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Are Invisible Fences Effective?

By Cindy Rhodes

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Last week, I was contacted by a customer about an incident that involved his neighbor and the neighbor's two dogs that have been contained by an invisible fencing system over the last 2 years. He was not sure whether what he was witnessing was aggression or play and looked to Leerburg for some insight into the behaviors displayed by the dogs.

The customer said that these dogs routinely barked and ran the boundary of the yard whenever anyone walked by (with or without a dog). These dogs are males, both powerful working breeds that are often banned or regulated in certain cities and insurance companies. The owners of the dogs reassured our customer that these dogs are playful and would not bite under any circumstance. For me, this is a red flag and confirms that this particular owner doesn't understand dog behavior. Many friendly dogs will and have bitten when frustrated by a barrier whether that barrier is solid or electronic.

The man that contacted me had been walking around the neighborhood without a dog. He passed the yard containing the 2 dogs and they ran to the boundary and were carrying on and barking as usual. As the man approached his own home, both dogs came bounding across the boundary of the yard, barking loudly. The man then had to decide whether to confront the dogs and stand his ground or go inside his home. Since he was close to the door of his house he stepped inside as the dogs ran after him.

He expected the dogs to simply turn around and run home but the larger of the two started charging the door and jumping against the window. The other dog stayed close but only barked. After this incident, our customer called the owner and was again reassured that these dogs would never bite. In the following week, the dogs crossed the boundary two more times and did the same behavior at the homeowner's doors and windows.

This is about the time I was contacted for advice. I told him that I have a general distrust of invisible fences unless they are used with direct supervision. By direct supervision, I mean an adult human outside to keep an eye on the dogs. I also told him that it was possible the batteries in the collars were bad or the underground wire may have been damaged in some way. Sure enough, they were in one of the hurricane areas and had been flooded which had compromised the function of the fence. Both the dog owner and our customer gave the dogs the benefit of the doubt and still believed that they would not bite. They blamed the chainsaws and clean-up efforts in the area and said that the dogs were probably just 'overly excited' by the abnormal activity in the neighborhood.

I think that in very specific situations, invisible or underground electronic fences have their place. However, for me, the cons outweigh the pros. I don't want people, strange dogs, or other animals coming into my yard while my dogs are outside.

Some dogs will simply take the correction and run out of the yard if the stimulus across the boundary is appealing enough such as a deer, another dog, someone on a bike, etc. If they decide to come back, they are corrected if they try to cross back into their yard.

These fences can and do fail, sometimes with tragic results. I realize that physical fences are not perfect and that gates can be left open or dogs can jump over or dig out. I know that for some dogs, an invisible fence is fine. My parents had one in their yard for their elderly Corgi and there were not any problems but I do not think they are for all dogs or all situations.

Here are some points to think about:

Even if they were overly excited by something, how would you feel if the 2 dogs mentioned above lived next door to you?
How would you handle the neighbor?
Even in a dog with no history of easily identified aggression, can overexcitement turn into aggressive behavior?
Do you feel that the average pet owner truly understands dog behavior and body language?

I'm throwing this out there because I get a lot of emails from people who don't make the connection between a dog in a highly excited or aroused state of mind being capable of biting someone. Most pet owners equate a biting dog with a "mean" dog, not their friendly family dog. What are your thoughts on this topic?

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About Author

Cindy Rhodes

Cindy Rhodes has been training dogs since the 1980s. She has competed at a national level in Schutzhund (now called IPO) and Mondio Ring. Cindy has bred Dobermans and Malinois under the kennel name Kaiserhaus since the 80s. Cindy has also worked as a dog groomer for 15 years. Her experience and wealth of information led to the development of Leerburg's advice column. If you are looking for free dog training advice from an expert trainer, you can view Leerburg's Ask Cindy section. Cindy also offers in-person training in puppy training and dog sport foundations here.