Electric fencing is moving into the Ground Positioning Systems age with trials being carried out linking a GPS receptor and an electric shock collar similar to those currently used by dog owners and an under ground cable. The current principle is that the collar responds to an electronic field in the underground cable and delivers a shock to the wearer, getting progressively stronger the closer the target gets to the wire.

In the GPS system the collar will have a reader that links to position of the collar to a pre-set line generated by a computor ground linking system. As the target approaches that line it will receive a shock.

It has possibilities in extensive livestock ranching systems where High Density, Low Duration grazing principles are desired. Currently, extensive expenditure is occurred by considerable fencing or labour involved in repeated moving of electric fencing.

The idea is that the area to be grazed that day would be fixed in the morning so that cattle would be moving into fresh, un-grazed grass on a daily basis. It remains to be seen if cattle will be able to realise that the boundary set yesterday is no longer in effect today and they will not be shocked today. The other issue is an animal lagging behind may be cut off from the rest of the herd by the advancing rear demarcating line.