To shock or not to shock your dog. That is the question.

Many people today think an invisible wireless electric fence is the best solution available to keep their dog on their property. Unfortunately, this is simply not true. First of all invisible wireless electric fences are simply not as effective as you might think. Depending on the breed, we have seen statistics that suggest invisible wireless electric fences are only about 70% effective. Perhaps that is the reason why nearly a quarter of our customers that purchase our non-electric dog fence kits already have an electric fence. They realized their solution simply is not working. Here are just some of the concerns you might have if you relied on an invisible wireless electric fences to protect your pup:

• While an electric fence may look invisible, its damaging effects are very visible, and generally increase harmful behavior over time. Dogs can become fearful or even aggressive because they are being hurt. This might make it harder for you to take your dog outside of your home at all, and can even cause dogs to bark or bite strangers because they simply don’t know who or what is harming them.
• Dogs can feel like they are being punished (by shock) when they run up and greet someone who is past the perimeter of the fence. That new association can quickly lead them to believe that everything should be feared and nothing is safe. Then the aggressive issues expand to other areas beyond the yard and invisible fence.

• Invisible wireless electric fences do not stop other critters from coming in your property. So if you live in an area where coyotes are common you can endanger your dog, because essentially your dog becomes a sitting duck because you allow other animals to freely enter your property while your dog is restricted.
• Many invisible wireless electric fences do not include a transmitter that includes lightning protection, which means in inclement weather your electric fence might not work.
• Some of the DIY invisible wireless electric fence kits do not use wire that is rated for outdoor use and will simply short out after a few months.
• Invisible wireless electric fences require an adequate training process. If you just install a dog fence, slap the collar (receiver) on your dog, and then stick him in the yard to figure it out on his own, at best you’ll confuse your dog and at worst you’ll flat-out frighten him. If you want to create an area where your dog can run free without having to spend a lot of time training your dog you should look into a non-electric dog fence kit where there is no training required. Dogs can try to test their boundaries but they simply won’t succeed in escaping.
• If your dog already has a significant health problem an invisible wireless electric fence might critically harm your dog, especially if you have the level of the collar turned up high. The problem is at low levels the shock is too low that a dog would not notice it when wildlife or another dog runs by because they are too distracted.
• If your dog is younger than 6 months old most veterinarians will tell you to wait before you you can install an invisible wireless electric fence, which means either your pup has to be leashed when he or she is outside, or can not really go outside until it is older. With a non-electric dog fence kit you do not have any age restrictions.

You might think at Pet Playgrounds, we’re biased, but you don’t have to take our word for it. According to Victoria Stilwell of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog:

“Dogs contained behind electric fences tend to become more reactive and in some cases more aggressive toward strangers and even family members because of anxiety and frustration. Recent studies show that dogs without previous aggression problems are more prone to attack family members when the systems are activated. Only a proper fence will keep people or other animals out of the yard and offer more protection. It is a much safer and more humane and effective containment option than an electric fence will ever be.”

So there you have it. Interested in why so many customers choose our non-electric dog fence? Find out why.