Fluffyspoos

What about vibration collars?

neVar

i think they rae great for certain things.
On a farm- keeping the dog more respectful of boundries- where they normlly are not going to be fenced in... cars are not close etc.

you need to TRAIN the fence properly or it does NOTHING

you need to maintain the training through time as they get cocky (For my one friend on her acerage it mens hosing the dogs off when they get cocky- (big retreivers) the zp hs bit more bite then and then they are good for another couple years

Beach girl

We tried the invisible fence years ago with our large dog (not a poodle). We followed through on the training, everything.

It did not work for us. After the first shock, the dog was terrified to go into our back yard. Eventually, with much coaxing, he got over that. Then he learned where the boundary was, but he ALSO learned that for a second's worth of pain, he could jump that boundary and have freedom, glorious freedom. He would then run to his favorite playmate's house, run down to the end of the cul-de-sac, then run back to our yard and lie down just at the point where the beep would start, and wait for us to take the collar off and bring him back into the yard.

A neighbor up the street with an elderly cocker spaniel used the invisible fence successfully, but for us, with a pain-tolerant dog, it did not work well at all.

Finally we got a regular fence like we should have in the first place and all concerned were much happier.

Now with my two little guys, I am much, much happier with the regular fence. We can play and train to our heart's content with no worries.

SnorPuddel

Not a fan, I would never use it especially if I was not in the yard.
I would worry about what would come into your yard as well as if your dog left the yard, it sure q\wouldn't want to come back in again

Beach girl

Exactly. We never used it except when we were with our dog. We thought it would be a great idea for him to learn very clear boundaries and be able to play freely inside those boundaries, but it just didn't work out that way. He was either terrified of the yard or else he would jump right over that line and head for his buddy's house, even with us yelling "Stop!" "Come!" or his name.

Prior to putting in the fence, he was very well-behaved. Those shocks just spooked him out badly.

Inside the house, he knew boundaries exceptionally well. When I fed him, I wanted him to wait in the family room (next to the kitchen) until I put the bowl down, because I didn't want him underfoot while I was going between fridge and sink and feeding area. He had that down to perfection.

Same thing when my husand and I were eating in the dining room, he was not to enter but had to wait in the kitchen. He did. He would lie down with his nose exactly on the dividing line between dining room and kitchen.

So he certainly had no problem with the concept of boundaries in general, but outside, he could not understand why he was being "punished" and getting a dose of pain for being in his own yard.

I would never, ever recommend them to anyone for the average suburban situation. It compromises how much area the dogs really have to enjoy themselves, considering the typical size of today's lots, and the dogs are always worried.

Even for my neighbor's cocker spaniel where the electronic fence (er, the "shock dispensing device"), worked, the dog rarely ever moved from her spot under a tree. She didn't go out of the yard, but she certainly wasn't running around enjoying herself.

The OP said that her homeowner's association doesn't allow fences. I wonder if perhaps that would be worth taking up with the board of the association, to discuss the need for fences to keep dogs safe without causing them pain? In our area, we can only have a certain type of fencing (has to be boards of no more than a certain height, can't be chain-link, has to be certain colors, etc.) and that's fine with me. Keeps the neighborhood looking similar and well-kept.

Maybe that rule forbidding fences is one that many of the neighbors would like to see changed. Worth a shot, anyway.