Electric fences for animals

Electric fences for animals aren’t completed until the animals have been properly trained. Here are some tips on exactly how to go about doing that.

Cattle

You need to create a small training area. By keeping it small, it takes less time for the animals to figure out where they will be shocked. It also requires less time to fix the broken fencing. Plus, with a small area, it’s takes less time to get them in and out for training.

When you put your stock in the training area, keep your distance. They should discover the fence on their own. As the curious stock inspects the electric fence wire, they’ll learn what it can do. Sometimes the animal will back up when first shocked. Others may instinctively try to run through it (which leads to wire breakage). If the stock gets out, gather them up and put them back in the training area.

Typically, it takes just two encounters with the electric fence for the animal to leave it alone. Training, depending on the size of the stock, can take as little as a day.

You can try laying hay or grain across the fence to give them incentive to touch it. This may speed up the training time, but isn’t necessary. Cows are instinctively curious and will approach the new fence on their own.

Sheep

Sheep are difficult to train because their wool acts as an insulator. To effectively and quickly train them, shear them first.

To get sheep to approach the fence, you can try attaching aluminum cans that contain molasses to the fence. When they come to lick the treat, they’ll get the shock. If you decide to try this method, ensure the cans don’t touch the ground wires.

Dogs

Dogs can be trained easily to respect an electric fence. Training is essential in the success of your fence. Every dog is different in regards to the speed of training. Don’t move onto the next step until it has been proven he or she has mastered the current one.

You first want to utilize the flags to teach your dog the boundary. Leash your dog and whenever he or she comes near the flags, and the collar starts beeping, correct him or her with “no” in an animated, full-of-urgency manner.

Then, once he or she understands the boundary, you can activate the correction on the electric fence.

After your dog understands the need to stay away, you can introduce distractions, like another dog, tennis ball or a favorite toy.

If your dog successfully stays away from the boundary, you can then take him or her off the leash for play. Only after your dog has had time to get used to the system do you remove the flags, which should be at least 2 months.

After reading about electric fences for animals and the different methods you can use to train them, you’re probably interested in learning about electric fence energizers.