Underground fences are becoming more popular for many reasons. They are less expensive than traditional fencing, they can be used where traditional types of fences are not allowed, they give an un-obstructed view of the surrounding area, and they are easily installed in a couple of hours, by one or two people, depending on the size of the area you want fenced. My husband and I, who are seniors, installed our fence in about 3 hours.

The fence usually consists of boundary wire, a transmitter, a receiver collar, a test light, training flags and a sign. Once the wire is installed by digging a narrow trench about 2" deep around the perimeter of the area you want the dog contained in, the wire is buried and attached to the transmitter. The dog is then trained to respect the boundary. For this reason, it is imperative that the instructions for training that come with the system are followed exactly as outlined, or the dog may become confused and the fence will be less effective than it should be.

After training any time the dog tries to go out of the yard, he will receive a correcting shock from the receiver on the collar, which has two metal prongs that touch the skin on his neck. For this reason, the collar has to be fitted tightly enough for the prongs to come into contact with the dogs skin, or the collar will be ineffective.

For people who do not like the idea of having their dog receive an electrical correction, there are fences that emit a citronella spray that often hits the dog in the face. The disadvantage of this type of correction, however, is that once the dog is sprayed with citronella, the smell may linger around your dog's sensitive nose, causing a long-lasting punishment that may also cease to be effective after a period of time.

DISADVANTAGES:

NOTE: Under no circumstances should a puppy under 6 months old be trained/contained by an underground fence.

Since the fence cannot be seen by people who walk or drive past your property, they may be startled or frightened by a charging dog protecting his property.

Underground fence is also invisible and has no effect on the critters that inhabit suburbia...rabbits, stray dogs, and cats may enter a yard with disastrous results.

Since there is no barrier between your dog and the world around him, other dogs can enter your property freely, and it's possible your dog could be attacked.

It is also possible for children or adults to taunt your dog while he is behind the barrier and the result could be your dog becoming aggressive towards people.

Because of the above, it is important that your dog never be left outside un-attended for long periods of time, but should be check on regularly to prevent this from happening.

For obvious reasons, dogs with dog/dog or dog/people aggression should never be trusted to be contained by an underground fence.

Some dogs have a high pain threshold and will go through the barrier if the "reward" on the other side is appealing enough. Once they go through, they receive the correction when trying to re-enter the yard and may be reluctant to return when the chase is done.

Success of the system depends on maintenance by the homeowner. Batteries must be checked and replaced regularly. Collars must be fitted correctly, and contact between the prongs and the skin must be maintained. If the dog has a thick or heavy coat, it may be necessary to shave his neck for contact to occur. And of course, the dogs have to be wearing the collars when outside in the yard.

If you understand the disadvantages as well as the advantages, are willing to take the time needed to train your dog correctly to the fence and not try to take "shortcuts", the underground fence is an effective, reasonably priced way to contain your dog.

We have had our fence for about five years now and it has been virtually maintence free. The only time we had a problem with it was when I was planting flowers close to where it was buried and thought the wire was a tree root and chopped it in half with the spade, so it's a good idea to know exactly where the wire is buried. This helps if the wire should break for any other reason too.