12/13/2024
E-fences, do they actually keep your dog safe? It actually turns out not so much. 😬
People often turn to electronic collars, and electronic fences, as the seemingly top-tier method of keeping their dog within a certain confined space. However, a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, found that they are actually significantly less effective than the bog standard fence types including privacy fences and see-through fences. In fact the dogs confined with an electronic fence were almost twice as likely to escape (44%) than those using the other fence types (23.3%).
This is also not the only issue with using an electronic fence/ e-fence to keep your dog confined compared to the more traditional fence types, such as...
❎ It doesn't prevent dangers entering, which could put you and your dog at risk.
Even if the fence was able to keep your dog in, it doesn't stop other creatures, or people, entering the space that could either hurt your dog or even try to steal them. A privacy fence, or other fence type, would not only deter a dog from leaving but unwanted visitors from coming in too.
❎ If the dog does get out, they may not be able to get back in.
Sometimes dogs are hit with such strong adrenaline it will surpass the pain of the e-collar shock, this could be due to fear, prey drive or something else. This could leave them free outside the confinement area where they could get hurt, or become exhausted, and then not be in the same state of adrenaline in order to get in again, leaving them vulnerable and stuck outside the confinement area.
❎ It can create unexpected or unintended negative associations if the dog gets shocked whilst watching something near the fence line.
Dogs like to watch things, we all know dogs who sit at the window all day to have a nosey at what is going on in the neighbourhood. If your dog is watching at the fence line, and see something interesting, such as another dog or person, they may inadvertently move forward enough to receive a shock. They may now associate whatever they were watching with this negative consequence, which could lead to fear or even aggression if they encounter the same or similar visual later on.
So E-fences are not only not as effective as they are often perceived to be, but they also carry their own specific risks on top of that as well. So if you wish to keep your dog safe, I would recommend to always aim for a suitable physical fence, rather than relying on an e-collar. 👍
You can find the study quoted in the graphic here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28117644/ #:~:text=Dogs%20confined%20by%20an%20electronic,22%2F82%20%5B26.8%25%5D).
