Quote:
Originally Posted by scrapple
We are beginning our research on TV, and planning to come for our first visit in a couple weeks. We have one small-ish dog, so I'm sure we'll neeed some sort of fence to keep him in the yard. Don't want to keep him inside 24x7.
What sort of home choices exist? Are we pretty much limited to CYV style? Have you heard of anyone installing "Invisible fence" systems? Thanks for the advice Dan& Carol
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We had a Courtyard Villa for three years and I loved it. (We backed on a golf course so we only had a short three-foot picket fence at the back of the lot).
Then we moved to a house. Blame Fireboy. He wanted a larger house and a big garage. Now I've adjusted to living in a house and my dogs have learned all about Invisible Fencing. We used a company called Dog Watch, a very popular company in The Villages.
Initially, I was very much against invisible fences. I thought they were cruel. Then I talked to Halle who told me that her invisible fencing works well for her large dogs.
Before I ordered the fencing, I asked to try the collar on my arm. It is more of a tingle than a shock. But it is a surprise for sure, and a deterrent. I have the collars set on the lowest level possible.
For the first two weeks after the fence installation, we trained our dogs to the warning beep. During that period they never experience a correction! They just learn where the boundaries are. After two weeks, if they ignore the beep, they will receive a correction.
My small dog got the idea immediately and is perfectly trained to stay within the boundaries of the lawn. Whether or not he has on his collar!
My large dog is a bit goofy. She lunged through the boundary a couple of times when she was taunted by ducks on the golf course. The correction didn't really bother her, she just shook his head and looked puzzled. I could have increased the level but I preferred to keep it on the lowest setting. Now my large dog is also trained and doesn't go through the boundaries.
The Dog Watch trainer was marvelous and would come by as often as we wanted. We really liked the company very much.
So now we have two happy dogs (who get most of their exercise at the private off-leash dog park) but they also enjoy playing with each other in the back yard and watching the ducks and cranes. I never allow the dogs in the yard unsupervised.