Alternating current
Current that flows back and forth, changing directions rapidly. AC current is typically used in households in the United States and Canada. It reverses directions 120 times per second or 60 full cycles.

Amperage
A measurement of electrical current; what you feel when you receive a shock. The higher the amperage, the more intense shock the animal will feel.

Amp (Ampere)
Unit of flow of current.

Baiting
Used to train wild animals to avoid an electric fence. Turn off fence controller. Smear an aluminum pie tin with the bait (peanut butter, honey, rancid bacon, molasses, etc.). Connect pie tin to an electric fence wire using metal wire. Locate several baited pie tins around the perimeter of the fence. After baiting is completed, turn fence controller on and monitor bait stations regularly.

Capacitive discharge
A term used to describe electric fence controllers that pulse electricity at regular intervals through a fence, typically at one-second intervals.

Capacitor
An output capacitor is used to store direct current (DC) electricity between pulses through a fence. This energy is released through the output transformer in the form of a high energy pulse. Alternating current (AC) can't be stored using a capacitor.

Conductor
A material through which current will readily flow. All metals are conductors.

Continuous current
Refers to a continuous output of alternating current (AC) rather than a pulsed or cycled output. Continuous current fences produce very low voltages and extremely low amperages in order to keep them safe. As a result, these fences do not work well on long, weedy or wet fences. Continuous current fences are not UL listed.

Current
It is the current, the duration and rate of its flow which causes the shock. Increasing the voltage increases the current whereas increasing the resistance decreases the current.

Corner posts
Sturdy wooden posts driven deep into the ground to provide extra support for the tension put on a fence line as it changes direction. Corner posts are not only used at corners, but also for gates and end posts.

Direct current
Current that flows steadily in one direction, typically produced by batteries through a chemical reaction.

Direct-discharge fencer
A type of fence controller that does not require a grounding system to deliver an electrical shock. Direct-discharge fences are most effective on short, weed-free fences.

Distance ratings
A way of comparing the relative power of fence controllers. Ratings are based on a single strand of 17-gauge steel wire strung 36 inches above the ground under ideal, weed-free laboratory conditions.

Fence load
Any number of conditions that cause current to be drawn from a fence wire. Weeds touching the fence, broken insulators, rusty fence wire, and even wire splices all increase fence load and reduce the fence's voltage and amperage. Fence load is measured in ohms.

Ground
The rods in the ground which are connected to the ground terminal on the energizer. The ground collects the pulse through the earth when an animal touches the live wire and completes the circuit.

Ground wire return system
Used where dry or sandy soil conditions do not allow a traditional ground system to work. Consists of running a ground wire parallel to a hot fence wire, delivering at the point where the animal touches the two lines.

Ground System
Necessary to create a complete electrical circuit: when the animal touches the electrified wire, the electricity travels through the animal, into the soil, back to the ground rods that are connected to the fence controller, resulting in the animal receiving a brief shock. A ground system consists of ground rods (3), hookup wire, ground rod clamps and line clamps.

High-tensile
An affordable, long lasting electrified fence system that is an excellent choice for perimeter fences, providing a barrier to contain or exclude animals. These sturdy, permanent fences require braced corner and end posts in wood along with special insulators, hardware, and tools that maintain constant high tension on metal wire.

Impedance
Total effective fence load. This is made up of Capacitance, Inductance and Resistance. In terms of the energizer, low impedance means low internal resistance of the energizer.

Induction
In terms of the fence line, this is the transfer of power without physical contact, from an electrified wire to a non electric wire or gate. This is usually noticed by touching a wire on the conventional fence (or gate) and finding it "live". This phenomenon is more noticeable in damp weather conditions.

Insulator
A nonconductive material (plastic or ceramic), typically used to offset fence wire from a fence post. Insulators prevent the current from traveling through the post and into the ground, short-circuiting the system.

Joule
Unit of energy. A joule is one watt for one second.

Joules
A measurement of electrical energy used to rate low impedance fence controllers. The effective power the controller delivers to the fence, independent of other factors that can drain voltage. The higher the joules, the more intense shock the animal will feel. (1 joule = 1 watt of power for 1 second)

Leakage
Small losses of energy from the fence line to earth. These losses can be caused by seasonal vegetation growth, faulty insulators etc.

Line posts
A post used to support electric or non-electric fence wire. Line posts support the fence line, and have far less tension put on it than corner posts. As a result, they can be made from a variety of materials, including metal, wood, plastic and fiberglass.

Live Wire
The wire connected to the energizer power terminal which carries the current.

Low-impedance fence
Low impedance fence controllers increase the joules (energy or shock) on the fence line if weeds or other vegetation touch the line. Available in AC, DC and solar powered models.

Mob grazing
The tendency among certain species of animals to graze vegetation down to the dirt. May cause animals to reach vegetation outside the fence.

Ohm
Unit of resistance

Ohms
Ohms are used to measure resistance to the flow of an electric current. A low ohms reading represents a heavy fence load, and a high ohms reading represents a light fence load.

On-time / Off-time
On-time refers to the duration of the electrical pulse produced by a capacitive discharge fence. Off-time refers to the length of time between the pulses. Fences have electrical pulses that are only microseconds long, followed by one full second of off-time between each pulse. This long off-time enables an animal (or person) to easily break away from the fence.

Pulse width
Pulse width refers to the duration of the electrical pulse produced by a capacitive discharge fence. (See On-time / Off-time)

Resistance
Resistance is any force that resists the flow of electricity, consuming power from a circuit by changing electric energy into heat. This is often called "the load" and is measured in ohms.

Rotational grazing
A system for livestock grazing, using internal temporary enclosures (within a boundary fence) to control the specific areas where the animals graze. This allows the vegetation in the previous enclosures to grow back. Typically is 1-strand of wire at 40" or at animal's nose level.

Short
A large loss of voltage from the fence line to the ground. This can be caused by live wires touching the ground or ground wires.

Solid state
Solid-state fence controllers deliver a medium amperage shock in pulses of medium duration. They are best used to control shorthaired livestock, small animals, and pets where light weed conditions exist.

Splicer
A component that joins together separate strands of fence wire, tape or rope without breaking the fence's electrical circuit.

Temporary fencing
A one to three-strand electric fence system that is used for rotational grazing or other short-term uses. It typically uses step-in poly posts or rod posts, and a DC or solar operated fence controller for portability and flexibility.

Tensioner
A component used to tighten fence wires, typically polytape, to increase tension on a section of the fence line.

Transformer
A device that increases or decreases the voltage of alternating current.

Volt
Unit of electrical pressure which creates the current flow.

Voltage
A measurement of electrical pressure. It functions similarly to water pressure in that it "pushes" amperage down the fence wire.

Watt
A unit of measurement for electric power equal to voltage times amperage.