The
development of the dog shock fence has grown by leaps and bounds in
the past 10-15 years. These kinds of fences were invented by Richard
Peck in the mid-1970s and marketed exclusively as Invisible Fence
until 1991 when the patent ran out.
Today, there are several companies that sell the hidden barriers,
but Invisible Fence claims they have the most innovative equipment
and services thanks to their programmable collars, battery replacement
program, and assistance for the life of the system.
A hidden fence system consists of things such as a boundary wire,
a transmitter, a receiver, a test light, training flags, and a sign.
In order to work, the receiver is attached to the dog's collar; the
correcting shock reaches the dog through prongs that touch the skin
on his neck.
Even though there are some obvious advantages to this system, there
certainly are some disadvantages as well. All things should be considered
before a final decision is made.
So, what are the disadvantages?
• Underground fence cannot be seen by people – Because
people do not understand that an invisible fence exists on site, people
like visitors, servicemen, and walkers might be startled or even frightened
by a dog that charges to protect his property. These fences are also
invisible to the forest animals or other strays that inhabit the area.
Critters like rabbits, stray dogs, and cats may enter a yard with
disastrous results.
• Some dogs have a high pain threshold – Because they
can stand the pain, if they are distracted enough, there is a chance
that the dog may go straight through the fence, even though t is being
shocked. Once they go through, they receive the correction again when
trying to come back into the yard. If the dog’s adrenaline isn’t
flowing like it was before, it may be reluctant to return when the
chase is done.