The theory of newly installed electric fence goes like this: whenever possible installed a single wire as close to nose level of the animal you are tryin to keep in (or out for you green thumb sod bustin types.

Then flag it or make it highly visible (the tape for horses is not only white but many have reflective strands for night time). You can use plastic water bottles or even white flaggin or strips from and old T shirt just make sure they see it. They wasnt to smell it and put their wet noses up to sniff. That wet nose makes a perfect semi conductor and they get hit so hard they think lightning struck.

After they are trained the flagging can come down and more times than not you could actually shut the fence off and they will still stay clear of it.

Pro trip. Dig a post hole beside your ground and water it heavily.
It will be much more effective. You could probably also install one of those drip hoses around and under your new garden fence and the combo of wet nose standing on wet ground with watered down grounding point and wow. It would hit like the ladies stun guns they sell at the gun shows.

The separate grounded wire to go along with the hot wire on top is the right way, but there are variables. Board fences have a board side and a framing side.....which is on the outside? Coon can't get past......will grab to pull themselves over.....a hot wire on top. Only 2 or 3 inches above boards or they will go under it.....and fur may limit shock. Goal is to get a paw on the hot wire while in contact with the grounded wire.....and preferably a foot/paw on both at the same time.

If framing side to to outside, coon will likely always to go a post and climb it like a ladder. A hot wire near the ground may get stepped over (unless baited), and is a maintenance issue to keep from grounding out. So getting wire up high will work, but you have to find a way to get him standing on the grounded wire when he grabs hot wire on top to pull himself over. If framing side is out, he will step over most single wires. So best ground system up high is either a single, sturdy wire on a stand off....will use it as a ladder rung.......or better yet, a short piece of woven wire or chicken wire that he has to be in contact with....can't avoid.......when he reaches for the hot wire. That works for either frame side or board side. If there was objection to the woven wire, at least 2 or 3 single strands of grounded wire located 2 or 3 inches apart will mean he will be touching or standing on those grounds when he grabs the hot.

I've put in Miles and Miles of Fence... Your Ground Rods on your Electric fence is what makes your Fence nice and Hot... Run Several ground rods and tie them in together. Like others said the animal has to be grounded once touching the wire... Otherwise its like birds sitting on hot fence wire, nothing happens.

For bears and coons wrap raw bacon around the wire. They grab that with their mouth and the voltage gets them right where they are wettest. Otherwise they will quickly learn to slip their heads under the wire and let it slide down their back on top of their fur. Unless their fur is wet they receive little or no shock that way.

I guess the foil flags with PB we hang to keep deer out the garden would work on coon too.

Thanks. Or sprinkle fruity jello powder on th PB.

For flagging we tie aluminum cans on our hot wires with tie wire . The cans resonate any vibration or wind vibration through the banjo tight wire very well . If somthing hits it it makes noise for 30 seconds or more With a slight wind you can always here the fence . You can fold the cans over the wire in a pinch but the partialy collapsed cans dont resonate as well .

We always liked to put the ground rods near the water hydrant. Especially if it was used for dog water or something else that got water every day like chickens or ? That way when you cleaned the bucket or bowl it kept the ground damp around the grounding rods.