My personal opinion about these fences is that they are a Catch-22. If you have a dog that you can train to be reliable and not take the shock to cross the perimeter then you have created a dog that is vulnerable to anything that comes into its yard to attack it. If you have a dog that is sometimes willing to take the shock then you can not trust them not to take the shock to go after something that they find interesting.
Our neighbors down the road have two hounds – a black and tan coonhound and redbone -- and they use the invisible. It works . . . most of the time.
The dogs just aren't all that motivated to leave the yard, but every once in a while they will shoot past the fence to come say "hi" to my kids as they walk past. Mind, my kids walk past every afternoon at the same time, and most days the dogs just ignore them or bark. But every once in a while, they just need to come say "hi".
I wouldn't trust the fence w/my dogs.
Even though I have an underground fence, I agree with everything said here. (Our neighborhood association has a rule against fencing for whatever reason and before we moved in.) Therefore I lean on the side of caution and supervise my babies when they're outside. They DO NOT ever go outside without one of their humans and they DO NOT get to stay outside all day unless we are outside all day. Fortunately they are small sized dogs and like the comfortable side of life inside on furniture and pillows. Anyone who must have this kind of fence should be aware of the possible dangers.
I have underground fencing and I love it, Sahara would be dead if I didn't have it. We live in a busy neighborhood and she would have gotten killed by a car if we didn't have the fencing. My hubby and I both work, so Sahara would be inside all day crated and I am not going to do that to her. She loves the outside, she will not cross the fence. I have gone next door and stood in the yard with my neighbor and she will not cross. Believe me she wants to be with me, I always praise her for not crossing. My hubby works at night and I work part time during the day so he is usually home some when he is not doing his other part-time job. I also work a few hours at night commercial cleaning so I am out then as well, Sahara, stays in the house at night till I get home. She will go outside when we are gone and watch the happenings of the neighborhood and the cats, birds, postman, whatever is going on she is sooooooo nosey. When I come home I usually find her in the house asleep on her bed, she is really good. I know that fencing is not popular on this site, but it is a necessity for me and mine. Sahara has a microchip so I am not that worried of losing her, and there are NO DEER in my part of town, the cars would kill them before they got to my house.
You right, everyone has their opinion… glad it works for you... and I hope that it stays that way, law of averages are not good, however... and especially not being home... since you said that if you didn't have the fence she would be crated? Does that mean she is totally outside when you are not home?
I would be so, so worried to leave her knowing there is the slightest chance she could get out and get hurt, or something could get in and get her… I am such a "fussy" mom!!!:o
She loves the outside, she will not cross the fence.
I'm glad you are happy with it, and I hope she continues to be consistent. You just never can tell what will set an animal off; it doesn't have to be a deer. Could one day be a bike going by, or another dog crying in another yard. And like someone else mentioned earlier, the fences don't keep out other dogs, wild animals, or even thieves.
More power to ya, but I couldn't do it.
I would be worried as well, they're definitely not for me. Glad they work for you though. I've seen foxes and coyotes in the middle of the city. I'd be too worried!
How old was your Basenji when you got your invisible fence?
How old was your Basenji when you got your invisible fence?
Duke was about 7 months old. It is not recommended earlier because they are not nearly as grown - the collars are expensive ($250 a piece) so you want to get a collar in a size they won't likely grow out of. Until he was fence trained, we walked him out on his leash. Though it was very cold outside, he learned to "potty outside" quicker as we always rewarded him with a treat immediately when he pottied or poo-poo'd, along with much happy praise. A year later, we got Daisy. She was also 7 months old when we invested in her collar. She was potty trained the same way as Duke. 
I have a friend who had 2 Rottweillers and an invisible fence. She paid a ton of money for it and her dogs were always finding holes in the line, or their collars wouldn't work, it was always something. She had the fence people come out to her house a bunch of times. They said everything was fine. She lives in Bend, Oregon, in a rural area.
Both dogs kept getting out and eventually killed some chickens. She was forced by the Humane Society to get rid of one ( a blessing in disguise). She kept the male and he is now a lazy pet. He has no motivation to get out!
I have a 6 foot tall cedar fence around my entire back yard. Reinforced on the bottom with bricks and chicken wire. I still worry that my pups will get out. They are both microchipped but I still worry! They are my babies!
Like Sahara's Mommy said, everyone has their own opinion. I know my pups would see a squirrel and be GONE!!!!
I agree Vicki, Otis would be ignorant to the "pain" the collar would give him..not enough to stop him if he saw a squirrel..or a bird or a car or a …the list goes on..8' privacy fencing and I still worry..but I hope for the best and go from there.
Obviously everybody has a choice and if this 'fence' does work for your dog well and good. In my opinion when his/her adrenalin is raised a basenji will go whatever the pain.
Once on the hunt I found that there was no way to stop them no matter what control I had normally. (No hunting with them now, as it's banned in the UK!!)
The problems with these types of fencing is not just the dog escaping. Many people have also had issues where their dog is attacked by other animals or even people because the fence offers the dog no protection from other creatures entering the property.
I think one of the reasons I've been successful with my fence in the last 4 years is that my dogs were trained when they were young. It's a possible reason. Duke has crossed the line a couple times: The first cause was because the battery had run out of juice, my error. The second time was because his collar had loosened up so that it was ineffective. In both instances, Duke was lured by other dogs on a walk with owners passing our house. These things have made me more mindful to check them every couple of months. I do worry about my dogs with the invisible fence, so much that to this day, they don't go out alone, never, not even in the cold frigid winter months. Thankfully, they quickly do their business and come running back into our warm home. However, I wish that we could erect a nice big privacy fence, but my neighborhood association does not allow them or a visible fence of any kind. :mad:
