radio fences

[Loladelrivo]

Do radio fences work for controlling beagles?

[woofgang]

they aren't reliable for controlling any dog. The dog can learn to put up with the shock to leave the area, the collars do fail, batteries run out and they must be worn 24/7
IMO they are a bad heartless idea? why would you get a dog for a companion and want to hurt it?

[josaphine32]

I was thinking about getting one also, I do not think anyone on here would try to hurt there companion on purpose woofgang, its more the case of if you have a dog that is hell bent on getting out on to a main road to cause injury to itself or a mother and child in a car on a school run then i think you would try to do anything.

[kita1]

No they don't work.

Dog gets a shock as it leaves the area - why then would it go back over the line? To get ANOTHER shock? Now you have a loose/lost beagle.

Beagles get a scent - they become totally oblivious to anything else and follow said scent. They will go through anything.

Also I would not leave a dog in any type of collar unattended. The dog can get a paw caught in the collar and cause terrible injuries. The collar can get caught on something.

What if the collar malfunctions and the dog gets constant shocks?

Suppose some children go past the fence, see the dog and call it over (or tease it) - dog goes over gets a shock, who caused the shock in the dogs mind? Now it hates children - they caused it pain!

[gelda]

Good answer Kita, totally aggree with you.

[woofgang]

so do I. Get a solid fence!

[woofgang]

Should add that I lived in New Jersey USA for a while a few years ago. Many of the properties were unfenced there and quite a few people tried the radio (lets be honest SHOCK COLLAR) fences. they didn't work well because stray dogs could still enter the property and leave again at will (no collar) and dogs still would chase deer, squirrels etc over the property line and then be reluctant to cross back again

[Loladelrivo]

My gut feeling is that the fence won't work unless you train the dog properly using the flags and the usual rewards. I believe you have to remind the dog by walking around the perimeter so it hears the warning sound first. There's nothing cruel about that - anyway I'm going to try, as otherwise my beagle will be hit by a car or stolen. I suppose I have to prove how much I love her by putting in a major effort on an ongoing basis. Thanks for the advice.

[kita1]

How will it stop her being stolen?

Anyone can simply walk into the area, pick her up and carry her out!! In fact it will encourage people to steal her as there is no visible barrier.

Also any other dog can come in and attack her (or mate with her if she has not been spayed) and possibly kill her.

Far better to spend the time and money on a proper fence.

Or (a far more novel idea) really show her how much you love her and keep her in the house as a pet.

[Loladelrivo]

Thankfully people cannot get onto the farm but there are a few holes in the hedges where she can get out. I am going to fence a small area at the back of the house and she is mostly indoors anyway. It's not viable to put a solid fence around a large area, whereas if the radio fence worked she could still run around happily in several fields and chase some rabbits.

[woofgang]

and what do you think she will do when the rabbits run past the shock fence....sorry it ain't gonna work!

[Loladelrivo]

Good news! Instead of allowing someone in to 'lamp' my rabbits, I got a tip from a website to put used cat litter along where the new hedge plants are to stop them from being completely eaten away by the huge rabbit population in my area and they seem to have moved on.

Anyway, I'm delighted. It's a really good idea so pass it on if you know anyone who has trouble with rabbits eating vegetable plots etc. Am going to try snips of human hair also as soon as I can get some.

The beagle was found trapped in sheep wire on Sunday, about a mile and a half away. Thankfully someone spotted her and left her in a coffee shop. She was right on the motorway which was very busy being a Sunday. I'm still waiting for the lad who promised to put up my fence for me. No sign of him. Started the radio fence training video.

In answer to your question about the rabbits and the fence - all the beagle does is run around in circles chasing various scent paths - she has no interest visually in the rabbits and has never come close to catching one. I think she would have to be trained with a pack to get that idea.