Electric Fence basics for dog control

[Chicken Boo]

We used the Gallagher fencing.

http://www.ruralmfg.com/mall/EF00_ElectricFencing.asp

This was before we had chickens but had/have an escape artist for a dog. She would dig herself out no matter what we did to the bottom of the fence. It did not help that the folks at the golf course would give her the last bite of their hotdogs. The golfers kept doggie biscuits in their bags to feed to strays. When I finally convinced the to stop feeding the dog, they would let her into the club house to eat the peanuts and pretzels off of the bar floor. She was like the veloceraptor in Jurassic Park (Clever Girl). We finally ran a wire ~8 to 10" off of the ground. The electric fence finally worked. You just have to flip a switch to cut it off and it runs off of D batteries. It also keeps our other dog, who hates the little, ill-mannered, rat dogs next door, from digging through the solid wood fence.

 

[Tala]

Hot dogs, huh?
Didn't need that to train my dog, but I think the neighbor's dog is gonna take a bit more "training" (actually the owners need training, but they don't seem interested in hotdogs

)

Everything I read said the better grounded your fence the harder it would shock. I took an 8 foot ground rod, cut in half and I have 2 x 4' for my fence system. Also if you have trouble with a dog who will take the shock, run a ground wire about 2 inches away from the hot one, so that he has to touch both at the same time = guaranteed best shock!

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Ive heard the same information from my farmer pals and the guy at the TSC. Oddly, he seemed to know what he was talking about - unusual for a clerk at TSC.
It's been recommended that you link your ground rods, too. Place one, then about 2 ft another and do this as needed. Here, there is alot of sand over clay so the soil moisture drains out. This means you have to sink grounds deep to reach the clay pan and it may take more than one.
I also ran across some older information about how best to use electric fencing for predator control, which of course includes man's best friend. Here it is...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=166505

 

[patandchickens]

I didn't see this thread when it was first posted, but would like to comment:

-- if you can swing it, invest in a *digital* fencetester, not one of the five-neon-lights jobbies. The five-neon-lights ones are notoriously unreliable, and can be off by 2-3kV or more, which can easily make the difference between sufficient and insufficient. You don't want to be using the *dogs* as fence testers

And check your fence at least every couple weeks, preferably more often. Just because last fall it was up at a good dog-stopping voltage (IIRC dogs need 5-7kV, more than typical livestock) does not mean it still is carrying that charge... changes in soil moisture, aging of insulators, weeds you didn't notice, a poor connection somewhere, etc etc can all sap current to the point where you don't discover there's a problem until too late. Test early, test often, test accurately.

-- remember that all electric fences fail sometimes, no matter whether plug-in or battery or solar, no matter how well maintained. So it is pretty chancy relying on them as your sole or main means of defense. Especially in this sort of situation, where you have critters right near the fenceline just *waiting* for a chance through. They do make a good 'cherry on the top', but should not be regarded as more than that if the consequences of animals going through them are severe.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Ive heard the same information from my farmer pals and the guy at the TSC. Oddly, he seemed to know what he was talking about - unusual for a clerk at TSC.
It's been recommended that you link your ground rods, too. Place one, then about 2 ft another and do this as needed. Here, there is alot of sand over clay so the soil moisture drains out. This means you have to sink grounds deep to reach the clay pan and it may take more than one.
I also ran across some older information about how best to use electric fencing for predator control, which of course includes man's best friend. Here it is...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=166505

Yep that's how mine are, 2 linked in a row about 2' apart. They are about an inch away from the air conditioner's concrete platform, so we trip on them less and don't mow over them and the a/c keeps them wet in the summer. Also I think your grounding rods are supposed to be very close to your charging unit, mine is on the side of the house so that's also why my ground rods are there. Be careful of electric, gas, sewer, or water lines, obviously!! For my mid-fence ground wire it's just wrapped around the T-posts.

I also have a digital volt meter for fences, measures in kvolts. It really wasn't all THAT expensive, considering that my fence charger was about $100 new - the tester was just pocket change compared.

I used to test my fence really often, and it would always fail on the coldest, most miserable, morning when your fingers were so stiff you could barely twist the wires. GRRR!!!
For really quick checks I use a screwdriver to check for sparks.
And while I wouldn't advise waiting for your dog to test the fence, you can always test it yourself

(I've "tested" it a lot more often than my dog has)

 

[BFeathered]

Glad OP put this up, since I'm gonna "train" my pair of chicken hounds (they tasted my first lot...

) with a solar electric wire around the new Fort Knox. I'm really quite taken with the idea of smelling burnt nose leather the first time...

 

[Beekissed]

Someone said that you can get more zap out of your solar set-up if you double ground. I am using solar for my garden and rotational grazing paddocks this year and will try the double grounding thingy and let you know if it works.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Hah! Another convert!!

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Its also been told to me that if you rund a 2nd ground wire between the two hot ones, it gives an additional layer of protection.

 

[azelgin]

Quote:
Its also been told to me that if you rund a 2nd ground wire between the two hot ones, it gives an additional layer of protection.

If you've ever looked at some of the "New Zealand" electric fencing systems, this is almost exactly how they do it. Less reliance on completing the circuit back through the earth to ground. I do similar, by grounding my steel barb wire and field fencing, with the hot wire on insulators. Even if the ground is dry, when you lean on the hot wire and then touch the fence, you really get nailed.