Personally I would not recommend an electric fence at all. After installing the fence and then TRAINING your dog to recognize the fence, you are still eft with a couple of alarming issues. One - any other dog can come into the elctronic fence area - leaving your dog unprotected from other dogs (especially a pack of them) The second reason comes from a neighbors experience. They put up an electronic fence, when through all the training and within a month of having the fence up, a pack of dogs came by and the owners of the elecrtic fence had their dog outside with the collar and fence on. Their dog took off after the other dog getting zapped on the way outside the perimeter of the fence, she chased the other dogs off all pumped up with adrenaline and hardly felt the sting of the fence however when trying to return to her home to get water and lay down, she was repeatedly repelled by the fence (having no adrenaline left) she was stuck outside the fence perimeter for hours trying to get home and getting zapped every time. Her owners found her exhausted and terrified and brought her home. The next day and each day since, she has refused to go outside, having been traumatized by the fence zapping her for hours whicl she tried to get to a safe place. It is easier to take your dog for a good 45 minute leash walk everyday, while you check on the condition of your property, and put up a tree cable and put your dog in a harness while it is on the cable for outside access while you are at home but want the dog outside. my second suggestion is to build a nice dog run for your dog, chain link fencing and a nice dog house with a nice cover and overhang might do the trick - good luck with whatever you decide

For my (positive) opinion of electronic fences, as well as other people's opinions (positive and negative) read the thread below.

In my opinion, experiences such as mazer describes above can be avoided by 1) not leaving the dog completely unattended, and 2) careful thought into the design of the fence. For example, our dogs can return to the front porch without being shocked, and they know it.

Here is a link that might be useful: electronic fence discussion

Are you talking about an electric fence such as the ones used for livestock,etc. or an electronic fence? Big difference.

The ones used for livestock are wonderful ...if unsightly.
Run far away from the other kinds.

I bought one on ebay paid about 200.00 for it it covers a acre and came with a 5 level collar. I love it. I trained my 5 month old golden retriever with in 5 days.I installed myself in a few hours.
I now just have it on level two. He has never out stepped the boundries. He has had no problems getting shocked when he stays with in the boundry area. he knows how far he can go and stays inside the correct area. He is not ever left outside alone when we are not home.
I'm very pleased with it. And don't have to worry about him wandering off. We do live in the country on a private road. But I still want him enclosed on my property..

I'm repeating what I posted on another forum in reply to Roorezzi's question, if only to inform others to the best of my ability. Again, it's Roo's choice and sometimes it is the best option for some situations...

If it is your only choice for such a large and rough-terrained area then I say go for it. Otherwise, I am not a fan. I managed a shelter for many years and I've had my share of experience with both large and small dogs. We got lots of 'escapees'.

My biggest complaint is that they do not protect your animal from other predators, but leave your animal trapped. Obviously, this may be more of an issue for animals in a more residential type of neighborhood (taunting children, dog-theft, etc.). The wild predators are really more of an issue in rural areas. However, roaming "packs" of feral or discarded dogs can be a big threat to pets in either rural or residential areas.

Additionally, some animals just find that the "zap" is worth it or if not -- they've blasted through it so fast that "worth it" wasn't a consideration -- they were moving too fast to stop or think.

In our area, a local talk-radio host advertises one of the products mentioned above. However, he neglects to mention that his **previous** pet (last year) was attacked by cayotes in his own yard. His Jack Russell was trapped in their half-acre back yard during the attack. Bear in mind your own location. If someone else is letting their undisciplined dog roam, that can spell trouble for your dog in such a situation.

Nothing beats a really good fence.

Before you consider the purchase of an electronic fence, make sure your dog is suited for one. If your dog has a high prey drive or a high tolerance for pain then even the best e-fence won't contain him. If you live in an area where roaming dogs or wildlife are a problem, then you will be subjecting your dog to possible attack. Never let your dog in your yard unattended.

If you choose to get the e-fence, go with a good company like Invisible Fence - http://www.invisiblefence.com/ They will train you in the proper use of the fence.

And here's when Mr Mouth comes in and says

"Don't be cheap, get a real fence.

If you live on an acre+ that's wooded, you can afford it. Black chain link in the woods is barely noticeable if not actually looks rather nice."

Then there is the tumult that follows.....

I used the orig "Invisable fence" for years with Parson Russell Terriers. I used it as a tool to allow the dogs freedon when we were outside or a quick late nite in/out. It was wonderful and I certainly had a high prey breed. Good training and supervision are necessary as stated above because of wild animals and other loose pets can come on your property.

We installed an "invisible fence" (Radio Fence?) about 6 months ago for our standard schnauzer. So far, it has been great. Careful training is necessary; early on, while we were still training and he was learning the boundaries, someone let him out without the collar and he wandered into the neighbor's yard (and quickly caught.) Now, however, he happily runs and roams within our yard and will not approach the "fence" line. He loves other dogs and balls--will stop short of chasing a ball which rolls too far, a teasing bunny hopping just outside the boundary, and sits and watches his "girlfriend" until she comes into our yard to play.

Yes, other animals can enter your yard. We've returned four dogs over the past 6 months, all of whom escaped fenced yards which either had a gate left open or the dog dug under the fence. While I'm in a somewhat rural area, we don't have a problem with aggressive wild animals or roaming dogs so that is not a concern for us. I agree one does need to supervise a dog outside, and perhaps especially with an invisible fence which does not offer any physical barrier.

Thanks again for your responses.

My DH does not like a chain link fence and it will be very difficult dig deep holes for any kind of post.

I didn't address this in my other response on decorating - I forgot...

We do live in a rural area but only have deer come through every morning and night. We are set back from the orad in the front with woods covering entire front except driveway. We dont have to worry about taunting kids - not too many dogs walk up the street. We also have an empty lot in on both sides and the house behind us is so far back that we can't even see their house.

Another thing is that we will not leave her unattended all the time. She is mostly outside when we are out there. Sometimes she'll lay on the deck and now she could walk around a little.

We will prob go with a PetSafe like one. There is one made by the same company as PetSafe thats called Sprt Dog that one got very good reviews. It has a vibrate feature as well.

Thanks again
Ruth