I am trying to decide what kind of electric fence to purchase. I saw the one for sale on this website and I have also seen them for sale at Home Depot. My question is..Is one better than any of the rest. I have a lab-mix that was a stray. She is ~10 months old and I just hade her spayed. We've had her for about 3 months. I live on 3/4 of an acre and my pup loves people. She takes off to meet and greet if someone is out front. Our neighbors have fences on the front and side and I was going to put an electric fense on the other two sides and front sides of the house. I don't want to alienate my neighbors with her running to them. She is very friendly and is not at all aggressive, but she loves to play with my 3 kids so I do let her out back without a leash. Any ideas on what type of device I need? Thank you in advance for any help.

I know a lab that will not be stopped by a barbed wire let alone the elextric fence that is around her property. On the other hand I know a lab near my hous that seems to stay put, more or less. But I only saw him there a handful of times. Electric fences in my opinion are not very reliable means of stopping dogs.
There's a thing called radio fence. I am not sure whether it can be called an electric fence too. The idea is that the further dog gets from the center of the property the more pain is applied. It does not stop until the dog returns. May be that's a little more convincing.

I have used an containment system (electric fence) for five years. I have two German Shepherds both with high drive. I also have three children who run from our lot to the neighbors lot constantly.
I have found that my sytem works super. My dogs have never left the yard. I used to live in the country and had two acres fenced in. Now I live in an allotment and have a half acre fenced in. It has worked great at both places

But the main secrete is to train the dog well. To follow the steps very carefully. Do not cut corners.
After doing a great deal of research I found that the sytem made by Innotek was the best self install system. The one I have is "Smart Dog" 201. I order it from Lion Country Supply at 800-662-5202.

One small thing to keep in mind: even if the e-fence works for you dog, it will not keep other animals or people out. So if you have a problem in your area with dogs running free or even, god forbid, dog-nappers, think twice.

Get the absolute best (usually the most expensive) system you can afford. I have heard numerous horror stories about "Walmart special" type systems.

Better yet - build a regular fence. As someone else brought up, electronic systems may keep your dog in but it doesn't keep other dogs and people out.

That is correct about not keeping other dogs out. We make it a point that our dogs our never turned lose in the containment fence unless we are home, and aware of them. Like if we are in the family room in the basement watching TV the dogs are not lose. Only if we can see, and or clearly hear them.
Our dogs are house dogs so they are in and out all day. The fence makes it real nice when the kids are playing outside that the dogs can be with them or when doing yard work I can have them right with me and not have to worry. Plus, it makes it really nice first thing in the morning, or in the middle of the night if they have to go out.
In purchasing the fence, in my research I did not find anything good about the cheaper models. They either did not give enough shock, or the dogs could go through by a certain angle.
Many of them are battery operated and this will cost you a fortune. The one metioned by Innotek is a rechargeable collar with the chargeing being on top of the transmitter.
Since I live in a allotment I can not put up with a barking dog. I got a collar that double as a bark collar and containment collar. I set the shock level of the bark reponse at a low level. My dog will still bark if another dog comes near or if a stranger is in the back. They still get a shock. At the low level they have to to think is the shock worth the bark. They do not bark at dogs across the allotment, or when the neighbor dog is barking for the fun of it.

Thank you for your suggestions. I ended up getting a petsafe system thath a friend has had great luck with but I am having problems with the wire. I have 3/4 acre so it has been frustrating. I too have a house dog. I just wanted something so she could play with the kids and I could work in the yard with her with me. There are no loose dogs around here on a regular basis. There's a hefty $1000.00 fine for them. Again thanks and hopefully I'll find the problem with my wire

I wish I lived where you do, where they can impose a $1,000.00 fine for loose dogs. I personally have a chain link fence and have always felt more safe with them. It seems to me with the electric fences that was mentioned in the previous posts that other dogs can still come in your yard. That means even if you are out side with your dogs, and Billy Bob dog decides to come over a dog fight could happen, also what about the fact that a lot of dogs are not vaccinated against diseases, and also if they defecate in your yard you can end up with a lot of parasites. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I know I might sound a bit over protected when it comes to my dogs, but I also do not let them out in the yard when I am not at home.

I work hard to keep my dogs, safe, and healthy, and I just don't want any strays comming in my yard. This small town in Missouri that I live in does have a leash law. Is it ever inforced? No. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> So as a responsible dog owner I will do what ever it takes to keep my dogs safe.

Joyce