I forgot to mention that they can also be extreme houdinis. My female has learned how to manipulate the latch on her crate so I have to use a lock and she taught herself how to open the screen door. My friend had a male that could climb an 8 foot fence and escape. Be sure to check about such things when you talk with breeders or BRAT.
Looking for some feedback
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Thank you Jill–- When you e-fence, are you refering to an invisable fence ? I'm not familiar w/ the term e-fence.
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Yes - Invisible Fence. Duke wears and electronic collar that will give a warning beep withing 5 ft of the underground fence line. He will get zapped if he goes to the line. He don't like that! He always stops short, even when chasing a ball, kids & squirrels.
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That's good news – I'm leaning towards putting one in this spring but didn't want to spend the time, money etc if it wasn't going to work.
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Believe me, I don't want to sway you to use an underground fence, because you have a Basenji. I wish I had a real fence. I believe it's just safer all around, keeps critters out and makes a happy Basenji. As I mentioned earlier, my neighborhood association has a rule against fences. No one has a fence.
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Thanks for your thoughts Jill– I have some thinking and more research to do before I decide- but your thoughts were helpful. Stay warm up there! Not to rub it in but here in Atlanta, it's supposed to be in the high 60's tomorrow.
Good Night-
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Even if an invisible fence were to reliably keep the dog in the yard which with basenjis' high prey drive is not a sure thing even if you think the dog is trained, it does nothing to keep things out of your yard that can hurt your dog. This includes loose dogs, humans who might tease your dog, wildlife, etc. It only takes one time that your dog charges through the fence to end your dog's life.
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A year ago I would have said 'no way'…but someone that I really respect has recently used an invisible fence with her basenjis. My opinion is that it really depends on the Basenji. A few will respect the fear of the shock....but a few won't...and the rest fall somewhere in between. The prey drive of the individual dog is a huge factor for success.
Personally I would never (and I use that term rarely) exclusively use an invisible fences with Basenjis. I might use one in conjunction with a short fence (4-5 ft)...or if I had a dog who was inclined to jump or climb or dig. I would be constantly worried about what was coming into the yard, and who was willing to take the shock to chase it out!
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In my experience with my basenji, he had a very high thresh hold for pain and I know that if something was on the other side of the fence that he may have wanted, nothing would have stopped him. The breed is a hunter and can do amazing unexpected things. They are also very swift and quiet.
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Thank you all for your opinions–I appreciate it.
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Thank you all for your opinions–I appreciate it.
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This is my opinion: I think it depends on the dog. I have one for mine because fencing is not an option for us. I have to add that we live in in rural VT and have lots of tempting critters all around us (moose, bobcats, fishers, porcupines, deer, etc.) and the odds are less likely to be hit by a car, only because it isn't as populated as other areas, which we considered before purchasing one.
We did all of the training with the flags and on leash training. We set it to the different levels, as instructed. We kept increasing it until she respected it. She bolted through once and never again. I will say that it is on the next to highest level and if she runs through it, she will be a tiny little Basenji mushroom cloud!
Seriously, she is conditioned now that she actually has gone out without her collar (or with dead batteries) and goes nowhere near the boundary lines. Not that I would recommend that at all, but it has happened.If you do get one, make sure it has a lightening protection module (some are separate, others inside the unit) as it took out our TV in a thunderstorm. It's a very inexpensive add on.
I'm sure you'll take all the info. given on this thread and make the best decsion that suits your situation.
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It happened this weekend. Duke went thru the electric fence to get at a dog being walked by his owner. I could tell by his shrieking bark that Duke was determined to get at the dog. I came out and saw Duke bravely ON the fence line. One look at me and he was on the other side barking, with hackles up at the dog. Thank God, the owner stood still and didn't keep walking. While I was carefully retrieving my bad dog, Duke would circle away from me moving around the dog & owner. I mumbled to the guy that I was scared because I didn't want Duke to run off into the street and away from me. I managed to calmly pick him up and once done, the guy mentioned Duke's batteries probably needed replacing. I agreed and thanked him for staying calm. Once in the house, I took off the collar and went outside to test. It was working just fine. I replaced the batteries anyway and placed the collar back on Duke. Checking for snugness, I noticed that it was loose. Duke has lost some weight since bringing home Daisy. The prongs were not touching his neck anymore. Duke used to be a free fed dog and was plump (not fat!). Now Duke gets fed 3X a day - same as Daisy 1/2 cup each feeding. So - consequently he lost weight.
Something of interest to anyone with this type of fence. Check the fit of collar often. Duke's weight loss hadn't occured to me until he went past the electronic fence line.
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I would love to have an invisible fence in the back near the patio/house/yard, but it just wouldn't be feasible. It would cost a fortune for the collars alone.
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I know! I called the fence company to order another one for Daisy when she's old enough for one. The guy said it'll be $200! :mad: (includes training & flags). I was shocked! (pun intended) I have to buy his collar and he'll calibrate it to our line frequency.
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And I have 3 B's! The Boxenji can be trained easily enough and the heeler already is trained (I can trust her outside without a collar-so fencing is not a problem with her). But, then for the B's I'd have to buy the wiring, flags, etc. Lots of $$$$$$.
