Invisible Fences: Are They Harmful To Your Pet?
The use of invisible fences has become increasingly popular. Each year, over one million pet parents purchase an invisible fence to contain their pets.
Why the popularity? These pet containment systems have become much more affordable, and pet owners are finding them to be a safe, effective way to keep their pets contained in the yard.
As sales of these products increase, so do the not so favorable opinions about them -- that they make dogs aggressive, that there is a greater chance of failure than success when using them, that the shock they deliver is painful, that they will result in significant injury to your pet. These can all be classified as "myths", since there is very little hard data available to prove or disprove them. However, recent studies are providing results that allow for a more reasoned analysis of this technology.
Some people have compared the dog fence collar's shock to that of a cattle fence or stun gun. An independent laboratory found that this is far from true. An invisible fence collar is one-fourth the level of a cattle fence and one-twentieth the level of a stun gun. In fact, the study found that the shock from a dog fence collar is comparable to the static shock from walking on carpeting and touching a metal object. While a static shock may be startling, it certainly isn't painful nor is it likely to cause injury.
But here is the rest of the story: The voltage and intensity of these devices were also compare to the invisible fence collars. While cattle fences and stun guns have high voltage and long duration of shock, dog fence collars do not. If the dog fence collar has the UL Seal of Approval, the voltage is less than 30 milli-amps and the duration of the correction is 1/4 of a second.
But what this study does demonstrate is that not all "shock" is the same. And that the correction in question is not "painful," "powerful" or even "uncomfortable."
A survey was conducted of pet owners who have purchased a dog fence. Each of these pet owners purchased a system that included the proper training manuals that dramatically increases your chances of success when trying to contain your pet. It is critical that when purchasing these types of dog training products, that you look for ones that offer complete installation and pet training materials.
Over 1,000 people who had been using a dog fence for at least 90 days were surveyed about their experience with the system. One of the questions asked was: Since training your dog on the fence how would you describe your pet's behavior?" The survey asked for the following responses: 1. Better behaved and if so, how? 2. No change in behavior and 3. Worse behavior and if so, how?
The results were interesting to say the least. Over 65% (860 of 1,025 dog owners) said their dog's behavior had improved since using the pet containment system. Using the training materials and the fence properly were the main reasons that these dogs would show an overall improvement in their behavior. Using the fence properly includes spending a significant amount of time socializing with your dog. When your dog receives an increase in time and attention, his behavior will usually change for the better.
This survey also cleared up one of the myths about the use of invisible fences - that they make dogs more aggressive. Aggressive behavior was not the reason any of these dog owners purchase their underground fence. Surprisingly, another positive side effect of using the equipment was that their dog no longer exhibited occasional aggressive behavior that had been seen in the past was reported by approximately 12% of people. Also, no aggressive behavior was reported by those owners stating that their dogs behavior worsened in some way since using the equipment.
You should not hesitate to get an invisible fence for your pet since all reputable companies offer money-back guarantees if the equipment does not work for you and your pet. If you are considering an invisible fence for your pet, I hope this article has been helpful to you.
Why the popularity? These pet containment systems have become much more affordable, and pet owners are finding them to be a safe, effective way to keep their pets contained in the yard.
As sales of these products increase, so do the not so favorable opinions about them -- that they make dogs aggressive, that there is a greater chance of failure than success when using them, that the shock they deliver is painful, that they will result in significant injury to your pet. These can all be classified as "myths", since there is very little hard data available to prove or disprove them. However, recent studies are providing results that allow for a more reasoned analysis of this technology.
Some people have compared the dog fence collar's shock to that of a cattle fence or stun gun. An independent laboratory found that this is far from true. An invisible fence collar is one-fourth the level of a cattle fence and one-twentieth the level of a stun gun. In fact, the study found that the shock from a dog fence collar is comparable to the static shock from walking on carpeting and touching a metal object. While a static shock may be startling, it certainly isn't painful nor is it likely to cause injury.
But here is the rest of the story: The voltage and intensity of these devices were also compare to the invisible fence collars. While cattle fences and stun guns have high voltage and long duration of shock, dog fence collars do not. If the dog fence collar has the UL Seal of Approval, the voltage is less than 30 milli-amps and the duration of the correction is 1/4 of a second.
But what this study does demonstrate is that not all "shock" is the same. And that the correction in question is not "painful," "powerful" or even "uncomfortable."
A survey was conducted of pet owners who have purchased a dog fence. Each of these pet owners purchased a system that included the proper training manuals that dramatically increases your chances of success when trying to contain your pet. It is critical that when purchasing these types of dog training products, that you look for ones that offer complete installation and pet training materials.
Over 1,000 people who had been using a dog fence for at least 90 days were surveyed about their experience with the system. One of the questions asked was: Since training your dog on the fence how would you describe your pet's behavior?" The survey asked for the following responses: 1. Better behaved and if so, how? 2. No change in behavior and 3. Worse behavior and if so, how?
The results were interesting to say the least. Over 65% (860 of 1,025 dog owners) said their dog's behavior had improved since using the pet containment system. Using the training materials and the fence properly were the main reasons that these dogs would show an overall improvement in their behavior. Using the fence properly includes spending a significant amount of time socializing with your dog. When your dog receives an increase in time and attention, his behavior will usually change for the better.
This survey also cleared up one of the myths about the use of invisible fences - that they make dogs more aggressive. Aggressive behavior was not the reason any of these dog owners purchase their underground fence. Surprisingly, another positive side effect of using the equipment was that their dog no longer exhibited occasional aggressive behavior that had been seen in the past was reported by approximately 12% of people. Also, no aggressive behavior was reported by those owners stating that their dogs behavior worsened in some way since using the equipment.
You should not hesitate to get an invisible fence for your pet since all reputable companies offer money-back guarantees if the equipment does not work for you and your pet. If you are considering an invisible fence for your pet, I hope this article has been helpful to you.
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Learn more about Invisible Fence. Stop by www.RadioFence.com where you can find the best Pet Supplies.
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