An invisible electric fence that surrounds your home can be a wonderful addition that will keep your puppy safe and give you peace of mind. Invisible fences are made of electrically charged ground wire that runs around the perimeter of your yard and connects to a transmitter that signals the collar your dog is wearing. The collar will sound or send a shock to your puppy if it attempt to cross the boundary. An invisible fence is most effective if you train your puppy at a young age to avoid the fence.
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Training
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The best way to train your puppy to stay inside of an electric fence is to use the flag and alarm method. After the fence is installed, you should place brightly colored flags along the perimeter of the ground wire. To start, you should use an audio signal for training rather than an electrical shock. Have the company that installs your fence set the system on audio for the first week of training. To start getting your puppy adjusted, put a long leash on him and allow him to approach the edge of the fence where the flags are. When your puppy gets too close, a signal will warn him; you should firmly pull the collar do double the reinforcement. When your puppy retreats, try to offer praise and maybe even a dog treat for the first week. This offers positive reinforcement so that your puppy is able to associate being within the fence as a good experience. If your puppy has a positive association in regards to being inside of the fence, then he will be less likely to attempt to stray. After about a week or so of audio warnings and leash reinforcement, you may want to begin to remove some of the surrounding flags so that your puppy can begin to learn the boundaries without the visual aids. You will probably want to remove the leash and have the collar adjusted to administer low-level shocks for the next week or so. Once your puppy becomes more accustomed to the boundaries, you can remove the remaining flags and set the system on regular electrical levels. It is important that you keep a very close eye on your puppy for the first few weeks until he has some time to learn the boundaries.
Precautions
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You should still be very careful and keep an eye on your puppy̵7;s tolerance to the electrical fence. Some puppies may have a high threshold for pain and can break through an electrical barrier without being affected. Check to make sure that your fence is set at humane settings that are appropriate for your dog. To make sure that your fence is most effective, you should regularly check that the batteries are working and that the fit of the collar is appropriate for your growing and active puppy.
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