Electric Fence - where do I start?

b54red · August 28, 2011

Mishka, I am only speaking from my own experience. You may very well be right about the use of the pulse type; but I have had no luck with them. I have gone through 5 different chargers and three different types of posts and two types of wire. I prefer the fiberglass posts and aluminum wire for my limited use. Very good grounding is critical for the fence to work properly.

The first was a high amperage pulse unit that was just too painful to me personally when I would accidentally touch it. I had to get rid of it when my first child was old enough to play in the yard. I only had one dog at the time and it only took her one time touching that wire to never try again so it was very effective but very painful especially if the grass was wet.

The second was an old horse fencer of the continuous pulse type and it did ground out easily on weeds but it was effective with my dogs. It also killed one squirrel and a large blackbird. It never harmed my smaller than 10 pound dogs though I'm sure if they stayed on it long enough it might have. It would give me nothing more than an slightly unpleasant tingle when I touched it which I did rather often. I used it for years before it failed.

The next two I tried were small animal pulse units which also failed to deter my dogs from going through it. One of them was so weak I could hold the wire and barely feel anything and the other was not much better.

I went back to a small animal continuous charge unit that has worked very well for the last year or so. I have two very large dogs that need to be separated from my small dogs as well as my garden. I know the large dogs are dangerous in the extreme to the small dogs so I have to go with what works.

August 28, 2011	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Mishka, I am only speaking from my own experience. You may very well be right about the use of the pulse type; but I have had no luck with them. I have gone through 5 different chargers and three different types of posts and two types of wire. I prefer the fiberglass posts and aluminum wire for my limited use. Very good grounding is critical for the fence to work properly. The first was a high amperage pulse unit that was just too painful to me personally when I would accidentally touch it. I had to get rid of it when my first child was old enough to play in the yard. I only had one dog at the time and it only took her one time touching that wire to never try again so it was very effective but very painful especially if the grass was wet. The second was an old horse fencer of the continuous pulse type and it did ground out easily on weeds but it was effective with my dogs. It also killed one squirrel and a large blackbird. It never harmed my smaller than 10 pound dogs though I'm sure if they stayed on it long enough it might have. It would give me nothing more than an slightly unpleasant tingle when I touched it which I did rather often. I used it for years before it failed. The next two I tried were small animal pulse units which also failed to deter my dogs from going through it. One of them was so weak I could hold the wire and barely feel anything and the other was not much better. I went back to a small animal continuous charge unit that has worked very well for the last year or so. I have two very large dogs that need to be separated from my small dogs as well as my garden. I know the large dogs are dangerous in the extreme to the small dogs so I have to go with what works.