Wireless Petfence collar
 

I have a small (2.7 lb) 4 month male Yorkie. We live on an acre lot and he has just started sprinting away.
Any thoughts on using an electric collar to show him his boundaries at this age?
I bought one, and have adapted it to fit his small body but not 100% sure about the shock....
I have a small child in the house that will let the puppy out without notice so a leash and collar are not always an option
thoughts?

I would throw away the electric collar and fence in a small section of your property or walk him on a leash whenever you go out. An electric fence will not keep out predators like neighborhood dogs, coyotes or other animals that can hurt him. It's not worth risking your pup's life. Please don't use an electric collar/fence as a containment system.

Maybe you should try the shock on yourself to see what you think about it. If you don't like it then I don't think you should put it on a tiny dog. Those things are made for medium to large dogs not tiny babies.

Additionally, a very agitated or excited dog can plow right through the shock barrier if they get too riled up !

I would suggest you get your money back. If its something that you had to "adapt" to fit his small body them obviously it's not meant for such a small body. I too had a small child he's 5 now and we taught him some good lessons one of which was never let Georgie outside leave that to Mommy and Daddy.

I can think of NO reason to use a wireless fence with a Yorkie...and would never consider it...and I HAVE a wireless fence...and collars. I used it briefly years ago (like 14-15) with a dog that was an emaciated 75 lb rescue who filled back out to 120+ lbs under our care...and only then to protect him from getting into a busy road...and allow meter readers access to the meters. We were 'holding' this dog...who we ended up having until he passed last February...helping out a rescuer. He was trained (in 1 hour, actually) to the "beep" but felt the correction twice...the beep was actually all the correction he needed and he stayed farther from the boundary than 10 feet at all times.

They are incredibly smart, but I cannot see either of my Yorkies acting like that dog. :p

There is no way I'd use a wireless fence on a 30 lb Yorkie, an 8 lb Yorkie, or a 2.7 lb Yorkie. Ever! JMHO but a wireless fence will not protect the Yorkie from the biggest threats to the dog, and that little stubborn streak they can have (and you know the one I mean...lol) could render him 'invincible enough to run 'devil-may-care' through the boundary, prey-driven...the correction only lasts a short time, and if the Yorkie can withstand it, he doubtful will re-enter the boundary to receive the correction again. Like I said...JMHO though! :D

Totally agree. I wouldn't use it on a yorkie. As said, it will not keep others out of the fenced area. I have 5 homes in my neighborhood of 14 homes and constantly see their dogs roaming around. Granted these animals are much larger than a yorkie (New Foundlands and Springer Spaniel and mixed breed bigger dog) but at the same time it illustrates that dogs can and do get out and therefore, they would also be able to get into "my fenced" yard where my 5ish pounds babies would be.

I would definitely rethink having an electric fence as well as the shock with wearing the collar.

I would build a fence. Those collars can do a lot of damage especially to a small dog. It also will not keep things from coming in your yard and attacking and killing your dog or people from taking your dog. The people I have known who have those electric fences have had there dogs take the shock a few times to go after something they really really wanted two had there dogs killed by getting hit by a car. I'm thinking its not really safe for your small child to be going out by there self either so maybe higher locks on the doors would also help.

Please listen to the good advice others have given you. Invisible fences systems are not the right thing for yorkies. I had one on my golden retriever and he did wonderful, but he weighed 100lbs. I've shocked myself accidentally many times on his collar and believe me, IT HURTS! If I had that on my yorkie, it would seriously traumatize him, maybe worse. No way he could take it. Also, there is a very real threat of hawks, owls and even other dogs that can injure and kill small dogs that are left unsupervised and unprotected outside.

He's way too small for those collars.

Build a small fence (you can also buy a puppy gate) and put it in front of the door :) In case the dog gets out he can't get far !
Teach the child to never open the outside door without speaking to you first, then the dog won't go out, I have a little sister she was 2 years old when we got Fido, we never had a problem with him getting out, only about once or twice, but that was kind of my own fault.

You could also put a lock on the door above where your child can reach so only you or some other adult can open the door. If you have to get up to let the child out then you can add that to your exercise program. You could kill a puppy with one of those shocks.

I get all of the advice, I understand totally where you are coming from. We are going to use the shock collar to teach boundaries. I have read on several web sites that once they learn it, you dont even need the collar anymore.
I am just unsure about the size of him and the use of it.
My question is if anyone has any experience with using one.....
thanks :)

That shock could very well kill a dog that small or really really mess there body up. I also think you should try the collar on you because you will not truly understand the pain. I highly doubt that on a board of people who love yorkies your going to find anyone who want to hurt one like with a shock collar.I feel so sad for this poor puppy. Why does everyone want to use pain to teach a dog something they are more likely to learn from positive training. Your electric fence is not going to keep your yorkie safe from everything else in the world that can come in. Do you know how many yorkies have been pray to large birds, bigger dogs, coyotes and even humans?

Since the consensus here is that no one would use one on a Yorkie, much less a baby Yorkie, there is little anyone can tell you about using it on a small dog. Have you contacted the company to get it's guidelines on use? If you had to remake the equipment to fit a baby it is likely that the company made it for larger dogs. If you will not accept advise from Yorkie owners I would advise you to ask the company.

Some people down the road from me purchased an invisible fence for their medium sized dog this year. They put all the boundary stakes up and put the collar on the dog. A sign was up indicating that the dog was in training. That was 4 months ago. The dog still sits tied up in the yard when it is out.

I would also still advise trying the shock on yourself to gauge the amount of shock you are putting into the tiny body of a puppy. It would seem putting a lock on your door would be much kinder than doing this to a puppy.