Underground dog fence
 

Good morning,
My husband and I are planning a move to the villages as so many are. We have a very well behaved German shepherd and she is currently trained to an underground electric fence. Just wondering if there are any rules against installing one in the villages. It is totally underground so not noticeable at all.
Thanks for any input!

We have a German Shepherd as well but do not have an underground fence (we do at our house up north). No rules against them, just be aware that between landscapers doing edging and the occasional lawn aerating you will get breaks in the line that will have to be repaired.

That’s a good point I never thought of that. I’ve been looking into one of those halo collars where you can set your own fence wirelessly and maybe I’d have to go that route.

Another thought for your consideration. If a dog, large or small, is not under any obvious restraint it is conceivable it could startle one of the many folks that may walk by and cause them to stumble or fall, causing injury. There are, throughout the community, any number of folks, some with their own dogs, some not, out walking at various times. Your dog may be fine under normal circumstances, but when seeing another dog or person approaching may run forward. Dogs may react defensive or aggressive depending on how they see the approach of your dog. People unaware may be startled by an unknown dog running toward them.
Just something to think about.

PS. The underground fence may keep your dog in, but it won't keep dog walkers or their dogs, or other animals, of which there are many, out of your yard.

The above posts make very good points. It also gets very hot here in the summer so leaving the dog outside is not practical in the heat. If you have not already bought a home you may want to look at homes with fences in the back (verandas or courtyard villas) to avoid some of the issues stated.

It will not stop 'critters' and other dogs crossing onto your dogs territory.
There are many dog owners who consider others peoples yards as 'Dog Parks' and public peeing and pooping grounds.
Plus I have seen a few off leash, because they are "Lovely, Friendly, Fur Babies" and wouldn't harm a soul.
One of those lovely off leash curs nearly took a chunk out of my calf muscle on one evening walk!

Yep. Saw one the other day. On an executive golf course! Didn't seem aggressive but I had a one-wood handy just in case.

Good point also about the peeing and pooping. Your dog will be limited by the fence but other dogs aren't, and if one crosses the fence to do his/her business on your lawn (it does happen here) where your dog does his--well, he might not take too kindly to that. It is HIS territory after all.

Thanks for the lead in.

KEEP OFF MY LAWN!

And have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We had one installed because we used one up north. Invisible fence had dig safe come out and mark the yard even though they run the sensing wire just under the turf. After a week you can't tell it's there except for the training flags they use.

It wont keep gators out of the yard as well.
Not a god idea

We have a large dog too. Also, lots of sun and its hot - dogs won’t want to be outside too much.

When our dog was alive (died a year ago), we had an invisible fence and only let her out the back, and we went with her. She never did jump the fence and we never had a problem from the lawn guy.

does not keep critters out, and there are a lot of critters here. And I'm not talking about squirrels either.....much bigger critters. If you buy a villa with a wall, be aware that cougars, bobcats, can jump that wall. Also, eagles can sweep down and pickup your baby and carry it away ( but not a german shepard), smaller dogs have disappeared.

Was the 1-Wood for the dog, or its owner?

With the electric fence you would then plan to let your dog outside unattended and off-leash? We own a dog and my understanding is they have to be on-leash anytime they are outside. Plus, I would never let them out unattended for reasons already stated.

We have an underground pet fence and it works great for our dogs here in the villages.

If a dog comes into a German Shepherd's yard to do its business, it will learn not to do that pretty quickly, it's that the objective?

They can be off leash if fenced.

Another thought: be sure to check on the cost and availability of homeowners insurance. Some insurers will not write a policy for people with what are grouped as aggressive dogs. (Rottweilers, pit bulls, Doberman, huskies, etc.)

Have you considered a courtyard villa or veranda… Fully fenced in backyard, because you know our life is all about our dogs! We bought a courtyard villa and have a doggie door and it works out great!

It's all good until your neighbors put up these fences also and all the dogs are barking at each other all day.

We love our underground fence for our large doodle. He spends a big part of his day outside except when it’s too hot. Never had any complaints from the neighbors either. He is friendly to the other dogs that come into our yard and they do come.

Until one of Morgan and Morgan’s client’s walks into your yard, instigates your pup into a bite on the hand.

Off leash does not apply to the dog owners yard. Only to public property, sidewalks, streets, etc.

Do you mean trespasses on private property and harasses my pet? The video ought to help resolve any issues.

You are exactly right.

Interesting that so many are assuming an invisible fence means dog will be left out unattended. We had an invisible fence up North around 1.5 acres and never let our dog out unattended. It’s nice to be able to watch from the porch rather than having to leash walk them every time they need to go out. Especially in bad weather. Also nice for play time with ball or frisbee.

Different towns/counties have different regulations as to what constitutes a "leash", The Villages don't regulate that, except on their property. Generally all dogs must have an actual "physical leash" if they're not on the owner's personal property.

That said, I have a Golden Retriever that's at a dog park every day and the only time he's allow out in my yard is under direct supervision to do his duty.

The Villages is not suburbia and an owner of a dog has to realize, that dog is going to be primarily an indoor dog. Electric fences are perfectly reasonable in a rural or semi-rural area (I have one around my 2 acres), but in what is essentially an urban area like The Villages, it's just not going to do the job and the owner is asking for trouble in my opinion, especially with a German Shepard.

Wireless system
 

I tried to help a guy install one of the wireless systems in NC. They do not offer a way to control the shape of the bondaries. It basically puts out a signal that is pretty much a circle. This system was out in the country with plenty of room to work. With the very small lots in the Villages I doubt this would be a great option. I much prefer the buried wire system. Our system is only a couple inches deep. I'm not sure if you can go deeper to avoid being hit with an aerator. Good luck and give the pup a pat on the head from us!

Seen it over and over. Owner steps back in for a moment, gets distracted,and doesn't check of the dog for a few minutes or an hour. Also, while gardening, dog is present but owner absorbed by their activity and dog is left to it's own devices. One moment dog is there, then gone.
Don't let it be yours.

A villa with a wall!

Yes, there is a leash law here. But in any case, I wouldn't leave my dog unattended. There are bobcats, coyotes, gators, black bear roaming. Also, I most certainly wouldn't wish for my dog to scare anyone walking by and cause them harm.

Many houses have them down here. personally I would not get one if I lived on a pond. other than that you would be OK you're best bet is to get a veranda house that has a fully fenced in backyard again not on a pond as the backyard fence is only 3 foot and he could easily step over it LOL

An invisible fence is considered an electronic leash and it is perfectly legal for them to be off leash on your property. But if they do get out, it is on you.

For which it is unlikely even the ambulance chasing lawyers will take the case of a TRESPASSER who gets bitten. Some bottom feeders might, but good luck in court.

Plus, 'Gators can climb higher walls and even trees! :22yikes:

We had two golden retrievers and had an invisible fence installed for them when we moved to The Villages eleven years ago. At that time, they were both puppies. When the fence was installed, the installer recommended making the fence in the shape of a figure 8, where our house would be in the middle. That way we could let the dog out the front door or the back door, but they would not pass between sections. This allowed us to watch over them more easily. We rarely let them out the front door.

Over the years we have had the cable cut twice – once when a neighbor was installing new grass between our houses where it isn't obvious where one lot ends and the other begins. Another when we were having some landscaping beds redone. Here locating where the cable approached the house was an issue. When you have construction done, the installer should be willing to come out and redo the flags – for a fee.

Later, we added a doggie door from the bird cage to the outside. That way we can let them out of the house, and they can pass in and out from the lanai to the yard – seeking the cooler floor or letting us know they want in by standing at the sliding door.

I know people do doggie doors from the house, but I am less inclined to do that because of the critters mentioned by others (We have gotten a snake or two in the lanai which I blame on the doggie door). We also once went house hunting to a house that had an absentee owner with a doggie door outside from their laundry room. The laundry room had two rat traps near the door. It kind of turned us off.

You’ve done the training before, so you understand the flag thing. You’ll have to do that training again here. When we trained our two puppies one was immediately good with the fence. The other was tempted early on by squirrels and sand hill cranes but got the idea. We lost our original female this past spring and had to train a new puppy. I had retained the flags and put them back out and walked the area with her. She learned in no time, and while we still don’t fully trust her, she has not tried to pass through.

My message is: (1) an invisible fence is fine, (2) give some thought to a doggie door – not into the house – but through your lanai, and (3) give thought to the figure eight shape for your invisible fence.

Right. A Courtyard Villa solves the fence problem, and if you leave the lanai screen door open and the sliding glass door to the house closed, your dog will have a nice big relatively cool dog house where it can spend the day in the shade. My next door neighbor has a big dog. Fortunately, I only hear about one bark per month. That’s about right.

Ohiobuckeye
 

So you’re trying to tell them nicely it could be costly!

Do these fences need constant power?
If so what about an unexpected power outage unless you have a backup generator hooked up to it.

If I remember correctly, mine had a battery.

How many outages are you anticipating and for how long? I can think of one for an hour in the last three years.

The dog learns where the fence is and eventually doesn’t test it, they just honor it.