Testing your electric fence is important to ensure it's functioning properly and providing the intended level of security or containment. Here's how you can test your electric fence:

As its name suggests, using a voltmeter is one of the most reliable tools for testing an electric fence. You can find one at home improvement stores. To use the electric fence voltmeter:

1. Start by standing near the part of the fence farthest from the fence charger. Identify the ground wires of the fence by checking the fence manual.

2. Hold the plastic part of the voltmeter’s probe, and use the metal tip to touch the ground wire. If there is no ground wire, touch the metal tip of the probe into the soil near the fence.

3. Keep the metal tip of the probe to the ground wire or the ground. At the same time, hold the metal prong on the end of the voltmeter to a charged wire.

4. The digital screen on the voltmeter will display the voltage. Compare the voltage reading to your fence manual, which will tell you what the fence’s voltage should be (Most electric fences have a voltage of 2,000 to 10,000 volts).

5. Repeat these steps along the fence, moving closer to the charger, to find weak spots.

The first alternative method you can use to check your electric fence is to attach an electric fence indicator lights to your fence. You can get them for a fairly cheap price. Also, you can pay a little bit more for some extra features. For example, some light indicators may also have voltage indicators. Usually, they don’t need batteries as they get their energy from the fence itself, and are water and UV resistant. The way they work is simple: when the fence is on, the light will remain illuminated. All you have to do is to purchase them and attach them to your electric fence at regular intervals.

The other way to check if your electric fence is working might be a little bit old-school: using a compass to check for an electromagnetic field. Take the compass, and when placing about 5 to 8 cm from the wire, the compass arrow should start to vibrate due to the magnetic field. Don’t rush and allow some time for the electric pulses to reach your compass. 10-30 seconds should do.An extra way to test the fence is to use your hearing.Be careful with that method as you might not be able to hear electric fence pulses that the charger sends out every 10 to 30 seconds. Therefore, if you don’t hear anything, don’t rush to touch the electric fence with your hands as it doesn’t mean that it is not working.

If the electric fence is on, you will hear a humming or buzzing sound. If the fence is broken or has a shortage, then the humming or buzzing, and sometimes even crackling will be quite loud. Once again, don’t rush to fix it yourself as it’s safer to ask professionals to take a look at it.