Dog Traumatized By Electric Fence. What Should I Do? (2023)

You’ve done everything you can to keep your pet in the yard, but it just seems like your dog wants to explore every single area of the new neighborhood. You’re at your wit’s end. Every time he jumps the fence, it takes hours to find him and bring him back home.

After some thought, you come across a possible solution and you purchase an electric fence. An electric fence is supposed to keep your dog in an enclosed area and you shouldn’t have to worry about him jumping the fence.

However, if you don’t train your dog when you first get an electric fence, they will try to run out and it may repeatedly shock them. If your dog was traumatized by an electric fence, then you will need to re-train them. Come learn how to train a scared dog to get used to an electric fence.

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Can An Electric Fence Hurt My Dog?

So, let’s discuss the effects an electric fence can have on your beloved puppy.

Many opt for this form of training, however, the cons can tend to outweigh the pros. The trauma that it can cause may at times even be irreversible. The electrical charges from an electric fence can cause burns and even aggression if you don’t properly test the training collar.

Electrical fences are not suitable for all dogs, especially small ones, since they can suffer from electrocution. Most fences come with collars, but these collars can be harmful to your dog and should never be used on puppies that are less than 5 months old.

Dogs are our companions, and they stay by our side during the good and the bad. The choices we make can deeply affect them. Just like humans, they can also suffer trauma.

Signs That Your Dog Was Traumatized By An Electric Fence

A dog that has experienced a traumatic event can/most likely will be affected physically, mentally, and behaviorally. It is essential that we train our dogs but inflicting fear upon them won’t help them at all. It will ruin the bonds of trust and confidence between the two of you.

A dog that has been traumatized by an electric fence will often react in the following manner:

• Your dog is scared to be outside and gets very anxious when you try to take it out.
• Your dog may become very sensitive to touch and not want to be petted.
• Your dog will growl at slight touches from you or objects.
• Your dog may show a severe loss of appetite to the point of being completely dehydrated.
• Your dog has become catatonic.

Of course, we want our pets to be well-behaved, know boundaries and stay safe. But there are many other methods that we can use to avoid traumatizing our pets. If you believe your dog is traumatized or has been traumatized due to shocks from an electrical fence, here are some practical steps you can take to help rehabilitate your puppy.

How To Train A Scared Dog of an Electric Fence

If your dog has experienced trauma, he will be very stressed to go outside or to the yard. Therefore, you have to help your dog relearn that that area isn’t a bad place. Ensure that your dog isn’t wearing the corrective collar when you bring them out since it will increase the chances of a panic attack.

Make sure you have some treats and toys with you so that your pup can associate that location and area with pleasurable things. The first couple of times, your dog may show high-anxiety and discomfort. It will take time, but it’s important to remember that trauma is treatable, and addressing it is crucial.

Dogs that have been traumatized by an electric fence also become very sensitive to touch and may growl any moment they are petted or rub against an object.

It is vital that you help them understand that you petting them won’t cause them any harm. Since your dog may be very anxious and sensitive to touch, be sure that you and others of your household slowly approach your dog. You want to be able to pet your pup again, but to do so will take time.

Before petting, make sure you are in your dog’s line of vision, and then pet lightly on the head, eventually moving to other areas. It may take a couple of attempts to play around with your pet again, but with time your dog will understand that you are not the cause of the pain.

The most problematic is when your pet refuses to eat and starts to show the effects of severe dehydration. You may need to get professional help in this case. If you leave your dog uncared for, you will leave them with profound psychological and possibly even physical scars.

We want to be our dog’s best friend, not their worst enemy. Choosing proper training methods that involve repetition and patience is the best way to ensure our best friends’ safety.

Conclusion for Dog Traumatized By Electric Fence

An electric fence may keep your dog in but will scar him for sure, and the effects that an electric fence can cause are just the rim of more severe psychological damage that can cause permanent adverse effects.

Nobody would like to be repeatedly shocked every time they got too close to a restricted area or made a mistake. Some people refer to the following saying as the ‘golden rule’: treat others the way you would like to be treated. In a sense, we could apply this rule when it comes to training our pets. Let’s treat them well.

It may take him longer to learn that he can’t jump out of the yard, and you may have to chase him a few more times.

However, you will be sparing him from physical pain and trauma. In due time, with much love and attention, he can learn where to go and where not to go with consistent training and love.

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