Electric Dog Fence Training
The most important part of installing an electric dog fence is training your dog to use the fence. The reason the professionals like Invisible Fence have so much more success than DIYers is in the training. Every time you hear someone say that their dog fence doesn’t work, ask them how they trained their dog and they will give you a confused look. We cannot empasize enought how important the training is. If you don’t train the dog, the system you installed is completely useless.
The good news is that training is easy, all you need to do is commit to three fifteen minute session each day for two weeks. This simple training will keep your dog happy and safe for a lifetime.
Here is a quick overview of the training. The most important principle is to teach the dog that when they hear the tone, they need to retreat (and not run through the fence). You will find more detailed steps on the following pages.
Step 1. – Introducing the Dog to the Boundary (one week)
We teach the dog that when they come to the boundary flags and hear the beep, they need to retreat. For more details click here.
Step 2. – Introducing the Correction (one week)
We teach the dog that the consequence for ignoring the beep is a shock.
Step 3. – Introducing Distractions (one day)
We check to see if the dog has truly learned the importance of the boundary by introducing distractions like a tennis ball or a playmate.
Step 4. Supervised Play (one week)
We start letting the dog play off leash.
During the training period, you should avoid your dog crossing the boundary lines at all times. This means you should not leave them unsupervised in the yard. And if you need to take them for a walk, put them in the back of your car and drive them over the boundary or if you have a little dog, carry them over the boundary (with the collar off)
Once your dog has mastered the training (a couple of months), you can teach them to walk through the boundary when they are on a walk. For information on creating a walking your dog through the fence, seehere .
Training Calendar
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I moved to step 2 after a week. My dog had started turning away from the flags on his own after about 1 week of twice a day 10 minute training sessions. So, I moved to step 2. I took him out on his leash and he went right for the boundary and got shocked. He was so upset he runs to the front door of the house or cowers by the house. When he goes in the house he runs to the bedroom or his crate and will not come out. He also shows reluctance to go outside. Will this eventually pass? Do I need to go back to Step 1? Do I continue w/ Step 2?
Thanks,
Kelly
ADMIN – Hi Kelly, Just keep on going with step 2, but turn down the correction to the lowest setting and make sure they never get more than one correction a session or iff you want switch it off completely for the next couple of days (but keep the warning beep on).
Take him out on the leash and spend lots of time creating good associations with the safe zones. Play with him, give him treats, etc. Do this, a couple of times a day in addition to the training sessions. Most importantly when he gets the correction, don’t validate his fears by trying to comfort or console. Just keep leading him confidently on the leash where you want him to go. Remember to end the session with play.
The overreaction will pass. You will often see dogs staying very close to the house for the first few days but you will notice that with the coming weeks they get more and more adventurous. Just keep playing outside with him and don’t reward him for being fearful. I know it is hard, but he will be glad you provided this leadership.
Keep us updated.
At what age can you start to train a puppy? We have a 3 mo. old husky and a 4 mo. old boxer.
ADMIN – Hi Oleta,
Two puppies at the same time! We would wait until they are 6 months old. Some people start younger, but we suggest wait until they are mentally developed a little and don’t have that goofy puppy attention span.
Thank you for your commitment to diy dog fencing, I really appreciate your informational website.
We have just installed an Innotek in-ground fencing system on a 6 foot privacy fence for our 16 month old boxer that was climbing the fence to escape when he was home alone. The training is going very easily and with only two sessions he seems to understand that boundaries. How should training be adapted if there is already a physical barrier, 6 foot fence, in place? Also, he has a dog door that allows free access to the back yard but I am concerned that allowing access to the backyard during the training process will confuse or hinder training. Is he allowed in the backyard when not training on the fence (and if he is allowed, should he being wearing the training collar). Finally for long term use and after training is complete- since he has never attempted to escape when someone is home does he need to wear the training collar at all times when in the backyard or can the collar be removed when there is someone home with him?
Thanks again for all your help.
ADMIN – Hi Marianne,
The training is essentially identical when you have a physical barrier in place, because we are still trying to instill the same message that: “whenever you hear the beep turn and retreat”. It is a lot easier when you have a fence because it is difficult for the dog to run through. So you can go through the training a bit quicker and let the dog be unsupervised sooner.
I would not let him in the backyard during the training period. The reason is that we don’t want him unlearning what we have taught him. I know that is difficult with a big active dog like a boxer, if necessary fast track the training (do four days on each stage instead of a week). But, I would not want him out there unsupervised during the training period, the risk is that he learns the wrong thing (e.g. that the correction ends after you climb over the fence)
I like to leave the collar on even when the dog is supervised, just in case. Many people don’t put the collars on regularly when the dog is supervised after the dog is trained. As a practical matter, 99% of the time even without the collar – a trained dog will respect the fence. I like to be very cautious and keep the collar on for that 1% of times when he say see the neighbor’s cat and takes off through an open gate. It would be perfectly reasonable if you did not do it that way.