Putting in an electric pet fence is only the first, less important step of using one with your dog. To ensure the success of your new fence, you must plan to spend some serious time training your dog to respond appropriately. The training process isn’t difficult, but it does require consistency and practice.
Introduction
Once your invisible dog fence has been set up and the flags placed, it is time to train your dog. Take your dog out to the yard on a leash. Each time your dog gets close enough to the hidden wire to set off the warning sound on his collar, pull him back with a sharp "NO" command. If, after several repetitions of this discouragement, he continues to move towards the fence, let him get within shock distance.
It is important that the dog feel that by disobeying he creates a negative stimulus, not that your "NO" creates it. It is likely that after a few such shocks your dog will begin to get the picture. Keep this and future training sessions short, no more than 15-20 minutes in length.
Continued training
Once your dog has begun to associate the flag boundary with your "NO", the warning sound and the shock, you can start to remove flags. Remove every other flag, increasing the distance between markers gradually. One set every couple of weeks is normal. If you dog back slides, simply replace the flags and return to the earlier stage of training.
When your dog is consistent about stopping and turning around upon hearing the warning sound, you can take him off his leash. Once again, work with him so that he stops even without the leash holding him back. When the dog responds perfectly to the unseen boundary, you can consider the training complete. Periodic refresher sessions are helpful to most dogs.
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August 18th, 2009 