I think unless you are willing to let someone shock your neck, don't do it to your dog! Especially as this is just a case of keeping the grass nice - not keeping the dogs safe. It just doesn't seem to justify the use of these devices.

The back gargen is enclosed, 6ft fence all the way around. We have a large patio area and grass area. As we are the end house all the other gradens water drains in to ours, causing a mud bath. I need to keep them off it. They have a nice garden normally, then i land on them with 3 cats and 2 dogs which they have taken in as well. goodbye garden, so i want to try and preserve the garden so i can keep the dogs with less ear ache
ATD x

i agree, i remember watching something either CM or VS and they were saying people shouldnt put them on their wrists (cant remember what lol, think it might have actually been a prong collar) and that they should put it on their necks, coz then they are feeling more what the dogs are as necks are more sensitive than wrists are.

Where I used to live I had a patio. When the garden was re-turfed I had to keep the dogs off it. I just got some inexpensive rustic type rolled fencing, [ it does`nt block light ], and put it along the edge of the patio, it kept the dogs off the grass and actually looked really nice too, when the dogs were allowed on the grass again after it had bedded in properly I just kept the rolled fence`s gate open for them but left the fencing in place as it added to the look of the garden itself

It was similar to this [ below ] but the uprights were woven with twisted wire instead of solid bars [ hence it could be rolled ], the bottoms of each post were cut as spikes so were easy to knock into the ground and holes were easy to fill when I took the fence up when I moved. Any help ?

Hi,

Just ut of curiosity - have you done any research at all on what tyres of fencing is available?

You've had a lot of suggestions but seem to be insisting on the eleectric fence/collar. I get the impression you've already decided to go ahead with this anyway.

Laura xx

Actually, reading Patch's post and going back to my visits to the breeder of my girl, she had a nice garden (and many Belgians ) and she simply organised it with some lovely what I'd call "country garden" fencing. It was wooden and looked really nice and had a little gate in.

She grew flowers, nastrutiums and sweet peas and such, up one side of it sometimes and it was really lovely to look at! maybe it would be fun to look at the possible fence idea laterally and make a feature out of it, even if temporary!

Wys
x

This is something that I've wondered about too.

We have Beagles and whilst keeping them contained in the garden is no problem, off-lead they are a nightmare and every time I let them off-lead I put their lives at risk. Yet they are a breed that is born to run free. We have a huge meadow that they go to that is pretty safe, but we're struggling to keep them in it. Most of the time they are very good (due to a HUGE training effort) but we simply can't get them to stay in sight all the time. Rather than an electric fence I wondered about using a shock collar with a remote to teach them not to go out of the meadow.

I recently met someone that used a shock collar and they let me feel the shock. It's a tickle. Really not at all unpleasant or painful. NOTHING like the electric fences used to contain horses/cattle - now that IS painful! Many people have a knee jerk reaction against the use of electricity, but consider that the tens machine (used to alleviate pain) does so by delivering small electric shocks. It was explained to me that it's not meant as a punishment but rather a negative marker. Of course, some people consider any kind of negative marker to be cruel - even use of the word 'no'.

I've heard from lots of people that have used electric fences successfully to contain Beagles (and other breeds). Most tell me that the dog only ever got one or two shocks and simply learned never to go near the boundary again.

My mind is certainly open to it although I'd want to talk in-depth to someone that is experienced at using them first.

For what it's worth, the government conducted a study into this and their finding was that there was no evidence to suggest they were cruel and that many people were using them successfully to improve the lives of their dogs (make them safer, give them more freedom etc).

Scarter, I think you will find if your dogs are on the scent of something it will take more than a tickle to stop them

Mia ran through 2 or 3 electric cattle fences in her bid to get to sheep - she felt them - cos she was scared to come back and we had to find a gate for her - but her drive to get to sheep was greater than her self preservation

If I wanted to use electricity to 'train' Mia it would literly have to be strong enough to knock her off her feet

They don't go out of the meadow after scents - they just go exploring. They always come back within a couple of minutes but they could get into a lot of trouble in that time.

Whilst they will go after a scent it doesn't happen too often. And we do have an emergency recall that will reliably call them off a scent. I can send you info on how to train it if you're interested. I'm sure it would work for Mia.

But if we regularly use recall to try and keep them in the meadow (or keep them close) it will break it. Most trainers will tell you not to use recall to do something the dog doesn't like - for example, for a bath or to have it's teeth brushed. Well, ours will soon get pissed off if we repeatedly stop them from going off on a Beagle only adventure. Hence my motivation to research the use of the e-collar.

so are my sibes!
you choose to have this breed,did you think you were the one to 'change them'?
i find fenced in areas and different activities to furfill their needs not a 'lazy option'
a tickle is not going to stop something as determined and stubborn as say a beagle or a sibe!
if it is just a 'negative marker' as you say then surely you can train your dogs with a different method?
imo,it is nieve for you to say it doesnt hurt,i take it the goverment think its fine to use with children that the parents cant be bothered to keep an eye on too
we are talking pet dogs not cattle!