Does anyone know if this works with cats?

It still is a very good idea to put an ID tag on the dog's collar just in case he does escape the invisible fence. My wife and I found a miniature pincher with the invisible fence collar on but no ID tag. We went to houses in that neighborhood with the dog until we found someone who knew where the dog belonged. His owners did not know he was even gone from the yard!

I was a little apprehensive when I first walked up to the dog to see it's collar and picked him up. Lucky for me he was a very friendly dog.

I have some reservations about invisible fences. As one who likes to go for walks, I would not feel comfortable seeing a dog not leashed and wondering if that dog will run out at me. No guarantee I will see the sign, or if the dog will not charge through the fence. One of the features I love about TV is that they are strict as far as keeping pets leashed. Many years ago I read meters and have had my share of dogs charging out of yards and dog bites, and it is not a nice feeling. My husband was bit by a dog on the job 1 week before he retired and the owner always says the same thing, it is a good dog, never hurt anyone. Bottom line, I don't want to have to scrutinize every yard to see if a dog is loose, or will come charging around from the back yard or from inside the garage. That is my opinion. BTW I love dogs!

We had a Dogwatch invisible fence installed when we first brought our two dogs to TV 2 1/2 years ago. This system works. Like Barefoot, we're seasonal residents and when we return to TV in the fall, the dogs know exactly where their boundries are, even before we put the collars on them. We never leave our dogs out alone but neither the shih-tzu nor the german shepherd has ever made any attempt to pass through their barriers. Ours is set up with two zones, one in the rear and along the side yards, which is where they normally play and take care of business. The other zone in front is for those occasions where we might have the dogs out with us when we're working in front or if they happen to go out the front or garage doors. Walkers are never bothered by the dogs and the dogs aren't bothered by walkers either since they're mainly in the back, away from the streets.
Like Barefoot, before I put the correction collars on the dogs I buckled them around my arm and walked through the barriers. The correction isn't a shock, more of a tingle. It doesn't cause any pain but it will get the dog's attention. As Barefoot said, the training is extremely important. They train you and the dogs and will return to continue training as often as necessary. Our shepherd learned very quickly but the shih-tzu took a week or so longer and Evan, the trainer, was always there when we needed him. I can't say enough good things about this company and system. It works better than we had ever hoped. Our northern home has a very large back yard surrounded by a chain link fence. Our dogs had never been confined to a small area such as the TV lots and I was concerned that they would try to test the limits but that has never happened. We were pleased with this invisible fence right from the start and wouldn't be with out it.

The problem I see with invisible fences is they keep your dogs in, but don't keep other animals out. This is fine for those that constantly watch their dogs, but for anyone who would leave their pets unattended, another dog could attack them, or worse yet, a coyote.

I highly doubt it would be effective for a cat. I sure wouldn't consider invisible fencing for a cat. Not for a second. Cats are so smart, so devious, so creative, so sneaky, so unpredictable! I can imagine a cat might climb a tree, leap on the roof, and be gone. Or they might stroll through the barrier and get the collar caught up somewhere. I love cats, but as a rule, they are way more independent than a dog, much harder to train, and they long to roam free.

We had exactly the same experiences as Bluedog. We were apprehensive before talking to Dogwatch, but we've had excellent results for our small dog and our 70 pound dog. Proper training is critical. Of course we always supervise them when they're outside. If anyone wants a demo of how our invisible fence works, please send me a PM.

I think the point is being missed. All will work if the dog is properly trained, if the batteries in the collar are operable and if the dog does not run through. Now consider the walker who is always going to be questioning if the training and batteries are good. I do not think that I, or any walker, should have that fear factor, and have to look over their shoulder when out for a relaxing walk.

I'm pretty sure I get your point but there's not much that can be done about your fears by anyone but you. What if you walk into a sink hole, what if there's a python lurking in the commons area, what if a gator lurks in the pool, what if.........

Your analogies are not compatible with the reality of the topic we are discussing.

I'm honestly trying to understand your point. I don't know what you're proposing as an alternative. There are two dogs allowed per household, and "real" fences aren't allowed. The only alternative seems to be invisible fencing. If you don't approve of invisible fencing, do you feel dogs should be kept indoors 100% of the time?

fence vs dog vs turkey story
 

[QUOTE=janmcn;621753]The problem I see with invisible fences is they keep your dogs in, but don't keep other animals out. This is fine for those that constantly watch their dogs, but for anyone who would leave their pets unattended, another dog could attack them, or worse yet, a coyote.[/QUOTE

Just my opinion, but I'm thinking folks that go to the expense and training time to make this system work are not going to leave their dogs unattended for very long in any event, especially around here where there are coyotes and gators. What about the guy who had to jump into a pond and fight an alligator to get his little dog out of the gator's mouth? My guess is if he had an invisible fence, the dog would never have gotten down to that pond.

We had an electronic fence for our first golden, in Michigan. We also had a domestic turkey that escaped from a farm and showed up in the woods behind our house, stayed in the neighborhood from November harassing everyone, till someone finally cornered it in their garage, closed the door and called Critter Catchers to have it removed, in May. Everyone had tried to chase it of,f including me by letting the dog out the back door. The turkey (don't ever let anyone tell you they're stupid) figured out where the invisible fence line was up in the woods and would skirt along the fence while the dog chased him. But the dog never ran through the fence.

I'm a believer.

When we were considering an invisible fence for our dogs, I called references that Dogwatch provided. However I would have liked to have seen dogs actually using a fenced yard. If anyone is considering an invisible fence for their dog, and you want to see our fence in action, please send me a PM.

We recently got the invisible fence thru Dog Watch, because of how highly they were spoken of here on TOTV. Even with the high praise, we were concerned about spending so much for a 'maybe it'll work' product. But our little dog was going to get hurt or killed in the busy street nearby, as despite every effort on our part, she still got loose several times. Like when guests come over and open the door without thinking and off she'd go, or the garage door wasn't completely latched and she'd nose it open, etc. We figured the cost of the fence was still cheaper than one vet visit for getting hit by a golfcart or car. So we got the fence even though we had serious reservations that ANYTHING would contain our highly excitable and motivated runner.

Well, this fence has been a Godsend! During the first week of training she ran through it two different times and we thought maybe we had wasted our money, that some dogs are just too apt to run no matter what. But Dog Watch came right back out when we called them, bumped up her collar one notch, and now she won't go near that fence no matter the temptation. It's like magic! She never gets a "correction" from the fence because she stays strictly in the boundaries. She now spends a lot of time out there with us wondering around the yard to her heart's content and playing. She seems to have entirely relaxed because she isn't always looking for a way to get free. She loves it out there and we love knowing she's safe and happy.

Of course, we never let her out by herself, but it isn't because we think she'll run anymore, but because you never know what creature might come into the yard. This fence is amazing. We are total believers now and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

So nice to hear from such loving, caring, responsible dog owners. Your pup is lucky to have you.