I have successfully kept my dogs contained with electric fence wire for 25 yrs. The only one I could not keep inside it was our Chow X. Too much hair, he did not care.
My Dobermans have always respected the electric fence. I have four strands. I have it hooked up to my regular horse fence and fencer.
I had my pen, it is a 1/2 acre with a stream and lots of trees before I put them in it. My red Dobe made the mistake of peeing on it. That was 8 yrs ago and he never went within three feet of that fence again.
I think it works great. My vet apparantly had never seen such a set up. He was impressed with how well it worked. It is cheap, reliable and safe. It might not be pretty enough for some but it works fine for me.