Dog Training Electronic Fences - Benefits and Disadvantages

Training your dog using electric fences is a decision to be taken only after serious consideration. Your dog will need to be equipped with a special collar that receives special signals from the electronic fence, or the 'E-fence'. The E-fence has special transmitters which are buried underground. If your dog travels too close to the electric fence, the transmitters will send a sign to the special collar on the dog. The collar will emit a beep, an unpleasant odor or a jolt to the dog, to discourage him form going too near the confines of the fence.

Due to certain rules and specifications by the Home Association rules in certain precincts, standard fences may not be allowed and the e-fence could be an alternative. An e-fence provides a solution for owners who have no front yards or backyards and cannot erect a standard fence, yet desire to own a dog.

There are disadvantages that require one to think through.

Dogs require thorough training in order for the e-fence to be successful, and it should not be used as a substitute for behavioral training. Dogs need to be taught to associate the deterrent with boundary limits. If this is not done, the e-fence will be rendered useless.

Bear in mind that as with all electrical equipment, it is not guaranteed to work all the time. They can be short circuited by electrical spike or lightning strikes, however these are not frequent occurrences, however disturbances like digging around the periphery can result in issues as well. Flags are first used to visually denote and designate the periphery when the e-fence is first erected, however, once the dog has been taught, the flags are taken down. If they are left in place, they can be knocked or dragged away by lawnmowers and children, amongst other things. Once pulled out, there is a possibility of a puncture by their sharp tips.

If a dog ignores the deterrent and moves past the fence, it is less likely to return inside the boundary voluntarily, and may realize that technically there is no 'real' boundary.

Many people also believe that as a deterrent, electric shocks are cruel, and are a counteractive way of eliciting the wanted behavior from your pet.

Your decision regarding an e-fence needs to be evaluated according to your situation. If kept entirely indoors except for when leashed, a dogs' need to run is denied, resulting in an unhappy and maladjusted pet. This situation can be resolved with access to a dog park, however, not may are lucky enough to have a dog pak in their vicinity, so it could remain an issue.

Although building standard fences seems to be a logical method to cope with the issue, large dogs are liable to jump over these fences, causing injuries to themselves such as scratches and cuts from the sharp edges of the fences. Though the wound may be minor, a dogs' tendency to bite or scratch at them can make the injury worse, meaning a trip to the vet is required. Depending on the circumstances, an e-fence may be the safer option.

As dogs come from different living arrangements, have unique character traits and training methods used on them, different situations call for different approaches, and there is no standard procedure that can be used across the board by dog owners. Rather, do consider carefully the needs of different circumstances after acquiring adequate knowledge in order to make the best decision possible.

However, if you still decide that an e-fence is the best bet for your specific circumstances, you should note that you must be prepared to deactivate the e-fence if it does more harm than good for your dog.


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Moses Wright owns 3 beautiful well-trained dogs. He created a pet dog problems and solutions site to help fellow dog owners stop their dog behavior problems. You can find more pet dog training tips on his site.