Fencing

[luckypenny]

Didn't know if I should post this in off-topic or not...but it is related to fencing a yard for dogs.

I was wondering what you all use for yard fencing? Particularly for those who have a large lot.

[hazelrunpack]

6-ft chain link... Very secure but pricey. To keep them from digging out, we slipped chicken wire under the fence and secured it in place with landscapers staples...

We could probably have done with a shorter fence, but our aim was to keep other things out as well as to keep the Pack in. 6 feet is not tall enough to keep out a determined deer or wolf, but so far neither have been a problem inside the fence.

[luckypenny]

We just had one side of the yard done last fall and it was more costly than we expected.

I was wondering about what I've heard some ppl refer to as deer fencing. I think there's different sizes available, eg 4" x 4" but I'm not sure how secure that may be.

Can I ask how much land you have fenced in? And the chicken wire, is it secured to the bottom of the fence as well?

[hazelrunpack]

I'm not sure exactly how much is fenced, but it's something more than half an acre...

The chicken wire is not secured to the fence at all, except in one spot where we had some frost heave on a pole. It raised the chain link mesh up off the ground, creating a gap under the mesh that Grace could easily crawl under. We attached some chicken wire to the fence with wire ties, bent the mesh at a right angle as it met the ground, then secured it to the ground with landscaping staples.

But along the rest of the fence, the mesh is just secured to the ground. They dislike the feel of it when they dig, so it keeps them from tunnelling out.

I'm not sure what 'deer fencing' is. Does deer fencing look like this?:





If so, it's much less strong than chain link and deforms easily, so it will always look 'warped'. Also, the welds at the intersection of the wires can break. If your dogs don't run into it a lot, it's doable, though, and definitely less expensive.

[jessi76]

Our fence cost $500. We did a large portion of our yard, a whole side of the yard actually. We saved alot because my fiance did it by himself in a weekend. Large wooden posts, coated wire which is stapled to the posts, and we built large wooden gates that swing open. large enough to get a ride-on lawn mower through the gates so we could easily mow it.

Our fence isn't all that tall, Tucker CAN jump it (and has on occassion). However, we did add additional fencing to the low spots - sort of at an angle on the top, so he can't clear it. We just did it in the spots we noticed him jumping out most often. That actually solved the problem, although Tucker is very RARELY ever left in the penned area for very long, unattended. Our oldest cat, Nala, who came to us declawed, uses the pen more often. She loves to be outside, supervised, but I prefer to keep her in a secure area since she's been declawed in front.

Here's a pic, you can see part of the fence... we left a space between the pen and the house. We actually bent the wire fencing at the bottom instead of sinking the bottom into the ground. Tucker has never tried to dig under.

[Frenchy]

LP , I have the same fence as Hazel , there's different heights , I got it at Canadian Tire.

[rainbow]

Our fencing looks like Hazel's too. We got some of it at Home Hardware Buiding Centre and the rest at Timbrmart. I *think* it was called "field & farm" fencing.....it comes in rolls.

We didn't put anything underground to prevent digging.....just stapled the fencing to 2 x 4's along the bottom. Logan has dug a little at the bottom but only to bury bones....he's never tried to escape that way.

[rainbow]

I just noticed Hazel's posts....ours aren't like that, they're like jessie76's. We were lucky and got them for free.

[luckypenny]

Rainbow, Frenchy, HRP and Jessi76 had the right idea. Recent pics of your fencing, preferably with dogs, would help me know exactly what you're talking about .

Penny sometimes jumps up on fences so it would have to be pretty sturdy. They've never attempted to 'escape' (why would they? spoiled brats ) but I am a little concerned about other critters coming into the yard . Looks like we'll have a couple of acres to fence in and I'm hoping to find a less expensive, yet quality material to work with.

[hazelrunpack]

but, say, jessi...when Tucker is done with your lawn can he come cut hazel's?

for the threadjack, LP, but I just couldn't resist!

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

but, say, jessi...when Tucker is done with your lawn can he come cut hazel's?

for the threadjack, LP, but I just couldn't resist!

Hee hee.....that is a cute pic. Is it just my eyes or has the seat been recovered with duct tape?

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Rainbow, Frenchy, HRP and Jessi76 had the right idea. Recent pics of your fencing, preferably with dogs, would help me know exactly what you're talking about .

Penny sometimes jumps up on fences so it would have to be pretty sturdy. They've never attempted to 'escape' (why would they? spoiled brats ) but I am a little concerned about other critters coming into the yard . Looks like we'll have a couple of acres to fence in and I'm hoping to find a less expensive, yet quality material to work with.

Logan has jumped up on our fence quite often.....especially in the fall/winter when the deer and elk walk by. He weighs 60 lb. and there's never been any damage to the fencing.

The only time a critter got in was when Logan was 5 months old. Hubby hadn't secured the corner by the gate well enough and a young marmot got through. Don't know why he decided to since Logan was in the yard at the time while I was out mowing the front yard. Poor marmot ....I just didn't get there fast enough to stop Logan.

If you guys do the work yourselves it would sure save alot but it's still going to be costly to fence 2 1/2 acres. Maybe you could fence a smaller portion at first and then extend it as money allows.

[SolaMio]

I'm curious about this too.. Thanks for the thread and pics. I'm about to start another thread with my pet peeve of the day which includes stuff about fencing. DH and I are trying to find an attractive/sensible/safe/economical solution. I'll explain why in my semi-related thread.

[TeriM]

We have wood panel fencing and did a bunch of work on it this year and it is definately not cheap . We did build a fence for my mom last month that consisted of 4" fence posts sunk into the ground and cemented with "post haste". We then bought a roll of heavy duty plastic fencing that is shaped like the chain link stuff (made in Canada - woohoo!) and used nail in staples to secure it to the posts. We also used some landscape ties on the bottom of the fence and 2*4 on the top to secure it additionally. Looks great, cost was about $89 for a 90 foot roll plus the posts and cement.

[jessi76]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

but, say, jessi...when Tucker is done with your lawn can he come cut hazel's?

tee hee... typical Basenji move... sit ON the mower... because dog-forbid he'd ever have to sit that spoiled furry toosh on the actual GROUND... like a dog.

and yes, the seat was refurb-ed w/ duct tape. it was all shredded and the foam was coming out... we have since gotten a new mower... well, new to us. it's actually quite used. I'm sure the new one will get a duct tape seat soon enough.

rainbow's idea is good, fence a portion, and as time and money allows, expand the area.

We have not had any critters inside the fence yet. We've had it up for about 2 yrs now. Tucker actually respects the boundary of the fence now, he no longer tries to jump it or bolt out the gate. When we first built it, the posts were about double that size incase we needed to do another layer of wire fencing (higher). Once we were sure we could leave it low and tucker would respect it, we cut the posts down to size.

[aslan]

Lp, we had built a fence very similar to Jessi76's and Rainbows, but we used the big metal spikes to sink into the ground instead of 8' 4x4's we only need 4'. you can also buy a gate kit, that is 4 metal frames that you just put 2x4's into cut to the size and length you want the gate to be. When it came time to do the reno's it was fairly easy to disassemble and move the fence which might be ideal for you to keep adding to at your leasure.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Rainbow, Frenchy, HRP and Jessi76 had the right idea. Recent pics of your fencing,

Well you're suppose to come by while I'm on vacation so you will see and test yourself

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

but, say, jessi...when Tucker is done with your lawn can he come cut hazel's?

for the threadjack, LP, but I just couldn't resist!

Me too ! me me me , send Tucker here !!!

[allymack]

I have been thinking about this too. I was looking at a 6 foot chainlink fence. Also i am going to put about a foot or so under it, incase Enzo ever decides to take up digging and try to get himself under the fence. Just a thought to keep in mind if youhave diggers

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by allymack

I have been thinking about this too. I was looking at a 6 foot chainlink fence. Also i am going to put about a foot or so under it, incase Enzo ever decides to take up digging and try to get himself under the fence. Just a thought to keep in mind if youhave diggers

Would that work, sinking a foot in the ground? Our fencer recommended against it--and we can see why. Some of the poles are subject to frost heave and others don't seem to be. Every winter and spring we have to readjust gates and move timbers/chicken wire around in the spring to cover areas where the mesh has risen uncomfortably high with the thaw. (A lot of this is because of the weird soil we have out here....


We used the idea about starting small and expanding... We fenced off the big yard and a small side yard the first year. The next year we reused some of the side yard fencing and expanded the side yard to about 4 times it's original size. Helped split up the cost some...and if you do it yourself, you'll want to split it up into manageable projects so doing it over time is a good thing. Just don't make the mistake we did--the original side yard was so small that by the end of the winter, it was totally urine burned out--and I mean totally! No grass at all come spring. We're just now getting a good ground cover reestablished.

[allymack]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Would that work, sinking a foot in the ground? Our fencer recommended against it--and we can see why. Some of the poles are subject to frost heave and others don't seem to be. Every winter and spring we have to readjust gates and move timbers/chicken wire around in the spring to cover areas where the mesh has risen uncomfortably high with the thaw. (A lot of this is because of the weird soil we have out here....

i never thoguth about the ground kinda moving like that. I always herad it was a goodidea to fence a foot or so under ( for digegrs) althoguh i never did talk to a fencer about it. i will have to go check that out sometime.

[hazelrunpack]

It might just be because of the rocky soil here. The fencer even had trouble getting a few of the posts darn far enough--they don't call it Rock Dam Lake for nuthin', I guess.