It is always a wonderful moment when we first pick-up our puppy from the breeder, or when we adopt that sweet dog from the humane society. At that point we are in love with the idea of all the wonderful times we will look forward to with our new companion. However, soon after arriving home reality sets in and we realize that we also need to figure out how we are going to house train our new friend, stop them from chewing on the furniture, keep them from eating our shoes, and keep them safe in our yard when we can’t be out there with them.
These issues can usually be dealt handled with time and training, but how to keep our dog safe in our yard usually means that we need to make a financial investment. So let’s look at some of the different puppy and dog containment options.
Table of Contents
The Rope
Everyone knows this method. First, put a post in the ground. Then attach one end of a rope to the post and the other end of the rope to your dog’s collar.
While this might be the cheapest way to go, it isn’t ideal. Sure it might do the trick for a weekend at grandma’s to make sure that your dog doesn’t run in the street, but it probably isn’t the solution you want at home. After all, do you really want to run outside every 5 minutes to untangle the mess of rope that is wrapped about the trees, bushes, and the kids’ play set? If that isn’t enough to change your mind just wait until you get your first rope burn. OUCH!
Barrier Fences
Some people with small children will gravitate toward this option. Not only will you be able to keep your dog from running out in the street, but you will keep your little ones safe too (until they learn how to crawl over or open the fence).
Even if you are a do it yourselfer who finds a great deal on materials, this option can certainly be the more expensive way to go, especially if you have a good sized yard.
You should also keep in mind that many dogs figure out how to dig under the fence.
In addition, be prepared for fence maintenance (especially for wooden fences). Nothing can ruin curb appeal quite like a dilapidated fence encircling your yard.
Wireless Fence (Radio Fence – with no wires)
A few hundred dollars can usually get you one of these systems.
The bonus to having one of these systems is that, due to the fact that it is wireless, it is portable and easy to setup. These units cover a circular area of ½ an acre or more for your dog to play in. Some of these units also allow you to add additional transmitters to give your dog a larger area.
One challenge for this type of system is that depending on where you can place the transmitter and the dimensions of your yard it might not allow your dog to play in certain areas of your yard.
You should know that if the dog goes past the boundary they will receive a safe electric correction from the collar that comes with the fence. Depending on the type of system you buy the level of correction can sometimes be adjusted. Since we don’t want our pets getting needless corrections you will need to plan on spending time training your dog to not go past the boundaries of the fence when you first use it.
Underground (Invisible Fence – with wires)
This type of fence can often be purchased for around $150 – $350 depending on the type of system you are looking for and the size of your yard. While not as easy to setup as the wireless fence systems it can still be easily done by a do it yourselfer.
If you are not a do it yourselfer you can pay to have this type of fence installed for approximately $1000 and higher. The price will vary depending on the type of system, size of your yard and the layout you want for the fence.
One advantage to this type of fence is that you can easily customize the layout of the fence to your exact specifications. You don’t need to worry/think about the range of a transmitter like you would with wireless fence systems.
Similar to the wireless fence, you should know that if the dog goes past the boundary of the fence they will receive a safe electric correction from the collar that comes with the fence. Depending on the type of system you buy the level of correction can sometimes be adjusted. Since we don’t want our pets getting needless corrections you will need to plan on spending time training your dog to not go past the boundaries of the fence when you first use it.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this helped you sort out some of the different options that you have at your disposal to help keep your dog safe and happy.
