Your Choices in an Electric Pet Fence
Security, privacy and even elegance are all features of residential fences. But there’s one kind of fence that is used for quite a different function: to keep your pets safely within the boundaries of your property. And the product of choice is generally an electric pet fence, which is the most common and considered by many to be the most effective. There are essentially two kinds of electric pet fence: invisible and visible.
The invisible or hidden kind of electric pet fence is generally a basic design consisting of an underground wire and the related hardware. The wire is secured to a low voltage electrical current in a closed loop. If a pet approaches the wire, the circuit detects the movement and issues a mild electric shock by way of a special collar worn by your pet. Rest assured that the jolt doesn’t cause any pain to your pet, it just startles him. Some of these collars feature a noise emission device that amplifies the effect.
Both cats and dogs rapidly learn to connect the discomfort and annoying sounds with the boundaries of your property. It’s recommended that you make this even more apparent to both you and your pet with some type of visual indication of where the wire runs, like maybe a low fence or series of small flags.
An invisible electric pet fence has both pros and cons and you need to consider the nature of your particular pet when you make your decision. Some animals (particularly if they spot something they want to pursue) will dash through regardless. Once they’ve crossed the line, it can be difficult to persuade them to return. Some fences will make it a little easier for them by disengaging the circuit once breached.
The other kind of electric pet fence presents an above ground, physical blockade that is very visible. This type of fence is more commonly used for large animals like cattle and horses. It consists of a typical post and rail fence, however the rails include one or more electrified wires. Some fences only have a wire at the top, while others are electrified throughout the entire fence.
Once again, the current and voltage are quite low, so there’s no chance of injury to your pet. The jolt will be uncomfortable, but not painful. The effect is like that of the invisible fence and collar. It startles your pet and persuades it to back off.
The effectiveness of the visible pet fence will vary, just like the invisible one. But this approach has a bit of an edge, because it doesn’t depend only on the shock to drive your pet back. There is an actual physical obstacle composed of strong wires and sturdy posts which discourages any attempts at escape. Electrification has a further advantage in dissuading the animal from wiggling through the fence.
So the choice is yours. An invisible electric pet fence is usually less costly than the visible variety, because they are essentially only a wire and some hardware. But an above ground fence offers more security.
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