dogs in designer homes
 

Hi TVers,

I am about to buy a designer home in TV and was wondering how you contain your dogs when you live in a home where you cannot build a fence. Do you use the invisible fencing system, and does that work for you?

Thanks so much.

Veronica

I guess if you are used to letting your dog out into your yard, then the only options you would have in a designer home would be to tie the dog outside (please don't do that) or an invisible fence. The problem with invisible fence is that people walking by your home cannot tell if that ferociously barking Rottweiller (I love Rotties....just using them as an example of a large dog) that is charging at them will stop at the property line. So, not many good choices.

We're going to have the same problem if we buy a home with no fence. We have two dogs--one pretty large, right around 100 lbs. the other is about half that. Neither have ever been tied, and I hate electric fences. Our neighbors across the street had one and I felt so sorry for the dogs. It was brutal until the dogs learned the limits. They couldn't get out, but anyone/anything could get in.

Anyway, is it allowed to have a largish kennel/run in the back of your house in lieu of a fence? We're only beginning to think about moving to The Villages and are visiting the end of September. Obviously, for us a fence is pretty much a necessity so that's what we'll be looking for when the time comes. But, what if we can't find anything? I'm curious about the options, as well.

I really really wish I had a courtyard villa for that reason! I have to walk pooch whenever he has to go potty...sometimes in the middle of the night. The electric fences drive me crazy because dogs do break through them when they see my dog coming and then we have trouble. My dream is to have a big courtyard, all grass, with eastern exposure....all for my dog :)

Maybe hide a fence in a row of shrubs so no one can see it?? I was thinking about trying that myself.

We have an Irish and English Setter and until we move in November full time to TV, our dogs have lived on a half acre with a dog door and a fully fenced yard. My husband and I looked at a myriad of beautiful homes in TV, then we looked at the neighbors homes, and wondered how we would ever contain our dogs, even with invisible fencing without causing some upset for everyone. The stress of what it would be like and for the consideration of our neighbors, we bought a beautiful, new courtyard villa with a fence. It made us breathe a sigh of relief when we found it. Some people are excellent dog owners and trainers of their dogs. We are excellent dog owners but weak on training. I know so many people are doing great at TV with the invisible fencing but we did not see ourselves as being in a position of feeling confident with that solution. It is for us all about keeping peace with our neighbors, feeling relaxed in our environment and being fair to the dogs. And no, dog runs are definitely not allowed!

I agree with Jane and did the exact same thing. Even if I had an electric fence, I would fear that the dogs would bark at passerbys.....so the SYV works best for me.

Thanks! It looks like we'll be looking for something with a fence, then. We've liked what we've seen of the Courtyard Villa's and will probably go that route.

We can't wait to visit to see it all for ourselves!

We had invisible fencing at our home in Geogria. Our Westie did great with it for four years until a bunny ran across the yard and into a neighbors yard. He couldn't resist and ran after the bunny. After that he would literally back up and get a running start on the barrier. He learned that it only hurt for a moment and the "reward" was worth the pain. Once they are out, they must cross the barrier again to get home. I agree with other posters that you must also worry about who/what can get into your yard. We built a fence after that as there was no containing him any longer. Here in the villages have a CYV.

I live in a designer house and though I no longer have my doggie, while she was still with us here, she would much prefer to be indoors with the nice comfortable climate than outdoors in the heat and humidity. Having a dog means you're going to get exercise....you'll be outside with your pooch if puppy needs a potty break, you'll take walks to make sure your pooch is exercised and you may visit dog parks for socialization for the dogs. Our dog could come in and out at will when we lived in CA, but adjusted to her new life when she moved to The Villages. Remember, dogs live for now and not for the future or the past....they will love where they are because YOU are there.

I confess I didn't read the entire thread---that being said---you cannot have ANY kind of structure (ie kennel) outside. Read your convenances and everything should be spelled out there. You will have to have your dogs leashed when outside unless you have the invisible fences! I would venture to say that perhaps 90% of the folks here have dogs so it must be do-able.

My neighbor says the invisible fence works. But you may have to turn the power up a bit to make it work. I don't have a dog but I've seen some big dogs who not to cross the line! I understand there is also some training involved. Court Yard Villa's have a lot of dogs. I guess its hard to find one with a two car garage.

My dogs here in the Chicago area have always had a fenced yard. I wondered as well about TV as I am building a designer. I just wanted a bit more space than the CYV. Then someone on TOTV pointed out that the gators, bears and coyotes pop up in yards now and again. So I will not take the chance and leave my pups unattended! Lots of walks for us which will do us all a world of good!

The invisible fence should work if the dog is trained correctly. However, that will not keep other dogs or animals from coming into the yard, which could cause a problem. There are several cottage/ranch homes in Hemingway on Nash Loop that back to a patio vill neighborhood and have been enclosed in vinyl fence. The Villages had two for sale recently, but I think both have subsequently been sold - both were Amarillo/Sun Kissed. You might watch the ads or ask your realtor to watch for something like that. Good luck.

We built a large birdcage with a pool and our dog is very happy with the exercise. I take him for walks in the morning or afternoons or both and he seems pretty darn content. Lays about in the sun on the lanaii. Does bark a little when the golfers come too close but that is a good thing. :)

How about a birdcage with part or all in grass
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Noticed there are duplicate threads = I posted in the other one----

Quote:
Originally Posted by justjim
My neighbor says the invisible fence works. But you may have to turn the power up a bit to make it work. I don't have a dog but I've seen some big dogs who not to cross the line! I understand there is also some training involved. Court Yard Villa's have a lot of dogs. I guess its hard to find one with a two car garage.

The invisible fence should work if the dog is trained correctly. However, that will not keep other dogs or animals from coming into the yard, which could cause a problem. There are several cottage/ranch homes in Hemingway on Nash Loop that back to a patio vill neighborhood and have been enclosed in vinyl fence. The Villages had two for sale recently, but I think both have subsequently been sold - both were Amarillo/Sun Kissed. You might watch the ads or ask your realtor to watch for something like that. Good luck.



--

I do not have a dog but have friends in The Villages with dogs in designer homes. No problem at all. Take your dog out for walks in the morning, afternoon, and at night. Good exercise for both parties. Naturally, pick up after your dog and dispose at home.

We do dog-sit for a couple of dogs sometimes and have no problem with them. Regular walks and the dog is content to be in our glassed-in Florida room looking at geckoes through the windows.

It is not a good environment here to have your dog outside. Lots of biting insects including fire ants and chiggers. The alligators, coyotes, and snakes are not going to go after dogs - usually.

Actually my neighbor did put in gardens in their birdcage and a high wall about their pool and lanaii area and it works beautifully to keep the dogs happy inside and they don't see people on the course so they don't bark at them.

A home on Odessa Circle in Tamarind Grove has the larger boxer I've ever seen, at least 150 pounds and also very tall. I use to never ride my bike down there whenever I saw him in the yard, and then I learned they had invisible fence. To me people are inconsiderate to allow a dog that size in their front yard, as someone already stated it can be very scary.

Plus the fact any other animal or dog can come into the yard with invisible fence, especially if you're not watching your animal and attack your dog. We have coyotes, foxes and alligators in TV, all of which could be harmful to your pet.

Fully agree. We live in a Designer with an Aussie. Did anyone mention the dog parks, especially Doggie Do Run Run? The one over on Bonita is a joke as far as larger dogs are concerned. And a sad joke at that.

We live in a designer and had an invisible fence installed by Dog Watch. It works great. We have a large German shepherd mix and a small shih-tzu and they quickly learned the boundries. I asked on this forum before we had the system installed and it was recommended by member Barefoot. She explained how it all worked and we're very pleased with the results. If you type in Dog Watch in the search box you'll see posts about invisible fences but I'll give you a bit of info now.
The fence isn't really an electric fence like you see around cattle pastures. It doesn't really shock the dogs. After we had the fence installed I strapped the collars around my arm and walked through the area. It isn't painful at all. It tingles and it will get their attention but it doesn't hurt them. With any invisible fence system training is essential, both for you and your dogs. The Dog Watch training is excellent. The trainer comes out and works with you and the dogs as often as necessary so they know the boundries before power is even applied. Our dogs learned at different rates but that was ok. The trainer, Evan, returned as often as needed. As the dogs approach the boundry they hear a tone. They're trained to stop when they hear the sound. Only if they proceed farther do they get the tingle.
An invisible fence is not a substitute for proper supervision. Even though our dogs know their boundries they are never allowed out alone. There are other dogs as well as some pretty nasty predators out there so you want to make sure your dogs are safe. The invisible fence will keep them in but it won't keep other animals out.
Good luck.

I think the Boxer on Odessa is a Great Dane. :) And yes, he is huge.

So we came here from a small fenced yard and if you have anything other than a CYV it is an issue with the kids. We were lucky to have a pump station around the corner from our home that we can walk them to in the am for their potty needs. Afternoon breaks are in the yard with a cautious eye. My Aussie is very obedient and wouldn't leave the property, but my Standard Poodle is a Poodle and does what he thinks is best for him. So we are adjusting and so far a good walk in the am works and potty breaks in the afternoon are working. The Poodle has only taken off a few times, but when he realizes no one really cares he immediately comes home. We are fortunate that it is summer and not a lot of traffic or neighbors around so the training can continue without much of an issue.
YV

My Covenant says "lease" when outdoors
 

We're moving to a designer and bringing two small house dogs (yorkie and a pom) and it will be a lease. Respecting neighbors is paramount as I plan for mine to do their "business" in my yard. . . not someone else's. We don't do walks here and won't in TV. It's out, do your business, and back inside. We'll run them at the dog parks. Hot pavement and dog paw pads don't mix! JMHO! :icon_wink:

Wow! Sure glad we are out of the pet business, especially after reading some of the posts regarding dogs. Before somebody gets "bent out of shape" and thinks we don't like dogs----NOT TRUE. For many years we had a dog----when the last one died at 151/2 (10 years ago) we decided no more for us. Like stop smoking----if you can get by that first year then you are pretty much home free. A fenced in backyard worked the best for us. IMHO there are more dogs in TV than anyplace we ever lived. I don't know where they find time but most people take good care of their dogs. Its sort of like the grand children, we can enjoy them and then they go home to their mother and father! With our busy schedules, we like that.

We started out in a designer home - acquired our doggie after 3 months and stayed another 9. Decided a CYV is ideal and moved from the designer after 13 months with no regrets. It's easier for all involved and the doggie is very happy to be able to run and be a dog. That said, we when we were in the designer home we walked to the nearby lake, and took her to Doo Run Run which she absolutely loved and continues to this day.

well you can get your walking in when you have dogs:a040:

You might search on "what are the rules about dogs". Lots of folks are very sensitive about dogs doing their business in their yards during walks, even if the owner picks up the solid stuff. You will find quite a few "Keep your dog off the grass" signs. I have a dog, have always picked up after it when in the Villages or traveling. Apparently the grass down in TV must be very sensitive to urine as several folks talked about brown spots caused by it. So walk for the exercise, but keep the "stuff" in your own yard to keep your neighbors happy. My dog has about 3 acres to roam out of the 40 we live on here in IL so it is a different experience in TV for her too. Its either inside or on a leash.

This has happened to other people I know. Also you have to know your breed. I have sighthounds and borzoi and greyhounds are not going to respect an electric fence. They are fast enough (45mph in the case of the greyhound) that they are through it before the shock stops them but wont come back home through it once they have recovered from whatever they were originally chasing. Adopted greyhound contracts, to the best of my knowledge, even forbid adoption with these fences. For that reason we bought a CYV even though we wanted a larger Designer home and a larger garage. All the 2 car garage CYV we were shown had short rear fences that didn't work for our dogs. We made the decision based on what would work to make each and every day easier for us. We DO walk our dogs, but there have been stretches of bad weather or times we have both been exhausted or sick when we were very happy to have that fenced yard and glad we didn't have to walk dogs. It's all about what works for each individual and it's not the first decision we've made based on being dog parents. Our dogs are very well trained (all are certified CGC and Registered Therapy Dogs) but what makes their life easier makes our life easier.

you could always create your own little 'doggie park' using thick bushes/hedges maybe leading off the birdcage, if you have one yet.

[/QUOTE]The invisible fence should work if the dog is trained correctly. However, that will not keep other dogs or animals from coming into the yard, which could cause a problem. There are several cottage/ranch homes in Hemingway on Nash Loop that back to a patio vill neighborhood and have been enclosed in vinyl fence. The Villages had two for sale recently, but I think both have subsequently been sold - both were Amarillo/Sun Kissed. You might watch the ads or ask your realtor to watch for something like that. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Here is the listing for a ranch on Nash Loop in Hemingway with a vinyl fence. It is pending but there are several in that neighborhood, and another could come on the market anytime.

Properties of The Villages

Will The Villages allow you to add a courtyard to your home? Maybe a shorter wall? Maybe across the whole back or only part of the back of the house? I have also seen some houses that have a concrete patio area with white fencing around it (just a small area) and the dog was in that area.

There are many previous posts about invisible fencing, if you use the search button above. It is very popular in TV and for us, it works well. Bluedog had good information in his post.

We lived in a Courtyard Villa (purchased for our dogs) for a few years before Fireboy decided he needed a big garage. Since I relucantly agreed we needed a larger house, we moved. I was very reluctant to consider invisible fencing. I always thought it was cruel and inhumane. But that is because I totally misunderstood the system and how it worked. At least the Dog Watch System, I'm not sure how other systems work. I used to think that invisible fences were cruel. But I made a call to Dog Watch of Ocala, and they visited our home and explained the system. I asked them to bring collars for both our big dog and our small dog, so I could try them on my arm and satisfy myself that the system wouldn't be painful for my dogs. It is more of a tingle that gets their attention, than a shock. Our invisible fence surrounds the front yard as well as the back yard.

The most important part of the system is the training process which takes about a week, and trains the dogs to react to a warning beep. You do have to have patience with the training cycle. Evan from Dog Watch visited as often as he wanted to assist us and make sure we were doing the training properly. The dogs are trained on a leash to react to the beep, and the correction part of the system isn't even turned on for the training week! The dogs are rewarded for responding to the beep.

When the dogs are finally unleashed and free to roam, if they ignore the beep, and try to go past the boundary, they get a correction, which is a tingle. It works amazing well for my 10 lb dog and my 70 lb dog. Both my dogs only ever required one correction before they got it! We back on a golf course and ducks will actually waddle up the hill from their little pond and tease LolliPop, my 70 lb dog. Lolli would just love to chase them back down the hill, but she will not chase the ducks through the boundary of the invisible fence.

Even if we are away from TV for a few months, and even without a collar, if the dogs go into the back yard, they keep within the boundaries. As I said, I am a huge fan of the Dog Watch system, and Evan was an amazing help in training our dogs. But it isn't a substitute for a fence. You still need to supervise your dogs when they are outside. Predators can still come on your property. I also think off leash running and play are essential for dogs. And in TV, the back yards aren't huge. So every day we take our dogs to Doggie Doo Run Run for socialization and play. I love that dog park.

I would be happy to show our system to anyone who is considering invisible fencing. We'll be back in TV in the Fall. Just send me a PM and we'll arrange it.

Can someone tell me where Doggie Doo Run Run is located? We have a St. Bernard and are building a designer home. He (Cooper) will be 6 when we move there and I am fearful he won't train well on the invisible fence (we had it for our other dog -- a Golden Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix -- and he trained beautifully on it). But this dog? Maybe not so much. So, for us, it will be lots of walks and trips to this dog park people keep referring to...but I don't know where it is. Please inform!

It is up past Spanish Springs according to google. I sure do wish they could do something down in the new section...a little park perhaps?

Doggie Doo Run Run is located on CR 101 which runs north off CR 466. CR 101 is west of Bueva Vista, east of Buffalo Ridge. CR 101 runs north between Southern Trace Plaza and the CVS/Bonefish Grill Plaza.

If you attend a TOTV Lunch on the third Friday of the month, it is held at Crispers, which is situated in the Southern Trace Plaza, on the north/east corner of CR 466 and CR 101.

DDRR is an amazing dog park with tons of room for big dogs to run off leash. I think they have a ten acre parcel, with different fenced areas for large dogs and small dogs. Your dog need to be neutered, and you will need to take proof of shots. It costs about $1 a day if you join by the month, and they clean up after your dog.

Your job is to watch your dog play while you talk to other delightful pet owners. See you there! I'm the one with a goofy looking big dog.

I have two little dogs and tried the electric fence, it was just too hard to train them. Now that it is so hot I just take them out in my yard they do their business and right back in we go. They do love walking at the mail boxes, just don't put the waste bag in the trash there, take it home with you. When the weather gets nicer they love the dog parks.

Barefoot: Thanks for the info! We will not be moving down until next summer but the comfort of our "big boy" (aka the son we never had) is paramount. Bringing a St. Bernard to Florida sounds ridiculous to most, but frankly, the summer temps there are cooler than where we currently live (Northern Virginia near Dulles Airport). Dog park sounds awesome! Let's just hope he doesn't have trouble riding shot-gun in the golf car! Haha!

Working Proactively for your Pets
 

The answer is to walk them in your yard on a leash and then walk them as they need. This works for us and our dog has the run of the house most of the rest of the day. There are dog parks where they can run freely.

This reminds me of a not so funny story. The Company with which I spent 37 years built a large state of the art manufacturing and development plant in Tucson, Arizona. It was staffed with transferring employees from California and Boulder mostly. They would bring their dogs and cats and let them out at night only to be never seen again. I ran a the Accounting Services Function at the time and marveled that we used to spend an average of $800 to move these animals only for them to be coyote food with heartbroken owners. I suggested to our HR people that they incorporate this into the recruitment and move counseling so people would know how to work with their new environment. When this happened, the "new dog/cat on the block" mortality rate improved significantly

Congrats to you on thinking proactively about your animals. :bigbow:

Are you allowed to have invisible dog fences in The Villages? I sure hope so because I have one here in Michigan and want to put one in when I move the TV.

Yes, you can have an invisible fence in The Villages, but you can't just let the dog out if it extends to your front yard 'cause too many people get frightened. Either keep the fence to the back or when the dog is out be sure to be out with your dog. Dog issue are a very, very touchy subject in The Villages. Actually I would guess more people than not have fur friends, but the few that don't are quite vocal.