Invisible Fence UPDATE

A while back I wrote about installing our invisible fence for the dogs. Someone recently asked for an update so here one is =)

The decision to get an electric fence has definitely been a good one for us. We only have a small section of the driveway where the dogs might run off, the rest of our backyard is blocked. 

The dogs respect the fence. They've only zapped themselves right at the beginning when they were learning how to use the fence. Now they put some space between themselves and the fence. So much so now that we let them outside quite often without their collars on. 

Emma modeling her collar-free neck while looking down the driveway at our neighbors

Jack modeling his collar-free neckline.

I will say that Emma did run over the fence last month. We hadn't put her collar on her in a couple of weeks and I think she had been testing how far down the driveway she could get without getting zapped. Well, a man walked his dog in our yard and Emma decided she couldn't stand his taunting anymore. I don't know if it was the fact that she hadn't been zapped in a while, or the fact that a dog was marking "her" yard, or a combination of both, but she took off after the dog. Jack, being a follower, took off after Emma. I have seen other dogs walk by our house, and have seen squirrels and cats in our yard without Emma running after them... so all in all I think the fence has been a great choice and has served us really well!

Hope that is a helpful update!

Well, I'm 'Shocked' To Say...

Well, I'm shocked to say that we got an electric dog fence for our yard. Miguel and I explored lots of fencing options and when it came down to it, an electric fence was the best solution for us. I was against an electric fence from the start because my general perception was that they were cruel. I was also worried that our dogs wouldn't be fazed by the shock and still run out of our yard. Furthermore, I recently read that dog snatching is on the rise and I didn't too much care for the idea of the dogs running around outside where someone could easily take them away. However, after researching options we chose to install an electric dog fence.

The previous owners of our house had some really strange fencing going on in the backyard. First of all our driveway extends past the back of our house by quite a few yards. With the exception of the driveway, the rest of the backyard is fenced. Then there was this really strange fencing going on in the middle of the back yard.  So when Miguel and I bought the house our original plan was to tear down all the fencing and replace it with a tall, wooden privacy fence. However, as it turns out, the current fencing on each side of the yard belongs to three of our different neighbors. So that x-ed out the privacy fence. We thought that would look strange to have it flush up against our neighbors chain linked fence. Next we discussed building an electric gate to span the distance of the driveway and to act as a barrier for the dogs to keep them in the backyard. However, we couldn't agree on a look and decided that if we were going to spend the money on an electric gate we'd rather have it match the surrounding fence and we didn't want a chain link gate. All of this led us to make the decision that an underground, electric dog fence would best suit our needs.

The invisible fence creates no visual clutter, mismatched fencing, or obstacle for our cars when parking. It also proved to be far more economical than building a fence or gate. We ordered the electric dog fence online and had it delivered to our house. As an added perk we were able to install it ourselves, which also saved us some cash. Miguel researched electric dog fences (which I will call "EDF" from now on) and we decided to go with PetSafe's Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence. This system came with 500 feet of wire, the boundary flags, and one collar. We picked up an extra collar from Home Depot for around $50. This EDF system is good because it has lightning protection as well as for different levels of shock and a vibration only mode.

Emma modeling her new collar

The EDF arrived late last week and Miguel and I tackled the project of installing it over Labor Day Weekend. I say "we" liberally, as Miguel did most of the work! First we had to determine where the boundaries were going to be. We decided that we wanted the dogs contained to the backyard. There is a small part of the front yard where the dogs can go, but they are currently unaware of this. The line crosses over our driveway through an expansion crack. After we laid the line in the expansion crack we filled it up with concrete sealer (I'm sure there is a more exact term to what we used but I have no clue as to what is was) as well as some sand and dirt. For the front yard we used an electric yard tool to dig a small trench to lay the line in and then filled it back in with dirt. In the back yard, Miguel just threaded the line through the existing fence instead of trying to fight the thorn bushes. It's not really noticeable and not even really necessary since there is a physical fence, but the line needed to be a loop. We placed the boundary flags in the yard and we were done!

Once it was all installed it was time to teach the dogs. I was so anxious about this part. You never, ever, ever want to see someone or something you love be in pain. So, of course Miguel and I tested the shock level of the collars on ourselves first. I was relieved to learn that it honestly doesn't hurt. It really is much more just a shock... like a shock you would receive if someone came up behind you and grabbed your shoulders. It's more startling because you weren't expecting it rather than a shock because of a sharp pain. We did everything the EDF training manual said do to. We took both the dogs out on leashes and walked them to the boundary edge line while speaking encouragingly to them. My tender heart almost shattered to pieces the first time Emma got shocked and jumped back! The training is supposed to last a couple of weeks at minimum, but one shock was enough for Emma. She won't even go near the section of driveway that is parallel to the house. She also instantly made the connection that the flags were connected to the shock. She really is one of the smartest dogs I've ever known. And then there is Jack.

We set Jack's collar on training/vibrate mode (Emma's didn't have that since we purchased it separately). Jack was more than willing to walk over the boundary line, let his collar vibrate, and then come back to "Good boy, Jack!" and a treat on the other side. Completely did not faze him. So we upped the ante and set his collar on shock mode. At first he seemed more curious.  It took him a few more times than Emma to realize that crossing over the flag line meant a shock for him. But, luckily, it didn't take him too long to learn not to walk towards the end of the driveway. We made this progress through multiple, short lessons during the day. I think it really helped that there is only one part of the yard that they cannot cross without getting shocked since the rest of the yard is already fenced. I think the training would have taken a lot longer if they had to learn the boundaries of a larger yard with only the flags as their visual markers. 

It has been SO nice to be able to go outside and let the dogs out too without having to leash them or worry about them running away! Miguel and I played volleyball together the other night and the dogs just chased each other around and we didn't have to think twice about where they were. It's also so nice to be able to just open the door to let them out, especially first thing in the morning. And I know I'll appreciate this even more when the weather gets colder. Emma is also much quicker to do her business when she has free roam and is off leash. The dogs are loving it even more than we are! They are just bounding around the yard with the biggest smiles and widest tail wags! They are constantly finding sticks (which Jack always tries to bring in the house) and chasing each other! 

When they play like this I always think of Lion King and the slow motion fight at the end between Scar and Simba!

Unfortunately, Emma's habit of digging holes at the dog park has found its way into our backyard as well! She loves to dig and always does so with such tenacity, determination, and purpose! I know it can be a really bad habit, especially when we get around to landscaping, but she is just so cute to watch dig! Watching Jack explore Emma's work and then attempt to dig too is also just too freaking adorable as well!

The only snag we have come across in this whole process is with the dog who lives in the yard directly behind ours. We share a fence with those neighbors so their dog and our dogs have sniffed each other and have run along the fence with each other in the past. However, they can no longer touch noses due to the EDF. Emma wont get close, but Jack is finding it really hard to resist the urge to bound over to his friend. They also have small children and Jack just can't stand it when they come up to the fence. He goes over to get some pats and just takes the shock I guess. He wags so I assume it doesn't bother him that bad...

Cute dog next door neighbor!

Checking out the neighbor's dog from a safe distance

Jack really wants to get closer!

All in all I'd say I'm very happy with our decision to go with an electric fence! The dogs seem happy and I feel like they are safer than before. While we were at it, we also started to take down that ridiculous half fence too. Miguel did the majority of the work as he had to dig huge holes and wrestle the concrete blocks and poles out of the ground. We still have one little section to take out (see the 'gate' below), but just having the middle section out makes the backyard feel larger and allows the dogs to run around more freely.

I had a little shovel =) 

What we've removed so far

Please keep this gate closed....

Since it leads to an open area....?

I also just want to end this post by quickly saying thank you to my Gramma for the housewarming gift of the EDF and also to my daddy for giving us the yard tools we needed to install it! Yall are the best!

Ready for Wag-O-Ween!

Tomorrow my apartment complex is having Wag-O-Ween, so we went to Petsmart today to get my Halloween costume! There were a couple of options, but most were going to be too hot for the weather here. (It's been in the low 80's this week! Someone needs to remind Savannah that it's supposed to feel like fall in late October. Come on!) So to stay cool we decided to be a jester.

I didn't handle Petsmart very well. I barked... a lot! But I got to get two new toys! New is great!

It's been a while...

Here's a little catch up of what I've been up to the past few weeks.

My mom and I went to visit my grandma a few weeks ago to help her out with her eye surgery. I was a very big helper. I was always willing to sit on and offer up my cuteness to make grandma feel better. Nothing is better than a puppy letting you know how cute they are. 

I was also very helpful as a guard dog. My grandparents have this evil, little bulldog in their basement. No worries. I immediately let it know I was in charge. However, the bulldog posed no threat to myself or my family so I quickly engaged it with a play bow.  I don't know what it is about bulldogs... but I just don't like them. Mom says I get that from my daddy's side of the family. 

While we were in Atlanta we decided to address another issue. Too many people call me a boy. I know a lot of people generally assume if you're a dog, you're a boy. Obviously this is not true. So my mom decided I needed a makeover to help people out. 

First, my grandma bought me a very cute, pink collar.

However, Dad likes my Georgia Tech collar very much so mom picked up a little something to dress it up. She found a clip-in hair bow for little girls, but when added to my collar it's the perfect accessory to show off my feminine side. 

Something else very big happened when I visited my grandparents! Remember my Aunt Bailey? She had to wear a muzzle whenever I was around?

Well now we're friends! No more muzzle. We actually L.O.V.E playing together! Yay! This makes my mom and grandma very happy. But confuses my Uncle Luke. He'd rather play with toy playing keep-away rather than wrestle like Bailey and me. 

My grandparents from my dad's side came down to visit a few weekends ago too! I was so excited because they brought my Uncle Scottie! I love playing with him!

 However, the only downside  (according to my mom and dad) to playing with my Uncle Scottie and Aunt Bailey is that I've become a little more vocal recently. So my parents bought this thing that supposedly makes a high pitched noise that only I can hear when I bark. The jury is still out on whether or not it's helping. 

Also, because I do a lot of this:

the white couch often looks like this:

 So mom and dad bought this thing. It's advertised to sweep up pet hair from furniture... ha! Joke is on them! My hair seems to be too short for this tool to be effective.

My Grandmador brought this down with her a couple of weeks ago. 

It's a brush thing that is really effective on my Uncle Scottie. For me, it's more effective as a toy. 

Let's see... what else has been going on?

Remember when I did this?

Well mom replaced it with this...

More appropriate since I spend most of my time out on the porch. It's been out there for a while now and I haven't chewed it up! Snaps for me!

Mom also bought this cute leash-hook thing for my growing collection of harnesses and collars. The sign is very true by the way. It reads "Home is where the dog is"... well duh. 

I still very, very much like to be "on" and "with"... or behind. However I can just be close.

Mom also wants to show you some pictures of some "cute" puppies (obviously not as cute as me) that she and her friend Erin ran into at a pet adoption day in Atlanta this weekend. Mom said she really wanted to bring one home for me to have a little sister or brother, but I like being the only child and am glad it's still just our family of three.