[lorraine ballagh]

i have a dog and a pup doing the great escape from our new house. there is a gap at the bottom of the fence all the way around an acre of land. looking for ideas to block it off safely.

[Lunareclipse]

use cinder blocks. they are cheap and you can get them in place really fast.

[CorkyMax]

That is a long area to go around! I think cinder blocks would be a little expensive for that much distance to cover! How much is one block, Luna? I used those cheap patio blocks but they were cheap then but not so cheap now! (And I didn't have that big of an area to cover!)

A little more info please---How high is this gap and what kind of dog do you have--Is he a 'digger?' Also what is this fence made of--wood, steel, chain-link--What?

Someone help me with this----There must be some kind of metal 'sheeting' that would come in a roll that is the right height to roll along the bottom of your fence----If wooden fence--could just nail this stuff to the bottom of your fence posts. Add to this idea anyone!

[Lunareclipse]

You're probably right. Plywood would work too. It's also cheap and can cover a lot of area.

[Duchess919]

Lowe's sells a 2 foot high picket fence that comes in a roll of 20ft. I think it was $18.00 . Our neighbors fence has spaces between the slats that my dogs could fit right through. We bought a roll and put it right up against theirs. It pounds right down into the ground and is really secure.

I don't know how much of an area your trying to secure, but maybe that would help you out.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Duchess919

Lowe's sells a 2 foot high picket fence that comes in a roll of 20ft. I think it was $18.00 . Our neighbors fence has spaces between the slats that my dogs could fit right through. We bought a roll and put it right up against theirs. It pounds right down into the ground and is really secure.

I don't know how much of an area your trying to secure, but maybe that would help you out.

If my calculations are correct--It would cost a little over $800.00 based on the info you provided from Lowe's. It sounds really good though if person can afford it. Maybe a homemade one if have access to the required material! Maybe there is also some shorter--like a foot high--picket type fencing that Lowe's or someplace might have (if that would be high enough---need my questions answered in my 1st reply!) Even at a foot high -prob. still be over $400.00.----But might be worth it to make sure the dog does not get under the fence! Here is info I based my cost on (Think I figured it right for the footage mentioned---With tax it would be over $800.00.--->In the United States, since the acre is a land measure it is currently based on the U.S. survey foot and not on the international foot. One acre is about 4,046.873 square meters.

A square plot of ground, 208.7 feet on a side, will cover an acre. An American football field, 360 feet by 160 feet, is about 1.3 acres; 12 high school basketball courts are a little more than 1 acre.

Still need the size/breed(s)--strength/digger etc. questions answered for this idea also----May work for a smaller dog--: Use rolls of 'chicken wire' (Sorry, I can't think of the other name for this 'stuff' right now, so hope you know what I mean!)--This should be a lot cheaper---Borrow some wire cutters and cut many lengths/widths from a roll---These rolls come in several widths so you can cut 3-4 ---12 or 18'' widths from one length of this wire (a 4' width would give you 3--16" lengths)
You do the math for whatever you need! This wire is easy to cut. I used it to make gates for my dogs--I wrapped it around the wood framework and stapled it to the underside of the wood framework---I still use them after over 10 years.

[Yogi]

A 2 or 3 ft high roll of chicken wire. Roll out and nail to the fence with the bottom shoved into the ground at a outward curved angle. Each time the dog tries to go under the wire forces firmer into the ground and if they dig it drops in where they are attempting to dig filling in the area.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Yogi

A 2 or 3 ft high roll of chicken wire. Roll out and nail to the fence with the bottom shoved into the ground at a outward curved angle. Each time the dog tries to go under the wire forces firmer into the ground and if they dig it drops in where they are attempting to dig filling in the area.

Lol, I was looking for more info on the chicken wire and see you (Yogi) answered in the mean time. I did find this:Place chicken wire at the bottom of the fence, along the ground. Use a staple gun to attach the chicken wire to a wooden fence. Opt for plastic or wire ties to attach it to a chain-link or metal fence. Dogs cannot dig through chicken wire and its pointy ends will irritate the dog's legs if he tries to dig through it.


Read more: How to Prevent a Dog From Escaping Under a Fence | eHow.com How to Prevent a Dog From Escaping Under a Fence | eHow.com

I also realized that this stuff is galvanized which is not 'healthy' for man or dog-----Zinc is poisonous if your dog is the type that will be 'biting/mouthing' this structure. Drats! But if your dog doesn't do this--it might be okay---Digging at it with paws might not be good either.

[Lunareclipse]

The best way is to tether your dog until you can find the best way to keep it from escaping.

[CorkyMax]

Just found this off the net: Dog Tip: Fence Jumping Solutions and Fencing Yards
There is more there than you want to know about but still some info there--But I especially wanted you to see the paragraph titled Final Thoughts---near bottom of page. A bunch of links at bottom too. (I didn't check them out)

[Duchess919]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

If my calculations are correct--It would cost a little over $800.00 based on the info you provided from Lowe's. It sounds really good though if person can afford it. Maybe a homemade one if have access to the required material! Maybe there is also some shorter--like a foot high--picket type fencing that Lowe's or someplace might have (if that would be high enough---need my questions answered in my 1st reply!) Even at a foot high -prob. still be over $400.00.----But might be worth it to make sure the dog does not get under the fence! Here is info I based my cost on (Think I figured it right for the footage mentioned---With tax it would be over $800.00.--->In the United States, since the acre is a land measure it is currently based on the U.S. survey foot and not on the international foot. One acre is about 4,046.873 square meters.

A square plot of ground, 208.7 feet on a side, will cover an acre. An American football field, 360 feet by 160 feet, is about 1.3 acres; 12 high school basketball courts are a little more than 1 acre.

Still need the size/breed(s)--strength/digger etc. questions answered for this idea also----May work for a smaller dog--: Use rolls of 'chicken wire' (Sorry, I can't think of the other name for this 'stuff' right now, so hope you know what I mean!)--This should be a lot cheaper---Borrow some wire cutters and cut many lengths/widths from a roll---These rolls come in several widths so you can cut 3-4 ---12 or 18'' widths from one length of this wire (a 4' width would give you 3--16" lengths)
You do the math for whatever you need! This wire is easy to cut. I used it to make gates for my dogs--I wrapped it around the wood framework and stapled it to the underside of the wood framework---I still use them after over 10 years.

Sorry, I missed the ACRE part! I guess chicken wire is the cheapest way to go.

[Lunareclipse]

Don't feel bad. I missed the acre part too. We have two acres and we planted hedges with thorns around the yard. The dogs won't go through them. In the gaps where the hedges didn't grow in right, we planted cactus. Great thing about it, it also keeps strange animals out of our yard too.

[lorraine ballagh]

thanks guys for all the suggestions. have had hardly no signal out here in the sticks recently. it is a large area to cover alright. the older dog is ok, he just kinda goes over to the farm for a run around with the other dog, its the pup we want to give a bit of freedom to in the yard, but can't til we have it sorted. the chicken wire sounds like a good idea tho, thanks a mil