Wow, I can't believe Unplugged has posted what is essentially an ad for electric shocking your dog. "if your pet does break through the shock zone, he'll receive some more zaps to encourage him to come back" How is this not cruel? You have just lost a reader.

I don't think I could ever consider getting one of these UNLESS one of my dogs wasn't constantly running away from home every other day. Thankfully, my dogs just run away once or twice every couple of years & I'm able to get to them quickly.

"We recommend homes with larger yards or more than one dog use these. "

Why does this feel like a paid product placement?

geez, it blows me away how easily some people get offended. get over yourself.

the shock's not very strong. i don't see how this is any more 'cruel' than people with those metal collars or really anyone who tugs at their pet's leash.
most dogs are bright enough to learn the boundaries very quickly so it's not like they're shocked on a regular basis. even better, once they learn those boundaries, you can simply not turn on the collar (there's an on/off switch), but the dog will think it's on because they're wearing it.

my friends and i used to play with these all the time when we were in high school. it was fun to zap an unsuspecting friend! hardly electro-shock

One of the biggest problem with electric fences is that they don't restrict other animals from coming into your yard when your dog is outside. Just a thing to consider.

A friend had one and his dog would run through the shock to chase a deer. When he returned he would stop on the other side of the "fence" and bark until they went to fetch him. Dog wasn't stupid enough to get shocked twice.

We had one when I was a kid. I didn't like the idea but otherwise my parents would have gotten rid of the dogs. The line about not needing the collar for long because the dog will learn the boarder is BS though. The batteries die in the collar occasionally and my dog took off immediately every time.

Before you call someone cruel for using this fence make sure you've never had a cat declawed. And like Matt M my friends and I would shock each other with it all the time, not pleasant but not bad enough to discourage the game.

This does feel like an ad. There's no commentary beyond the pitch, a picture taken directly out of an ad, and seemingly no reason for posting this at this time. I also think that most people looking for dog fencing options will already know electric fences exist and like this has been written to profile one specific brand without comparison or any discernable reason.

Hi guys,
This isn't a paid post by PetSafe nor did we get the opportunity to test this out. The tone of the post was made to shock as well, as I don't really believe in using these things. Maybe it didn't come out as I planned. As mentioned in your comments, I've made a few changes to the post. At Unplggd, we tend to feature products in certain posts. This is just like any other.

Personally, as a dog owner myself, I don't believe in using something like this. I feel that pet owners who enough spend the time with their pets can train them well enough without needing this kind of thing. However, not all pet owners feel the same way. When you've got a lot of acreage, this might make a lot of sense to keep your dogs from leaving a designated area.

When I've had a lot of acreage, I've put up a physical fence in part of it, just for the dogs. Most places with acreage are rural or semi-rural, and under those conditions there's no way on earth I'd let my dogs run around with no barrier to keep out other animals. Coyotes, deer, and even other stray dogs can kill your dog. Not to mention, when your dog gets out (and it will), your neighbors may show their lack of appreciation by shooting it.

And in a suburban or urban setting, your dogs will be at risk from not only stray dogs, but neighborhood children. The last thing I need is some kid wandering into my yard, tormenting my dog, and getting bitten. Without a physical fence, I would be responsible, and in many communities, my dog would be put down. Again, no, thanks!

There's just no part of electronic fencing that sounds like a good idea to me.

We use an electric fence and it has been the best thing for our family and our dogs. We live on acerage with two large dogs. To fence the property would be unrealistic and to fence a small area just for them would be unfair. Also, one of the dogs has been know to jump 6 ft privacy fences so we weren't sold on the idea of a fence being able to keep her safe.

We installed an electric fence a couple of years back and now they have the ability to access all areas of our yard. There is a training proceedure that you go through when you install a fence that gives the dog helpful visual aids so they can learn where their new perimeter is. Once the dog moves closer the collar beeps to give a warning, if they move closer it vibrates, too close they get a shock. I accidently shocked myself with the collar one day and it was about the equivalent of a strong static charge, made me jump but did not hurt.

We have a lot of wildlife but neither of the dogs have ever run through the fence to go after another animal, they always stop right at the perimeter. We do not worry about them being harmed by another animal because we care for our dogs and keep an eye on them when they are outdoors, we don't just toss them out. This is not a cruel or mean solution. The electric fence has been a wonderful tool to help our dogs learn where their boundaries are and to also keep them safe. I think people hear the word electric and immediately assume that it is a powerful, painful shock.

One additional note, you can find cheaper versions of the fences at sporting goods stores like Cabella's in the hunting section. The ones they sell in the pet stores are very expensive and some do not seem as durable.