I remember growing up in the country. Everyone around us owned a dog, and there wasn't much traffic to worry about. There was a lot of space between homes and plenty of fields and woods for roaming. That's why you could see your neighbors' dogs all around the area over the course of the day. A lot of the dogs seemed more like they belonged to the neighborhood than to any one person, but they all knew where to go for dinner and bedtime. When I started driving at age sixteen, I even picked up my dog about a mile away from home. It was obvious that she'd had a great day running through the woods and getting into trouble, but she was also pretty tired and happy to see me.

While I look back on those days fondly, those days are long gone. More and more people are particular about other people's animals on their property and the damage that those dogs can do. A roaming dog may not understand leash laws, clean up rules, or fences, but people do. Irresponsible pet owners have made problems for everyone. This is why most communities have legislation, or at least a local understanding, that your dog needs to stay on your property. Even though I have those happy memories, I'll admit this isn't all a bad thing.

There are a lot of options out there to help you keep your dog in the yard, including traditional fencing and leashing when your pet is outside. An outdoor pen or a cable or dog run can also be a possible option. Each one has its own pluses and minuses. One relatively new method for keeping dogs contained is use of radio frequencies to establish a boundary for your pet. These are also called invisible fences or wireless fences.

Let's take a quick look at some of the benefits and drawbacks to these methods.

Traditional fencing - These are very effective against dogs that don't clime or dig, but if the gate is accidentally left open, they become ineffective. This option is also relatively costly in most cases, and limited to back yards only.

Cable Tethering and Outdoor Pens - Very restrictive to your dog, and with the possibility of causing injury to the dog if the cable gets tangled, both of these methods are relatively cheap, but dogs in them tend to stick to one spot. This happens even with long cables and large pens. Using these methods extensively can really stress your dog out, and may result in behavioral problems.

Wireless Animal Fencing - This relatively basic technology will help you train your dog and teach him or her where the boundary is. It also provides some encouragement for your pet to stay in the yard.

We all know how the traditional methods work, so let's take a look at the newest one and how it functions. Here are some common questions about wireless fencing.

Why Wireless Dog Fences?

There are lots of reasons that you might decide to go with this option for pet containment. In some parts of the country, you may not be allowed to have a traditional fence because of decisions made by your neighborhood association. Even in areas that do allow traditional and chain link fences, wireless fences may be a useful option for pet owners. It's not possible for dogs that are contained using this method to dig under or jump over the wireless fence. Front yard access can be given, and there are no gates to leave open.

The way this technology works is that a radio transmitter is installed inside the house. The dog is wearing a collar that that knows when it is within the user set boundary. When the collar senses it is about to leave the "safe" area it gives a warning tone and then an electric stimulus if the dog doesn't choose to move back towards the radio transmitter. With proper training, the dog quickly learns his boundaries and decides that he doesn't want to receive the electric stimulus. It's that simple. Naturally, with any electronic device, there are a myriad of options and features that can be had, but the basic concept remains the same.

People ask a number of questions when they first find out about this type of technology. The first one is whether or not it actually works, and the answer is yes. Ninety nine percent of cases report success.

The next question is whether or not using electric shocks to encourage staying within boundaries is cruel. The answer, for most people, is no. The stimulus must be unpleasant to work, and a dog that has been trained properly will receive this shock only a few times over the course of his or her entire life. Most of them happen during the first week of training. A handful of negative experiences will teach your dog to stay where he or she should and will help avoid the possibility of death or serious injury from a car. Your dog won't have to feel like he or she is in prison, unlike with a pen or cable.

If you already have a regular fence, you may wonder if you need this technology. You might not, but there are a number of reasons you may want to have it anyway. If you dog always stays in the yard and is unlikely to leave if a gate is left open, you may not need this type of deterrent. However, many dogs feel like a regular fence is a puzzle they need to solve. They learn how to dig, chew, or push through a traditional fence. I've even owned a dog that could break welded wired fencing and pull apart chain link fences. When a storm was approaching, he could even climb some fences! If a traditional fence offers successful containment for your pet, you may still want to get some of the benefits that wireless fences can offer, such as access to the front yard and a deterrent to running through open gates.

There are many things to consider when deciding to own a pet, and one of the most important is how you will be able to contain him safely in your yard. It is no longer a choice just to open the door and let him run. Responsible pet ownership requires more today than in the past, as it should.

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Written by Matthew Penrod using tags: Cats, dog fence, Dogs, family, Home, pet, pet containment, pet gate, Pets, pets_and_animals