ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996                   TAG: 9606030001
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
COLUMN: Claws & Paws
SOURCE: JILL BOWEN

ELECTRONIC INVISIBLE FENCES USUALLY WORK QUITE WELL

Q: I am moving from a home with a fenced yard to a new home without a fenced yard. I have a 3-year-old male "Westie" terrier, and am considering an electronic invisible fence. Please explain how this works and if it is painful to dogs. Also, any tips for training or preparing my dog for this move?

A: Electronic fences are becoming increasingly popular as a means of preventing dogs from straying out of their owner's yard, especially in subdivisions that are difficult about allowing fencing. Electronic fences can vary in cost from about $170 for one that is a do-it-yourself installation, to three or four times that price for one that is professionally installed.

The price also depends on the size of the yard to be fenced. One transmitter can usually handle anything from 500 to 4,200 feet of buried cable. It is important to get a system that is government certified.

The system works by giving a mild, virtually nonpainful electric shock to the dog when he attempts to cross the invisible barrier out of the yard. Using an edger or flat spade the cable is buried two-inches deep around the perimeter of the yard in one continuous cable. The transmitter is then plugged in; when your pet is out in the yard he wears a special collar with a receiver attached to it. When your dog approaches the boundary a warning beep sounds, if this is ignored, the dog receives a mild humane shock of electricity.

Dogs are pretty smart and it only takes a few shocks for him to get the idea and stay within the boundary. The warning should be based on distance to the boundary not time, so that bolting dogs can still be stopped. Usually the warning sounds from one to 15 inches from the boundary. Should your pet get stuck near the boundary, the corrective shock stops after 30 seconds. My next door neighbors have installed such a fence to keep their large collie within bounds and it works beautifully.

Dogs as a rule do not mind moving as they are people-orientated not place-orientated like cats. Do not leave him outside on his own until he gets used to the area and you have a fence installed.

LENGTH: Short :   44 lines