Physical fences have been a traditional way to keep dogs and livestock contained. There are supposed to prevent animals from entering and leaving the specified area. Some are electrified, and some are not. Some dog owners who worry about where their pets run off to consider putting up such fences. Many dog owners claim that this pet containment system tends to be more cost effective over time. One more thing - they are the sensible choice in areas where it’s prohibited to set up physical fences.

A fence without a fence? How does that work?

The goal of this containment system is simple - to keep your dog inside the “fence.” An electronic dog fence is essentially an area bound by buried wires instead of erected fences. There are usually marker flags visible, and planted at intervals - these flags are small, unobtrusive ones. The dog wears a collar that emits a warning sound when it nears the boundaries. The collar gives him a corrective shock whenever he exceeds that boundary. With some training, the dog realizes that he is not to go beyond the area wherein he hears the warning sound.

So even though there are no physically erected fences publicly visible, there might as well be, since the dog will keep inside the area marked by the flags. Humans and other animals not wearing the collar are naturally unaffected by the virtual or hidden fence. Because of the space retain, or reclaimed, some dog owners choose an electronic dog fence to physical fences.

The same principle but using other means

There are other ways to set up a pet containment system. One system offers an alternate set up - instead of buried wires, radio signals sent from a device take the form of a marked area. When the dog walks outside a certain radius, the warning sound, and later, a corrective shock activates. Another system is possible via the use of the Global Positioning System, which some dog owners find more sophisticated compared to the other two. The principle behind these two approaches are the same as that of the buried wire set up - should the dog get near the boundary, the collar sends off a warning, prior to the static correction the dog will receive should it continue to leave the perimeter.

The corrective shock to the dog can be calibrated to increase in intensity and frequency, depending on the setting the dog owner chooses. It must be emphasized that the dog takes some time getting used to interpreting the warning signal, hence the dog must be trained to and rewarded when he decides to remain inside the electronic dog fence.

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