Fact - Swiss kids (including myself) like to dare each other to touch the fences. Sometimes we go on mountain hikes and then the more mischievous kids will make sure everyone holds hands and the kid closest to the fence will grab the fence - thus giving the last kid at the end a bit of a shock while remaining unshocked themselves.
I can't believe you actually wrote a letter about this instead of googling and finding this is normal. Or that you would think cows stay inside a field demarcated by a thin bit of wire just because they are so well behaved. I bet the people who got the letter had a good laugh and showed it around the office.
Welcome to Switzerland, wo Dummheit immer noch weh tun kann. I'm sorry about your dog getting a bit of a fright but he'll get over it and will simply know not to go near fences again. That is probably a good thing, as it means it won't get any silly ideas like running into a field of cows.
A dog will feel the shock worse than a human as more current will flow to ground as firstly, they are not insulated from the ground by wearing shoes and secondly, they have more points of contact with the ground (four as opposed to two).
Seriously, it's only 9 volts and is only slightly painful if you connect close to the power pack. Even then I can't see it being strong enough to knock a dog out. One of our dogs got a shock on the ears from one of our electric horse fences..... he was so annoyed he bit it. But he stays well clear now .
And our 2 Rottis were fascinated by our neighbors goats and were creeping towards them. They got within a meter of the goats when their noses touched the electric mesh fence. I think they are now convinced that goats and sheep have magical powers and can bite them on the nose from a distance, so they stay well clear of them too.
and i just remembered this, this must have hurt too!
The energizing unit usually ticks. 50 years ago, the ticking was caused by a relay that periodically connected the voltage to the fence wire, producing the pulses, but these days thyristors are used, totally noiseless. I don't know if the ticking is added as a tribute to tradition. Or maybe the ticking units are very old, from those times long gone when electric devices were made to last longer than just the guarantee period.
EDIT:
Oh, now I understand. That kind of clicking cannot be heard on solid wire fences. It's caused by minute movements of the multiple-wire filament due to electromagnetic effects, but you must get darned close to the filament tape in a very silent environment to even hear it. Definitely not very useful as a warning sign.
Even when the supply voltage from the battery is 9 volt, the actual voltage of the pulses between the wire and ground is much higher. 9 volt wouldn't even be perceived, let alone useful as a deterrent. When I was a kid, it could be up to several thousand volt, but with a very low current and an even much lower pulse duration, and that's what counts: Unless you connect it directly to your dog's pacemaker, it's harmless.
We did the same as kids.
"Below are some recommendations of MININUM Voltage for different animal types:
SPECIES TYPE TO CONTROL MINIMUM VOLTAGE RECOMMENDED # OF STRANDS PERIMETER
CATTLE 4,000 To 5,000 4 to 5
HORSES 3,000 to 5,000 3 to 5
SWINE 4,000 To 5,000 3 to 5
GOATS 7,000 to 9,000 5 to 7
SHEEP 7,000 to 9,000 5 to 7
BISON / DEER 5,000 to 8,000 5 to 7
PREDATORS 5,000+ 5 to 7
PETS 3000+ 3 to 5
GARDEN PESTS 4,000+ 2 to 5"
From here .
Tom
The transformer that powered it was mounted to the wall beside the kitchen table; one day, for some reason, I thought it would be interesting to grab the wingnuts the fence wire attached to, one with each hand. Ended up on my butt and slid the table 3 feet back. Had to be more than 9 volts...
Edit- looking at Tom's post I would guess it was around 3000, as it was for dogs. Smart buggers still managed to dig out!
It is correct that the current in a typical sheep or cow fence is low enough so that little physical damage is done to a dog accidentally brushing up against one.
However, for some dogs the shock can trigger long term behavioral consequences; this is the greater concern for many dog owners. There are several threads in the pets corner discussing this.
The best precaution is owner awareness, and to train a reliable close heel at the owner's side while walking along an electric fence.
(best watch on youtube at full screen for the best educational affect.