Pet Peeve: Invisible Fences Move Indoors

By Wilson Rothman

Had enough of muddy paw prints on the couch or a mooching pooch prowling under the dining table? Here's a new, high-tech solution from Innotek, based in Garrett, Ind.: pet-proofing Zones, discs the size of smoke detectors that can keep pets out of rooms or away from areas 12 ft. in diameter. Available at innotek.net ($100 for a starter kit), Zones can easily be installed in a doorway or under your favorite lounge chair. As with outdoor invisible fences, dogs wear collars that react when the pets get too close to a Zone. Innotek says the signal is a "nonpainful tingling sensation" combined with an audible cue--a deterrent, but perfectly humane. --By Wilson Rothman