Electric fences carry risks of injury and can cause behavior issues. They rely on pain and intimidation, and don’t protect your dog from attacks or theft. Don’t use them.
Having a fenced-in yard can make life with your dog easier, especially for potty trips and outdoor playtime. It also ensures your dog stays contained and can’t run off.
But what if you don’t, or can’t, have a physical fence in your yard? You may have heard of electric fences as a way to contain your dog without having to put up a physical fence, but is a bad idea. Electric fences use electrical shock to "train" your dog to "stay" in your yard and are often touted as safe, gentle, and worry-free. But none of that is true.
We understand that most people truly want their dogs to get exercise and explore the outdoors safely, and the lure of the electric fence sales pitch can be hard to resist. But they carry huge risks which dog guardians are often unaware of.
What is an electric fence?
An electric fence, which is sometimes called an "invisible" fence, is a wireless, in-ground system that is installed around the perimeter of a property, creating an invisible boundary. A dog contained within the boundary of the fence wears a "shock," "remote" or "e-collar" around his neck (and sometimes around his groin or at the base of the tail). The collar or device has a transmitter that delivers a shock to the dog when the dog strays too close to or crosses the boundary. Flags are placed at intervals around the perimeter as visual markers.
When dogs first learn to stay within the "fence" perimeter, they inevitably receive a series of electric shocks. When a dog gets too close to flags marking the electric fence’s perimeter, she receives a shock. While the dog might learn to quickly associate one flag or part of the property as a no-go area, her natural curiosity will inevitably lead to subsequent shocks when she gets too close to other untested areas. Supporters and companies who sell electric fences claim the shocks are harmless. Of course, any kind of aversive such as shock has to be relatively strong in order to be effective, and we believe that isn’t harmless.
But repeatedly shocking the dog is only the first of many reasons why electric fences should be avoided.
Why you should say NO! to an electric fence
Electric fence companies would like you to believe that their "fences" are the perfect solution for containing your dog, offering "safety, comfort, and peace of mind," but do not be fooled by clever marketing. While the idea of allowing your dog to experience more unsupervised "freedom" might be an attractive option for you, the simple truth is that electric fences rely on pain to deter dogs from escaping. The risks of anxiety and aggression issues, theft, and increased legal liability are too high.
- Some dogs are so traumatized after just one shock experience that a fear memory is imprinted in the brain forever. While this sometimes provides enough motivation to avoid the boundary in the future, it also can lead to countless other fear-based behavior issues.
- Some dogs will become afraid of the pain from the shock and will refuse to go into their yards.
- Dogs have suffered electrical burns from the very collars fence companies claim are "safe and humane."
- Some dogs break through the boundary to get to something on the other side regardless of the pain they experience or because the fence has malfunctioned in some way. Many of these dogs end up getting lost, hit by cars, or picked up by animal control officers as they wander around the neighborhood.
- Once a dog has gone through the boundary and been shocked, she is almost guaranteed to avoid coming home because she knows that crossing the flag-marked boundary means getting shocked again.
- Dogs contained behind electric fences can become more reactive and in some cases more aggressive behavior toward strangers and even family members.
- Delivery personnel or any guest or family member can be an unwilling victim of a dog’s pent-up frustration.
- Some dogs develop an unfortunate fence-running habit, barking at cars, people or other animals as they go by. Fence running is more prevalent in dogs that have an uninterrupted view. Fence running is an unhealthy activity that exacerbates frustration, irritation and aggression and regularly becomes a fixed action pattern the dog performs in other contexts and environments, such as on a walk.
- Dogs that live within the confines of an electric fence are also at the mercy of other animals and people that may wander onto their property, and with no visible boundary. Dogs behind an electric fence can be attacked by another animal and are at greater risk of being stolen.
Misleading sales pitches
Companies that sell and install electric fences are good at marketing their product. The companies might call the fences safe, dependable, easy to install and cost-effective. You might even read that the shock is actually a "correction" and that it doesn’t hurt the dog.
The long-term behavioral and possibly physical costs of using shock in a fencing system for your dog will far outweigh the cost of the fence itself. The term "correction" is usually another way of saying "punishment" which involves fear, intimidation, and usually pain. The terms "safe and dependable" are also debatable, as an electric fence won’t keep other animals out of the yard. This risks an off-leash dog charging at your dog. Also, some dogs have been known to run through the electric fence boundary to chase another animal, but are then unwilling to cross the boundary to get back home. Neither situation could be called safe.
Effective and humane alternatives to electric fences
There are safer, more effective alternatives to using an electric fence.
A solid fence around your property is a consistent and pain-free way to keep your dog in the yard while keeping animals and people out. Make sure the fence is tall enough that your dog can’t jump over it, and sturdy enough that he can’t push it over.
If you cannot have a physical fence around your property, you still have options and all of these are more humane and effective containment options than an electric fence will ever be.
- Set up a "dog run" within your property, which is a smaller, fenced area, similar to a kennel run.
- Use a dog tie-out system, which is a stake in the ground with a long line attached to it, will give your dog some freedom in the yard beyond a six-foot leash. It is critical, however, that you attach the tie-out line to a harness on your dog and not his collar, so that he doesn’t injure his neck or slip the collar. You should always supervise your dog he’s out on a tie-out or zip line, so you can prevent your dog from getting tangled, hurt or frustrated.
- A zip-line tie-out system uses a leash that runs along a wire that is attached across two high points in the yard. The dog will be able to run the length of the line with some freedom. Attach the line to a harness on your dog, not his collar, and you should still supervise him.
- You can also leash walk your dog more frequently for toilet breaks, sniffing outings or hikes using a long line, which is a long leash, attached to your dog’s harness to give him more room to move and explore. Many people in apartments or townhouses manage to provide exercise for their dogs in this way.
Scientific studies about the effects of electric fences
- Blackwell, Emily J., Caroline Twells, Anne Seawright, and Rachel A. Casey. 2008. “The Relationship between Training Methods and the Occurrence of Behavior Problems, as Reported by Owners, in a Population of Domestic Dogs.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior 3 (5): 207–17.
- Herron, M. E., F. S. Shofer, and I. R. Reisner. 2009. “Survey of the Use and Outcome of Confrontational and Non-Confrontational Training Methods in Client-Owned Dogs Showing Undesired Behaviors.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 117 (1/2): 47–54.
- Casey, Rachel A., Bethany Loftus, Christine Bolster, Gemma J. Richards, and Emily J. Blackwell. 2014. “Human Directed Aggression in Domestic Dogs (Canis Familiaris): Occurrence in Different Contexts and Risk Factors.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152 (March): 52–63.
- Overall, Karen L. 2007. “Considerations for Shock and ‘Training’ Collars: Concerns from and for the Working Dog Community.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2 (4): 103–7.
- Schilder, Matthijs B. H., and Joanne A. M. van der Borg. 2004. “Training Dogs with Help of the Shock Collar: Short and Long Term Behavioural Effects.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 85 (3–4): 319–34.
- Polsky, Richard. 2000. “Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems?” Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 3 (4): 345–57.
- Blackwell, E., and R. Casey. 2009. “The Use of Shock Collars and Their Impact on the Welfare of Dogs : A Review of the Current Literature.”
Bottom line on electric fences
We are against using electric fences as a way to contain your dog.
These fences cause dogs to suffer pain in the name of training. Even trainers and salespeople who claim that electric fences aren’t harmful are still inflicting some level of pain or irritation on the dog. It is impossible to defend a method with the potential to cause real harm; just don’t use them.
