How to keep dog inside fence?

[mrblotto]

Yeah I know the title sounds.......whatever that word is.....ironic maybe?

Anyhow,
Soon after we purchased our home, we had a fence put in. It's a traditional shadowbox type

That's just FYI. Ours is like that, only about 15 years older lol. Oh, and it's on a bit of a slope as well, which makes firm contact with the ground nigh impossible.

There's roughly 500 feet of fence, and our 2nd dog, I swear he must be hiding a little pick-axe and mining helmet w/carbide lamp somewhere. Our first one had no inclination to get out...go figure, eh?

So, as opposed to spending 4 or 5K on a new more 'secure' fence, I was googling around for alternatives. One of the most popular is plain old chicken wire, buried down about 6 inches and extending a little bit (couple inches?) onto the fence itself.

Anyone have experience with this sort of stuff? I know it would be a LOT of work to do, as we have one side of the fence bordered with 20' cypress, another side with Ligustrum (sp), and tall Crepe Myrtles in between. The 3rd side I'm not too worried about, as the neighbor has a larger dog. Our little mutt want's nothing to do with him lol.

Right now I just walk around looking for where he's digging and putting bricks,rocks, whatever in it's places as a barrier, but I know this is not a long term solution. I know eventually a new fence will be needed, but it's behind the 18yr old AC/Furnace unit and same age roof on the priority list.

TL;DR
-Dog likes to dig his way out when no one is home
-Looking for alternatives for existing fence w/o breaking the bank

 

[HeXen]

I had to put 6'x1"x6" fence boards horizontally on the bottom of my fence. Then chicken wire laying flat about an inch under the ground against the fence to keep him from digging. Works.
Another alternative is using an electric fence along the bottom and have it away from the fence by a few inches or so...it should keep him from wanting get too close and therefore keep him from wanting to dig under it.
Or good ol underground dog fence but that means he has to wear that collar.

 

[mrblotto]

I had to put 6'x1"x6" fence boards horizontally on the bottom of my fence. Then chicken wire laying flat about an inch under the ground against the fence to keep him from digging. Works.
Another alternative is using an electric fence along the bottom and have it away from the fence by a few inches or so...it should keep him from wanting get too close and therefore keep him from wanting to dig under it.
Or good ol underground dog fence but that means he has to wear that collar.

So pretty much this:
-toss some 6 x 1 x 6's along the bottom of fence (making contact with ground, maybe paint beforehand)
-dig a little 'trench' a couple inches deep under fence
-staple/attach/whatever some chicken wire an inch or 2 into ground onto 6 x 1's (or onto existing fence? prolly doesn't matter as long as its under the ground some)
-cover up wire (with previous excavated dirt)
-observe dog's futility in digging out

 

[Greenman]

The electric fence is a good idea. I know some people that have one and their dog will not cross that line.

 

[HeXen]

The electric fence is a good idea. I know some people that have one and their dog will not cross that line.

Electric fences make good neighbors :sneakylus you probably won't have to keep it on long, no doubt after a few tries, even the most stubborn dog likely will never touch that wire again. Amazing how well a little electricity can discipline anything...I think we need shock collars for people.

 

[Zalez]

+1 for underground dog fence. I have a 36" front yard fence with a 6' backyard fence and my choc. lab constantly jumped the front fence. Put in the underground dog fence and she hit it twice. She now stays about 3' way from the front fence and if I leave the front gate open, she won't walk through it.

You don't even have to bury them. I stapled mine across the top and bottom of my front fence and set the collar to go off 2'-2.5' from the fence. After a few weeks, I was able to pull the wire off the fence. 5 years later, still no jumping of the fence. Kinda spendy ($200ish) for only using it a couple of weeks lol.

 

[DrPizza]

You probably wouldn't even have to bother with the underground dog fence - just get a fence charger from a farm store - a 10 mile charger will set you back $75-100. A spool of electric fence wire - they might have short 500 foot spools; the stuff is dirt cheap. And, some insulators to keep it off the fence down close to the ground (and not touching the ground or plants). One or two zaps, and your dog will not go within 2 feet of the fence again. Our dogs can easily go over the top of our fence in the pasture, and the goats can easily climb over. The female goats are in heat right now, and I have about 20 very horny male goats anxious to get to the females. But, that single strand of electric wire is plenty to stop them in their tracks. If I had that fence turned on more than 10 days a year, it would be a miracle. That wire is respected by dogs and goats alike. And me. I accidentally brush up against it every once in a while and YIKES! Hence it being turned off most of the time.

 

[calahan]

I am not sure about animal advocates but try this http://www.target.com/p/instant-pet-barrier-zone-znd-1200/-/A-590499?lnk=rec|pdp|search_viewed|dlph1

 

[HeXen]

I am not sure about animal advocates but try this http://www.target.com/p/instant-pet-barrier-zone-znd-1200/-/A-590499?lnk=rec|pdp|search_viewed|dlph1

Seems pretty cool but only comes with 1 detector? Would be nice to place a few in various spots

 

[calahan]

Seems pretty cool but only comes with 1 detector? Would be nice to place a few in various spots

i am not sure ... as i understand its works with effective range 60-100 feet in circle

 

[Zorba]

I've laid chicken wire flat on the ground then put sod over it. It worked great. You could probably skip the sod, just it on top of the dirt and let the grass grew through it.

Back in the day, my parents tried an electric fence to keep a terrier in. The dog figured out how to short it out and if she couldn't short it, she'd dig a bigger hole. But that is probably the exception.

 

[mrblotto]

Thanx for the info everyone. I think I'll go with the chicken wire route