# Electric Fence Questions



## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I searched a lot of threads on here and found some great info but still need help. We have 2x4 woven wire no climb horse fence enclosing a small pen around the barn and five acres around the house. Now I am considering adding hot wire strands to our fence and also wanting a net electric fence to increase the goats’ pen as I feel comfortable. Plus I’ll be able to use this later when spreading beyond the acreage we have fully fenced. 

My goats are young NDs and don’t yet require much space. The barn is right by the house and they are locked in it at night. I’m wanting to keep goats off the fence and inside it and wanting to keep predators out. We have coyotes (have never come inside the fence though). We also have loose neighborhood dogs who walk right up to our fence that runs along the road and pee on it. This was never an issue until I got the goats. The dogs are mostly heelers and love to chase, so I’m worried once my goats are out of their little pen and on the five acres, the dogs will be a threat. Also, my dog has become very protective over the goats and our property line. He gets agitated when these dogs wander up and I don’t blame him. I’m worried there will be a fence fight soon because those dogs won’t back down. I want my dog to keep dogs away that don’t belong, I just never thought he had it in him until we brought goats home and he decided to become more assertive with strange dogs. I also want to spare him the frustration of having them mark his territory. 

Here are my questions:

1. How do you train goats to an electric fence (be it an added strand of hot wire or the net fence)?

2. What electric, moveable net fence would you recommend for rough terrain and woods? (We would clear a path for the fence but one that doesn’t short out easy would be nice because branches fall and vines pop out of nowhere a lot out here)

3. Where to put the hot wire on the actual fence? I’m thinking on top, and then I’m pretty much lost. I want to keep the goats from rubbing too much and/or going under, but I also want to keep dogs and other predators from going under and keep the neighborhood dogs at bay. I’m thinking my only option for the lower portion is one strand inside about a foot off the ground and another on the outside about half a foot to a foot off the ground. I’m open to alternate suggestions because that is a lot of electric fence to add. Is there a way to do only one lower strand and achieve both goals? Or does it definitely need to be 3 strands (top, low inside, low outside)?


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## EJskeleton (Apr 22, 2021)

I can only answer question one, so here is my answer. 🤣 
Goats can almost sense if a fence is electric, and will no doubt test it out anyway. Usually, it only takes about one zap for them to learn that the fence should not be touched. Don't worry about it hurting the goats. It just surprises them, and hurts them lightly for only a moment. My goats only have about two to three wires, and do fine. It's the young kids you have to worry about, because they are so much tinier. I have known quite a few people who use net fences for their goats, but honestly, out of personal experience, i find that wires are just so much easier. Net fences get tangled in tree limbs and weeds, which makes the electric shock super weak. If your goats do get out of electric wire fences, usually they will come back. Goats need water to digest their food, so they always come back to where their usual water source is. hope this helps! 😄


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

So this is MEAN, I’m not going to lie but it saves lives in the long run. When I have new kids/ goats that need to learn about the hot fence I make sure to just get it out of the way. My biggest fear is they will be able to get their heads threw and then get nailed while their head is stuck in the fence and freak out and get hurt. But anyways I get a pan of grain, walk to the other side and shake it until they come to the fence and learn it bites! Usually once and they are done! Goats are SUPER smart and know when it is off and on though so make sure to keep it on lol
When I put my fence up around the yard I only use 3 strands, BUT it really isn’t the end of the world if they get out and there is nothing that can get past my Queensland to get to them. I do have a few little ones that will squeeze past but the adults know not to even go near that thing. It sounds like though it would be best for you to get the netting. It’s expensive but I think in your case would in the end be worth it.
Where to put a stand on the already fence: I have boers and go knee high. That is roughly the chin high. I know for a fact that keeps dogs out when trying to go under and I’m sure even lower would work just fine. With dogs they tend to dig under, same as coyotes. Large cats like to go over. But here is the thing with hot fence. Whatever needs to be zapped needs to be touching the ground in some way for it to get them. If you have a high jumping animal, goat or predator, it won’t do much unless they touch the ground or the fence that that is grounded. I’m not saying don’t put it on the top, just don’t put it up too high. With the dogs though what you could do is run a line on the inside and the outside of the fence. Dogs are also smart and usually after they get zapped seem to kinda keep their distance. My dads dog 5 years later will NOT go near my front fence line after she got zapped trying to get in.


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## EJskeleton (Apr 22, 2021)

AndersonRanch said:


> So this is MEAN, I’m not going to lie but it saves lives in the long run. When I have new kids/ goats that need to learn about the hot fence I make sure to just get it out of the way. My biggest fear is they will be able to get their heads threw and then get nailed while their head is stuck in the fence and freak out and get hurt. But anyways I get a pan of grain, walk to the other side and shake it until they come to the fence and learn it bites! Usually once and they are done! Goats are SUPER smart and know when it is off and on though so make sure to keep it on lol
> When I put my fence up around the yard I only use 3 strands, BUT it really isn’t the end of the world if they get out and there is nothing that can get past my Queensland to get to them. I do have a few little ones that will squeeze past but the adults know not to even go near that thing. It sounds like though it would be best for you to get the netting. It’s expensive but I think in your case would in the end be worth it.
> Where to put a stand on the already fence: I have boers and go knee high. That is roughly the chin high. I know for a fact that keeps dogs out when trying to go under and I’m sure even lower would work just fine. With dogs they tend to dig under, same as coyotes. Large cats like to go over. But here is the thing with hot fence. Whatever needs to be zapped needs to be touching the ground in some way for it to get them. If you have a high jumping animal, goat or predator, it won’t do much unless they touch the ground or the fence that that is grounded. I’m not saying don’t put it on the top, just don’t put it up too high. With the dogs though what you could do is run a line on the inside and the outside of the fence. Dogs are also smart and usually after they get zapped seem to kinda keep their distance. My dads dog 5 years later will NOT go near my front fence line after she got zapped trying to get in.


SAME! i always make sure they learn what the fence it.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

EJskeleton said:


> I can only answer question one, so here is my answer. 🤣
> Goats can almost sense if a fence is electric, and will no doubt test it out anyway. Usually, it only takes about one zap for them to learn that the fence should not be touched. Don't worry about it hurting the goats. It just surprises them, and hurts them lightly for only a moment. My goats only have about two to three wires, and do fine. It's the young kids you have to worry about, because they are so much tinier. I have known quite a few people who use net fences for their goats, but honestly, out of personal experience, i find that wires are just so much easier. Net fences get tangled in tree limbs and weeds, which makes the electric shock super weak. If your goats do get out of electric wire fences, usually they will come back. Goats need water to digest their food, so they always come back to where their usual water source is. hope this helps!


That makes sense. And yeah, my little 11 weak old Nigerians could likely walk through a three strand fence if careful enough, but luckily, they’ll be bigger before trying out the net fence. 



AndersonRanch said:


> So this is MEAN, I’m not going to lie but it saves lives in the long run. When I have new kids/ goats that need to learn about the hot fence I make sure to just get it out of the way. My biggest fear is they will be able to get their heads threw and then get nailed while their head is stuck in the fence and freak out and get hurt. But anyways I get a pan of grain, walk to the other side and shake it until they come to the fence and learn it bites! Usually once and they are done! Goats are SUPER smart and know when it is off and on though so make sure to keep it on lol
> When I put my fence up around the yard I only use 3 strands, BUT it really isn’t the end of the world if they get out and there is nothing that can get past my Queensland to get to them. I do have a few little ones that will squeeze past but the adults know not to even go near that thing. It sounds like though it would be best for you to get the netting. It’s expensive but I think in your case would in the end be worth it.
> Where to put a stand on the already fence: I have boers and go knee high. That is roughly the chin high. I know for a fact that keeps dogs out when trying to go under and I’m sure even lower would work just fine. With dogs they tend to dig under, same as coyotes. Large cats like to go over. But here is the thing with hot fence. Whatever needs to be zapped needs to be touching the ground in some way for it to get them. If you have a high jumping animal, goat or predator, it won’t do much unless they touch the ground or the fence that that is grounded. I’m not saying don’t put it on the top, just don’t put it up too high. With the dogs though what you could do is run a line on the inside and the outside of the fence. Dogs are also smart and usually after they get zapped seem to kinda keep their distance. My dads dog 5 years later will NOT go near my front fence line after she got zapped trying to get in.





EJskeleton said:


> SAME! i always make sure they learn what the fence it.


Well, it does sound mean, lol. But I get it. I don’t want them stuck in it unsupervised when they first get zapped. 

Do you all put any ribbons around them or anything to show them the strand?

So it looks like I’ll need to do the two bottom strands (inside and out) but I may skip the top. So far, coyotes haven’t jumped, climbed, or dug the fence. When we bought the place (pre-fence), they used to come right up by the house. I’m actually thinking it is more loose dogs that are going to be the issue. And I don’t see them jumping up on the fence.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

If you do an electric standoff around the inside of your woven wire fence, that will teach them to respect the electric wire in a safe environment. That is typically what I start with. I have two strands of smooth electric wire on the inside of my welded wire fence. One is about chest height for my adult goats, the other is lower, so the kids will touch it if they get too close. It also keeps them from rubbing against the woven or welded wire and tearing it up.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

I had ribbons around my wire for awhile, but they're all gone now. Doesn't seem to make much difference.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> If you do an electric standoff around the inside of your woven wire fence, that will teach them to respect the electric wire in a safe environment. That is typically what I start with. I have two strands of smooth electric wire on the inside of my welded wire fence. One is about chest height for my adult goats, the other is lower, so the kids will touch it if they get too close. It also keeps them from rubbing against the woven or welded wire and tearing it up.





Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> I had ribbons around my wire for awhile, but they're all gone now. Doesn't seem to make much difference.


Ok. Thanks. I won’t bother with the ribbons then. So to introduce/train the electric net fence, should I temporarily put it inside their actual pen fence? That’s what I was thinking and I think that’s also what you’re saying, but want to make sure.  And that sounds like smart distances to use on the wires as well. 


Do you all think about 9” off the ground for the outside lower line is about right?


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Yes, I would put it inside your existing fence. It is just a lot safer that way, and it will teach them to run away from the fence instead of trying to go through it when they get shocked, as they will not be able to get through the permanent barrier of your outside fence. 9 in. off the ground sounds about right. The only issue with that is that you'll have to make sure you keep weeds and grass knocked down around your fence line, or you could end up with issues from your fence shorting out.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Ok. Thanks. That’s what I thought you were saying but sometimes my brain has creative interpretations. 

We do keep the fence line, especially along the road where we have the most problem with loose dogs coming up, very clear. And it is a pain. But since we already do it, might as well get the extra peace of mind with hot wire. 

Sorry to keep adding to my questions everyone. I’ve been looking at Premier1 net fencing. Does anyone have any good/bad experiences with any particular brand?

And is it fine to use the solar chargers (as long as it has battery for night and enough voltage) for each (the net and wires)?

Here’s a pic of the dog and the goats, just because.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Aww your dog is gorgeous. Mastiff mix? It's nice that he feels like he needs to stand up for the goats.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Yes, he is a mastiff mix but no one (including me) ever guessed that. You’re good, lol. 

He’s about half mastiff, a quarter Dane, then a few others mixed in according to DNA results. He’s also very sweet. He guides my blind, deaf 17 yr old rat terrier (tiny dog) inside after potty breaks and he just recently has taken to protecting the chickens from aerial predators. He’s a great farm dog. 

We got him just before his first birthday and were already his 4th home. No idea why. I did a lot of training with him because he’d had little to none, but behaviorally, he was a dream dog. No resource guarding, very easy to train to walk on a leash and to heel off leash, amazing recall, and you can leave a gate wide open and he won’t leave the property without a command. We worked hard on that training and accidentally found out it was effective this week when someone left our gate open. We’ve only had him 6 months, so he’s not even 2 yet. 

I like that he now wants to protect and I want to ease his frustrations over the loose dogs. I have a feeling if they pee on or bump into a hot wire, that’ll do it.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

FizzyGoats said:


> I have a feeling if they pee on or bump into a hot wire, that’ll do it.


Gosh yes it would! Especially by peeing on it to mark territory. If there is heavy dew on the ground, recent rain fall, any increase of ground wetness under the paws... It would zap the living daylights out of him. Send him fleeing away and hopefully he would be smart enough to learn a lesson and respect for your fences. Free roaming dogs can be extremely bothersome around livestock.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Oh what a sweetie! Sounds like an amazing dog! What do you call him? I can't believe he was passed around that much.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

NigerianNewbie said:


> Gosh yes it would! Especially by peeing on it to mark territory. If there is heavy dew on the ground, recent rain fall, any increase of ground wetness under the paws... It would zap the living daylights out of him. Send him fleeing away and hopefully he would be smart enough to learn a lesson and respect for your fences. Free roaming dogs can be extremely bothersome around livestock.


 Right? That’s a memorable lesson. They are a pain. But they are smart, so I’m hoping once I get it done, it’ll solve a few issues. 



MellonFriend said:


> Oh what a sweetie! Sounds like an amazing dog! What do you call him? I can't believe he was passed around that much.


His name is Benji. Since he was older, he already knew his name so we didn’t change it. We do call him Benjamin when he’s being fancy or about to get in trouble. We can’t believe he was passed around either. Their loss is our gain. Though one of his owners did keep him crated so long in a crate that was too small for him that he came with sores and some malformed bones and joints, but you can hardly even tell now. Luckily he was still growing and a lot of it corrected itself with good nutrition, a good vet, and a lot of running around like a wild man.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

FizzyGoats said:


> Right? That’s a memorable lesson. They are a pain. But they are smart, so I’m hoping once I get it done, it’ll solve a few issues.
> 
> 
> His name is Benji. Since he was older, he already knew his name so we didn’t change it. We do call him Benjamin when he’s being fancy or about to get in trouble. We can’t believe he was passed around either. Their loss is our gain. Though one of his owners did keep him crated so long in a crate that was too small for him that he came with sores and some malformed bones and joints, but you can hardly even tell now. Luckily he was still growing and a lot of it corrected itself with good nutrition, a good vet, and a lot of running around like a wild man.


Poor guy! So glad he has a good home like yours now. 😇


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