Pet - Electric fence

nhboat61 · 03-09-2014, 10:12 AM

I was wondering if anyone has installed any type of electric fence to keep thier dogs on thier property, but allow for them o go on the dock and or the water.

If we put up an electric fence, it has to "circle the property. This would stop them from enjoying the water and dock.

Is it possible to put an electric fence line under the sand and water? I think this would short out the system.

If we get the wireless system , that will allow the puppies to wander onto the neighbors. We also have a cottage we rent out on our land, so the wireless would laso allow them to wander towards our tenanats.

We have a electric fence at home in Ct and works great.

Thoughts - suggestions.

pjard · 03-09-2014, 11:50 AM

We are not on the water but we do have the fence making a big loop around the house. Somehow the wire coming out of the garage which hooks into the loop does NOT trigger a beep or correction. I'm not sure how they do it but you can do it. Ours is made by Petstop and we are happy with it. We have 3 dogs and our Golden is testing it a bit lately but I need to do some training.

MikeF-NH · 03-09-2014, 12:04 PM

we bought ours years back from Home Depot and I installed the wire myself. It worked for a few months then stopped working (most likely an underground wirebreak). We had a pro come out and re run the wire (he said professional grade wiring holds up much better than what the consumer gets).

Anyhow the wire is sheathed so having it in sand (even wet sand) should not be an issue. The wire goes less than a foot under the ground so it may become exposed from sand moving or people digging/playing is sand.

As for allowing access to water...there is a technique of twisting the wire that will cancel the signal sent to the collar. A pro can help you with this (trust me you don't want to be digging a trench around your property for wire when they use a machine and finish in very short time). Watch it, if you aren't careful, the pro may cut the asphalt on your driveway to drop wire if you don't specifically say "no".

Ours worked great but you don't just turn it on and forget it. Good training so the dogs know when to turn back and what is "safe" is important. Once they learn the boundary, they will stop testing it and eventually the system isn't even used (as was our case) to keep your dog in the yard...they remember.

ishoot308 · 03-09-2014, 01:41 PM

Canine Fence installed mine on the island and it makes a complete loop around my property and even into the water right around my swim raft. Been there for 3 years now without an issue.

Good luck!

Dan

Dad sold the C * C · 03-09-2014, 04:36 PM

I have seen the dog fences run into the water before. Didn't know what it was at first ( my cousin was renting the house). Later that week I talked to the owner and they explained it goes around the house and out past the dock.

These systems send a wireless signal through the wire like an antenna not electricity so no danger of shock

HellRaZoR004 · 03-09-2014, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dad sold the C * C

These systems send a wireless signal through the wire like an antenna not electricity so no danger of shock

Then what's the wire for?

ishoot308 · 03-09-2014, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

Then what's the wire for?

It sends a radio signal...

Dan

Dad sold the C * C · 03-09-2014, 05:57 PM

It's the antenna. The signal extends in a circle from the wire, that activates the electronics in the dog collar. The most common setup is the collar beeps first then shocks the dog ( or human if he's holding the collar). It can be buried or hung above ground.

A friend has most of her 9 acre horse farm wired to keep the dogs in, most of it runs about a foot above the ground on the fence that circles the property. This prevents the diggers and fence jumpers. It's almost a mile of wire, I know because I had to rewire the whole fence line after the 2008 ice storm..

Lakeboater · 03-09-2014, 06:15 PM

Dad sold, how come you had to rewire the whole thing? Wouldn't a few splices of been easier?

Dad sold the C * C · 03-09-2014, 06:47 PM

Good question, it had been patched and patched over a number of years. Really it was me being nice and saying I would do it before I had any idea how hard it would be. I found a thicker gauge wire, but the still breaks between. humans, trees and horses .

Winni P · 03-10-2014, 08:06 AM

We put the electric fence wire through a garden hose and placed it around our dock anchoring it in spots with garden stakes. It works great - even through the ice.

MeredithMan · 03-10-2014, 08:19 AM

Thanks "Dad Sold" and "Winni P". That is great input. When I asked the Canine Fence guy, he told me the wire has to be in an uninterrupted loop, so it would be "tough luck" for having the dog go out onto the dock or in the water.

We improvised, and took some of the training flags we had from our place in CT, and just placed them around the yard and voila, she fell for it!

MM

Winnisquamguy · 03-10-2014, 08:34 AM

We use the wireless and love it! You can move it anywhere you want then you can set the distance by turning up or down. At our last house I built a box for it to get the best distance I wanted out of it.

PaugusBayFireFighter · 03-10-2014, 08:48 AM

What cats think of electric fences...

Merrymeeting · 03-10-2014, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

Thanks "Dad Sold" and "Winni P". That is great input. When I asked the Canine Fence guy, he told me the wire has to be in an uninterrupted loop, so it would be "tough luck" for having the dog go out onto the dock or in the water.

We improvised, and took some of the training flags we had from our place in CT, and just placed them around the yard and voila, she fell for it!

MM

Sounds like the guy you talked to needs some more training. He is correct that the loop needs to be uninterrupted. But you can configure it so water access is still available. I did mine myself a few years ago and it's still working fine.

It requires more wire (effectively double the amount) but the pro-grade wire can be purchased in spools relatively inexpensively. You run the loop in the shape of a large, wide, "U", with the sides and bottom of the U consisting of wires separated by about 3 feet. Another way to visualize it is by thinking of one of those long balloons they use to make balloon animals. Shape it like a U and imagine the wire loop running along the outside edges of the balloon.

I ran the top edges of the U into the water about 10' on each side. This keeps our dog on our lot but she can still jump in the water or come out on the dock any time she wants to do so.

The only downside we've discovered is when, on occasion, she has swum out far enough to get outside the boundaries of the U. But this has only been an infrequent occurrence , and usually only if one of us is in the water and she wants to join us.

codeman671 · 03-10-2014, 12:12 PM

We had a Dogwatch system that was done in semicircle. It started at the waters edge on one end of the property, went far out behind the house and looped back on the other side at the boundary back to the lakes edge. The dogs had unrestricted access to the dock and lake. We would have to keep an eye on the dogs occasionally to make sure they did not swim off after ducks because they could swim out and around the perimeter but never really had a problem.

chipj29 · 03-11-2014, 01:09 PM

If you do decide to get the wired electric fence, I would suggest doing it yourself. To have one professionally installed can cost big $$. I have over an acre, and did mine myself. I rented a machine from Taylor Rental that makes laying the wire real easy. It basically cuts a slit, and lays the wire down in there. I did have to cut into the driveway, but I bought a diamond asphalt cutting blade at Home Depot for $10 and did it. As someone said upthread, if you need to run a wire across an area where you will let the dogs go, just criss-cross the wire and it cancels itself. I paid about $150 for the Pet Safe kit, bought extra wire for about $30 for the spool. And the machine rental was less than $50 for a half day rental.
Make sure you plan ahead. Make a diagram of your house/yard, plan where you are going to plug in the receiver. Once you do that you can measure the distance around the area you want to cover so you make sure you get enough wire.

nhboat61 · 03-11-2014, 02:22 PM

Some great ideas and solutions. We will be exploring all of them.

Sadly, Taco passed yesterday.

tis · 03-11-2014, 03:58 PM

Just be careful of the electric fences. I know a few people whose dogs have escaped through their boundary fence after years of not doing so and getting killed. I would never trust them 100%.

pcmc · 03-11-2014, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhboat61

Some great ideas and solutions. We will be exploring all of them.

Sadly, Taco passed yesterday.

Sorry to hear about Taco!

Dad sold the C * C · 03-12-2014, 06:11 AM

NHboat61, I'm sorry to hear of Taco's passing

Misha888 · 05-27-2014, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhboat61

Some great ideas and solutions. We will be exploring all of them.

Sadly, Taco passed yesterday.

Sorry to read that your dog passed away. ƸӜƷ

lobstadanca · 06-06-2014, 09:39 PM

I've enjoyed reading this discussion thread. We recently purchased a wireless system for 2 dogs. One is a golden retriever, the other a 45 lb. alpha female mix breed. The golden immediately picked up on the flags and is very skiddish to come even close to them, while the other could care less about the flags despite being zapped a couple of times. We're not sure how best to train them. Also, we'd love the golden to go in the water (with permission) and not sure how to allow that with this system. The other one hates the water. Your advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Merrymeeting · 03-12-2014, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipj29

If you do decide to get the wired electric fence, I would suggest doing it yourself. To have one professionally installed can cost big $$.

I would second this. They are actually very simple to set up. One more point I would add. If you are running the wire(s) through wooded areas where there is little to no foot traffic, there is no need to bury the wire. Just place it on the ground and after 1 or 2 Autumns, the leaf fall will bury it for you.

PS: Sorry to hear about Taco

T.H.E. Binz · 03-13-2014, 01:50 PM

My installer put the wire in 3/4" garden hose around the dock area to complete the circuit. Works fine, but you have to remember to turn off the system when you take the dog out in the boat!

dpg · 03-14-2014, 12:13 PM

Watch it, if you aren't careful, the pro may cut the asphalt on your driveway to drop wire if you don't specifically say "no".

I'm not sure I understand this. I have an electric fence in Mass and it does go across the driveway. If you don't the dog will just walk out. The (small) cut was filled and never been an issue you don't even know it was done. The system is about 10 years old now. Do have to remember to take the collar off though if your dog goes in the car with you........oops........

03-09-2014, 10:12 AM	#1
nhboat61 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Wakefield NH Posts: 117 Thanks: 52 Thanked 16 Times in 13 Posts	Pet - Electric fence I was wondering if anyone has installed any type of electric fence to keep thier dogs on thier property, but allow for them o go on the dock and or the water. If we put up an electric fence, it has to "circle the property. This would stop them from enjoying the water and dock. Is it possible to put an electric fence line under the sand and water? I think this would short out the system. If we get the wireless system , that will allow the puppies to wander onto the neighbors. We also have a cottage we rent out on our land, so the wireless would laso allow them to wander towards our tenanats. We have a electric fence at home in Ct and works great. Thoughts - suggestions.

03-09-2014, 01:41 PM	#4
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 5,932 Thanks: 2,290 Thanked 4,942 Times in 1,917 Posts	Canine Fence Canine Fence installed mine on the island and it makes a complete loop around my property and even into the water right around my swim raft. Been there for 3 years now without an issue. Good luck! Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

03-10-2014, 08:06 AM	#11
Winni P Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Saunders Bay Posts: 97 Thanks: 128 Thanked 19 Times in 14 Posts	Garden Hose We put the electric fence wire through a garden hose and placed it around our dock anchoring it in spots with garden stakes. It works great - even through the ice.

03-10-2014, 08:19 AM	#12
MeredithMan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Bedford, NH; Meredith, NH Posts: 864 Thanks: 233 Thanked 768 Times in 302 Posts	Great hints on running the dog fence through the water! Thanks "Dad Sold" and "Winni P". That is great input. When I asked the Canine Fence guy, he told me the wire has to be in an uninterrupted loop, so it would be "tough luck" for having the dog go out onto the dock or in the water. We improvised, and took some of the training flags we had from our place in CT, and just placed them around the yard and voila, she fell for it! MM

03-10-2014, 08:34 AM	#13
Winnisquamguy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Winnisquam, NH Posts: 613 Thanks: 419 Thanked 163 Times in 115 Posts	We use the wireless and love it! You can move it anywhere you want then you can set the distance by turning up or down. At our last house I built a box for it to get the best distance I wanted out of it. __________________ "I'd rather be ridin than rolling"

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to nhboat61 For This Useful Post:

03-09-2014, 11:50 AM	#2
pjard Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 626 Thanks: 453 Thanked 184 Times in 97 Posts	We are not on the water but we do have the fence making a big loop around the house. Somehow the wire coming out of the garage which hooks into the loop does NOT trigger a beep or correction. I'm not sure how they do it but you can do it. Ours is made by Petstop and we are happy with it. We have 3 dogs and our Golden is testing it a bit lately but I need to do some training.

03-09-2014, 12:04 PM	#3
MikeF-NH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 317 Thanks: 2 Thanked 120 Times in 80 Posts	we bought ours years back from Home Depot and I installed the wire myself. It worked for a few months then stopped working (most likely an underground wirebreak). We had a pro come out and re run the wire (he said professional grade wiring holds up much better than what the consumer gets). Anyhow the wire is sheathed so having it in sand (even wet sand) should not be an issue. The wire goes less than a foot under the ground so it may become exposed from sand moving or people digging/playing is sand. As for allowing access to water...there is a technique of twisting the wire that will cancel the signal sent to the collar. A pro can help you with this (trust me you don't want to be digging a trench around your property for wire when they use a machine and finish in very short time). Watch it, if you aren't careful, the pro may cut the asphalt on your driveway to drop wire if you don't specifically say "no". Ours worked great but you don't just turn it on and forget it. Good training so the dogs know when to turn back and what is "safe" is important. Once they learn the boundary, they will stop testing it and eventually the system isn't even used (as was our case) to keep your dog in the yard...they remember.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to MikeF-NH For This Useful Post:
nhboat61 (03-10-2014)

03-09-2014, 04:36 PM	#5
Dad sold the C * C Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 273 Thanks: 119 Thanked 62 Times in 40 Posts	I have seen the dog fences run into the water before. Didn't know what it was at first ( my cousin was renting the house). Later that week I talked to the owner and they explained it goes around the house and out past the dock. These systems send a wireless signal through the wire like an antenna not electricity so no danger of shock

*The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Dad sold the C C For This Useful Post:**
MeredithMan (03-10-2014), nhboat61 (03-10-2014)

03-09-2014, 05:57 PM	#8
Dad sold the C * C Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 273 Thanks: 119 Thanked 62 Times in 40 Posts	It's the antenna. The signal extends in a circle from the wire, that activates the electronics in the dog collar. The most common setup is the collar beeps first then shocks the dog ( or human if he's holding the collar). It can be buried or hung above ground. A friend has most of her 9 acre horse farm wired to keep the dogs in, most of it runs about a foot above the ground on the fence that circles the property. This prevents the diggers and fence jumpers. It's almost a mile of wire, I know because I had to rewire the whole fence line after the 2008 ice storm..

03-09-2014, 06:15 PM	#9
Lakeboater Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 391 Thanks: 20 Thanked 130 Times in 93 Posts	Dad sold, how come you had to rewire the whole thing? Wouldn't a few splices of been easier?

03-09-2014, 06:47 PM	#10
Dad sold the C * C Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 273 Thanks: 119 Thanked 62 Times in 40 Posts	Good question, it had been patched and patched over a number of years. Really it was me being nice and saying I would do it before I had any idea how hard it would be. I found a thicker gauge wire, but the still breaks between. humans, trees and horses .

03-10-2014, 08:48 AM	#14
PaugusBayFireFighter Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 837 Thanks: 361 Thanked 674 Times in 264 Posts	What cats think of electric fences... Attached Images

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to PaugusBayFireFighter For This Useful Post:
Dad sold the C * C (03-10-2014), MeredithMan (03-10-2014), Misha888 (05-27-2014), SteveA (03-14-2014)

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03-10-2014, 12:12 PM	#16
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,360 Thanks: 210 Thanked 764 Times in 448 Posts	We had a Dogwatch system that was done in semicircle. It started at the waters edge on one end of the property, went far out behind the house and looped back on the other side at the boundary back to the lakes edge. The dogs had unrestricted access to the dock and lake. We would have to keep an eye on the dogs occasionally to make sure they did not swim off after ducks because they could swim out and around the perimeter but never really had a problem.

03-11-2014, 01:09 PM	#17
chipj29 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bow Posts: 1,874 Thanks: 521 Thanked 308 Times in 162 Posts	If you do decide to get the wired electric fence, I would suggest doing it yourself. To have one professionally installed can cost big $$. I have over an acre, and did mine myself. I rented a machine from Taylor Rental that makes laying the wire real easy. It basically cuts a slit, and lays the wire down in there. I did have to cut into the driveway, but I bought a diamond asphalt cutting blade at Home Depot for $10 and did it. As someone said upthread, if you need to run a wire across an area where you will let the dogs go, just criss-cross the wire and it cancels itself. I paid about $150 for the Pet Safe kit, bought extra wire for about $30 for the spool. And the machine rental was less than $50 for a half day rental. Make sure you plan ahead. Make a diagram of your house/yard, plan where you are going to plug in the receiver. Once you do that you can measure the distance around the area you want to cover so you make sure you get enough wire. __________________ Getting ready for winter!

03-11-2014, 02:22 PM	#18
nhboat61 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Wakefield NH Posts: 117 Thanks: 52 Thanked 16 Times in 13 Posts	Thanks everyone Some great ideas and solutions. We will be exploring all of them. Sadly, Taco passed yesterday.

03-11-2014, 03:58 PM	#19
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,411 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,381 Times in 957 Posts	Just be careful of the electric fences. I know a few people whose dogs have escaped through their boundary fence after years of not doing so and getting killed. I would never trust them 100%.

03-12-2014, 06:11 AM	#21
Dad sold the C * C Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 273 Thanks: 119 Thanked 62 Times in 40 Posts	NHboat61, I'm sorry to hear of Taco's passing

The Following User Says Thank You to Misha888 For This Useful Post:
nhboat61 (05-28-2014)

06-06-2014, 09:39 PM	#23
lobstadanca Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Smith Point West Alton Posts: 70 Thanks: 77 Thanked 44 Times in 10 Posts	Wireless System - 2 dogs I've enjoyed reading this discussion thread. We recently purchased a wireless system for 2 dogs. One is a golden retriever, the other a 45 lb. alpha female mix breed. The golden immediately picked up on the flags and is very skiddish to come even close to them, while the other could care less about the flags despite being zapped a couple of times. We're not sure how best to train them. Also, we'd love the golden to go in the water (with permission) and not sure how to allow that with this system. The other one hates the water. Your advice is appreciated. Thank you.

03-13-2014, 01:50 PM	#25
T.H.E. Binz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Meredith & Chadds Ford, PA Posts: 112 Thanks: 0 Thanked 11 Times in 8 Posts	Invisible Fence My installer put the wire in 3/4" garden hose around the dock area to complete the circuit. Works fine, but you have to remember to turn off the system when you take the dog out in the boat!

03-14-2014, 12:13 PM	#26
dpg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,560 Thanks: 149 Thanked 229 Times in 166 Posts	Watch it, if you aren't careful, the pro may cut the asphalt on your driveway to drop wire if you don't specifically say "no". I'm not sure I understand this. I have an electric fence in Mass and it does go across the driveway. If you don't the dog will just walk out. The (small) cut was filled and never been an issue you don't even know it was done. The system is about 10 years old now. Do have to remember to take the collar off though if your dog goes in the car with you........oops........