A Shocking Adjustment

Griffey is doing well now that's he back home where he belongs. We've had the Invisible Fence for 3 weeks now. It was necessary because of the way my yard is set up. There's fencing on both sides thanks to my neighbors. But the driveway runs alongside my house and yard to the garage, which sits at the very back of the property. So I can't really physically fence the whole yard. The driveway is open and there's about a 10 foot section next to the garage that is open to the alley. But in all the years I've had Griffey, I've never had a problem with him leaving the yard. Until recently. Remember this? I do. All too well.

He's getting used to the new fence. And he doesn't like it. It took getting zapped a few times to figure out where his boundaries are. But if that's what it takes to keep him safely in the yard then so be it. See the bulky contraption on the collar. We only put it on when we go outside. He looks at me every time like "Awww man. Not that damn thing again. C'mon ...I hate that thing."

I must admit the adjustment was a little hard for both of us. For momma, it was hard to watch him get zapped. Now don't go calling the PETA people on me. It doesn't hurt him. It's just more of an annoying tingle than real pain. Kinda makes his eye twitch a little and he tries to scratch it. But now he's figured out how to back away from the shock zone and make it stop. He's a quick learner so it still isn't set beyond the training level. My woosy boy is only at a level 3. That's all it took.If your dog is defiant and tries to test the system you have to set it higher for a more jarring jolt. But Griffey is no dummy. Or should I say he isn't a bad ass. I guess he's a combination of the two. Basically a smart, chicken shit. LOL! Cuz there's no testing his limits. He won't go near the boundaries now. The collar beeps when he's feeling a little jolt. But my boy doesn't even have to feel anything. Just hearing the beep makes him freeze in his tracks.
We have to keep the training flags up for about another week. They mark where the wires are. Most of it is buried but as you can see there were a few spots where the wire was just tacked into the ground because of my landscaping. Once I take the flags down, the wires won't even be noticeable. And the great thing is that if I ever move to a different house, the system goes with me. I just get new wire.

It's still a little confusing for him though. He's 7 yrs old. He's grown up in this house and suddenly things are different. Certain places he used to be able to go are now off limits. He's still a little timid in the backyard and he's scared to step in the driveway now. Some of the driveway is accessible to him but he's gotten a few zings when he's gotten too close to the edge. So now he thinks the whole driveway is electrocuted or something. He'll just sit at the edge on the grass and look at me like "Uhhh... are you crazy? I'm not stepping out there." I swear I can hear his thought process just by the looks he gives me.

So we're still working on that. Trying to teach him where the safe zones are. But the trainer says it's just a matter of time and he'll figure it all out and be fine. At least, I can rest easy now. He can even be outside unsupervised without any fear of him running away. But momma hasn't gotten that confident yet either. I still watch him like a hawk. I guess in time I'll be trained, too.