The Downside to Electronic Fencing

Though many companies tout their fencing as being incredibly safe, there are dangers involved with this type of fencing. Before purchasing one of these systems, you should weigh the pros and cons in depth.

Frightening Your Pet

A few years ago, a woman called the Santa Clara County Humane Society, her dog's electronic collar was continually going off and zapping her dog with a mild electrical charge. The dog was scared and aggressive due to his fear. He was attacking anyone who tried to get close enough to get the collar off and the collar was zapping anyone who touched it. Though this defect was rare, it still raised serious concern over the safety of these fence systems.

Making Your Pet Stray

With invisible fencing, your dog or cat wears an electric collar that emits a small jolt of electricity if the dog or cat nears the underground fencing. This jolt is meant to force the animal back to the “safe zone.” For some animals, the jolt is enough of a deterrent. For others, they cross the line anyway and then become fearful of the jolt and refuse to return home until the collar has been removed. Owners who fail to change the batteries as directed find that their animals never become fully accustomed to the shock collars and therefore stray regularly.

Letting Other Dogs In

One of the larger dangers with invisible fencing is the fact that other stray dogs can easily cross the line. Only your pet is controlled. If a neighbor has an aggressive dog that gets loose, your dog or cat is trapped within a certain zone and is apt to become attacked if you are not monitoring the pet's outdoor time. For this reason, many feel that the invisible fences are more trouble than good.

Not a Deterrent for Aggressive Dogs

If your dog is aggressive with mailmen, delivery men, or children, invisible fencing will do nothing to keep the animal from biting these people if they enter the invisible fencing area. Invisible fencing also does not keep animal thieves from swiping your animal right from your yard. There are dangers on all levels when using invisible fencing.

If you want your pet to be safe while outdoors, consider training the dog early on to be outside with you and only with you. With training, you can ensure that your pet stays near you when you are outside and doesn't roam. Alternately, you could install a dog run from your house to a tree and then keep the dog leashed while outside. These options are much safer!