Electric Dog Fence Training

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.

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.

Your site is awesome. I got a lot of useful info here. I have one training question. I got a little overconfident in my dog’s ability to learn and let him off leash. Needless to say my neighbors dog came out and he ran through the fence after getting a good jolt from it. Does he now know he can get through? Should I just go back a step and retrain until he always has the correct reaction? Turn up the width of fence or the level of correction? Thanks.

ADMIN – Hi Brian,

Yes, I would just go back a step to the on-leash training with a temptation. If it happened just once or twice it is no big deal. You just want to catch it early before it becomes a habit. I don’t think it is serious enough for you to need to turn up the correction or increase the width of the fence (I presume you have it set to at least 3 feet wide on either side of the wire).

I have a red heeler mix that hides everytime I get the collar to do the training. She won’t walk on the leash, but thrashes and turns. It makes training very difficult. Any suggestions?

ADMIN – Hi Cami,

You can alternatively work with her without a leash. It may require more patience, but can be done. I do have thought. What do you think will happen if you simply put the fence collar on and let your heeler in the yard? Does she respect and avoid the boundary? You may try that and spend time playing with her in the yard. The fact that she’s hiding tells me she’s already has respect for the fence at some level.

I’ve had a Stubborn Dog fence for about 6 months. My dog did great with it and respected its boundaries. Now, however, he is routinely running through the fence, getting shocked, and then is afraid to come back home. A couple of times, neighbors and strangers have brought him back and crossed back over with his collar on him. I think he is starting to get fearful because of that. When I have caught him, I make sure to take the collar off of him before bringing him back over the wire. He definitely knows the association because he will hold back with the collar on and then happily walk back over the line with me when the collar is off. Do I need to retrain him all over again? I have increased the number on his collar and increased the perimeter, yet he still runs past it whenever he is outside without a leash on when something catches his eye, like a cat, a horse, a deer, or another dog for the past three weeks. I am afraid to let him go outside even supervised as he can easily outrun me and ignores my commands in these situations. Thanks.

ADMIN – Hi Lisa,

As soon as a dog starts to get out, I would go back to the second step of training. You want to check to make sure the collar is fit correctly to make sure the dog is actually getting the correction. We increase the boudnary width setting and increase the correction to make running through more difficult. While we are retraining, it is important that the dog stays on leash in the back yard – once the dog gets intot he habbit of breaking through, retraining takes much longer.

If there are particular triggers like deer, neighborhood dogs, or horses – I would incorporate those temptations into the training so that the dog learns no matter how excited – the boundary rules still apply.

We have two Scotties that we are trying to keep out of a garden area in our back yard. The back yard is fenced. If we just put the electronic fence around the garden area, will we need to supervise the dogs whenever they are loose in the back yard during the training period? Thanks for your help.

ADMIN -Hi Bill,

Keeping the dogs out of parts of the garden is much easier than containment and you can shorten the training period accordingly. Still I would train the dogs for at least a week during which time I would not let them into the garden unsupervised. It is much easier to teach the dogs the right habit, that the beep means they need to turn and retreat, than to try and fix bad habits later. Left to their own devices, dogs can sometimes develop bad habits like freezing in the correction zone, or trying to run through.

We have a 1 year old Golden Retriever Lab mix that we take to our family cabin with our 2 year old and 6 year old sons. He was adopted from the local humane society. After a couple of weeks with a leash I decided to try to let him free with the kids. The property borders a state road and we have 12 acres with a pond and a canal. Doug (our dog) stayed with the kids and never leaves the area. This was about a year ago and he still rides down with us and stays on the property. Our dog is always around and loves to swim and follows the kids all the time. Sometimes more than often I think he is a human . He sleeps with us on the pillows, he puts up with our kids, he understands commands and is completely potty trained in record time. The funny part is I was talking to a good customer/ friend about Doug (we own a family business) and come to find out he was the breeder. I think we may get another one as a friend for Doug. I have to say after growing up with dogs my whole life that I have never seen a dog like him. Just a note my oldest son who is 5 has PDD-NOS and I feel Doug loves him and understands him. I truly feel blessed.

Admin – Hi Corey

I have a 13yo nephew who is mildly autistic, so I can relate. We are privileged to be a part of that world.
Apart from you, your Golden Retriever, Doug will be his good friend for some time.
Good for you.

We have a 800 foot circumference system on our property and have a terrier-spaniel mix that has resided within the boundaries since the summer of 2008. This dog was fully trained within a week’s time and has not once attempted to break out. The professional that installed our system indicated that from his many years of experience, each breed of dog seems to display its own level of “trainability”.

We brought a three-year-old, rescued Boston Terrier into our home yesterday. Our intention is to follow the prescribed training schedule, but was curious if your experience would allow you to predict the BT’s “trainability”. Good site. Thank you for your consideration.

ADMIN – Hi Bob,

I agree with your installer that different breeds seem to have different patterns in the training. Some breeds tend to be really fast learners, some take a little longer. Some require a strong correction, others will jump with even a mild correction. Some are timid and will never test the boundaries once trained, others will frequently test their boundary. There is of course lots of variation within breeds too, all dogs having their own unique personalities. It is very rare that a dog cannot be trained, but you need to adapt your methods to suit the dog.

I find Boston Terriers to be a little slower in the uptake than average. They learn how to use a containment system easily, but it can take a few days longer than say an Australian Shepherd who tend to be very quick on the uptake in this type of task.

Hello I just got a petsafe wireless fence I have three dogs I started training two days ago and things seemed to be fine then today my fiancé called and said they all crossed the boundary and only 1 came back the other 2 froze and yelped as they continued to get shocked please help what do I do.

ADMIN – Hi Tom,

Sounds like the dogs need more training. I would complete the full two weeks of training before letting the dogs out unsupervised. If you lets the dogs out after only two days I would not expect them to have understood the new rules. They simply don’t understand that they need to turn and retreat in order to turn off the correction.

I would continue on with the training, and keep the dogs on-leash when outside until the training is complete. Letting the dogs wander around off-leash now is just going to lead to confusion and unnecessary correction.

I have been using a Sport Dog training collar for correction on basic dog training and on walks. Your website says to wait 3 months before using a dual purpose collar. Since I have already been using a remote training collar for a couple of years, how do I use an electric dog fence without confusing the dogs?

ADMIN – Hi Kathy,

We advise against introducing the two types of collar, a containment collar or a training collar at the same time. The order in which you introduce them is not important. What is important is that if you give the dog a couple of months after introducing one before introducing the second. This avoids the dog getting confused between the two collars and getting overwhelmed. You want the dog to feel comfortable that they know how to “switch off” the correction before you introduce something new.

In you case, you can jump right into containment training. Since you introduced remote training years ago, the dog will understand what that is all about and will be ready to learn something new. Dogs that have remote training experience generally pick up containment training a bit faster, because the basics are similar.

Hello, I just received our new fence from you guys and am super excited about getting the system installed and allowing our 3 lab/German shepherd mix dogs to enjoy our 5 acres without the worry of them getting into trouble…which has been extremely difficult!

Here are my questions: for multiple dogs do we need to do individual training for each dog 10/15 minutes a day for 3 weeks? Secondly, our dogs must remain outside, how do you recommend doing the training while they are accustomed to being outside all the time and having the entire property surrounded by the new fence?

Thanks so much for your site….it’s very informative!!!

ADMIN – Hi Tracy,

You do need to do the training with each dog individually. It helps if when you are working with one dog, you hide away the other two. The dogs tend to focus too much attention on each other if they are all present.

The dogs should not be allowed to cross the border during the training as this will be very confusing for them. If they are outside dogs, I would keep them temporarily tied up, or on a zip-line. We don’t like tying up dogs either, but this should be temporary – they will soon have complete freedom.

If you need to take them outside the boundary during training for walks, load them in the car and drive them over the boundary. You can also carry them over, but this is probably not going to work with dog’s of your size! Again this is temporary, once they are trained we can teach them how to go over the boundary when we give them permission. But, for now we want to be very consistent and maintain the rule that they can never cross the boundary.

We have an Irish Wolfhound/Lab mix and a German Shepherd/Lab mix. They both have been trained with the remote collars for walking and being on a leash, so essentially the correction to them indicates “heel”. My husband is concerned that as when they receive the correction that they will come running to us (which is not necessarily a bad thing) with the installation of an invisible fence. However, we would like them to be able to enjoy themselves in the yard and prevent confusion. Any suggestions on doggy psychology in how to retrain their pre-programmed behavior or than it might just take longer?

ADMIN – Hi Kris,

Dogs that have remote correction tend to ‘get it’ much faster than most dogs because they understand they need to do something to turn off the correction.

If you just work through our training protocol you will be fine. In particular, our Step One where we teach the dog what we want them to do before layering in the correction is very useful where you have remote training experience. In Step One we teach the dogs what we expect from them with only the beep, before we add the correction. That way the dog knows exactly what is expected from them before you apply the correction. So when your dogs do get corrected, they will tend to make the connection to turning and retreating rather than heeling.

If you find the dogs are reacting to just the beep (because your remote collar beeped as well), do the Step One training without the collar at all, so there is no connection at all to the remote trainer.

I have two dogs and one is fine with the system, the other has ran through it twice. We increased the width to 3 feet and upped his correction. He saw a deer the other day and ran through and we never heard a peep, but coming back was traumatic and he was corrected at least 3 times & ran straight into the house. Now he does not want to go outside. What should we do?

ADMIN – Hi Jenn,

What kind of training did you do with the dog? I would go back through the training – particularly if you didn’t do the full training the first time. Concentrate your effort on the third phase of training where you are working with the dog on staying contained even when there are exciting temptation on the scene.

If the dog has become fearful, you want to spend lots of time doing positive reinforcement, like playing with the dog in the safe zone, walking in the safe zone, and feeding in the safe zone.

I would also increase the boundary width to at least 5 feet on either side of the wire, preferably more.

Hi- Our 5 yr. old Vizsla has been doing wonderfully for the past 4 years with the petsafe invisible fence. A few weeks ago, the neighbors got a dog that our dog LOVES to play with. Now when he sees the neighbor’s dog outside, he breaks through the fence to play with him. We have done a small amount of retraining to help him remember the boundary. But it didn’t make much difference. He seems to be willing to take the “hit” in order to get to play with his new friend. Suggestions?

ADMIN – Hi Kathryn,

I would start by observing the dog when they are going through and making sure they actually get the correction. Often, over time we get lazy about putting the collar on so there is proper contact, or the collar has stopped working and the dog is just staying inside out of habit. You will know the collar is working and correctly fitted if you hear the beep and you see the dog visibly react.

If all that is working, then we need to do a little remedial training. Put the flags out again. Make the boundary a little wider, turn up the correction level and go back to Step 2 and Step 3 of the training. In particular, borrow the a neighbor’s dog and use it as the distraction in Step 3 so the dog learns specifically that even if the neighbor’s dog is on the other side – they cannot cross.

I have a 7 year old lab that is used to staying in the yard behind a tall fence. I have never been able to train him to use a single part of the yard as a bathroom and with two small boys this can cause issues. We are moving to a new neighborhood that does not allow tall fences so I am going to try the electric dog fence, one thing I would also like to do is teach him to limit his bathroom activity to a certain part of the yard. Is it possible to set up a system such that there are two separate areas for him, one to roam in and one to do his business in?

ADMIN – Hi Mark,

Unfortunately, there is not anything I am aware of that will limit the dog to pottying in certain areas.