and can give either a good or bad recommendation - or failing that, any other advice on how to contain him within the garden without resorting to building The Great Wall of China in the garden!

Kind regards

LL


----------



## rochs (18 Jul 2009)

Hi.

I have used the electric Fence/Collar for the past 7 years and i find it great.
 sometimes i might be away for hours and i know the dog is safe in the back garden. it is not traumatic or harmful to the Dog in any way, when he approaches the fence he gets a little tingle which he gets accustomed to very quickly and backs off, if he insists in getting nearer to the fence the stronger the sting. He very soon learns to keep away. 

Good Luck.


----------



## Speedwell (18 Jul 2009)

Some dogs are easier to train than others. I had one for a Golden Retriever and it worked fairly well. The odd time he would still try and go up to it to check if it was still on. Even now he does not like the flags that come with it (as we trained him to avoid the flags) and the sound of it beeping has him running. 

My only major concern with it was that ppl and other animals could come into the garden whereas he was limited to where he could go. In the end we got gates and a wall put up.

Hope that helps.


----------



## shootingstar (18 Jul 2009)

one of our dogs is collared. Great invention. Make sure when u put the colar on that the electric prongs arent sticking deep into your dogs neck (ie: dont check the tightness of the colar by feeling the strap, check it where the prongs are)

We found it easy to train our dog to acknowledge the cable. To begin, We walked him around near the fence and soon enough he learned that when he could hear a beeping noise, he knew a zap would soon follow & he quickly learned to back off. 

Good luck with it. 

SS


----------



## Bubbly Scot (19 Jul 2009)

I don't like the electronic collars but had to seriously consider one when our newly aquired "daft as a brush" boxer came to stay. He had no idea of boundries and was putting himself at risk by wandering off down the road via the neibours open gate. We never had an problems with our smarter collie 

Anyway, in the end we didn't use it as our vet advised against it due to a heart murmur (his). We dug deeper and found a water collar that does a similar job. The only thing with this is, you have to action it. As soon as he went close to a boundry we hit the button on the remote and he got a small jet of spray on the snout. It only took a couple of weeks for him know where he could and couldn't go.

I've never used the electric fence system but I can't help thinking that would be the expensive option. Surely once a dog has realised the boundry he won't venture there, thus negating the need for the collar? Or am I missing something?

Good luck whatever you go with, dogs are so like kids...once you sort out one bad habit they go off and find another!


----------



## Rois (19 Jul 2009)

Don't have one myself - just high walls - but I know people who use electric fences very successfully for their dogs.  

Having said that, collies are a breed apart, my sister has one and I don't know how well it would work with him - i'm sure he'd find some way around it - he's so clever.  In fact, he's the only dog who is actually able to scale my walls, when he comes to stay.

Maybe collie owners could shed more light on this.


----------



## DavyJones (19 Jul 2009)

A couple of my mates have them and they work for the best part. However My mate has a Red Setter that has figured out that if the gate is opened, all he has to do is run very fast through it and it won't have time to shock him.


----------



## InfoSeeker (19 Jul 2009)

Have a golden retriever and purchased a radio fence just over a year ago. I asked similar queries to yourself so you should find an existing thread on this. 

Usual varied responses, some were a bit frightening re the effects on the dog but in the 18 months that we have the fence, our dog got one shock at the beginning and has not received one since.

We brought him around the perimeter to show him the where the wire was being placed and he has never approached the wire. When taking him for a walk we go over the wire in the entrance to the driveway but make a big deal about taking off his collar before hand & he walks straight out no bother. When we return & replace the collar he nevers ventures out even as he sees people pass with other dogs.

We live on a country road used as a shortcut to an industrial estate and he would be dead only for the radio fence. As stated above we gave him one shock at the beginning and he has never received one since. There are pre-cursors to the dog getting a shock, ie a shrill noise is emitted when they approach the fence first, etc. I would highly recommend getting the product.


----------



## LouthLass (19 Jul 2009)

Thanks for all the responses, it certainly has helped to make my mind up.  I searched for the other thread also which contained some useful advice too - and also some negative reasons as to why not (Cancer?? - cant find any evidence on the internet to support this!) but as my dog is too clever for his own good I think the best route would be the collar. Also, I am hoping that he won't have to wear it forever, just long enough that he knows his boundaries then it can be turned off. Even if I managed to raise the level of the existing fencing it would just be a matter of time before he worked out another way of getting out.  

I also considered a run but I think that would be like prison to him after having the freedom of the whole garden for so long.  

Anyway, just one last question as to what make/types people would recommend?  The local pet shop has one for €295 and I also checked that website www.canicom.ie and it has an invisible fence for €169 - thats a big difference - can anyone recommend Canicom??

Many thanks

LL


----------



## InfoSeeker (19 Jul 2009)

I used http://petsafe.ie/ and have had no issues with their product.


----------



## joanboot (20 Jul 2009)

I have an electronic collar (petsafe) for the past four years for my German Shepherd and it is the best invention yet. She has never left her large garden even if the local cats come along and tease her. It was really easy to train her to it, just a little time to walk her around the boundary, it beeps when she goes too near it so she knows the sound of this and does not get any shocks.


----------



## DW1 (31 Jul 2009)

DavyJones said:


> A couple of my mates have them and they work for the best part. However My mate has a Red Setter that has figured out that if the gate is opened, all he has to do is run very fast through it and it won't have time to shock him.


 
A collie will figure this out too, no problem!! 
Prongs? Beeps? Shocks?... ...the neutering will be a fond memory for the poor fella at this rate!


----------

