Gun Dog Forum

Anyone here have any experience using an electric fence to keep your dogs contained? Not an invisible fence - I mean a regular ol' electric one where they touch the wire and get zapped.

Just looking for tips on how to install/appropriate voltage, recommended equipment etc. I want them to get the message, but I don't want to overdo it either, and I'm thinking a unit used for horses and cows might be too much. Any advice appreciated.

It might or might not keep your dog in. If the dog busts out, it can't get back in.
It doesn't keep other critters (or the big Rottie down the road) from getting in.
Even with an elec fence, the dog needs to be supervised.

Just build a nice kennel run and be done with it.



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When we're not home they're locked up, so that's not the issue. We have a 1 acre backyard that they do get access to when we're home, though. We don't throw them out there and ignore them all night, but we can't follow them around the entire time either, and it doesn't take long to hop a fence.

. I have 3 strands around my bird pens. 6,12,& 18 inches. It keeps the coons, coyotes and dogs out. My dog could easily jump over but figures the risk isn't worth the reward. It's a big fencer that will keep a bull in(believe me it hurts). I never tried keeping her in the yard with it.

I've used an electric fence around my 100'x100' training pen. They actually make a pet fence charger and they are usually available at farm and ranch stores or any other place that sells electric fence products. The ones I have owned cost just under $40 just for the fencer. I have not found one that does not need to be plugged into 120 volt current. That means the hassle of an extension cord. A solar one would be really nice but I don't know if they make them. The ones I have used in the past were supposed to be weather proof but were not. I wound up putting a five gallon bucket over them to protect them from the weather. That being said, they need to be maintained. If enough vegetation gets up on the wires, it kills the current. I also found it difficult to get a good ground, especially in dry weather. I finally, on a wet day, had to drive a piece of 3/8" rebar about 6' long into the ground to get it to work right. My nephew soldered a connection on the end for the ground wire. The training pen is 4' chain link. I had to run a wire around the top for the jumpers and another around the bottom for the diggers. The one on the bottom seemed to work best about 6-8 inches out from the bottom of the fence and about 10 inches off the ground. It also works just like an ecollar. Once they hit it a few times, some dogs will never test it again. Some dogs, on the other hand, seem to know when the electricity is off and within a day or two will get out. If you are diligent about keeping it on and maintained they do work fairly well.

I use one. I had trouble with digging and jumping out of the chain link kennel. I used fiberglass rods and placed them on the inside about 4' apart. I put the wire about 6" from the fence and 12" off the ground. I bought the unit from the local farmers co-op. I think it's called a garden pro. Basically designed to keep rabbits and stuff out of your garden. It works great. Its enough to get their attention, but not burn them up. ive screwed around and got into it a couple of times. I have an old international unit that I use for my wife's horse pen. Every one of my dogs (including me) has ran into it (once )

Iam not shure of the voltage on the smaller unit ill check when I get home.

Hope this helps

I have had several Weimaraner rescues that were very large and great jumpers. I put up one strand of electric fence on stand offs 1 feet inside at the tope of my five foot privacy fence. I touched it and it does get youyr attention. I have never had another dog jump or try and climb out.

After they hit it a time or two I just turn it off and they wont try again. My is a standard cattle model from Tractor supply. I have not plugged it in in a year or so.

Thanks - that's roughly the setup I'm thinking of, a wire across the bottom and a wire across the top. My yard was just cleared, so it's mostly dirt and weeds touching the wire wont' be a problem for a while longer.
It's been so dry here lately that I'm a bit concerned about how good a ground I'll be able to get. My entire lot is basically sand and we haven't had much rain for a few months. The instructions I found online said to drive in 3 ground rods, linked together and back to the energizer. If that works, great. If not, I saw another setup where you run the ground wire all the way around and sink additional ground rods every so many yards. I'm going to test it without the additional wire first, though.
Once it starts raining down here again, it won't be a problem, but still, I'd rather have something that works consistently.

They do have solar units, and that's what I'm looking at right now, just to save the hassle of running a cord. They're more expensive, but seem worth it. They're also low impedance units, which as I understand it, means it can handle weeds touching the wire a lot better. I think most of the $40 ones are high impedance units.

I have never seen a problem from dry weather. Wet is better but there always seems to be enough moisture to work since other material such as dirt does work as a ground.

Ezzy

no matter wher e your ground is just pour some water around the ground rod with a hose or not in reach of a hose just pour a bucket of water around the rod. That will work.

Have used cattle style E fences in the past. They work great for keeping dogs in and moose out.

We use a pet voltage(slightly lower voltage than cattle) one from tractor supply company as Dyson was jumping the fence. Didn't want him getting hurt or shot. We had one session where we met the fence on leash as he tried to jump with me holding him...only took once. We now have the fence still up but not turned on except on occassion for reinforcement. I've hit it and its not that bad.

Carla

We use a solar powered one from TS... it works fine. Ground rod is helpful of course... generates about a 3000V pulse (whereas the cattle ones go 10-15kv)...

The reason we put one on our fence was we had diggers that were trying to go under... This keeps them 6-8 inches away from the wire at all times. The real bear is working around the gates (which I just burried romex under, and connected back, starting the hot wire at the gate, and running back to it.

The big deal though is, it grounds out easily (weeds, snow, etc)... and stops working. So you have to trim a lot and keep the snow back.