Author bio: Guest post is provided by Farm Supply Store.  This one-stop farm supply shop sells everything related to the electric fence wire.  Browse their website for more information.

It doesn’t matter what type of electric fence you select or whether it’s made of high tensile steel or aluminum, training your animals to the fence is an absolute must.  The electric fence wire shouldn’t just be left on your property without first introducing your animals to it.  Any and all animals being contained with an electric fence need to learn how to interact with it and essentially they need to learn to respect it.

It’s wise to section off a small training area.  When the animals are put into a small space with the fence, they will quickly become curious and experience the shock from the fence.  This will speed up the time it takes for them to become acquainted with the fence and to learn of its role.  One of the reasons that this training is so important is that it will typically prevent future problems between the animals and the fence.  That means that you could save yourself some from future fence repairs.

When animals first experience the shock from the fence, they can react in different ways.  Some animals back up while others try to take off and run.  Some will actually move towards the fence.  Some animals will be curious enough about the fence to touch it again while others will never again touch the fence.  Every animal is different, however, it is rare for animals to touch the fence more than twice.  They learn very quickly.  Training usually only takes about a day.

It’s important to monitor that the fence continually works correctly.  Make sure to select high quality electric fence supplies, including a great charger and tester.