How old should a dog be before being introduced/trained to an electric fence?

[Lisa]

We don't want it to hurt him if he's too little.. and we're curious what age.. when we got it our old dogs were a lot older.. he's only 11 weeks right now. No major rush for it.. he's a german sheppard/ black lab mix.
It's an invisible fence.. they're the exact same thing.. it doesn't mentally hurt them.. or anything like that. His coat isn't going to effect it, we had our last two dogs with it and one was the exact same breed. I'm looking for an AGE not a bull shit answer

 

[mermaid]

i agree with 'chichimom'
ouch i really would not let my dog suffer and be in pain over something dumb like an electricfence when you chould just get a normal one, thats cruell!

 

[My Mutts are my Life:D]

No age. They're cruel. It's better to tie them up. (SUPERVISED!)

ADD: Not saying it's good to tie them up, but tying out on a stake is much much better then electrocuting him.

 

[jnm0978]

I'm not sure if there's a difference, but I'm guessing you mean an invisible fence. I looked into getting one of those several years ago and was told that 5 months is an ideal age to start training the dog to the boundaries.

 

[MSAD]

I would call the invisible fence manufacturer. Most of them have a customer service line for questions on installation and training.

Several members of my family have used the invisible fences with a lot of success. Some neighborhood covenants won't allow a physical fence - so in those areas, an invisible fence is your only option. I use an invisible fence to back up a chain link fence. Of the 8 dogs in my family that have an invisible fence, I have 1 that neither an invisible fence nor chain link will keep in. She's too smart for her own good! It requires a chain link fence AND and Invisible Fence brand fence to keep her in. So you do get the few dogs that just won't stay in the fence. But for the majority, an invisible fence is a safe affordable option.

A dog that is properly trained on an invisible fence does not suffer mental anguish. It's not cruel. A much more cruel option is having your dog tied out to a dog house in the yard or being run over by a car.

I've shocked myself a couple of times on the fence. I wanted to see what it felt like, so I held the box in my hand and stuck it through the fence on all 4 sides of the yard. It was like a very bad static electric shock. The kind that makes your hand tingle for a bit just after. It did not hurt, but do it a couple of times and you don't want to do it again.

 

[Sekikawa (??)]

You should never use electric collar and or fence, it could cause him/her mental issues such as being scared to go outside or scared to approach you [if elec collar]... think about it if your mom/dad put a electric collar on you or use a electric fence

You should start training once he/she is able to stand and his eyes are open...

When dogs are puppy their learning abilities are super high compared to a older dog... Start training your dog when he/she is 3 month old.
If you want to potty train it, do it as soon as possible because if he gets into the habit of pooping/peeing in the house he/she will always do it for the rest of his/her life unless you go through a serious/patient training...

Remember: Once dog does something he/she shouldn't be doing...you just ignore him/her, the dog will continue to do that thing because he/she doesn't know it's wrong

 

[ChichiMom]

I would NEVER use an electric fence. Do you like sticking your finger in a light socket ? Just put up a regular fence.

 

[Cora Monroe]

I have a friend who raises seeing eye dogs, and they have had five dogs with an invisible fence, all Labs, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. The signal on the fence isn't high enough, so the dogs learn to jump over the signal and run out of the yard anyway. My two neighbors have the same problem, one is a Lhasa Apso and the other is a Sheltie, and the dogs just run through the signal. They honestly do not work. You would be better off either putting up a small pen, walking them on a leash, or putting up a regular fence. I can't say that I endorse invisible fences in any way. They can really injure a dog's neck muscles, tendons, and nerves. To answer your question, 12 weeks is a good time to start training them to stay in the yard.