Taming a GSP's High Prey Drive on 150+ acres: Willie's Story
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Meet Willie from Ohio!
This handsome 2 year old is half German Shorthaired Pointer and half English Setter. To go along with his regal looks, Willie’s full name is: William Rufus Walter Proudwalker Jenks! He has a very stately walk when he isn’t being goofy, which is where the ‘Proudwalker’ comes from.
In a word, his personality as described by his mom Belinda is ‘WOW.’ He is the best friend we could want. He's so very loving, loyal, smart, and such a good companion. He can be goofy, gentle, silly, energetic and lazy by turns. He's stolen our hearts.’ His favorite treat? Cheese please! In limited quantities of course. Plus Elk and Deer antlers he gets to split with his brother up the road.
‘Before Spoton, I felt that he had to be watched like a toddler and it was wearing on me! We wanted him to get to run and play, but if I turned my back for a minute, he might take off and be long gone.’ - Belinda J., Owner
‘Before the SpotOn collar, we had major trouble keeping Willie home. Our son lives across the field and has one of Willie's litter mates. Charlie and Willie soon discovered one another and how to get together and there was no stopping them! I had a Findster which could track him but not contain him and they could get away in the blink of an eye. We frequently found them two miles away at the creek or in neighboring grasslands and pastures.’ - Belinda J., Owner
His brother Charlie does not have a containment collar, but even when Charlie takes off on an adventure beyond Willie’s boundary, Willie watches him go and then comes home. So this smart dog knows how to enjoy his freedom and respect his boundaries! On the few occasions they’ve gotten a notification that Willie has breached containment, they’ve received an immediate notice that he has returned.
'We have been able to give our dog more freedom than a lot of dogs have while feeling much assurance that he is within his boundaries.'
Why SpotOn? Because a GPS fence was the perfect way to tame his high prey drive and give Willie the freedom he deserves. His parents just did not have it in their hearts to tether Willie, and a fenced yard would not have done the trick. With the collar, he has lots of room to run on most of their 150+ acre farm, and can even visit his brother to play in the nearby fields together.Since SpotOn’s GPS dog fence, he loves being allowed to run in the pastures and fields, the woods and the pond within the 150+ acre fence at their farm. Willie insists on a ride in his dad’s truck every morning and then runs and plays or hangs out with his parents while they are working outside. He loves RTV rides, which usually take him to the pond or the woods. But in the evening, he loves his time with his family on their outside or inside porch, and hangs out with them until he is ready for bed. He definitely lets them know when he wants to retire!
With SpotOn, both Willie and his pup parents have more freedom, enabling their relationship to flourish.
‘It is not only that Willie has much freedom, but so do I! We can leave him out and go away for a few hours. I can periodically check in on the app to see what he's up to and if he were to get out of bounds, my son could retrieve him from my ability to pinpoint him.’ - Belinda J., Owner
Willie knows that when his collar goes on, he's going to have plenty of time to run and hunt and play, so he never balks at putting it on. He has been easier to train and we are all happier, says Belinda Even though her son's dog Charlie doesn't have SpotOn, it has also kept him closer to home. Which is fortunate since two dogs running together can spell trouble! Charlie stays closer and they can go back and forth between our homes. They all get to enjoy these lovely dogs and the relationships have grown on both sides.
The family also has other fences at different locations. They have a large grassland field closer to town and Willie and his dog dad love to go there to flush pheasants and rabbits. And since Willie now knows his boundaries, it’s fun for all, and Willie gets to do his thing.
What has made them the happiest about using the SpotOn GPS Fence?
‘It’s the cessation of constant vigilance and worry. Knowing our dog is safer and happy and not having to be out with him every moment is wonderful! He usually has the collar on by 7 am and then comes to the door about noon. I let him in to lie down or eat and snuggle while the collar charges. Then he is back outside from about 1 until 5:00 when we have our evening activities together.’ - Belinda J., Owner
Multiple fences for multiple locations - without the hassle of buried wires - is one of their favorite features, making it easy to bring Willie (almost) everywhere! They have a pond on the home farm, but also have one with a cabin on another farm 12 miles away. They have one of their fences there so that when they go to fish or take friends, Willie can run and swim and enjoy the time as well. Plus, Belinda likes that she periodically check on Willie to see what area of the fence he is in.
‘Having several fences is so much better than a smaller buried fence just around part of our home place. Willie can go with us to the places we go most often and still be safely contained.’ - Belinda J., Owner
For this frequently on the go family, portability and flexibility are key. Beyond the backyard, they’ve used SpotOn for swimming, at their second farm, when visiting friends & family, and for hunting. So Willie’s many GPS fences span ponds, woods, and grassland. Belinda is looking forward to using the instant circle fence for a quick and temporary fence when they visit her husband’s sister in Georgia. As expected, Willie has been cordially and repeatedly invited to join the fun in Georgia! With a circle fence, he can explore their big yard when he’s not with us on their boat. And lucky for Willie, she lives on a lake so he can add swimming to his vacation activities!
What would Belinda tell a friend or family member who was on the fence about getting a SpotOn GPS dog fence?
‘I have told many people about our SpotOn fence system! I've shown them the app and our fences. I have quite frequently recommended SpotOn when someone asks questions about good ways to contain their pups. I've messaged and sent them links to SpotOn as well when they have expressed interest.’ - Belinda J., Owner
Do you want to share your pup's SpotOn story? Send it here!
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