Securing Dogs Without Fences Saves Money and Lives

All dogs (even your Poodle) are born with territorial instincts. What does this tell you? Well, it implies that you need to teach your canine what his territory is. Even then, it gets a little bit tricky when the stubbornness kicks in.

But, you can still confine your dog within specific perimeters without erecting a fence. Yes. You don’t have to punish your dog every time he strays as it only worsens the problem. Besides, you’ll reduce your chances of instilling obedience drills to your animal.

With that in mind, here’s how to deal your natural wanderer with making more aggressive than he already is.

Shock Collar

As merchdope.com explains, a shock collar is one of the best ways to curb unwanted behavior in your dog. With one around his neck, you can deal with excessive barking or food aggression at the touch of a button. Plus, you can train your pup to stay within your property while they’re off leash.

Sure, shock collars will vibrate around your dog’s neck, but they’re not a form of punishment. Think of them as a deterrent to unsafe or negative behavior. The idea is that your furry friend will associate stubbornness with the uncomfortable jolt and stop doing until he doesn’t need a reminder.

Most collars allow you to fiddle with the level of enforcement. That way, you can set the intensity of vibration based on the unwanted behavior that you want to reprimand.

Why would you want to use a shock collar on your dog? For starters, it keeps you in charge of when and how to train your dog. On top of that, it takes a couple of weeks for your canine to learn what you expect from him.

Also, you don’t have to be present to restrain behaviors such as uncontrolled barking. And, you can get a high-quality unit without burning through your purse.

Clicker Training

Clicker training, as the name suggests, involves pairing a click with a treat every time your dog steps away from a boundary. Note that the click comes before the snack. Think of it as a strategy to enable your dog to listen and obey.

Is this method effective? Of course! See, food is any canine’s weakness. So, a food-reward based training will always work. Avoid clicking without rewarding your pet as it may not get you the results that you want.

Keep in mind that dogs thrive in reliability and predictability. If you stop using the clicker without the treat, it will be only a matter of time before your animal starts to step away from the set boundaries. Still, be careful not to make the treats some form of bribe. To fix this, be sure to carry treats around, even when you’re not training. That way, your furry friend will learn that the presence of snacks doesn’t mean that he should have them.

Avoid carrying a pack of treats when clicker training. Instead, leave them in your house. Retrieve them only when your dog performs well with a boundary task. Repeat the procedure until your pet understands the access point to a yummy treat is what you want.

Perimeter Training

Walk your dog along a boundary in your yard. The method works perfectly for unfenced yards that you want your animal to guard. Be sure to point your fingers on the supposed perimeter. You can also erect flags to mark the territory. Again, repeat the process for a couple of weeks until your canine gets used to it.

After that, walk around but don’t point this time. You can use sweeping gestures as a way of indicating the boundary line your dog should stick to. Make sure that you do this at least four times a day for the best results.

Start giving simple commands such as “no” or “leave it” every time he crosses the boundary line. To up the ante, give him a snack or treat if he succeeds to walk around without going beyond the set boundaries.

The Bottom Line

Electric fences are not fun. First, they’ll hurt your dog if he tries to go past them. Besides, your pet may develop unwarranted aggression toward people and things.  Imagine your canine chasing a neighbor and he/she gets electrocuted. You might end up paying thousands of dollars in compensation.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can keep your animal inside your property without fences. You only need to teach him how to do it using the correct methods.