I bought the Electric Dog Fence to deter my 2 escapee cavoodles. I tested the collars on myself before putting on the dogs - the zap from the fence is unpleasant but not painful. The dogs quickly learnt to stay away from the fences (within 2-3 days) so that they were able to happily roam the backyard without getting zapped at all.
I have called through to Pet Control HQ a couple of times and both times was able to speak to someone locally, they were very helpful in talking through my choice to purchase the electric fence and also troubleshooting when I was having issues with broken wire due to our neighbours goats munching through the wire!
Would definitely recommend Pet Control HQ to anyone considering their products!