Radio collar for dog

I've hesitated to reply here because it has come up again and again as a thread topic and I didn't want to repeat myself once again, but I realise the search function on this new version of the site is not great.

I used the radio fence system many years ago. The place I lived at the time was reasonably rural, and had a fair few open spots that the dogs could readily pass through, and as I was renting, I wasn't allowed to build a fence. So convincing myself that the system would be better than a dead dog, I installed it.

I put a lot of training into both dogs, following the instructions provided to the letter.

The system worked fine, until it didn't. On several occasions, both dogs were tempted out across the boundary to follow friends who were walking past with their dogs. On none of these occasions did my dogs make their way back into the garden. They ran around out on the road in a panic, wanting to come back in, but couldn't make the mental leap to take the shock for the return journey. Luckily, I never let them out unless I was home, so I could resolve such situations fairly fast... I shudder to think what could have happened had they been running about on the road in a panic for any length of time.

There were also a number of instances where power cuts rendered the system useless. Again, in my case not an issue due to not letting the dogs outside unless I was there, but this is a very real and major issue for people who leave their dogs alone, relying on an electrical system for containment.

Leading on from this, in the years since using the system, I got myself qualified as a dog trainer, and have since met many dogs whose owners used radio fences. I realise these are anecdotes, but I'm going to list a few of the things I came across anyway, just for your consideration.

I met many dogs who regularly "tested" the system, regularly checking to see could they set the warning alarm off. Once it didn't go off (due to eg a power cut, or weak battery) they'd head off for their neighbourhood wander.

I met a few dogs, funnily enough all golden retrievers, who learned to sit just at the periphery of the activation zone, setting the alarm or vibrate mode off repeatedly but without getting the shock, until they wore the battery down. Very clever. They would then head off for their neighbourhood wander.

I met quite a number of dogs who were so traumatised by the first shock or two that they got, that they refused to move about in the garden at all, or to even leave the house. I have seen some dogs literally pee themselves when they hear the alarm/feel the warning vibration. Some dogs can tough it out emotionally, but some dogs are extremely sensitive and shut down when they receive a physical punishment, such as an electric shock. It can be difficult to know in advance if your dog falls into the latter category. To make the system work, the dog must receive at least one shock during the training process. That, in my opinion, is a very risky moment that could go either way. Any shooting folk will tell you about gundogs that were ruined after getting a belt, just one, from an electric fence, and having experienced both (see below), I can attest that the belt in the neck from the radio collar is considerably less pleasant than a belt from an electric fence on other parts of the body.

I met many, many dogs that developed aggression issues towards other dogs, and people, as they walked past going about their own business. The contained dog runs towards the boundary, in a big adrenaline rush forgetting about the radio fence, then getting a belt in the neck as they were focusing hard on a passing human and/or dog... the contained dogs in effect learning to "blame" the passing humans/dogs for getting the shock to the neck. Aggression in these cases tends to escalate and is very, very difficult to resolve.

One dog I knew personally was killed when 2 other dogs came into his garden to attack him. They had free access to and from his garden. He did not, and could not escape. He was a labrador, not a small dog... he was killed by an English bulldog and a Yorkshire terrier.

I have tested the collar, both in my hand AND around my neck, where dogs wear them. The sensation is vomit-inducing, particularly when the electrodes are in contact with the neck/throat.

I initially bought and installed one of the well known systems. It malfunctioned and resulted in the boundary I had set for it to cover the whole garden. Therefore, my dogs got a series of belts in the neck when just sitting in the "safe zone", minding their own business. The company replaced the unit, but that was the start of me making plans to not ever have to contain my dogs with electricity any more.

You might have gathered by now that I'm not a fan, based both on personal experience, and since then, my own professional observations, feedback from other professionals and welfare organisations, and reading the research behind why they've been banned in a number of countries. I do not like any system that involves having to induce pain, fear, startle, or anticipation of pain for it to work. I do not like any system that can so easily let you down if the power fails... remembering now the recent warnings that power cuts are going to become more common. I do not like any containment system that a dog can outfox. To be perfectly honest, still to this day, I struggle with the guilt of having ever used the bloody thing and causing such anxiety to my dogs, and I totally support the fact that they've already been banned in a number of countries including Wales, Scotland, are being discussed for banning in England, and Veterinary Ireland along with various august dog welfare organisations in Ireland are calling for them to be banned here. There is a fair bit of research and expert opinion that underpins each of these national bans.

Honestly, I think that as long as they are getting appropriate levels of exercise, company and social contact with their owners, and mental stimulation at home, it's rare enough to find a dog that objects to being contained to a smaller space by a good fence. There are additional advantages to having a good fence too, including keeping other dogs, livestock, perhaps even humans out, and you can be entirely confident of leaving the dog outside alone, that he'll not stray, cause an accident, or do harm outside your property.

Sorry for the length of this post, but I wanted to bring a bit of, I hope somewhat objective balance to the discussion as someone who has used the system, and has found its many failings make it an investment that's not worthwhile, for quite a few different reasons.