anyone have an electric fence?

[JeninOK]

Anyone have any experience with them??

Our husky has discovered the joy of escaping
I lost him for several hours today but tracked him down by his howling in someone elses backyard.
I got him back and went and bought the awesome lady a starbucks card for taking care of him while he was missing.

So we are going this afternoon to look at electric fencing options.
Im not sure if one of the buried kind running about a foot inside the perimeter of the fence would be good or if we should just run a stronger cattle strength electric wire along the top and bottom of the fence.

I am also considering getting a shock collar to help train his come command. As once he is loose he will not come when called and instead plays a game where he lets you get about 2 feet from him and then bolts away again about half a block and waits for you.

I don't like using either the collar or the fence as I believe in positive reinforcment and as little correction as possible. But he very much knows what "come" means and chooses not to do it...and correction when they are ten feet from you isnt possible.

This is a notorious problem with huskies and one that is genetic. It is also life and death serious as our other husky learned to open doors and was hit by a truck last year.

He gets two 2-3 mile walks a day as well as a trip to the very large double fenced dog park once a week but he also needs plenty of outdoor time in the backyard as he loves to play and run and sun himself, prefering to to be outside when it is from about 32-65 degress farenheit during the day.

We have a dog door that we have currently locked up because he cant be trusted, he escaped and was totally gone today in the time it took me to run inside to tinkle and get back out (less then 2 minutes).

 

[Westie]

My neighbor had the electronic collars on his dogs. They were in my yard more than his. I don't think the electronics work.(well)

 

[TwistedPenguin]

I'm in Oklahoma, too, Jenn. We're out in the country on 2 1/2 acres and have had an electric fence for the dogs since we moved out here 14 yrs ago. Literally NO ONE else out here fences their dogs, very irritating. A buried fence isn't going to stop another dog or animal from getting in your yard. And once the dog (esp a Husky) figures out he can get out he'll do it and just not want back in bad enough to go through the shock of getting back in. They've got those 6" clip-on things that you clip to a chain link fence then just string the wire, works great and that's what I've always used. It's real low voltage but scares the dogs bad enough they won't go anywhere near the fenceline.
The dog won't associate the fence shock (it's real slight) with you, I don't consider it 'negative reinforcement' when the alternative is your dog getting hit & possibly killed.

 

[beantickler]

Anyone have any experience with them??

Our husky has discovered the joy of escaping
I lost him for several hours today but tracked him down by his howling in someone elses backyard.
I got him back and went and bought the awesome lady a starbucks card for taking care of him while he was missing.

So we are going this afternoon to look at electric fencing options.
Im not sure if one of the buried kind running about a foot inside the perimeter of the fence would be good or if we should just run a stronger cattle strength electric wire along the top and bottom of the fence.

I am also considering getting a shock collar to help train his come command. As once he is loose he will not come when called and instead plays a game where he lets you get about 2 feet from him and then bolts away again about half a block and waits for you.

I don't like using either the collar or the fence as I believe in positive reinforcment and as little correction as possible. But he very much knows what "come" means and chooses not to do it...and correction when they are ten feet from you isnt possible.

This is a notorious problem with huskies and one that is genetic. It is also life and death serious as our other husky learned to open doors and was hit by a truck last year.

He gets two 2-3 mile walks a day as well as a trip to the very large double fenced dog park once a week but he also needs plenty of outdoor time in the backyard as he loves to play and run and sun himself, prefering to to be outside when it is from about 32-65 degress farenheit during the day.

We have a dog door that we have currently locked up because he cant be trusted, he escaped and was totally gone today in the time it took me to run inside to tinkle and get back out (less then 2 minutes).

This is your MAIN problem right here... Your dog has NO respect for you whatsoever... Don't get me wrong here or go all PITA on me but your "positive reinforcement" wont do spit without some beatings here and there. I have 2 Boxers that are young and full of energy. When they act up they get smacked and they know it's coming. When they are good which is almost all the time now, they get there "positive reinforcement".

My wife cannot handle the dogs because she refuses (like yourself) to smack them or yell at them when they are bad... When I am not home the dogs run away, bark like crazy and torment her! lol... When I am home my dogs are angels.

When we got our first dog(from the pound), she was crazy and had lots of bad habits. I corrected them and we decided to get another because of how well she now behaved... The second dog(from the pound), was the craziest dog I have ever owned. She had food aggression, snapped at my face a few times, bit our other dog, you name it she had it. This dog ate everything in sight including shoes, coats, hats and anything she could fit in her mouth... Guess what... She is another angel now(with me). You need to get your dog to respect you! That is the number 1 goal. Don't get me wrong they still get in trouble but when commanded THEY LISTEN!

I live on a 2 acre lot and they WILL NOT go into the woods or out of my yard for any reason unless I am with them and they are following me out...

If I tell my dogs to "go pee" they will on command... If I tell them to "go pee" 5 seconds after they just did, they will pee again. The last time my dog tried to take a bite at my face I punched her in her face and that never happened again. My dog's show me respect now and we LOVE eachother. You need to show the dog who the leader of the house is. The dog cannot be the ALPHA of the home. You MUST be and they will show you what you want to see...

Please don't think I am some kind of animal abuser or hater for this post. I love my dogs to death and would jump between them and another dog in a fight if need be. I just DEMAND respect from them and I now get it along with unconditional love...

 

[JeninOK]

i was thinking the electric line running across the bottom of the fence would be a good idea too. I was also thinking of running a couple wires with pvc pipe on them to create rollers and make it more difficult to climb the chain link, one about midway up and another along the top of the fence.

He is my boo puppy and I love him to pieces, He is also quite simply a dear friend as well as simply a dog (which is an oxymoron) I can't handle losing another dear friend so horribly, as it was quite simply the most upsetting thing that has ever happened to me to have my poor sweet beautiful dog dying in the street in front of my house. I cried for constantly days and still get choked up typing about it.

I'm Also really worried he will get shot because he looks like a Coyote. And acts all skittish and weird about strange men and he lopes rather than runs.


We honestly suspect he has either coyote or wolf in him because he came from a crappy breeder in the middle of nowhere, and he has something other than husky in him when all the other dogs at the location were clearly husky.
Here he is this afternoon

and here he is a pup at about 12 weeks

and because I talked about him and he was a beauty and a clown here is our dearly departed Levi

That picture was taken two nights before we lost him, I am so thankful I went on a picture spree that night. And I swear he is laughing in that pic!!

 

[beantickler]

Beautiful dog btw... The one you lost looks awesome... sorry for your loss

 

[TwistedPenguin]

They're both beautiful, Jenn.
Beantickler, I've dedicated close to 1/2 a century to dogs, dog rescue, dog raising (never breeding) working around dogs, you name it. There's a difference between dogs respecting you because you're alpha and dogs respecting you out of fear of being smacked. I've either got or had about every kind of dog from 20 lbs to 160 lbs and haven't raised my hand to any of them. They respect me beacuse they know I'm in charge, not because they know they'll get smacked. Raising dogs from puppies is a different set of rules than from taking an already 'ruined' dog and trying to turn it around.
Jenn's dog is mostly Husky. Husky's are escapers, runners and leash-pullers, that's just what they are. Just like Cichlids are territorial. It's much easier and safer to use an electric fence, instant results that the dog doesn't associate with the owner.
For the record, Beantickler-the dogs run all over my husband. I'm 5'3" and 115 lbs and it's me they behave like angels around. But consistancy and firmness is what I used, not smacking them.

 

[JeninOK]

Beantickler,

Respect and fear are two different things. Also I'm guessing you have never had a husky, beating them is certainly not the answer to training.... its akin to trying to hit a cat into submission!!

I do use discipline, I do not hit!!! but I do use a prong collar and am not opposed to using the shock collar. If one of them is totally out of control or showing aggression towards another dog in the pack they get put on thier backs and lay that way with me kneeling over them until they submit just as would happen in a wolf pack or pack of dogs without a human alpha.

Quite frankly short of agression towards me or my family there is no reason to ever beat my dogs. They firmly see me as alpha, and then my husband and we are working on my son being above them as well. They all hit the ground and show belly when in trouble and we have no other problems with them.

I bought a shock collar this afternoon and he is wearing it right now to get used to it and tomorrow I will start working with him on it. My plan is to use for being too rough with the cat and also for not coming when called. When it comes to not coming when called he is going to get zapped as high as I can safely do it. I would rather drop him to the ground a couple times and make him realize he darn well better come when called or its gonna suck big time. Like I said its a matter of life or death.

He is a husky, this is not a respect or a training problem this is a fault of the breed.

 

[beantickler]

They're both beautiful, Jenn.
Beantickler, I've dedicated close to 1/2 a century to dogs, dog rescue, dog raising (never breeding) working around dogs, you name it. There's a difference between dogs respecting you because you're alpha and dogs respecting you out of fear of being smacked. I've either got or had about every kind of dog from 20 lbs to 160 lbs and haven't raised my hand to any of them. They respect me beacuse they know I'm in charge, not because they know they'll get smacked. Raising dogs from puppies is a different set of rules than from taking an already 'ruined' dog and trying to turn it around.
Jenn's dog is mostly Husky. Husky's are escapers, runners and leash-pullers, that's just what they are. Just like Cichlids are territorial. It's much easier and safer to use an electric fence, instant results that the dog doesn't associate with the owner.
For the record, Beantickler-the dogs run all over my husband. I'm 5'3" and 115 lbs and it's me they behave like angels around. But consistancy and firmness is what I used, not smacking them.

I'm not saying I beat my dogs in any manner... Now when I got bit in the face by my 2nd Boxer yes, I did what I deemed necessary to correct her problem. I am sorry but my dogs don't fear me or fear getting smacked... They know however, if they leave they yard or tear up something they WILL hear about it, and depending on the severity of it, will get smacked.

 

[beantickler]

Beantickler,

Respect and fear are two different things. Also I'm guessing you have never had a husky, beating them is certainly not the answer to training.... its akin to trying to hit a cat into submission!!

I do use discipline, I do not hit!!! but I do use a prong collar and am not opposed to using the shock collar. If one of them is totally out of control or showing aggression towards another dog in the pack they get put on thier backs and lay that way with me kneeling over them until they submit just as would happen in a wolf pack or pack of dogs without a human alpha.

Quite frankly short of agression towards me or my family there is no reason to ever beat my dogs. They firmly see me as alpha, and then my husband and we are working on my son being above them as well. They all hit the ground and show belly when in trouble and we have no other problems with them.

I bought a shock collar this afternoon and he is wearing it right now to get used to it and tomorrow I will start working with him on it. My plan is to use for being too rough with the cat and also for not coming when called. When it comes to not coming when called he is going to get zapped as high as I can safely do it. I would rather drop him to the ground a couple times and make him realize he darn well better come when called or its gonna suck big time. Like I said its a matter of life or death.

He is a husky, this is not a respect or a training problem this is a fault of the breed.

Ok a shock collar? A prong collar? I would personally never go this route! Talk about abuse? That is rediculous! How about I put a collar that chokes you or stabs you with dull metal spikes or zaps you and see how you feel? Is this how you raise your children also? I cannot believe you can sit here and tell me my dogs fear me when you do this crap? I feel your dog is like a child. If you dont disipline them they will disrespect you your whole life. Will you be using these inhumane collars on children too? Wow you cry about a smack on the bum yet you use these tecniques for your dog...

You call it a fault of the breed when your dog knowingly disobey's you. You said you get within 2 feet and its gone? Thats disobedience plain and simple. Your dog knows its gonna get away with it... The dog knows all its gonna get is layed on its back and stared at meanly. I wouldn't listen either if I was your dog to be honest!