Pets and Their People Blog

When Charlee was adopted, her family wanted to keep her safe while enjoying their yard. So, they installed an electronic containment system (ECS). An ECS consists of a wire buried around the perimeter of the property. The dog wears a collar with an electronic device sensing when it is close to the wire. When the collar is close to the wire, it charges and delivers a beep and/or electric shock.

An ECS business installed the system. The installer put the collar on Charlee to “get used to it.” Then he configured it to beep when she approached the wire. Ultimately, he configured it to beep first, and then deliver an electric shock, when she was close to the wire. 

Finally, he repeatedly took Charlee too close to the to the wire to shock her, until she “understood” to stay in the yard.

The installer spent less than an hour with the family. He never followed up to learn how things were going. 

As Charlee’s guardian stated, “Such a franchise is not necessarily owned by a dog person. It is more likely a business person and the installation was nothing more than a transaction.” 

A System, Not a Barrier

Shortly after the shock containment system was installed, Charlee was in the yard and saw a dog on the median dividing four lanes of traffic…and went to greet the dog.

In her excitement, Charlee crossed the buried wire and the collar around her neck delivered the electric shock. Now afraid to move, she froze on the median. She then refused to return to the yard where she had been shocked. 

Her family was upset the shock containment system defeated the reason for installing it in the first place, keeping Charlee safely in the yard. But they had been led to believe the best way to let her have freedom to run around the yard was the e-fence. 

Yet, research has shown the escape rate is higher for dogs kept within an ECS than for dogs within a physical fence.

“Just a Beep?”

Some time afterward, Charlee was inside the home. She lay on the floor beside her owners, wearing the shock collar. Her family heard the collar beeping and then Charlee was shocked. Repeatedly. Her guardian eventually found a wire along the basement rafters, which was charging the collar in the same way as the underground fencing system does. 

Charlee’s family discarded the shock collar and moved to a new home with a physical fence.

However, the shock collar fear-learning experience followed Charlee to her new home as well. And, she was so frightened when the telephone answering machine beeped, she refused to enter the room where the answering machine was located, even when there was no beeping sound.

Her fear also generalized to beeping sounds on television. But the most heartbreaking response, according to her family, was when a smoke detector battery died and emitted a constant screeching beep which terrified Charlee.

Sadly, Charlee also had a long history of being afraid of thunderstorms, gunfire and fireworks. With this underlying sound sensitivity, it would have been helpful if the underground fence installer asked about such things or cautioned about unintended fallout of using a shock containment system in the yard, but no warnings were given.

Consumer Transparency

Ten years passed and Charlee began resisting walking in her neighborhood. 

That change corresponded with road construction near the family’s home. Construction vehicles operated all day long, with loud beepers sounding whenever they backed up. Charlee’s generalized fearful responses to things not related to the original shock containment system haunted her – and her family- even a decade later. (Fearful events are recorded in the amygdala and remain persistent.) 

As consumers, they were never informed of the potential harmful consequences of using this product sold for pets. None of these unintended harmful outcomes were anticipated when the family sought to keep their new puppy safe from vehicle traffic at their original home.

Due to the love and devotion of her family, after successful force-free behavior modification, Charlee finally enjoyed a shock-free life, enjoying her yard, with a physical fence for safety.

What You Can Do

You have many safe, effective options for encouraging your dog to stay in your yard.

1. Fun training games – In this video, Emily Larlham introduces and demonstrates force-free boundary training. (4:46)
2. Build trust and connection – Work with an educated professional and learn to build a trusting relationship with your dog while teaching important life skills such as: Look, Touch, Leave It, Find It, Engage-Disengage, Loose-leash Walking, Recall, and Look at That.
3. Be proactive – Use a long lead and/or physical fence in addition to active supervision when your pet is outdoors.
4. Get curious – Explore Predation Substitute Training for working with your dog’s natural instincts rather than against them.

About the Author

Daniel H. Antolec, PCT-A, CCBC-KA, CPDT-KA began teaching dogs in 2011 and founded Happy Buddha Dog Training . He teaches dogs in a way that makes it fun for pet stewards and pets alike, emphasizing the welfare of all stakeholders.