Need help with wireless fence training, dog is terrified of the collar

3335 Views 4 Replies 5 Participants Last post by pandora, Jul 3, 2020

shwoomple

Discussion Starter · Jul 3, 2020

Hi all,

I have a 7th month old puppy and we are trying train her on the pet safe wireless fence. My step dad was attempting to train her, but instead made her terrified of the wireless collar. Not sure exactly what he did but I do know she got shocked by collar for the first time and now runs and hides from it anytime she sees it.

I worked with her for about 5min to see how she reacted to the the collar and the warning beeps. As soon as she realized I had the collar she was scared. I did not put the collar on her because I knew she was terrified of it, instead I had the collar in one had and her on a leash in the other. I walked her over to the boundary line and as soon as she heard the beeping she didn't know what to do (which was expected) she got very scared. I pulled her back from the boundary line and praised her with a treat when the beeping stopped. She just shut down after that and would not go anywhere else in the yard except to the door to go back in the house. I sat on the ground with her for a few minutes trying to get her to play with a stick but she would not move, she just laid there with her back to the collar. She is not afraid to go in the backyard, just afraid of the collar.

I have watched a few videos on YouTube and read a little bit about how to train a dog on an invisible fence, but I'm no expert. Any suggestions about how I can help her realize the collar is not something she needs to be afraid of and to help her get over her fear of being around it would be great. Also, wireless fence training suggestions would be great.

One idea I had is to put the collar on the floor in the living room with treats around it. So she is in a safe environment and she knows if she goes near the collar she will get a treat. Not sure if it will work.

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BKaymuttleycrew

· #2 · Jul 3, 2020

Actually, the whole point of an invisible fence is that the dog is afraid of the potential for pain (the shock) to the point that they won't run through the boundary.

As you've unfortunately discovered, a sensitive dog - or in your case puppy - can be traumatized to the point of shutting down. Please reconsider your containment options & throw away the electronic collar. Put up a real fence, or take the dog out on leash. Even using a tether of some sorts is a better option to terrifying the poor dog in her own back yard.

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LeoRose

· #3 · Jul 3, 2020

Yep, you've experienced one of the issues with electronic fences. Some dogs wind up so traumatized from them that they are scared to even go out in the yard at all.

Your best option is to put up a physical fence. Other options include leashed outings, a dog run, a zip-line tether, or even just a regular tie-out. The last two should be used with a harness, and under supervision, to ensure that your pup doesn't get tangled up.

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DaySleepers

· #4 · Jul 3, 2020

Scattering food around an object and allowing the dog to explore it can be a good strategy for teaching a pup that something scary is harmless. Unfortunately, the collar is not harmless. It works by causing pain, so as soon as it triggers again you'll be back to square one or worse.

Your pup sounds like she's very sensitive and incredibly distressed by the corrections. Some dogs are. This can result in genuine trauma, where the dog becomes fearful of other beeps (microwave or oven timer, for example), or associate more and more things with the shock (the yard, the neighbor's car, that kid over there) just because the dog happened to be focused on these things when the collar triggered. This, combined with the stress of having to wear the collar, can cause an increase in overall fearful and aggressive behavior.

Invisible fences often aren't great even for less sensitive dogs. They still allow dangerous wildlife, wandering dogs, etc. into your yard, and if the dog DOES manage to blow through it (chasing a squirrel, for example), many times they will refuse to return past that shock barrier back into the yard, leaving them roaming.

I also urge you to find other options. This just doesn't seem to be an appropriate tool for your particular dog (though I admit I personally don't like them in most cases). We've made a relatively cheap fence with plastic stakes and livestock netting for our yard (we rent and it's a weird shape/on a hill, so permanent fencing isn't an option). You could also look into installing a kennel run - essentially just enclosing part of your yard in a pen/fence for the dog - or use a tether or zip-line system as suggested above.

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pandora

· #5 · Jul 3, 2020

Training by inflicting pain is despicable.
It is one of the most loathsome practices in the world.
use a long line, use a proper fence, or take your dog for regular walks but stop torturing your dog , this is mental and physical cruelty.

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