Believe it or NOT, dog fencing can be a lifesaver because one of the keys to living a healthy and peaceful life is being on good terms with your neighbors. You can opt for the ‘no relationship’ kind of relationship and still get by. The one you want to run away from is a negative relationship. You ask why?
It’s obvious! You live among these guys every day. They know when you go out and when you come in (especially those that make it their business). Also, they know who lives there and who has come visiting. They know everything. Need we say more?
Seriously though, you want to be in good terms with your neighbors. However, that will prove very difficult if you have a dog that keeps going into their front lawn to pee or insists on burying his treasures in their yard.
We know you love your dog but even you can agree that some things are a bit too much to swallow. Especially coming from someone/thing that you’re not obligated to receive such from. So let’s try to keep your dog where nobody will feel bothered by them.
Table of Contents
Dog Fencing — Why Your Dog keeps Escaping
A lot of people have tried to understand why dogs feel the need to leave their homes and roam or go into someone else’s house. A lot of reasons have actually been put forward to explain this. However, we like the Humane Society of the United States classification of these reasons.
Social Isolation
They say your dog probably goes out because he is almost always left alone. There’s no time to interact with you and no time to interact with other animals. It could also be that he is young and has no outlet for all the energy trapped in his youthful body. Another reason could be that your dog is a ‘worker’ dog and so needs a ‘job’ to be happy.
Sexual Roaming
Your dog (especially if he is a boy) is probably just looking for a girl dog to mate with. If sexual frustration is the reason your dog keeps running away from home, it might prove a bit difficult to keep him in. Sexual satisfaction is a pretty good reason for a dog to brave and scale a fence.
Fear and Phobia
Your dog might be escaping because he is scared. It doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is maltreating him (although that is something to look into), it could just be something like thunder or lightening. He might run away thinking that wherever he is going will not have what he is experiencing.
Separation Anxiety
Your dog might be escaping because he misses you (this is just too cute). He is probably escaping in a bid to meet with you wherever you are. If this is the reason your dog is escaping, he most likely won’t go far because for him, home is where he knows you’ll be.
Now that we understand why your dog keeps escaping, we can begin to think of solutions. The most common solution people turn to is fencing and no it’s not the sport. This solution will work perfectly if other solutions are incorporated into it. For other solutions, consult your vet. So…
What is Dog Fencing about?
The idea behind dog fencing is to give your dog enough room to play in your yard while at the same time preventing him from roaming out. Fencing does not just ‘protect’ other people from your dog, it also protects your dog from external factors. These external factors include but are not restricted to; oncoming vehicles, thieves and other animals.
There are a few things to know before you fence off your house. For one, you have to understand the kind of dog you have because you might construct a 6ft wooden wall and your dog just scales right through it. We like the way cascadedefenceanddeck categorized dogs according to their need to escape, so we will go with that.
Dog Categorization According To Need To Escape
Escape Artists
How do you know your dog is an escape artist? He can get away from anything. He will jump, climb or dig his way out of the trickiest situations.
Cool Characters
These ones are really not interested in anything outside where they are. They love where they are and wouldn’t want to explore. This, however, does not mean he shouldn’t be fenced in.
High Strung
These ones will be ok provided they are not seeing the “outside world”. However, the moment they see it they would do everything to have it. They will bark and even show aggression just to get what they see.
So now that you have deduced what category your dog falls under, we will like you to bear this firmly in your mind as we take you through the different dog fences that are available in the market.
Dog Fencing — Categories of Dog Fences
There are basically two broad categories of dog/pet fences; the visible and the invisible kind.
The Visible Kind
From the term you have probably deduced that the fences under this category can be seen by everybody including your dog and other animals. Example of fences in this category are:
Picket Fence
This used to be part of the all American dream and people used to love them white. However, whatever color you decide to go for, a picket fence is most logical if your dog is in the number 2 category. Your escape artist will jump or dig right through and if he’s small enough, he could squeeze through. Your high strung will just get more agitated because pickets don’t block the view.
However, picket fences make for a beautiful addition to your home’s look.
Split-Wooden Fence
This is a wooden fence that looks kinda like a picket fence. The difference is that while picket fences are just horizontal wooden posts aligned closely together, the split-wooden adds vertical slabs along the horizontal ones. It has the same advantages and disadvantages that a picket fence does.
Wire Mesh Fence
This is probably the most common kind of pet fence. It is very easy to install and is ideal for your big dogs. Even your little dogs will have a hard time escaping because of the tiny holes. It is ideal for your cool character and probably the escape artist too.
However, it doesn’t change anything for the high strung because he can still see all he is missing. Also, it is quite expensive to install but seeing as it lasts quite long it is probably OK.
Wooden Wall
Just like the picket fence, this fence is made of wood. However, this one has no holes. It is basically a huge slab of wood. This kind of fence will keep any dog in.
However, this is very expensive. Plus, you might not like it because it will totally obstruct your view. Totally!
The Invisible Kind
With the technological advancements our world has been experiencing, it is definitely not out of place to see it appear in the area of fencing. Invisible fencing makes use of technology to keep your dog where you want him.
Just before we go ahead to give you the types of invisible fences (also known as hidden fences), there is something we would like you to know. There is an ongoing argument for and against the adoption of the invisible fencing method and we think it is important that we let you in on it.
Arguments For Invisible Dog Fencing
• Cost: Invisible fencing, though more technically advanced, is actually less expensive than the traditional or visible kind. With the visible kind, you have to get yards and yards of material to make up for both length and width.
• Invisible fences are not picky. You can install them on practically any terrain; sloppy or plain. It is also quite flexible in that it can conform to any shape allowing you fence off your yard the exact way you want it fenced.
• Invisible dog fencing is the way to go if you think that fencing your yard makes it look ugly. It does the work a dog fence should and yet you don’t see it. Also, you get to keep your dog where you want him without having to give up the beautiful scenery.
• It is almost impossible for a dog to escape this kind of fencing. Almost being the operative word because some dogs sure are tenacious.
• Intruders, who do not know that your dog is fenced in and can’t reach them, could be deterred from entering.
• It could also be used around places you don’t want your dogs like your flower bed or garden.
Arguments Against Invisible Dog Fencing
• If you are going to invest your money in an invisible fence then be prepared to invest your time in training. It is extremely dangerous to use an invisible fence without getting you and your dog trained. It could end badly. Most companies that sell invisible fences also provide training, so be sure to get you some.
• Although invisible fencing is excellent at keeping your dog in, it does nothing about keeping other animals out. This is so not a good thing because your dog might end up being handicapped in defending himself.
• While invisible dog fencing is advantageous in keeping off intruders, it might also keep off legitimate visitors. You know your dog is fenced in. your dog knows he is fenced in but your visitors might not.
• Invisible dog fencing might not be the right choice if your dog is high strung. It allows him see all he is missing but doesn’t give him the opportunity to catch up. You might have to endure a lot of barking and doggie aggression.
• Invisible dog fencing employs a bit of discomfort in form of shocks to teach your dog to respect his boundary. When he is kinda zapped it doesn’t hurt but it sure is uncomfortable.
• Invisible fence is dependent on electricity or a battery pack and we know how unpredictable these things can be.
• Some dogs can just decide to damn the consequences if the motivation is high enough. This motivation can be anything from extreme excitement to extreme fear. However, coming back home might prove difficult because by the time he wants to come back, he’ll be down from his high and therefore more conscious and fearful of the zaps
Types Of Invisible Fence
• Wired Electric Fence: This fence requires your dog to wear a collar. Wire, to which the dog collar is connected, is placed underground and said wire is connected to a transmitter. If your dog gets too close to the area of the underground wire, he receives a warning sound from the collar. If he tries to cross the boundary he gets an uncomfortable zap from his collar.
• Wireless Electronic Fence: This one works much the same as a wired electric but without the underground wire. Your dog gets a collar but that collar is not connected to wire but to a transmitter which you’ll place inside your house. You set the boundary radius on the transmitter and then when your dog tries to cross the boundary, it works the same way a wired electric would.
Conclusion
Now you see how wide a variety of dog fencing options there are. If you take all the conditions we’ve listed into consideration, you’ll be good. You will also want to consider your budget when choosing a dog fence. There is definitely a fence out there that your money can buy.
Don’t fuss too much over the details. The truth is, whatever dog fencing option you choose has its advantages and disadvantages. Just pick the one whose advantages outweigh the disadvantages (for you that is).
We’ll end with this. Lynn Buzhardt, DVM on vcahospitals.com said something along the lines of good fences that we think is important.
“It’s not just about being at peace with your neighbors but also being at peace with your dog”.
