An electric fence is a mental barrier, not a physical barrier like barbed wire. It works by delivering a shock to the animal, which trains them to stay away from the fence.Unlike the electricity that powers your home, the current an electric fence delivers is safe on animals.“Many people are concerned they are going to hurt their livestock or animals, but that’s not the case,” Medley says. “Electric fences use a high-voltage, low-amperage system. The low impedance sends a pulsing shock that allows the animal to back away without it being a lethal shock.”

The principle on which the electric fence works – and what differentiates it from other fences – is the animals’ reaction to the electric shock they receive when touching the fence. The electric shocks are not dangerous to either humans or animals, but nonetheless make them afraid of coming into frequent contact with the fence. This works in respect of all types of wildlife – both in containing animals as well as in protecting against them.

An electric fence circuit consists of 8 main parts:

1. The energiser produces regular current pulses.

2. The supply lines conduct the pulses to the fence and from the earth stakes back to the device. Long distances can be bridged in this way.

3. The fence wire carries the current along the fence. Wires and connections must be good conductors and screwed tight.

4. When an animal touches the fence, the current flows through the animal body painfully but harmlessly.

5. Vegetation creates short circuits and dissipates the current into the ground, it is lost and no longer available in the fence.

6. Insulators separate the fence wire from the posts and ensure that the current is not diverted into the ground.

7. The current flows through the ground. Different soil types have better or less conductivity.

8. The earth stakes absorb the current in the soil and return it to the electric fence unit via the earth connection line.