By GLENN GARNETT
One of the joys of going to the cottage is letting your dog run free of a leash in the great outdoors. With chipmunks to chase, trees to christen and a smorgasbord of smells to sniff, a getaway to the cottage can be as uplifting for your pooch as it is for you.
Of course pets, like kids, have a talent for getting into trouble when left unattended. They can run out onto roads, dig up your neighbour’s garden or get into other mischief in the woods.
Tying your dog up takes the fun out of it for both of you. Putting up a fence even on a modest-sized parcel of cottage land can be pricey and may not be esthetically pleasing. What are you gonna do?
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An "invisible fence" could be the hi-tech solution for you. Guy Francis of Invisible Fence of Huntsville, Ontario says his company offers a money-back guarantee that their radio-receiver collars will keep your pet where you want him to be.
"Invisible Fence has been in business for 27 years and that’s all they make - pet containment systems," Francis says. "We guarantee containment of your dog or your money back. The warranties are tough to beat."
The company, in fact, boasts a success rate of 99.2% at keeping dogs safe at home, regardless of size, breed, temperament or intelligence and says over 750,000 dogs stay put behind Invisible Fencing.
Here’s now the system works in a nutshell: a thin antenna wire is buried underground along a boundary you wish to set for your animals.
"There’s a transmitter that sends a signal through the wire - it’s actually a radio signal, there’s no electricity going through it," Francis explains. "When your dog approaches the limit, within a few feet before he actually gets to the wire, the receiver he wears around his neck picks up the signal and gives him a little static shock. The shock is programmable at different levels, depending on the dog’s size and temperament. The dog consequently turns away."
As a pet lover, you may find that shocking, but Francis assures it’s not harmful at all.
"We’re associated with the SPCA (The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and they recommend our product highly," he says. "In fact, our best advertisement locally are the vets who hand out brochures for us. That’s where I get about half of my business."
It’s a simple premise, but it’s not quite plug and play - there’s a little work involved for both you and your pet.
"There is some on-leash training first, with little flags put in the ground around your property and that’s for both the owner and the dog to realize where his boundaries are," Francis says. "Under control of the leash you allow him to cross the boundary, so he feels what’s going to happen. Then you pull the dog back into the ‘safe’ part of the yard and give him lots of praise."
Francis says this is a case where you actually can teach an old dog new tricks. The ideal age to start a pet on the Invisible Fence system is between four to six months.
"It isn’t necessarily true that younger dogs get the hang of it before older dogs," he says. "Some dogs learn quicker than others, just like people!"
The approach is endorsed by vets and trainers on both sides of the border.
Francis says the cost of Invisible Fence systems vary but start at about $499 and the size of the property you can surround is "basically unlimited."
"There are also a lot of different options available like a battery backup available for power outages, and there are double-loop systems available so you can surround a garden or pool area within the bounds of your property," he says.
There’s an added bonus for cottages with water frontage: "You can put the wire right in the water and the collar is completely waterproof," Francis says.
If you’ve got a whole menagerie of pets, it’s possible to get multiple collars for the same system. The company also boasts a high success rate with cats, who are notorious for ignoring their owners’ wishes.
Francis says deer are regular visitors to the outskirts of his property - but he has no worries about his dog racing after them. Other advantages over fences - your dog can’t dig its way under it and the wires can easily be run over hilly, uneven terrain. And, if you decide to sell your cottage property and relocate elsewhere, you can pull up the wires and take it with you. Try that with a Frost Fence!
Invisible Fence also offers in-home systems designed to keep pets out of rooms, off stairways and away from tables and countertops, working on the same principles as the outdoor systems using a radio signal and a computer collar.
You can buy the kit and install it for yourself or an Invisible Fence dealer can do it for you. The system itself is guaranteed forever, with a lifetime guarantee on all the parts. The system isn’t sold in stores, so to find a dealer near you, check out their website at www.ifco.com. Or call 1-800-578-DOGS.
