Invisible Fences
 

Hi Everyone,

We are moving in mid-March and have two dogs. We know fences aren't allowed, but I did see that invisible fences are ok. I just have a couple of questions on that:

1. Can anyone recommend a local company that sells or installs them?
2. Will we need approval by TV to install one?

Thanks so much - we can't wait to get there (from Tampa)

We used Dogwatch with excellent results. Our two dogs trained quickly and now stay in the yard whether they are wearing their correction collars or not.
I checked the correction by wrapping the collars around my wrist and going through the boundry area. I didn't want to hurt my dogs. The correction is quite mild, more of a tingle than a shock.
The underground fence is very effective. The training provided by Dogwatch is probably as important as the fence itself. I can recommend this company without hesitation.

I checked the deed restrictions for our specific part of the Village we're in and found no specific reference to it. But you could call or e-mail the Deed Compliance folks noted in this link: http://www.districtgov.org/departmen...standards.aspx

Bill

Invisible Fence
 

Thanks BlueDog and Bill - you've been a big help!

BlueDog, I've read about DogWatch on the internet and it does look good. Did you use a local store to buy and install or did you install yourself?

We also used DogWatch and are very satisfied. The dealer for this area is located in Ocala, but I think they spend a lot of time in The Villages. They were very responsive.

No permits or permissions from Architectural Review are needed.

We are planning on installing underground fencing when we move down in June. I have had systems for about 20 years. I bought my system from Innoteck through Pet Street Mall and installed it myself. Not a big deal esp for the lot sizes in TV. Just need a sharp spade shovel. Be sure to get the lightning protector on your system. I had lightning hit one in Virginia and blew the unit clear across the garage. Innoteck replaced it for free.

I had Dogwatch install the system. They installed it with two zones, one front, one rear. The front zone crosses my driveway so they used a saw to cut through an expansion joint in the concrete, installed the wire then calked over it.
As another poster said, it probably wouldn't be a big deal to do a basic install yourself but I would not have a concrete saw so I'd probably be restricted to just the rear zone. I consider the training and advice provided by Dogwatch to be extremely important. That's something you can't get in a kit.
The Dogwatch installation wasn't cheap but if I were to do it again, I'd do it the same way.

Innoteck sends a DVD illustrating the training procedure. If you know how to loop your wire you can do the entire yard. The driveway would be a forbidden zone. Then, as per proper training you only should have one exit point for your dogs to exit the safe zone, that would be through the garage door and down the driveway with you.

Our dog is small - about 11 pounds - and I would be a bit concerned about an invisible fencing system here. Up north, we had a golden for many years and loved the freedom it gave to us and to our (big) doggy. But down here, I would worry about predators. Some of the hawks could seep little Finley away in an instant...

Kate, that hawk would have to be awfully big to get an 11-lb dog! A red-tail hawk, one of the largest, only weighs 5.5 lbs. An eagle can only carry 5-6 lbs. There are risks in letting any pet outside unattended -- birds (blue jays can be extremely vicious when protecting their nests), gators, other dogs, cats, foxes, coyotes. Invisible fences are great things but people still need to remember that other animals can easily get on to their property while their pet is outside alone.

Red is right. There are some bad things out there. Even with the invisible fence I don't leave the dogs out there unsupervised.The shih-tzu is 11 lbs. and the shepherd mix is 60 something lbs. but they are never out alone.

Never leave your dog along outside. BIG OR SMALL. Keep your dogs on a leash. There are owls, hawks and eagles in TV.

Deer, wolves, foxes and coyotes are much heavier than predatory birds. Here are 7 videos proving that these birds can eat big animals.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3NkJN1ircQ[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAkvrykpHZo&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZvbgUjIzjk&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsXtDKdU0Q&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0XYeMXk-1w&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUwyrRAZDzA&NR=1[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wwvPLPntZk&feature=related[/ame]

We've had Dogwatch invisible fencing for a year and it works like a charm. BUT, I can't stress enough, that the TRAINING TO THE BEEP is the most important aspect of the fencing. Dogwatch installs the fence and provides the training. It occurs for a week before the current is even turned on. The goal is to train your dog to react to the beep which occurs anytime they get close to the boundary. If they are trained to avoid the beep, they will never get a correction.

I tested the collar on my arm before agreeing to the system. Contrary to what I used to believe, this system is completely humane. And that is because of the beep training. It is a tingle surprise, and gets their attention. Each of my dogs only weny through the boundary once, and never again. Like Bluedog, I have a 10 pound dog and a 70 lb dog.

On days when I forget to put the collars on, the dogs stay perfectly within the boundaries. Even when ducks waddle up from the pond, my big dog stays within the fence line. And LolliPop loves to chase ducks. Of course, I NEVER leave my dogs outside unsupervised.