Electronic Fencing: Is it really the only way?

Ah the grass.  The trees.  The unsullied view of the mountains, or the park, or whatever else reason the HOA has for not allowing you to install a safe, secure fence for your dog.  Perhaps they told you the existing fence may not be raised, and your canine compadre just sails over the top of their four foot tall limit.....Maybe you have a rather large property, and have decided the cost involved in fencing 12 acres is just more than you care to spend...In any case, now you find yourself shopping:  Wondering which "electronic" fencing system will be most effective (and least expensive) at keeping your wandering Wilbur where he belongs.

If you go with a traditional, wired unit (meaning, there will be a buried wire, creating a perimeter shape custom to where you want the dog to stay), there are options aplenty.  You could hire a professional company to come out, inspect your property, quote you a price, install it, and show you how to "teach" your dog not to cross it.  This could cost you a couple thousand dollars, depending on the market, and the demand in your area.

The good news:  This comes with customer service, answers to your questions, and a product installation guarantee.
The bad news:  It's expensive.

You can install a wired unit yourself, usually for less than $400.  Most big box pet supply, or ranch/farm stores have them on hand, or you can hop online and order one for a bit less.  Installation is easy (relatively speaking) and only involves digging a shallow trench to lay the wire in.
The good news:  You save a bunch of money.
The bad news:  That stupid trench is not as easy as you'd think to dig, and if you don't do all the testing the manual suggests, and something doesn't work, you now have to dig it up again.

There is such a thing as wireless containment systems as well.  These are again about $250-$500, and are fairly easy to operate.  You set the unit in a "central" place, such as inside your home, plug it in, charge collar (batteries), park the radius at a distance you want it to be, and viola!  Instant fence!
The good news:  Super easy.
The bad news:   You may want to put this sort of unit on a back-up battery.  They have an internal back-up battery (as do the wired units), but in the event of a power surge, or outage, the unit will read as having collars out of range, and will shock your dog in the few seconds it takes for the back-up battery to come on-----even if he is just laying on the couch doing nothing.

 That fact alone is why my dogs will most likely never be put on a wireless containment system.

The containment doesn't stop there folks.  You can also look in to smaller radius, portable, battery operated "rocks."  These are better for keeping the animal out of gardens, or from escaping the front door.  -------------Training or an actual fence is really the best for this, buuuuut.......
They are designed to look like a rock, usually have a 3-16 foot range, and will not activate unless your dog is getting close.  You can set up multiple "rocks" and cue them to one collar, or to multiple collars.

The good news:  Fairly inexpensive; $60-$120 a piece.  Battery operated.  Light and easy to install.
The bad news:  You get what you pay for.  Check reviews.

So what IS my opinion of these units/systems?
I personally don't like them much.  They pack a punch:  Watched a guy strap one to himself and go running for the "fenceline" with the unit turned all the way up---it laid him out flat.  I would rather see your dog on an electronic correction collar, that you control with the remote in your hand, than see him running around with absolutely no boundary to speak of.  I'd rather see him behind an actual hotwire fence, to tell the truth.
They work great for some people, I know.  And yes, I do understand the frustrations with a dog who escapes via jumping the fence, but there are alternatives that do not involve shocking the snot out of him.

Most people don't take the time to properly train the dog where the boundary is, or what happens if they get too close.  They do not read the manuals (hence the reason I feel it is worth every penny to have a professional company do the install for you, as they are also taught how to teach you to "train" your dog on this new system), and I wind up explaining why your dog suddenly forgot how to be housetrained after you installed a "fenceless fence."  ~In case you are wondering, it's because you didn't set your boundary flags, or spend any time with the dog on a long line to teach him why those flags mean he should stay inside them.  Turning  him loose with a collar on, without properly showing him where is "safe," can create a fearful dog.  Now the yard is scary, and very painful in his doggy mind, so obviously the only place he feels he can poop, is in your house.

These kinds of containment systems may keep the dog in, but do not keep anything else out.  Just like a dog left on a chain, you are leaving him handicapped and vulnerable.

Predators, such as coyotes, are not wearing the containment collars.  Loose dogs roaming around are also free to go right up to your dog; not all dogs are kind to other dogs.  Your dog is also open to people walking right up to them, making them easy targets for theft, or other ill intentions.

Your dog can escape.
Yes, you read that right.  These units are not completely dog-proof.  Some dogs do successfully use these for however long they are on them, but there is a percentage (higher than you'd think) of animals who will blast right through the correction to get at what they want.  A high-drive dog who sees a rabbit and gives chase, may get so intense they go right through the boundary shock.

 A dog who is over-protective of his space, may find himself so upset about the "approaching intruder," that he rushes to scare it off, right through the correction.

yeah, I totally feel safe walking my dogs past This guy behind NO Fence.

 And you know he's not going to want to go back through it to get back in to his yard.  I have students who are opting to carry Citronella Dog Mace now because of that kind of dog.  Walking past an "open" yard, where a protective aggressive dog lives, is scary.

When I was in middle school (soooo long ago....ha ha ha) my best friend lived down the street from a lovely, fat, sweet old yellow Labrador called Maggie.  Every day after school, when the bus dropped us off, we would hear a tremendous yelp of pain.  "oh, here comes Maggie" That sweet dog loved hanging out with us so much, she'd run through that electronic fence every day.  Of course, we would always bring her home, but we waited 'til her people came back later in the day---if we returned her before that, she'd just hurt herself again trying to be with us.

My point is, that there are other ways and means to keep Wilbur from wandering.  Safer, less painful or dangerous options do exist.

And next time, we will talk about some of them.