Have you had any success using an underground pet fence?  I'm really curious about them but I have two friends that have them.  One says it works like a charm and the other says the the dog jumps right through it.

My backyard is fenced, but I'm thinking about making a line across until the puppy chewing stage is passed.  And if I have people over and I don't want the dogs all over the place i can put them on it for a while.  The puppy loves being outside, but he is being destructo-dog after 5 minutes. 

I have an invisible fence that I had installed when I acquired our first GSP. She was trained on it within one month and she can be chasing a rabbit full speed and stops on a dime when she gets near the line. She was 3 yrs old when acquired. Our other GSP acquired at 4 yrs old trained in about the same amount of time but I still don't trust her completely. She won't leave for people or other dogs but her prey drive has not been tested fully. They need to know some commands and probably should be e-collar broke so I don't know if a puppy will train easily. I did a lot of walking the borders on a lead and when we approach the flags (which is there cue to back off) I would pull back and give the here command. Once they are backing off on the flag sighting, you introduce the collar which beeps when approaching the border as a warning. Listen for the beep and repeat the pull and here command. Eventually they associate the beep with here and turn around. That is the response that you want. Both dogs only had to recieve the stimulation a couple of times before they started avoiding it. I would not be without the invisible fence as I live on a fairly busy intersection.

We have Invisible Fence brand and, I believe, it all comes down to adequate training. The reason they do or do not work has little to do with the dog, more to do with how well they are prepared. I live on a fairly busy suburban street with cars, walkers, joggers, people walking dogs, riding bikes, etc... I feel very confident that he won't break the line, however, I still never let him out alone. We have a traditional fenced back yard (which is "reinforced" with invisible fence) which is about 70' x 30' -- not huge, but he can still romp around and I can let him out there by himself for a while. Until he was about a year old and I got him to stop digging (another subject) I felt that I had to be out with him there too.

Bottom line: I believe that they work very well given the proper training. You can save about 50% by installing it yourself and doing your own training if you feel confident doing both. For me, it wasn't worth the effort to dig the trenches, drill the hole in the brick, etc.. I paid someone to do in 2 - 3 hours what would have taken me 2 days to do myself. I also got a "free" in-home unit that I can use to keep him out of rooms/areas that he shouldn't be in. I think every home should have one "dog free" room. We have chosen our living room. That way if someone elderly or with a young baby (who is not fond of dogs) comes to visit, I don't have to put Wolfgang in his crate -- we simply use the "dog free zone".

Lots of subdivisions have rules about physical fences. That is what made the Invisible fence take off. At least around here.

Meeka does not need her collar on at all anymore, in fact it is on Zelda and I may not even purchase a second one. We leave them out alone for extended periods and do not worry about them. Couple of times they have disappeared only to be found lounging in the flower beds in the shade.

To test your dog at at a run or speed, when your training is far enough, I just would play ball or frisbee with them and during the game throw it out of bounds and see if they stop. Both of our dogs are aware of the boundaries and will stop chasing the ball as it goes out of bounds.