Pet containment!?

[*newmomma*]

Hey all...we're beginning negotiations for our first family dog this summer. We live in a rural area on 3.5 acres and are not interested in a physical above ground fence. The road we live on is a typical country road where people drive way too fast. I'm looking for recommendations on other options to keep the new baby safe. Is the Invisible Fence super expensive comparatively speaking? I see DIY options on Amazon and other sites. What about the type that does a set radius around a certain point? Any good or bad experiences and advice are welcome!

[mmsmom]

We have 4 acres and have an installed electric fence from Pet Stop. The cost was around $1200. The shelter and rescue groups here all require an installed electric fence (meaning wire in the ground) vs the plug in kind. Beware that it takes about a month to thoroughly train the dog and for me it was about 6 months before I felt comfortable that he would not under any circumstance leave the fenced area. About 2.5-3 acres of our property is fenced and the dog would probably have been fine with just an acre. It is set back about 100 ft from the road. The one thing I didn't anticipate and wish I had is that the dog has access to the driveway where cars come and go. I still worry about UPS and other trucks... our regular delivery people know the dog and don't come in the driveway but we have to be careful about other deliveries, repair people, etc. it would be much easier if the dog didn't have access to that area. Also, we do not leave him out if we are not home.

[marymoo86]

If considering this type of electronic fencing, be aware certain dog breeds work better with this type of containment.

[trales]

We have a self installed electric fence that I bought from Cabela's. We have a Newfoundland and acres of woods. It has been great. The install took about a half day, but it was $300 rather than $3000 to pay someone to do it. Totally worth it for DIY, the hardest part was just the time to weave around the trees, in the woods, we just brushed the dirt aside, we did not bury - it has been 5 years - zero breaks in the line.