Nick Clair

Well i went ahead and went back to the store and bought the smaller energizer that is .07 joule output instead of the .7 joule output. Its smaller so im hoping a bit of a smaller shock. I am just going to run a ground wire around the top of the fence about 6" lower than the hot wire so if he climbs the fence then he should touch both wires and get shocked.

James Freyr wrote:

Nick Clair wrote:

James Freyr wrote:Hey Nick I'm glad you've got it narrowed down. A grounded wire below the hot like you mentioned will certainly help complete the circuit if the dogs touch both at the same time.

You mentioned you worry it may be too much for the dogs, but that's how they learn. If it's not a quality shock and only feels like a nuisance, they might still go over the fence.

A zap that is very painful tends to be very effective at keeping animals within a boundary and/or keeping predators out.

Good luck!

but Im worried about it being a bit to much. I mean that zap, i mean that was much more than I was expecting. I had a 5 mile charger that didnt do that and now Im using this 15 mile charger. Both of them over kill since my yard is only 120ft x 80ft.
Is there a way to know the exact volts, watts and amps these produce? I know it uses 120vac on the input and .7 joule output. but thats it.

So I don't know a ton about electricity, but fence energizers are all about voltage, and there's extremely little current or amperage coming with those volts. Amps are what electrocutes and kills.

Miles as a rating for a fence energizer is a poor way to rate one. One may ask "15 miles of what? One strand, 5 strands? Polywire or slickwire?" The best way to determine an energizer size is joules. Maybe think of joules as the amount of punch the volts have. And yours being at .7 joules, I think is adequate and sized right. It leaves room for expansion in the future too.

I have a 1 joule energizer attached to not much fence around my chickens, not to keep them in, but predators out. And it works. I have yet to find a dead coyote, dog, racoon, opossum, etc. at my fence. I do occasionally find a dead toad that touched the fence.

Yes it hurts and feels like a lot, but that's what they're designed to do.

Well right. 50mA is all it takes to kill a person. Voltage is basically whats needed to peirce through fur or coats and whatever. Joules are equal to the amount of energy to create 1 watt. Joules are energy and watts are the power.  1 Watt is defined as 1 Joule per second.
But I dont even know how many volts my energizer puts off. It doesnt have any specs about it listed on it. Just the Joules.

Im just curious as to what this thing produces is all. Ive got a degee in electronics and I always look at specs on anything electrical. Just a habit lol

James Freyr wrote:Hey Nick I'm glad you've got it narrowed down. A grounded wire below the hot like you mentioned will certainly help complete the circuit if the dogs touch both at the same time.

You mentioned you worry it may be too much for the dogs, but that's how they learn. If it's not a quality shock and only feels like a nuisance, they might still go over the fence.

A zap that is very painful tends to be very effective at keeping animals within a boundary and/or keeping predators out.

Good luck!

but Im worried about it being a bit to much. I mean that zap, i mean that was much more than I was expecting. I had a 5 mile charger that didnt do that and now Im using this 15 mile charger. Both of them over kill since my yard is only 120ft x 80ft.
Is there a way to know the exact volts, watts and amps these produce? I know it uses 120vac on the input and .7 joule output. but thats it.

Su Ba wrote:<<<I can even take the hotwire off the energizer (keeping the ground hooked up) and touch the hot terminal with still a minimal shock. Poured water on the ground rods and on my hand even with no worse shock.>>>

Sounds like you've narrowed the problem down to the fence charger. Is it a plug in model or a solar model? If it is a plug in, then I'm stumped. Even a small charger should give you more than a mild shock from the terminal.  If it's a solar model, then I would be checking to see if it was fully charged prior to putting it into service. I presently use solar chargers and let them set in the full sun for several days before hooking them up the first time. Depending upon your full sun hours, you may or may not need to bring it offline so that it can recharge fully.

By the way, I've always used a livestock charger used for horses, one with the intermittent zap. They are dependable and do fine with dogs your size. I'm using 5 fence chargers on my farm right now, all solar. My farm dogs sometimes hit the wire while ducking under or over the livestock pasture "fencing" but it doesn't do them any lasting harm other than the zap.

Yea its an AC charger and im realizeing what the problem is. No complete path like others have mentioned. I put my finger on the ground and hot terminals on the chargers and that hurt. May be to much for my dogs....

Lucrecia Anderson wrote:Nick you are saying the wire is attached to the TOP of the wood fence? Then the dogs are NOT grounded when they touch it! You are grounded when you put your hand near the wire (and btw...the shock comes from TOUCHING the wire,  ideally when barefoot).

I don't know what type of radio fence you tried, but that is what I would use. With a "stubborn dog collar" or even TWO of them, it will stop even the most determined fence jumpers and they don't need to be grounded to feel it.

I have used good shock collars. ones that have a good shock. Ive personally tested them myself, my one dog is just very, very stubborrn.

A few of you were missing the part that I said that my dog is always touching the fence when he climbs/jumps it. I physically see him touch it and it doesnt phase him. Moving the fence closer to the ground or up top, hes touching the fence.


Sooo this is what ive just figured out. Yall right about the path not being completed. I just held my hot wire and ground cable and holy crap, that produced a kick.
So what i figure I have to do is add a ground return system that is 6" below the hot wire.

On another note, i think this energizer has too much kick...
I wish that the watts and amps were posted on these energizers so I know what it pulls.
Arent these things suppose to output like 7000v? but how many watts?

Everything you guys have mentioned I have already done. Wiring is all done properly, standoffs, everything.
Grounded using insulated wire to 3 grounding rods. 2 6ft rods and 1 8ft rod. Copper rods. using grounding clamps. Even used a file to rough up the surface to clamp the wire to the ground rods.
Wires are wrapped around a screw terminal and screwed onto them. They are tight. Energizer is outside by the fence. Connected diretly to the hotwire. No insulated wire is present there because there is no need since energizer is by the fence.
The hotwire is attached to my wooden privacy fence, 6ft high using plastic standoffs 6" horizontally off the fence on every fence post that is 8ft apart using 17g steel wire that is tight, not lose on the standoffs.
My dogs touch the hot wire when they climb/jump my 6ft wood privacy fence. I physically watch them do it and there touching it. Its not zapping them like its suppose to and here lies my problem of why not.

I understand electricity very well. Ive built tesla coils producing over 50,000 volts that would kill you if you touched it lol but I can not figure out why my fence isnt producing a good shock. I shouldnt be able to touch it but I can. My taser gives off a better shock than this fence does.

I can even take the hotwire off the energizer (keeping the ground hooked up) and touch the hot terminal with still a minimal shock. Poured water on the ground rods and on my hand even with no worse shock.

I had mentioned to another guy above that it was around a privacy fence using those plastic standoffs used for electric fence. So there isnt any chance of it grounding out anywhere. Ive triple checked that lol

James Freyr wrote:Hi Nick. Welcome to permies.

Can you explain how your wire is attached to the fenceposts? Also, how far apart are your ground rods? One more question, what type and what gauge wire is being used going around the enclosure?

Edit: I just saw the last part of your post. Definitely go test it barefoot. I've tried it, and if all is working right, it hurts. Electric fences work by the animal (or person) being the conductor, completing the circuit from hot wire to ground. Shoes get in the way of this.

So if thats the case how is it suppose to shock my dog if he jumps up on the fence and touches the wire? he wont be touching the ground at all...

ground return system?

Well ive tried the chock collar. no go. Tried the invisible fence, no go. 1 of my dogs still manages to jump my privacy fence and get out. The electric fence is basically 1 of my last options.

i havent tested it with a light cause i know its working. I can hold my finger close to it and actually see the spark jump to my finger. Can feel the shock
but not enough to keep my dogs in the yard. Mine didnt come with a tester light though. I mean it has a light on the actual energizer though.
No grass or brush. Its at the top of my privacy fence and im using those plastic standoffs to keep it off the wood fence.

All i was told that I had to do with my energizer was ground one of the terminals with grounding rods and then run my actual fence wire to the other teminal. And it just pulses the current through it.

I have not tried it with no shoes on. But i was told again that since the energizer is already grounded that it shouldnt matter wether your touching the ground or not.

I have 2 australian/husky mixes.

Hi, ive done alot of reading on electric fences and cant seem to get this right. I have a small fence, 120ft x 80ft, that i have an electric fence around to keep my dogs from jumping over. I have tried 3 different energizers and they all seem very week. My newest one is one good for 15 miles but i can hold my hand on it with no problems of any discomfort. Using 3 grounding rods.

Its a simple setup. 1 wire. But it isnt keeping my dogs in the yard. What joule size or energizer size do i need to give my dogs a good shock to prevent them from climbing/jumping my fence?

Current energizer is 15 mile, .7 output and .9 stored.