electric fences

[taff]

hi all, i'm on a 5 acre plot but for some reason it doesn't seem to be enough for my dogs and i'm worried our local ranger (who i'm sure is a direct descendant from hitler) is going to come and get them. our neighbours are great and whenever they have escaped they've always got them before the ranger has and tucked them away till we've got home - but i'd still rather they didn't get out in the first place which is why i'm thinking of an electric fence.
our plot is well fenced and were forever repairng the holes at the bottom where the dogs force there way through next but it is a complete loop.
there are products that we've seen where you can create an "invisible fence" and put a collar on the dogs so if they get near/cross the boundry then they get a zap thus teaching them limits of where they can go. these however really limit to where the dogs can go and it kind of defeats the purpose of having 5 acres if they can't use it so i was hoping someone might be able to recomend something that could be wired to our existing fence thus giving the dogs total freedom within the whole of the plot but a zap at the outermost boundary to stop the escaping and meeting up with their mates

jason

[Bigmark]

Not really, the invisible fence really works well, just place them along the boundary fence or wherever they are more likely to try and get out.
I bet once they become aware that anywhere near the fence is a no go zone you wont have to put them everywhere along the fence line.

[LandyAndy]

Its easily done Jason.
Call into one of the Elders or Wesfarmers agents in Midland.
You wont need the big "bull stopper" setup.You need to run an insualted wire close to ground level where the dogs will touch it.Its REAL easy to set up on an exsisting fence.
You will need to keep the fencline sprayed for weeds having a hot wire close to the ground,they will short the fence and deem it OFF in any sort of dewy weather.
Goodluck
Andrew

[JDNSW]

Its easily done Jason.
Call into one of the Elders or Wesfarmers agents in Midland.
You wont need the big "bull stopper" setup.You need to run an insualted wire close to ground level where the dogs will touch it.Its REAL easy to set up on an exsisting fence.
You will need to keep the fencline sprayed for weeds having a hot wire close to the ground,they will short the fence and deem it OFF in any sort of dewy weather.
Goodluck
Andrew

Just to correct a possible misconception - you need to run a bare wire on insulators, not an insulated wire. If conditions are very dry and the soil conductivity very low, you may need to have an earth wire as well below the live wire.

There are a variety of purpose built insulators depending on the structure of the existing fence - see the retailers suggested for advice.

(I have just spent some time rebuilding electric fences to keep goats in now that we have water in a particular paddock for the first time in years)

John

[Graeme]

In my experience, dogs are very sensitive to electric fences so even in very dry conditions they will feel the zap.

[disco2hse]

Wouldn't easier/cheaper to run chicken wire or some other mesh from about 30-50 cm above the ground, then dig it down 20cm into the soil for another 30-50cm? It'd then be too much hard work for them to try to dig it all out and get under the wire. You could then put a line of bricks along the dug soil to just make it that little more difficult.

Once it's in, no more maintenance. Just a thought.

Alan

[big harold]

I have both systems #1 Dog Contain and Train, good system If your dogs are kenneled and the collars put on when dogs are let out. But would not really be suitable for continuos use as collars go flat and dogs will need training. I am not confident trusting this system if there are two dogs involved as they will lead each other on. Cost with 2 collars $1500 approx. Will still need to run wire around perimiter for system.
#2 Electric fence I have two yards for my dogs with chicken wire and they both push through and get out. I ran 3 strand electric around perimiter no further problems. You should only need to by some stand offs and fit them to your existing posts about 15cm from bottom run wire through these. You will need to slash or spray to reduce shorting.

[JohnE]

Why not flog them with a whip instead! or shoot them! most of that has worked in the past.

hell what have we come to when the masses think the best solution is to barbeque them with some hot wire.
and i dont know about WA but in NSW there is this
PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (GENERAL) REGULATION 2006 - SCHEDULE 1 (http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/poctar2006506/sch1.html)


The last time i looked at farm electric fences they were for farm animals, cattle sheep goats pigs , i can;t recall the charge being able to be turned down for 'pet dogs', most states have a bar against them being used for cats and dogs, in my opinion anyone who uses them to control domestic pets deserves to be charged with cruelty.


Think outside the square. People make money out of helping people train and detrain dogs, hell I used to do it for a living.
The most innovative product on the market is this

Invisible Dog Fencing - Innotek SD-2000 - DogMaster Trainers (http://www.dogmaster.com.au/cat/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=5713&product_id=382979)

no I am not affiliated with them, even thought about it for here.


john

[rocket scientist]

I have the house paddock of our property wired for the dogs.
There is a single wire on standoffs about 6 inches off the ground.
Works well for both the large and small dog. They only have to touch it once
to know not to go under the fence. Dogs are quick learners.
Make sure you keep the grass trimmed underneath or it will short out and lessen the effect.
As for been cruel to dogs, well letting your dogs get out and taking a bait, or being caught by the ranger,or been hit by a car is a lot crueler.
My kids as well as myself occasionally touch the wire by accident. It's not the end of the world!
By the way the Innotec collar works with a audible warning beep as the dog gets close to the wire (buried underground) then a zap if the dog gets to the wire. The zap is more than a standard electric fence.

It's all about discipline from the start. We are not allowed to control our kids any more thanks to the bleeding hearts brigade. Look where thats got us.
:D

[Slunnie]

Thats exactly it. I'm not going to sit down and discussion the social issues of escaping with my dog. Like I've learnt not to touch hot things, the dogs will learn not to get zapped and they wont be any worse off for it. Its not like it harms the dogs. :angel:

[Slunnie]

Wouldn't easier/cheaper to run chicken wire or some other mesh from about 30-50 cm above the ground, then dig it down 20cm into the soil for another 30-50cm? It'd then be too much hard work for them to try to dig it all out and get under the wire. You could then put a line of bricks along the dug soil to just make it that little more difficult.

Once it's in, no more maintenance. Just a thought.

Alan
The wire will still corrode despite being Gal. I had the same thoughts, except to lay the excess over the ground so that the dog would walk onto it initially, though it is an expensive way of doing it and 5 acres is a hell of a lot of digging.

[Outlaw]

I was running one of the Innotek waterproof models at my last place due to a malamute that had escaped around 30 times at the previous property mainly from digging.

When i moved onto a 2acre property i installed the electric collar... my malamute tested it out a couple times in the first night then was fine from then on... she'd get to a couple metres from the fence and it'd start beeping at her which would make her turn around quicksmart. Very good system imho and can bu used to surround your entire property ;)

[disco2hse]

The wire will still corrode despite being Gal. I had the same thoughts, except to lay the excess over the ground so that the dog would walk onto it initially, though it is an expensive way of doing it and 5 acres is a hell of a lot of digging.

True it is. I thought I'd mention that because it is being done quite a bit over here to keep pests out of sensitive reserves. Fro example these guys (http://www.xcluder.co.nz/) have their fences in a number of parks. Seems to work very well.

Alan

[mike 90 RR]

either way .... you have to keep the dogs inside the property .... otherwise they will be blamed quickly for any "kills" .... and then they will have to be "put down"

that is most probably why the ranger is strict ... Cause HE is the one who will have to do it

[rocket scientist]

Funny you should mention a malamute, Outlaw. very smart dogs.
I heard that one malamute worked out the perimeter system & would walk back and forth to activate the beep so as to flatten the battery. Once the battery was flat it could simply stroll out of the perimeter without getting zapped !!!

[Slunnie]

Funny you should mention a malamute, Outlaw. very smart dogs.
I heard that one malamute worked out the perimeter system & would walk back and forth to activate the beep so as to flatten the battery. Once the battery was flat it could simply stroll out of the perimeter without getting zapped !!!
That really wouldn't surprise me. Simba my Samoyed would probably just go to sleep next to the fence though while the coller went crazy. :lol2: As a pup she used top dig under the fences, but shes too old and lazy these days - just tell her not to do it and she wouldn't.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

An an electric fence put around a five acre property would always be for stock security. Just because you don't have the stock yet shouldn't stop you from preparing. Goats are always climbing under fences so you need to have the wire down low.

We don't use metal star pickets so all our fences are wooden and the wires passed through holes drilled through the posts. The way the electric fences are done around here with the drilled posts, is that the plain wire is insulated by a short length of 13mm poly pipe protruding about 50mm either side of the post.

If you place 1 wire about 150mm from the ground and a second at about 300mm from the ground. Initially you keep them both alive and the weeds down once the animals learn you can often turn the lower one off. Most perimeter electric fences are 5 or 6 wire for cattle, but once they learn about the "hot" wire a single wire is enough to keep them off pasture.

Not a hope with young stock, so full fences are the go.

Did someone also mention something about dogs and pets? :angel:

Diana

[taff]

thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
wether people find it cruel or not, we definately need to do it as we've done the chicken wire thing with bricks but they eventually break through again.
it's like a disney movie up here where all the dogs break out and meet up for adventures in the day - i'm not kidding.
we have a new ranger who isn't very dog sympathetic and he's already shot 1 dog because he thinks it killed a few chooks - though on the same night 2 dozen were lost in all on 4 property's in total. which to me says a fox not a dog.
ours wont go anywhere when were home even at night but if left alone during the day then off they go. we generally hear about it off our neighbours as they are back by the time we get home and the last thing i want is to come home and find the ranger has one if not both to shoot them for killing chooks which i think would be a lot more cruel than a little zap to keep them in. i'll pop down the farm shops this weekend and get something sorted thanks again for all the replies.
jason

[mike 90 RR]

thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
wether people find it cruel or not, we definately need to do it as we've done the chicken wire thing with bricks but they eventually break through again.
it's like a disney movie up here where all the dogs break out and meet up for adventures in the day - i'm not kidding.
we have a new ranger who isn't very dog sympathetic and he's already shot 1 dog because he thinks it killed a few chooks - though on the same night 2 dozen were lost in all on 4 property's in total. which to me says a fox not a dog.
ours wont go anywhere when were home even at night but if left alone during the day then off they go. we generally hear about it off our neighbours as they are back by the time we get home and the last thing i want is to come home and find the ranger has one if not both to shoot them for killing chooks which i think would be a lot more cruel than a little zap to keep them in. i'll pop down the farm shops this weekend and get something sorted thanks again for all the replies.
jason

Hi Taff
It's not cruel to electrify the fence ... The dogs will pick up on it real quick and learn very quickly not to go near it

No different then when you say to a mate .... This is a spark plug lead ... Can you just hold it for a sec :twisted: :p

[taff]

thks mike.
i ended up going for the collar job as it's much easier in terms of maintenance - none.
i can recomend it to anyone who is having similar problems.
got the brand "petsafe" 2 collars the transmitter thing and approx 2100 ft of cable for just under a grand - installed it all on sat and by today with a little bit of training they've both pretty much got it sussed that they are allowed to within about 5 ft of the fence line.
thanks again for the input.
jason

[Outlaw]

Good work Jason, fingers crossed :)

[Fendy130]

Came across this today and immediately thought of this thread:

Video of Dogone prison break - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Spin_Drift/Movies/?action=view&current=DogonePrisonBreak.flv)

:o

[DEFENDERZOOK]

and i suppose you will need to make sure the rspca dont find out about it......

[LandyAndy]

DOG CATCHER= DOG HATER
Got another one at work confirms the myth.
We sorted him on the last impound,all ended up good as far as the dog is concerned.
Was told in no short terms,dont matter WHAT the rules are we do it our way:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[taff]

as cruel as that is you have to admit that's a pretty smart dog, kind of reminds me of my old boxer who used to climb the z on the back of my old 6ft gate so she could go and play with the kids next door when they came home from school.