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electric fencing for dogs

    Wireless Electric Pet Fence: An Affordable Way to Keep Your Pets Safe

    Wireless electric pet fence

    The outside world can pose a myriad of dangers to our pets, from cars and aggressive animals to toxic food and harsh weather. Many animals who escape from their homes end up in shelters as strays. If they’ve lost their ID tags along the way, it is likely that they will never see their original home again. The National Council on Pet Study and Population estimates that 98% of stray cats and 80% of stray dogs never return home. If these animals are lucky, they will be adopted by a nice family, but the majority of strays do not fare so well. With so much at stake, it is imperative that pet owners ensure that their pets stay safely on their home property. Training is an essential part of the plan, but you will need to take additional precautions to prevent losing your pets.

    A wireless electric pet fence offers an affordable and attractive option for keeping your pets secure. The electrical wire is buried below the ground, so it will not affect the appearance of your yard and home. This feature makes a wireless electric pet fence ideal for areas where home owners’ associations or other governing bodies prevent standard fence installation. Electric fencing is also less costly than most standard fencing options. Electric pet fences have been used for many years now, and are very safe, but there are a few things that you will need to keep in mind. First, your pet must have some basic training and impulse control, for electric fencing to work. The corrections are unpleasant, but not unbearable. An extremely excited pet may not respect the correction. Second, a wireless electric pet fence can keep your pets in, but it cannot keep other animals out. Your pets will not be protected against wild animals or aggressive dogs. You would need above ground electric fencing or a standard fence for this purpose.

    So how do electric pet fences work?

    An electric wire cable is placed underground to surround the area you would like to secure. This wiring broadcasts a radio signal, communicated by a transmitter that will be placed in your garage or other part of the home. Your pets need to wear a radio collar that is capable of detecting the signal broadcast by the wire. When your pet gets within a certain distance of the wire, the collar detects the signal and gives your pet a warning beep. If the pet continues to move closer he will receive a correction. Some electric pet fence systems correct with a mild electrical shock, while others use a spray of citronella. The intensity of the correction will vary depending on your pets’ size and sensitivity. Some collars allow for a mild correction to be given first and a stronger correction to be given if the pet continues to approach the fence line.

    In order for the electric pet fence to do its job, you must take time to introduce your pet to the system and do some training. You will need to place flags or some other distinct marker along the fence line for a few weeks; this will allow your pet to learn where the limit is. It is also best to allow your pet to wear the collar for a week or so without any corrections, so that he will be less likely to associate the corrections with the collar, and will respect the fence even when the radio collar is off. Make sure that your pet is on a leash the first time he experiences the fence correction; this will allow you to help him to understand the correct way to respond.

    With proper training, your pet will soon learn to stay within the boundaries of the electric pet fence, keeping him safely confined to your property and providing you with peace of mind.

    Featured Image by Mark Sample, via Flickr [CC-BY-NC-2.0]
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