Electric fence charger sizing for 30 acres and a dog.

[Ktm rider]

Hello, I am putting in about 5,300 ft of high tensile fencing around roughly 30 acres and need some advice on what size electric fence charger.
ths fence is will serve a dual purpose . We are getting a few horses in the spring so obviously it is for the horses but itscalso to keep our two farm dogs actually on the farm. These two LOVE to run and run and run some more if they are not tied to their run. I don’t want to keep them tied because then they can’t do their job of protecting the horses and chickens etc… One dog is a Anatolian shepherd and about 130 lbs the other is an Australian shepherd and about 40 lbs.
wifey wants a charger to knock them flat on their rear ends so they only ever try it once. But I have read that there is a danger level to dogs the higher the Joules. Any advice on what charger/ joules size that will not hurt them but make it so they never want to touch the fence again ?

 

[sea2summit]

With that much fence you won’t get the rated Joules the whole length of the fence. I’d go with a cyclops no matter which size you decided. I’ve got a 12 Joule cyclops and I got ahold of it when I was initially hooking it up and it hit me so hard it felt like my teeth were loose the rest of the day. I tried it again after I had it on about 300 yds of fence thinking it might be too hot but it was fine…still got plenty of my attention and I stopped further testing

I will say properly grounding it was a chore and cost a more than I budgeted for that part of the build.

 

[Roadworthy]

It doesn't seem to take much to keep horses in though I did have to carry a ground wire from post to post as well as the hot wires (one high, one low) due to extremely dry soil not providing a decent ground. As far as the dogs go, forget it. The fence didn't stop our lab and they have much shorter coats than Australian shepherds. If she felt it at all (rarely) one yip and she was past the fence to find new adventures.

 

[Ktm rider]

It doesn't seem to take much to keep horses in though I did have to carry a ground wire from post to post as well as the hot wires (one high, one low) due to extremely dry soil not providing a decent ground. As far as the dogs go, forget it. The fence didn't stop our lab and they have much shorter coats than Australian shepherds. If she felt it at all (rarely) one yip and she was past the fence to find new adventures.

I did have one of those underground fences (around the whole 30 acres, ugh!) it stopped him for quite a while.then he figured out if he gets a run straight out the road through the open gate it only shocks him once. I’m hoping the fence slows him down enough to shock him all but good.

 

[Eagle1]

I gave up on electric fence after trying it on a Golden/Boxer mix. He got zapped stepped back rolled his head and shoulders and grabbed a hold of the wire. Once the smoke came out of the box he jumped the fence....
That dog never found pain to be a deterrent from anything....

 

[Torvy]

I'm not a math expert, but wouldn't you need closer to 8000' of fencing for 30 acres?

Any dog worth having is apt to figure out a way through, over or under the fence. Best option is to have a barrier, but keep them occupied enough that they don't have much time to think on a solution through it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Get the biggest one you can afford. The farther away from the charger you get, the less power it will have. Solid wire carries more power then rope or tape. I like the tape because its so visible, but it doesn't hit as hard as solid wire. High tensile is better then aluminum.

Use at least three ground rods. Be sure to buy the proper wire that goes from the charger to the ground rods. Put the ground rods as far apart as you can. I went ten feet for each of mine, but probably should of spread them out a lot farther.

I ran tape up high for the horses. They only touch it once and they learn quickly. I rant two solid wires down low for dogs, coyotes and racoons. They learn too, but with predators, you always have new ones showing up. They never stop.

My biggest issue with electric fence is what you use to hold the wire or tape in place. I found that what I used only lasted for a few years, then it would break. You have to constantly walk the fence to make sure your fence isn't damaged. Usually after a storm, but sometimes, it just brakes because it wants to. I'm replacing mine with 2x4 wire horse fence. The cost is absurd, but it will be better then electric, and in the long run, the cheap fence is the one that costs the most.

 

[Ktm rider]

Get the biggest one you can afford. The farther away from the charger you get, the less power it will have. Solid wire carries more power then rope or tape. I like the tape because its so visible, but it doesn't hit as hard as solid wire. High tensile is better then aluminum.

Use at least three ground rods. Be sure to buy the proper wire that goes from the charger to the ground rods. Put the ground rods as far apart as you can. I went ten feet for each of mine, but probably should of spread them out a lot farther.

I ran tape up high for the horses. They only touch it once and they learn quickly. I rant two solid wires down low for dogs, coyotes and racoons. They learn too, but with predators, you always have new ones.

My biggest issue with electric fence is what you use to hold the wire or tape in place. I found that what I used only lasted for a few years, then it would break. You have to constantly walk the fence to make sure your fence isn't damaged. Usually after a storm, but sometimes, it just brakes because it wants to. I'm replacing mine with 2x4 wire horse fence. The cost is absurd, but it will be better then electric, and in the long run, the cheap fence is the one that costs the most.

Get the biggest one you can afford. The farther away from the charger you get, the less power it will have. Solid wire carries more power then rope or tape. I like the tape because its so visible, but it doesn't hit as hard as solid wire. High tensile is better then aluminum.

Use at least three ground rods. Be sure to buy the proper wire that goes from the charger to the ground rods. Put the ground rods as far apart as you can. I went ten feet for each of mine, but probably should of spread them out a lot farther.

I ran tape up high for the horses. They only touch it once and they learn quickly. I rant two solid wires down low for dogs, coyotes and racoons. They learn too, but with predators, you always have new ones showing up. They never stop.

My biggest issue with electric fence is what you use to hold the wire or tape in place. I found that what I used only lasted for a few years, then it would break. You have to constantly walk the fence to make sure your fence isn't damaged. Usually after a storm, but sometimes, it just brakes because it wants to. I'm replacing mine with 2x4 wire horse fence. The cost is absurd, but it will be better then electric, and in the long run, the cheap fence is the one that costs the most.

Thanks for the advice. I am still learning the ins and outs of fencing. So, with that said, what exactly is 2x4 Wire horse fence?

 

[Ktm rider]

I'm not a math expert, but wouldn't you need closer to 8000' of fencing for 30 acres?

Any dog worth having is apt to figure out a way through, over or under the fence. Best option is to have a barrier, but keep them occupied enough that they don't have much time to think on a solution through it.

30 acres was just a rough estimate. I and surrounding half of my farm Which is 76 acres

 

[Torvy]

Isn't the horse fence woven rather than welded wire? (Honest question, I'm not sure).