My dog has recently discovered that he can run through the invisible fence and keep right on going. It only happens when he sees/hears something very exciting across the street. I think there is another dog or cat that runs by. This is only at night/early morning for some reason**
Anyway, is there any going back from this?
He's about to turn 4. The fence has been great for him until the past 2 weeks.
He's (as far as we know) an Australian Shepherd & Hound mix if that matters.
**related issue: Around midnight or 1 am he decides he wants to go outside because of something he hears in the neighborhood. Constant pacing and looking out the windows, and lots of whining. I can't get him to stop. I also can't let him out because... he'll run through the fence. I really don't want to walk him at 1am. This is getting increasingly frustrating because it costs me my sleep. Anything to do about this?
Which type are you using? The wireless or in ground wired type? I know others that have had the same problem which is why we went wireless. Once that receiver is out of range they keep getting beeped/shocked. Ours is older (about 6 years old now) so maybe the new ones aren't the same?
Is your dog neutered? Have you ever spotted the animal that is getting him so worked up? Have you ever crate trained him, and if so, is there a room away from your bedroom where you can put him in his crate where you won't hear him if he starts whining?
I have one of the newer PetSafe YardMax systems. Unlike the old style where you have a strong "correction" at the wire and signal strength decreases about six feet out to either side, with the YardMax, the dog can go right to the line before getting zapped, but once they cross the line, the correction strength continues at the same level until they return to the yard. And there's a switch on the controller that allows you to use it either way, traditional or YardMax. The wire in the ground is the same as the old systems, so you could probably buy a YardMax controller and hook it up to your existing system in five minutes.
Crate him and ignore him at night, and maybe move the crate to a more isolated part of the house. My dog used to do similar but he knows now that he won't get a reaction out of me.
I've personally got no experience with invisible fences, but I've also got a half Aussie Shepherd (other half is lab.) He is the only dog I've ever had that I can pretty much trust off lead (as long as I am present) and he knows where he's allowed to roam, but I still don't think I'd ever trust him unsupervised with only an invisible fence to contain him. He's strong willed and fast enough that he'd be through the fence before he could even think twice if he spotted a deer or something in the woods. I keep him tethered instead, as it feels a bit more secure, but even then I don't leave him outside if I leave the house.
Real fences beat virtual fences any day. Plus they keep out undesirables.
Have you ever felt the shock of a virtual fence? Grab bad plug wires in the rain and you'll get an idea.
Needless to say I'm no fan of virtual fences for a variety of reasons.
The invisible fence is simply a training tool, when I had a boxer who was strong willed he would escape from a chain link fence every opportunity. But when he learned the perimeter of his new yard with invisible borders he would quite literally sniff noses with the neighborhood deer who would come by and "visit". He never once broke out once we had 5-6 training sessions walking around the yard and testing the limits.
Unfortunately he was replaced with an idiot dog who bolted across no matter how many "sessions" we had. He found a new home after eating my work boots, lawn mower cord, garden hose, lawn tractor seat, and some porch cushions. In a week. Useless dog. But he was adopted by a woman who wanted a truck mutt so he was happy there.
Our installer has a lifetime training guarantee so they'll do more training with the dog and individually adjust the collar level. Does yours have anything like that?
Another vote for yard max. They can't run through. But also make sure the collar is adjusted properly. If it is too loose or his coat is too thick it doesn't have much effect.
Our dog would run right through the invisible fence. It was the type that would zap her as she passed through then she was free. In asking about it one person was telling me that the dogs who are "sight-hounds" have the hardest time with invisible fences. They have been bred to see something and then give chase. They are so focused on what they see that the training they have had is not on their mind and they get zapped and move on.
We have sight hounds. A greyhound and two Salukis. It's a given that if you rescue/adopt one of them it is contingent upon having a fenced in yard. Absent that you mustn't let them off leash.
Its the in-ground wire type. It will shock just before/over/after the wire, but once he's through, no more shock.
Now that you mention it, there is a lifetime guarantee. I'll give them a call.
Yes, I've felt the shock of the fence, although I've never put the collar on my neck.
He is neutered. The collar is adjusted properly.
RE: night behavior. He is crate trained, but I took apart the crate long ago because there was no need for it. He has the basement to himself when nobody is home. I'll try putting him down there at night, or I'll set it back up. Its never that far from any of our rooms though... small house.
Can't help with the fence issue, but my shepherd will do a similar whining thing when the raccoons are in the tree. Can you prevent the dog from being able to see out specific windows of interest?
I can try blocking the windows at night, but I think he hears things. Usually he's alseep on my feet in bed and then just jumps up anywhere from 1-3 am to run to the window and begin his pacing.
Last night I put him downstairs in the basement. I ended up wearing ear plugs from ~3:30-6am because of his whining. 
Actually got a great 2.5 hours of sleep.
When you put him on the basement at bedtime, try turning on a radio station for him to help mask any sounds from outside.
Furious_E wrote:
I keep him tethered instead, as it feels a bit more secure, but even then I don't leave him outside if I leave the house.
I've always had a length of rope tied to the house that I clipped the dogs to at night. They can chase whatever they want up to about 40 feet then they get a sudden reminder that they've gone far enough.
So to update:
The problem has gotten worse.
The thing that makes him leave has been identified. Its 100% the cat across the street. If he sees it, he's gone. Doesn't even flinch when he crosses the fence.
I got a training collar for him with a remote to try and train him when he is agitated and barky and about to leave the yard. I was very hesitant to do this, but no matter: It didn't do E36 M3. Literally had zero effect on him. I tried it on myself and its more of a tickle.
I'm taking his collar to Invisible Fence this week. They said they can increase the strength of the invisible fence collar. I will try this and retrain him.
Also looking for some obedience training classes to sign up for.
vwcorvette wrote:
Real fences beat virtual fences any day. Plus they keep out undesirables.
Have you ever felt the shock of a virtual fence? Grab bad plug wires in the rain and you'll get an idea.
Needless to say I'm no fan of virtual fences for a variety of reasons.
We love it. To fence in as much yard as we have would be very cost prohibitive. Once the training is over, ours don't even need the collars most times. I only put them on at night or if there is a known distraction nearby (farmers in the field etc).
^yeah, on the subject of invisible vs. real... the cost difference is insane.
The collar shouldn't be a tickle. When I had one it was downright nasty. Like holding it in my hand wearing leather gloves I didn't like it AT ALL when it went off. I walked the dogs around the perimeter a few times testing where the "beep beep" occurred and where the "buzz buzz" let them know it was about to shock. Then a couple of intentional zaps (resulting in yelps and running for the safety of the yard). Never a problem after that.
TLDR, your collar sounds weak, turn it up and reinforce zone.
ProDarwin wrote:
^yeah, on the subject of invisible vs. real... the cost difference is insane.
And the maintenance of the fence as well. Lots of trees + wind = large branches on fence. I can't remember the linear footage of what it would have taken for us but it was a lot. Somewhere over 1200 linear feet of fence. At about $12-15 per foot that's $15-20k. Or the price of 10 challenge cars. Not to mention then I'd have 1200 feet of fence to trim.
KyAllroad wrote:
The collar shouldn't be a tickle. When I had one it was downright nasty. Like holding it in my hand wearing leather gloves I didn't like it AT ALL when it went off. I walked the dogs around the perimeter a few times testing where the "beep beep" occurred and where the "buzz buzz" let them know it was about to shock. Then a couple of intentional zaps (resulting in yelps and running for the safety of the yard). Never a problem after that.
TLDR, your collar sounds weak, turn it up and reinforce zone.
I found that the ones with replaceable batteries are less effective. I upgraded to a rechargeable Sport Dog and it made a big difference.
In reply to Woody:
BTDT with the invisible fence that worked well until the day the dogs saw something that they wanted to chase more than the penalty for crossing the line. In my/their case this was a really large, noisy, twitchy gray squirrel. Which is probably the same as dog crack. The problem once they are on the outside is now they get shocked to come back IN. Once they are on the outside - the fence becomes an anti-fence. Or, is it an inverted fence? Seemed like there was all kinds of dog psychology problems lurking in that situation so I quickly stopped using the invisible fence. I didn't want to be training them to hate the sight of my house.
Dog crack is a good analogy. I was walking my dog last night at like 10pm and the cat ran across the road. He went bonkers. I was afraid the leash was going to snap (flimsy extendable leash on a reel).
In reply to Sparkydog:
That is not the way that a YardMax fence works. When they break through, they get reminded until they go back in.
