Bloody dogs!

Spike, Axel and Lequita disappeared earlier. Gone without a trace. I called and called for about 10 minutes before finally spotting them at the top of my far field.
Axel knew he was in **** so ran away even further but when he saw Spike and Lequita were heading my way he turned and followed them.
Thank God for good recall! as they were probably 1.5km away.
I think it's the first time they've had smacked bums although it hurt me more. I chased and smacked their butts all the way home.

They're crashed out and my wrist is sore.

Another thank you to the Allmighty as the farmer moved all the cattle and sheep out from my fields a few days ago.

I don't know what they saw that made them climb through the fence and go off.

I nearly had 2 heart attacks and only 1 from exertion.

Naughty, naughty dogs   

It's absolutely heart-stopping when they disappear off the face of the earth, isn't it. Kuchar disappeared from our back garden a year or so ago - he even bent a metal gate to do it! Sheer luck I found him but I couldn't catch him for ages - they know when they've been wicked don't they!

I hope you've recovered a bit from your fright, Shisa.

Glad you got them back!

All is well again.     

It's scary when they disappear, naughty pups   

Millie done it one night, I didn't grab her lead quick enough when getting her out of a car. Black dog at night disappearing into a housing scheme, I was walking around in tears until a guy came walking over with her. He was having a look around for her owner before taking her home for the night. I was so relieved I hugged the poor guy    

That must have been very, very scary. I would have hugged the guy as well.
The thing is where do you start looking? You head left when they've gone right and you just both end up more lost.

I've been watching my lot and if they just go near the fence they get a talking to. I'm thinking of getting one of those Electric, shock fence/wire thingies and running it around the property. It works on a solar battery so charges itself. Spike climbs through all the time but he doesn't bother the sheep or cows. He's to busy munching on the poo. If all 3 get out again and there are sheep in the pastures... I shudder.

Normally, I'd be dead against the shock fences. I think it's important to weigh up the pros and cons though. If it's dangerous for them to get out, I think you're right to do something to stop it.

Is there no way you could block off the fence gaps with mesh? Or is the fence too long for that to be affordable?

It's about 800m length. I though to buy mesh (cheap) but it'll cost me about R9000.00 to fence the whole area.

I'm looking at this:
http://www.nemtek.co.za/equineandpet/pet-stop-kit/pet-stop-solar-powered.aspx

It just gives them a nip when they touch it (I've touched it and it almost feels like being pricked with a needle) and I will run it along just outside of my fence so they can only touch it when they actually go through and not accidentally while playing.

Yikes, that would be a lot of money!

Tbh, it sounds like that might be the best/most practical way to do it.

Also they learn that the red wire bites so after a week or so you can switch it off.

That sounds like a good idea!

When I was a child I lived in "cattle country" and if a bovine (and these were mostly beef cattle) decide to press on a fence then the fence loses. So I was quite familiar with electric fencing, but if it was accidentally touched it did give quite a nip. The cattle soon learned to treat fences with respect and didn't seem traumatised at all.

In your case Shisa, given that you have such a large area to enclose, I'd give it a go - dogs learn quicker than cattle as well. Good luck, I hope it works for you all.

Well, I don't normally like shock-type fencing/wiring, but I don't think you've got much choice, do you?

As you say, they'll learn quickly.

I would have smacked their bums too.
Electric fences work! We have horses here. While riding one, it touched the fence. FFS... I held on.... we didnt use helmets back then.

The dog fences are luckily not as high amps as the cattle and horse fences. My dog trainer did organic pig farming and she had the dog fences to keep the pigs on the property. I touched it to know. Feels like someone pricking you with a needle.
Horsefly stings are worse.

Yeah, my ex bro inlaw has doggie fences. He (the doggie) wont go near it now, but a true electric fence... we learnt as children, back of your hand on the fence before you climb over or through... zzzzzzzst! YOUR HAND WILL CLENCH SHUT on the wire.

Shisa wrote:The dog fences are luckily not as high amps as the cattle and horse fences. My dog trainer did organic pig farming and she had the dog fences to keep the pigs on the property. I touched it to know. Feels like someone pricking you with a needle.
Horsefly stings are worse.

Sounds like it's the less of tgwo evils - if it stops your dogs getting shot by the farmer, then it's good!

I touched an electric fence (strong one, not a doggy one) when I was younger. I'd seen some horses and cattle in the field and was looking at them as the rest of the family was walking. Put my hand on the fence (which wasn't marked as being electric!) and didn't have a clue what hit me! I felt the shock of it, but what really surprised me was my knees buckling and - like you said, Tracy - my hand clenched against the fence. Took about three separate shocks for me to finally realise and let go.

Once bitten....you're fingers are stuck shut!.

How did you get off? Maybe ours are a stronger current? Someone had to pry my fingers open.

I don't think they're string enough here to make your muscles clench, but they still make your legs go funny!

It was a surge-type one. The electricity went through in waves, with a pause in between.

They were out again today. Luckily I caught them before they got to far.
Besides being a possible danger to livestock there are snakes and ticks that can cause biliary. Rather a 100 little shocks than a dead dog.
Also these aren't like a proper electric fence.

I think something that needs to be taken into account is cultural/environmental difference. Like you said, there's the added risk of snakes and parasites, which aren't as much of a problem in the UK. The phrase 'lesser of two evils' comes to mind, though I don't believe that your solution is evil.

If they weren't such shits I could use the money for nicer things. They're on a treat diet that's for sure... the 3 bad dogs.

And let me add: It's not easy getting out. They have to properly squeeze through.