Invisible Fencing

[jdlongmn]

I currently own a three year old neutered male cairn and my family is moving to a house with no fence. Dusty has grown up in a fenced yard, and since there are no other fences in the neighborhood, I was considering installing an invisible fence. I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with invisible fencing and the cairn breed.

Is it a good match, or because they are bred to kill varments, will the thought or pain of a mild shock hinder their determination?

Thanks.

Jeff

[bradl]

Hmmm, this is one of those hot topics where you could get strong arguments on both sides of the, uh, fence. In the old forum this topic came up. I've pasted the two responses below.

i know of several cairns in homes with invisible fences and they seem to do as well as any other breed. however a cairn with high prey drive or touch insensitivity will chase a bunny across the boundary and then can`t get back in. As a professional trainer i do not like these devises as the dog is controlled by fear of getting shocked. a friends cairn was nearly killed by a neighbors boxer which entered the cairns yard and attacked it and the cairn couldn`t get away. fortunately the owner saw it and ran to the rescue. try a portable ex-pen and take him for a walk yourself. Good excersize!

and

I have an invisible fence for my Cairn and it works great. I was very careful to go through the complete training as described by the product. I think that taking the time to fully complete the training is crucial. Chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits exist within and just outside her boundary and she will not cross(I admit, I was kind of surprised at first). We do not have dogs wandering the neighborhood, so I am not concerned about her being attacked. She loves the freedom of being able to freely roam her domain. Barking can be a problem though.

Hope others comment, but in truth it's early days for this new forum.

[Guest]

The invisible fence might work for your Cairn---are you willing to take the chance? How much do you like to gamble? That is really what folks do with Cairns and invisible fencing---they are betting that the odds are in their favor and the dog won't go over it. Cairns are tough little dogs--fearless--willing to face danger/pain if the reward is great enough.

So it all boils down to how much risk you are willing to live with and how sad would you be if your Cairn bolted and never came home again?

If the worse case senerio happened could you accept it?

Would you blame yourself for accepting the risk?

Lynda

[Guest]

We installed an invisible fence a few months ago and we absolutely love it. Our cairn is 2-1/2 years old, and he learned his boundaries in just a few days (although we continued with training for a month or so). He seems much more relaxed, knowing he has space to run and explore. He has always been a house dog, and still is, but we enjoy letting him have his freedom while we are outside, too. We have lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and an occasional bunny in the area, and he'll still chase them, but only up to 10' or so from the boundary.

Tami

[CRSTFR]

I have seen many dogs that know the boundry and don't cross the "fence" for anything. This means that they will not cross the fence if they are bieng attacked by a stray or something else.

[Guest]

Could some of you recommend a type of invisible fence to use for our new Cairn.

Thank you

[Shirl Holmberg]

Often overlooked with this type of fence if you live near wildlands is the fact that it "may" keep your dog in it won't keep everything else out. We have it (came with the house) and never have or will use it. Too many coyotes, strays, etc. Also makes it pretty easy for some one to take your dog and be gone.