An electric fence, which is also known by other names as electronic fence, pet fence, or fenceless boundary, is an electronic system designed to contain pets within a pre-determined boundary without the use of a physical structure.
This is done by fitting your pet with a lightweight electronic collar that produces a sound to warn your pet when it goes near the perimeter. If the pet ignores the warning signal and continues to go beyond the boundary, the collar emits electric impulses that produce mild electric shock to stun the animal. This will give him the urge to go back to safer territory.
If the animal persists to cross the boundary, he continues to receive the shock until he learns to avoid going beyond the virtual barrier. This system has no effect on pets that are not made to wear the collar. Dogs are the most common pets that are made to wear this device.
Because it is more costly to contain dogs by building a physical fence, many pet owners have started to appreciate the electric fence for dogs as an effective way to train their dogs to stay within a pre-determined perimeter.
Are there any advantages for using it?
One of the most obvious advantages of electronic fences is its cost-effectiveness. You need to spend time, money and effort in building a physical fence. While the electric fence is not free either, it is much cheaper and easier to install. It does not create a physical barrier to the other side and it works to keep your animals intact. Your pets can roam freely in your yard without being tied, and you will have peace of mind because you will no longer worry about them running away and getting lost.
The only thing you need to do to install a pet containing fence is to mark your perimeter with an underground wire, put the electronic collar around your dog’s neck and voila! You already have an electric dog fence working.
How does it work?
The electric dog fence works because the wire that you buried around the perimeter emits radio waves that capture signal from the electric collar on your dog’s neck. And when the dog comes within the range of the radio signal, the electric collar produces a sound and a subsequent shock if your pet doesn’t move away.
The Electric fence for dogs is not intended to hurt your pet at all. They are actually designed to train your dog to mark the ground that he can safely stay on. Most electric dog collars are even fitted with beep and vibrate modes to remind the dog that he is approaching forbidden territory. Sometimes, a shock is no longer necessary; dogs are intelligent pets.
Electronic containment systems are not absolutely fool-proof. There are some tough dogs that can go over it with a quick jump across the boundary. But it rarely happens. The bigger problem with electric fences is how to prevent other animals from entering your territory and create trouble with your pets. But it’s a different issue.
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