There are two basic types of invisible, electronic dog fences; wireless and hard wired. Both types work in conjunction with a shock collar that the dog wears.
Now, if the thought of a shock collar on your beloved dog makes you queasy, don't let that feeling prevent you from making a decision that's good for both you and your dog. After all, one of the main reasons we confine our dogs is to keep them safe. And you can call it a training collar if you wish.
When I was in high school I watched my dog get run over by an 18 wheeler right in front of our house and right in front of me. I will never forget that sight…it's burned into my memory. If we had had one of those invisible dog fences, it wouldn't have happened.
If you follow the instructions for installation and training, your dog will never be hurt by the collar. He will feel a little discomfort that he will not like, and the memory of that discomfort will cause him to move further into the confined area when he gets a warning. The warning comes from the collar in the form of sound or vibration when your dog is getting too close to the perimeter of the confinement area.
To the dog there is no difference between the wireless system and a hard wired system. The collar does the same thing in both cases. It has batteries that provide the juice for both the warning and the actual correction.
The big difference between the two systems is in the installation. With the wireless system, you just need to plug the main unit in, and the system is operational. You will need to adjust the size of the confinement area by adjusting the controls and of course train your dog.
Installation for the hard wire unit is quite a bit more involved. You will have to lay wire around the perimeter of the area you want your dog in, and then connect it to the main unit. The wire can be buried, or left on top and "stapled" to the turf. Of course, burying wire the can be a pretty big job depending on how much wire you have to lay.
See other pages on this web site for more information. Or, if you know which you want and would like to get on with it, here you go.
