An electric fence is only as strong as its weakest link so attention to detail is more important than how it is done. When you have chosen the equipment required for the application planned, installing electric fencing is not difficult and there are a few simple ideas to keep in mind.
Electric fences are not designed to be robust impenetrable barriers but instead rely upon animals changing their behaviour as a result of receiving a shock. - Rule 1. Make sure that the conductor (current-carrying rope, tape or wire) touches ONLY plastic - nothing else. Not wood, metal or concrete - Isolate it totally.
- Rule 2. Make sure you have an efficient earth to return the current back to the energizer when the animal touches the conductor.
- Rule 3. Train the target animal to respect the fence
And that is it. Follow those three simple rules and your fence will deliver the "sting" you are looking for. Common Mistakes that people Make The Electric Fence Energiser Find a suitable location for your electric fence energiser. For a mains unit this can be under an overhang or inside your basement or garage within easy reach of a 220v power source. 12v and 9v battery units should be sited away from and protected from traffic so that it is not damaged. Solar units MUST be well protected as they are very fragile. Attach the electric fence energiser to the wall, but do not plug it in yet. All energisers are supplied with installation directions. The Earth/Grounding Rod To ensure your fence is working properly an effective earth system is essential. The earth system must be efficient enough to allow unrestricted current flow if the animal is to feel a shock. One earth/grounding rod will need to be installed within 6 meters of the electric fence energiser. The length of the earth rod is determined by the fences' maximum distance from the energiser and the joule rating of the unit. There is always a chemical reaction taking place between soil and metal thus the greater the surface area between the earth stake and soil - the better. Rust is not an efficient conductor so a rusty stake will not be as effective as a galvanized stake or even better, a copper rod. If in doubt put in an extra stake, you cannot go wrong.
Run a High Tensile wire from the energiser to the earth rod and secure the wire to the rod.
For the best grounding system, install two or more earth rods spaced 3 meters apart preferably into permanently wet soil. Link these rods together with the HT Wire as well. The earthing system is an integral and critical part of your energisers' performance and poor earthing accounts for the majority of problems. End & Corner Posts Corner and end posts should always be wood, metal or concrete. Plastic posts are not intended for corners and do not have the strength to withstand tension in the fence. Corner Posts are the base of the fence and are placed where the straight-line fence has to be bent, either at the end of a fence, at corners or where the fence takes a slight alteration in direction. As the electric wires do not need to be strained as tightly as a plain or barbed wire fence, the posts do not have to be as substantial as conventional wire fences. A simple post in the ground with a bed-log laid just below ground level and at right angles to the tension will be sufficient for most situations. Should the ground be particularly boggy or multiple, highly strung wires are planned then the more substantial "H" configuration is very stable. Suitable insulators are attached at the required intervals.
  In-line Posts With the end/corner posts installed, string out your first line between the posts and tension it so it forms a straight line. The line may be attached to the posts by either a Ring Insulator or an Egg insulator (this is the better option). This line will then show where the intermediate posts will go. The distance between posts is entirely at your discretion. The further apart they are the more the conductor wire will sag and if it is a tape, the more it will flap in the wind. It is better to place the posts so that the line will follow the topography of the ground, ie; in the hollows and highest points. A 5 to 10m interval between posts is fine. The in-line posts may be either wooden posts with suitable insulators attached or plastic horse posts pressed into the ground. Stringing the Conductor. With the fence posts installed, it is time to install the wiring (conductors). Make sure to use proper joins and tight connections throughout. The conductors need to be aimed at the animals' most sensitive organ, the one they use the most to investigate unusual objects - that is the nose. It is wet, very sensitive and the majority of animals use it to test out un-known features. The nose-height of the resting target animal dictates the positioning of the first line. The second line should be sited in a position so that if the animal crouched to get under the first line it will again get the nose or the top of the legs if a horse is using a blanket to insulate it from the top line. If there are animals of different height then you must cater for both, ie; a Shetland and a Thoroughbred in the same field. There is a picture at the end of this article showing average heights. These may be adjusted to suite your own requirements. When all the lines are installed make sure all are connected together at both ends of the fence and if possible a couple of places in between. Connect the Energiser. Now that the fence is erected, make your connection from the electric fence energiser to all the wires of the electric fence. Once your connections are made, go back and re-check all of your connections along the fence. Do this before attaching the power source. When you are finished, connect the energiser to the power source, either mains or battery. There should be a light on the controller that will light up to notify you that the fence is working properly. Test the Fence. Once your installation is complete and the fence is electrified, use a voltmeter to check voltage along the length of the fence to ensure the electric is flowing the entire length. Hang the tester on the fence and push the metal rod on the end of the rats tail into the ground. Vegetation Problems Vegetation touching the fence will also complete the loop causing the output voltage of the energizer to drop. It is very important, therefore to keep any growth on the fence line to minimum to ensure the animal receives the maximum shock available. Larger, better quality energizers will burn off a fair amount of casual vegetation and assist in maintaining a good fence, but this should not be counted on to maintain your fence.
Many animals keep a fence line remarkably clean grazing beneath the wire. Vegetation may be controlled by the use of a strimmer. Should this not be feasible, vegetation may be burned off by a propane gas burner or a broad-spectrum herbicide (ie; Glyphosate) may be employed and sprayed in a band under the wire. Joining Conductors. Joining Polytape is only correct by employing Tape connectors. These will maintain the shape of the tape as well as ensure there is a good connection for the transmission of electricity.
Polyrope and twine may be joined neatly by using Wire & Rope connectors or tying a knot as shown in the illustration. When simply tying a knot, it is imperative that the filaments are bared and twisted together to optimise the connection. Wire should be joined using a knot that maximises the contact area between the incoming and out-going wire. Reef knot or a figure-of-eight knot provide good contact and then wind the ends around it self as shown in the diagrams.
 Electric Fence Gates. Electrified gates should only be connected to the source of electricity by the hook side of the apparatus. When the gate hook is disconnected from the gate post, this then makes the gate safe and not electrified. Should it then touch the horse as it is going through, it will not be affected. If the gate drags on the ground it will not drain energy from the fence.
DO NOT use the gate itself to transmit power from one side of the gate to the rest of the fence. The gate hook has a very poor connection where it is hooked over the gate insulator that will reduce the power to the rest of the fence. (Remember the weakest link in the chain.) Rather use an Underground High Voltage Insulated Cable to transmit the maximum amount of energy to the rest of the fence. Also the rest of the fence will be disconnected when the gate is open. Rather use an underground cable between posts.
Use a Gate insulator to connect to the fence and the gate handle will hook into the other loop. The spring or chord may be attached to a ring insulator screwed into the opposite gatepost but not connected to the rest of the fence.  It is possible to electrify a wooden or metal gate by stringing a length of wire between two insulators. This wire is then connected to the rest of the fence by a loose length of insulated High Voltage cable that is long enough to allow the gate to open without snagging. This may be seen in the diagram below.
 Electric Fence Training Animals that are unaccustomed to electric fencing may need to be made aware that this fence is different to others. Domestic animals will normally need little training and simply being released into the paddock as far away from the fence as possible so that they will gently acquaint themselves with the fence. Training is more important with un-domesticated animals and in particular Deer who tend to jump over the obstacle without investigating it or domestic animals where the fence requires re-enforcing. This can be done by a range of methods;- - Placing feed close to the wire. (Not very effective)
- Fencing off a small area and introducing the animal there. Time consuming and only suitable for domestic stock.
- Attaching thin strips of kitchen foil to the fence. These wave in the wind and attract the animal to investigate them. (Particularly good for birds, poultry, Ostriches and Rhea)
- Bait the wire. This works extremely well using Bait Caps and involves applying an attractant to the wire for the initial period. Molasses or treacle is ideal for badger, horses, sheep and goats. Peanut butter works with badger, deer and rabbits. Foxes, hyena and jackal respond to some lard smeared on the wire that has proved effective
This sounds harsh, but is VERY effective and after the first few animals get a sting the rest will learn from their experiences, termed "Socially Conditioned Avoidance," and the fence will be left alone. The bait may be removed after about a week. 
 Additional reading is available from;-
The Sustainable Farming Connection website.
The D.E.F.R.A. website
Sheep Fencing, Oklahoma State University.
Badger Fencing;- The Effectiveness of EF for Badger control. and Types of fencing suitable for badgers.
Rabbit Fencing Types of fencing suitable for Rabbits.
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