Dear Tara,

This is a field I know nothing about. I have forwarded your question to Misty, who runs our guest posts on electric fences for dogs. She will be contacting you and sending me the answer.

I do know certain breeds and older dogs are harder to work than smaller dogs or young puppies regarding electric fences and boundary training. It sounds as if your dog has more or less become conditioned to being shocked – kind of like an “oh well” attitude.

Instead of putting a shock collar on which does not phase your Lab at all, why not build a fairly decent sized dog kennel in your yard to contain it? Only take the dog out when it is on a leash – leaving the kennel, going from kennel to the house, going for a walk or a ride in a vehicle.

UPDATE: Misty from Dog Fence at DIY

There are several recommendations we have for containing dog’s who suddenly disregard their dog fence boundary.

1) Thin the fur on the dog’s neck with scissors or clippers to

guarantee a good fitting collar.  If you’re not using long fur probes, we suggest changing to those.

2) Increase the boundary width.  Widen the boundary as wide as your property can take.  This will increase the area in which your dog will receive correction and make it more difficult to bolt through.

3) Most importantly, re-train your dog.  The successful containment formula is training + correction.  Correction alone rarely contains any dog.  With your dog boldly disobeying the rules, it’s time to go back to square one.  Treat this as if your dog has never been on the fence and you need to train him for the first time.  So, set up your flags to establish the new, wider boundary and begin training your dog to the fence daily, starting from lesson 1.  Until your dog can prove he’ll respect the boundary, keep training and do not let him in the yard without a leash.  Make sure to have a great, positive attitude about it as well.  Reward him with treats when he does the right thing.

Making your yard the fun, safe place to be is the biggest lesson your teaching your dog.  And remember, patience and persistence with the above tips will go a long way in solving your dog containment issue.

Thanks,

Misty