Invisible Fences

Invisible dog fences might sound like a great idea. The UltraSmart® In-Ground Fence™ System by Petsafe®, for example costs $300 for 500 feet of "fence" wire. According to the "Red Beacon" website,  500 feet of chain-link fence would cost around $3500, and 500 feet of wooden fence would cost $9000! 

Invisible fences work on a simple principal. When a dog, wearing a special collar, starts to cross the underground wire line, the dog gets a static shock. The shock is not dangerous, and the level can often be controlled.

Many dog owners and professionals discourage the use of these fences. Some of the reasons for this are listed below.

• Some dogs will just decide to run over the wire, regardless of the shock. Some dogs might not understand that the wire is all over the yard, and run over the wire. After getting the shock, the dog may be too frightened to come back into the yard.
• If you take off your dog's collar and forget to put it back on, if the batteries wear out, or if the line goes dead, the electric fence obviously has no effect.
• Stray dogs can still enter a yard with invisible fencing. 
•  An invisible fence offers no protection against theft for your dog.

That being said, an invisible fence can be a good alternative to a real fence- but it will probably only be safe  if the dog is supervised while it is outside. If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, or ever spends time outside while you are gone, you probably need to have a secure chain-link or wooden fence.