# Invisible Fence ... what age can you start?



## AmyinAr (Feb 26, 2008)

I don't know about the fencing age but what are you trying to teach her? recall? If you want a way to let her be out playing in the yard without worrying until she learns boundaries or you are comfortable with your fencing you can by a long lead (many different lengths) and she will be able to run around freely and play but you will still be able to 'reel her in' if she gets out of bounds. It's also a safe way to aid in teaching recall. Is she out there by herself and wandering or is this just when you are all out there for family time? I'm sorry I think I'm slow today haha


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## Molly's Mom (Jan 1, 2007)

I had my indoor system installed when Molly was 3 months old. She was a stubborn girl and it took about a month to train her. They installed the outdoor system a month later when the ground thawed a bit. She was already trained to the flags, so outdoors did not take long at all.

She is so well trained on it now, we took her to a relatives house over the weekend with an unfenced backyard. I brought along our flags and she honored them and stayed within the flagged boundaries, even though they were connected to nothing. I love my IF system. Molly will be 2 in November.

Edit to add: She has been zapped very few times. They learn quickly.


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## marieb (Mar 24, 2008)

Maddie was a little over 4 months old when she was trained for the invisible fence and she caught on very quickly. She wouldn't go anywhere near the flags after she was zapped. When we eventually pulled the flags up she was zapped because I think she forgot where the boundaries were ... but she has been doing fine with it. Like Molly's Mom said they catch on very quickly ...

I think that 8 weeks might be a little too young to train a puppy ... the puppy needs to be able to understand that they have to turn back into the yard when they see the flags/hear the warning beep. A young puppy might not understand and might bolt out of the yard (and then if she tries to re-enter the yard it could be traumatizing because she'll get zapped again). Also, it might scare a really young puppy if they don't understand it. My aunt's golden retriever puppy (I don't remember what age he was) was so terrified that he refused to go outside after he was zapped one time.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

We trained both dogs when they were about 6 months. Ike a little younger. Sam learned it and never left the yard. Ike learned it and learned ways around it and left twice. That was a year ago. He hasn't left since...We installed our own fence....it's cheaper but not as strong as the Invisible Fence you can have installed. Ours beeps too long before a shock and wears the collar battery down. Ike learned this fact and roamed the perimeter wearing out the battery then left! Smart boy but Bad Boy!


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## tarheelloyal (Aug 3, 2008)

Thanks. Anyone else out there ever tried the Invisible Fence at an age younger than 4 months? Results?

Btw ... we had a trainer come to our house this weekend and what a huge success. She gave us several "tools" and Sophie is responding quickly. I like the focus on positive training methods. She is finally realizing that she is NOT the leader of this pack.

Our trainer came highly recommend and I can see why. She thinks there is no problem getting an Invisible fence now at 10 weeks. She said that she will learn it quick.


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## Cosi (May 22, 2008)

For our last dog (passed away), we were told he had to be 4 months old. The reason was, they had seen puppies too young be zapped by it , and be too afraid to venture off the porch. This was not Invisible Fence Co. We used DogWatch. They were ALOT cheaper than IF., and batteries for collars last longer, and you can get the batteries at Radio Shack, or them. IF's batteries were priced ridiculously high.. as was their installation of the invisible frence. Make sure you shop around. My dog was trained in one week. He had a high prey drive, so I was worried it wouldn't work. It was simply amazing. I can't say enough good things about them.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

We all 3 companies out here that install the fences, they said 5-6 months .We have If and Dog watch and K9 containment


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I say, this sounds cruel to me, talking about dogs getting zapped etc. I can understand dogs needing to know boundaries, what's wrong with getting a regular fence erected? Never ever heard of anything like this in the UK. And what's to stop another dog coming onto your property if you have no fence? Personally, I would never use an electric shock or anything similar to 'train' my dogs. Surely compliance is through fear not reward.

Just an opinion...


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## Molly's Mom (Jan 1, 2007)

tanyac said:


> I say, this sounds cruel to me, talking about dogs getting zapped etc. I can understand dogs needing to know boundaries, what's wrong with getting a regular fence erected? Never ever heard of anything like this in the UK. And what's to stop another dog coming onto your property if you have no fence? Personally, I would never use an electric shock or anything similar to 'train' my dogs. Surely compliance is through fear not reward.
> 
> Just an opinion...


I don't find it cruel at all. There are many places that have ordinances against fences of any kind. In my case, it was an inground pool that prompted me to get the IF. There was already a short fence in front of the pool, a picket fence about 3 feet tall. We had the pool installed and had young children at the time. The purpose of that fence was to keep toddlers from tumbling in, not to contain a golden that we didn't have yet.

The pool is covered with a winter cover for 6 months a year. It fills up with water and it attracts ducks in the spring. I consider that Invisible Fence a lifesaver. It kept her from even thinking about jumping it, or digging under, or bolting through an open gate.

I also enjoy the freedom of being able to have her out in the front yard with me while I garden and mow the lawn. I don't need to worry about her running in the street or harassing the neighbors. She is never in the front unless I am there watching her. 

My back yard is completely fenced, so this was just an added level of protection for me. It was worth every cent. Yes, she's been zapped a few times but it was far less painful than being hit by a car, or drowning by sinking the pool cover. 

Trust me, she has not been traumatized by the invisible fence. She has simply learned her boundaries and chooses to stick by them. She was a very stubborn, willful puppy and now she's a beautifully well trained obedient golden. The invisible fence was a very small part of that training, but I wouldn't part with it for anything.


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## Aprilpa (Mar 24, 2008)

I don't personally have one. We thought about it, but I don't think it is a big enough deterrant for my crew. They would take the shock to go after a deer or bunny etc. But there is a neighbor down the street who installed one and it seems to be working fine for her.

I don't know what her little puppy is, but he is tiny, tiny. He can't be more than a few months old. Her home is right on the main road, so when I first saw him out there loose, I thought she was crazy. But the flags have been up for about a month, and I see him laying there all the time just watching cars go by. We have walked down past the house with our dogs and he doesn't pay us any attention. So the fencing is obviously a success for them, and he is a very young dog.


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