I have a professionally installed invisible (radio) fence that surrounds my 2+ acre property. I have trained both a berner puppy at 5 months to the fence, as well as an adult berner. I personally have not had any problems, no "breakouts," and in fact, I still have many of the flags up around the back and sides of my yard where the wire is located back in the woods, and my dogs don't even wear their collars much of the time. They seem to know where their boundary is, and evidently have little interest in the wanderlust. They will furiously chase the squirrels, bunnies, deer and anything else that comes into the yard, but always stop short of the boundary (in fact, I think the wildlife have cottened to this as well, since I have seen the squirrels tormenting the dogs on the other side of the wire!).
The caveat to the wire. I live on a quiet street at the end of a cul de sac. We see very little traffic and what we do see is moving quite slowly. I live in a rural area far away from really busy streets. My dogs are essentially indoor dogs; I don't have a job outside the home, so my dogs are rarely left on their own for extended periods of time. Under these circumstances the radio fence has worked fine for me. The biggest disadvantage is the radio fence does not protect your dog from other animals entering your yard. I have only had this happen a few times where a stray or lost dog has come into the yard. There has never been a problem. The other big disadvantage - if you live in an area where your dogs are at risk of being stolen, the radio fence is a big invitation for this sort of criminal activity. Hope this helps. BTW, several breeders would not sell me a puppy because of the invisible fence issue. Mary and the girls, Laurel and Bailey Fayetteville, GA
