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I remembered after I posted the previous message about invisible dog fences that we are going to be encountering another - bigger - problem in our suburban wonderland. The house I'm buying is in bear country. Bear sightings are very, very common... Any ideas on how to avoid problems between my two babes and a big ol' bear?

Yikes! mind if I ask where you are moving?

you answered your own question about the invisible fencing - it doesn't keep anyone/thing out.

sorry, can't recall what type of dogs you have?

any dog 'could' if sufficiently motivated run through the fence & some breeds, especially the hunters may be at higher risk.

if you felt threatened by the bears, you might consider some type of electrical fencing outside of your dog fencing. if there are bears, there are likely other smaller but dangerous critters to harm or at the least tempt your dogs to escape.

voice of experience here - live in country & have hounds. most of my property is double fenced some wire, some wooden privacy.

We're moving to Sussex COunty New Jersey - and friends I have who live there have told stories of bear vs. dog encounters. I have two mutts - one's 30 lb maybe with some shepard and beagle and the other's over 40 lbs with boxer/pitt. The bigger on's the one I'm worried about. He's always nosy - whereas the girl's a little wimpy...

Sounds like the way to go is completely enclosing the place....

Eee... I just replyed to your question about the invisible fence but if there are bears, there are other things too like wolves and I don't know the area but lynxes and other large cats could be a possibility to consider. Not only could any of the above be life threatening to the dogs, you have rabies and other diseases to consider. Every area has different disease considerations. And while I don't plan on ever vaccinating my dog again if I were moving to the country I would ask the vet there what kinds of vaccinations will be the most useful and what the most common wildlife disease are in that area.

I definitely agree with the closed in fencing though, and I personally would put a bit of electric fence running around the top of that..

I also just responded to your other post about invisible fencing. I would put a very good, sturdy fence around the property then do what another suggested and put up an electic fence around that. I wouldn't take any chances with my babies.

Good luck!
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Melody/PHFasDog
Email me at PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.

Why you don't vaccinate Kaiser? Just curious.

Well, by law I'm required to keep his rabies updated, so he'll get that every 3 years because the vet uses a 3 year serum.

I watched vaccinations give my shih tzu growing up countless health problems that slowed when we stopped vaccinating, but by that point they were chronic and he had to be put down. Those things were paw-licking and chewing, skin allergies, a tumour at the injection site, and seizures.

My dad's dog had the same foot licking problem which disappeared about 18 months after her last vaccine.. My mom's shih tzu has developed a chronic skin allergy which the vet says is likely from the vaccines.

The current research says that aside from rabies other vaccines last about 7 years, some of them for the entire life of the dog. Just like people. We get vaccinated for measles, mumps, and polio when we're children but never again because they last all our lives. Why shouldn't it work similarly in dogs? It does, it's just that nobody thought to check until recent years.

And finally, most vaccinations are packed into one serum so that they only have to give one injection. Most of these vaccinations will not apply to every dog because not every dog is exposed to the same things. Why over-expose our dogs to the diseases and viruses in the serum, if they're not even going to encounter the things in real life? Unless the dog goes to shows or competitions, it's unnecessary.

Kaiser doesn't have a single one of these health problems to date, and I refuse to knowingly expose him to them. Rabies I'll keep up with because it's law and because research shows that it really does only last about 3 years. Other than that, in my opinion, it's not only unnecessary but dangerous to my dog's health..

It's a decision everyone has to make based on their own thoughts and the things that they know their dogs are exposed to. I made my decision with the help of my vet, but most vets can't be trusted to tell you yearly vaccinations are not needed because that means a fall in their income as you're not paying for those shots every year..

That's why Kaiser won't be vaccinated (except rabies) again..

This is very interesting. So what you are saying is most of the vaccines they get as puppies, only need to be given as puppies and never again? But vets say they DO need them again?
When Cookie was a baby, she got a distemper shot which is a mix of different shots, like the one you say. But were also going to get her vaccinated for Lyme and Lepto because we travel to the country a lot with her and wanted to be safe, but the more I read the more hesitant I am. I don't know much about vaccinations and don't want her getting what she doesn't need. I had no idea there were any risks involved in vaccinations at all, but I suppose since your giving them a strain of the disease, it can be bad. What are your thoughts on Lyme disease?
Maybe we should take this conversation over to the vaccination board. I posted a message there too and I would really appreciate some advise.
Thanks!

I know that most states and/or counties require rabies vaccination, so that basically covers the most important one. In the country, you typically have more exposure to skunks, bats, etc. that might carry rabies. Even then, though the chances are slim that there would be exposure and transmission, but it seems to me that's the biggest concern. We have rabid skunks and bats around here, but I don't vax my girl any more for rabies because she already has a severe case of vaccine-induced disease.

Some might argue that Lepto would be an important vaccine to have. You would need to administer that one frequently, and also know which Lepto is active in the area, if any. Most of the vaccines don't cover the prevalent serovar. I know that this isn't always true, but coincidently, all the dogs on boards that I have known that had lepto had been vaccinated for it. Lepto has a high incidence of reactions, I think particularly when it is in a combined vax.

And finally, in the country, if there are ticks, there is the lyme vaccine. This vaccine doesn't cover all the tick diseases, isn't all that effective, and can have some very serious side effects. Good tick control measures are better at protecting from disease.

So, living in the country, I would focus on keeping your dog healthy through nutrition, run yearly blood panels instead of vaccinations, and just be in tune to the physical health of your dog(s).

just had to pop in and add my 2 cents since I've thought a lot about this topic....

Hi your message was very informative to me as I am learning more about lepto and Lyme. We think Cookie may have lyme disease. We're going to the vet tomorrow. I live in the city but during the summer go to our cabin in Maine and were going to get her lyme vaccinated without any thought. I had no idea that vacinations can be bad in anyway and always just considered them necissary. I was told there are 4 strains of lepto, most vaccinations cover the first two, but not the last so you specifically have to ask for an L4 shot. We also go up to Buffalo frequently and where we travel quite a bit, was told it was probably a good idea to get both of the vaccinations. I had no idea that they sometimes don't even work. Glad I am now aware. I am going to post a message in the vaccination board and see if we should get the lyme vaccination. If there are healthier ways of preventing it, I would rather go with that.
Thanks so much!

>>I remembered after I posted the previous message about invisible dog fences that we are going to be encountering another - bigger - problem in our suburban wonderland. The house I'm buying is in bear country. Bear sightings are very, very common... Any ideas on how to avoid problems between my two babes and a big ol' bear?

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A really good fence, plus supervision of your dogs, never leaving them outside without your direct supervision, especially at night. They could definitely be toast if they tangle with a bear, and a lot of dogs will. Heck, a lot of dogs were bred to do it.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com