Wire pet fence installation

Be sure to nail down wood stakes firmly so there are no gaps where larger animals can pass through, also. Be aware of any vegetation that might weave under or over your fence since some animals are strong enough to push right through it if they really want access to the unprotected area behind it. A chicken wire dog fence is an inexpensive way to allow your pet to play in the yard while protecting certain areas of it at the same time.

It is also an easy project to accomplish yourself. Chicken wire fencing is not as durable as some other types of fences. It can be a little difficult to install, but this type of fence will typically only l ast five to ten years before needin g a new one. It can also be a bit more expensive to install than some other types of fencing. The mesh will need to be cut with precise measurements so that it can be secured between metal posts. If you are cutting it yourself, the project would require more than just an electric saw.

You will also need wire clippers or pliers to finish up the installation process properly. A fenced in dog can always determine where the fence ends and will attempt to escape as soon as it finds an opening. It is not an effective solution to the problem of keeping your pet in. Chicken wire is a very versatile material. Its uses are many, and there is much room to add your own style to the installation of it in an area. This really depends on how tightly you install the chicken wire and where you place it.

The chicken wire should be buried far enough so that the dog cannot dig through without digging up the ground, but not too deep. So you bury it 10 inches below the surface, which could pose a tripping hazard. You should also consider how much room the dog has to move around and whether or not it can get out.

A bigger dog might be able to stick its head through the fence and then get out, while a smaller dog might not have enough space. There are a few different options for this. Another option is to use a weed barrier like what you would put underneath a fence and then lay the chicken wire on top of this. Typically chicken wire is used for decorative purposes and will have a weight limit of about 20 pounds per square foot.

This means that if the entire area being fenced is square feet, it can hold up to 2, pounds. If you only plan to make quick trips outside with your pet or want it to be able to go into the yard while you are home, a chicken wire fence should be sufficient. How tall your fence should be will depend on its purpose and audience. The first thing to do is decide what you want your fence to look like. You can choose to have it match your house or go for a more rustic feel. The chicken wire comes in different colors, as well as either a smooth or diamond pattern.

This gives you lots of room to play around with style and make it match what you are trying to do. Some people choose to put lights, plants, or other decorative elements along the top of their fence, which will help complete the look and draw attention away from the chicken wire. This is unlikely to happen unless the wire is very sharp. This is not a major concern as long as you do a good job installing it and ensuring that your pet is comfortable around the fence.

This can depend on your situation, but you should be able to install the fence yourself. You will need to purchase poultry fencing, which is typically only available from farm and ranch stores.

You should make sure that the chicken wire is small enough to fit through your gate or door, as well as that the height is appropriate. The price all depends on what you want, how big the area is that you are fencing in, and whether or not you have tools.

If you want an offbeat shape or are using recycled materials, it will likely cost more. You can use chicken wire to build a fence for your dog by securing it around wooden posts that you have put in the ground. This will help to keep your pet safe and let it have more room to play. Chicken wire is easy to dig under, so choosing a higher fencing material is important if you want your dog to stay within the boundaries.

Posts every few feet will help put rocks on top of the ground where you put in your fence. Many people choose to use plastic chicken wire instead because it is easier to work with and will last longer.

This comes in different thicknesses depending on what you are trying to do, so you should have no trouble finding one that will meet your needs. The thickness of the wire also determines how easy it is for an animal to get through, so make sure you are focusing on the right one. An invisible fence for dogs is a system that can be installed on your property and uses an electronic collar to let the pet know when they are near the boundary of their yard.

This will help keep them safe, but you should still monitor them to avoid accidents or injuries. Dogs can get as close as they want to an invisible fence as long as there is no actual barrier. They might see the wire, but that will not keep them from going near it and possibly getting shocked. This is why you should never use a wire-based system for your dog if they try to go near the area you are fencing off. You would need to install a solid barrier for this type of system to be effective.

You can teach your dog not to go near the fence by placing them on their leash and crating or grounding them whenever they try to get near it. This will probably be an ongoing process that continues, but it will be worth it in the end. You should always make sure that the wire is buried below the surface of the ground. If it is visible, other animals or people may be able to take advantage of it. Dogs can climb chicken wire that is not installed properly.

If it is too loose, they may be able to push on it and get their way. The dog fence wire can also be mounted on convenient trees or existing fencing. In many situations professional dog fence installers and homeowners alike chose not to bury the dog fence wire, but rather use dog fence ground staples to secure the wire tightly to the ground. Eventually the grass grows around the wire and hides it for better aesthetic value.

Whether you choose to mount or bury the wire is in large part dependent on the terrain where you plan to install your electric dog fence.

There are many reasons to bury the wire and just as many reasons to mount the wire. A trencher will dig an appropriate trench, lay the wire inside, and bury the wire all in one fell swoop. This is the tool of choice for professional installers for good reason — it cuts installation time in half. You can rent a trencher from just about any tool rental store. Set your trenching machine up at the end of the section of neutral or twisted dog fence wire that runs out from the transmitter box. Familiarize yourself with the wire trenching machine.

Feed the end of the dog fence wire through the wire guide area and down through the hole in the trenching blade on the bottom rear of the machine. Secure the end of the wire to a post or stake in the ground at the point where the boundary wire and twisted wire meet.

A shovel or garden trough will do the trick. Leave plenty of room between the stake and the machine to ease starting. Stop at driveways, pathway and sidewalks to cut or hand lay wire, move the trencher to the other side and repeat the above steps to continue. Continue along the perimeter you planned until you meet back up with the twisted dog fence wire running to your transmitter box.

Pro Tip: When crossing driveways release the cutting blade of your trenching machine, secure the wire on both sides of the crossing leaving at least 12 inches of slack on both ends. This will make your job installing the dog fence cable through the driveway or pathway much easier later on.

The dog fence trenching machine is designed specifically for burying dog fence wire in grassy areas and cannot be used to cross asphalt, concrete, pavers, or any other permanent pathways. The main reasons for burying dog fence wire are aesthetics, protection, and trip hazard. Some trenching machines can cut right through thin tree roots and you can continue burying the dog fence wire without slowing down.

In most cases, though, you will have to stop your machine release some slack, walk the machine across the tree root and proceed with the installation.

Depending on the nature of your property you may be able to install wire above ground in areas that are not prone to foot traffic while burying the wire in places where people are more likely to walk or grass will be mowed. The general operation of the signal field will not be affected by a mixture of above and below ground installations.

Although it costs a little bit more initially, it will save you the headache of locating and repairing broken wire over the life of your electric dog fence. If you are using a trenching machine it is also much less likely to break while installing than the cheap gauge wire that comes in the kit.

Your dog fence wire is by far the most important component of your electric dog fence and most likely component to break or corrode. Heavy duty fence wire is available in our store. Yes, you can, but remember that the signal field will only stretch as far as the range adjustment is set on your transmitter and will be the same field width around the entire property. So if your culvert is 4 ft. This common tool can quickly cut a shallow trench for your wire.

Edgers make quite the mess and can kick up a lot of rocks, dirt and dust. We highly recommend that you wear safety glasses while using this machine. After making a groove along the line of your planned perimeter you will have to go back around and push your dog fence cable into the slit. We recommend using one of the tools listed below to make your job easier. As always, remember to call before you begin your installation.

This service will come to your property and mark all underground public utilities at no charge to you. Moist soil is preferable when using a edger. Water the area where you are planning on trenching about an hour before you start to make the job easier and less messy.

Make two or three light passes with the lawn edger. You will put less wear and tear on the machine and your back. Mow your grass short before you install the dog fence wire. This will make it much easier to operate the lawn edger, and also make it much easier to place the wire in the trench. If you come across areas that are difficult to edge or dig, just use ground staples to secure the wire to the surface. A mixture of the above and below ground is fine as long as the above ground wire is not in the way of lawn mowing or foot traffic.

As you are edging make rounded corners, sharp angles will make turning the machine difficult. Sharp corners can also create cancellation of your signal field in the corner as the wires are too close together. Making the Trench: Start the edger at the end of your neutral or twisted dog fence cable. Follow your predetermined boundary line making a shallow trench all the way around your installation path.

In double loop layouts, remember to separate the trenches by ft. As you approach corners, tree roots, walkways, and driveways stop the machine and move it to the other side then restart the machine and proceed trenching. Refer to Crossing Pathways for detailed instructions. Placing the wire in the trench: Start at the end of your neutral or twisted wire. Tie the end of your wire spool to a stake or garden staple and begin unspooling dog fence wire, following the path of the trench you cut in the previous step.

Keep the wire as close to the trench as possible to avoid having too much excess wire that will make it hard to press the wire into the trench. As you approach rounded corners and pathways unspool extra slack and secure it with ground staples to keep it from moving as you continue along. Test your main loop: Before permanently securing your dog fence wire into your trench temporarily connect all your splice points and test your transmitter. Testing the fence function now before burying the wire will save you boatloads of time and energy later if there is an issue.

Permanently secure the electric dog fence wire in the trench: Starting at the end of your neutral or twisted wire, push the wire into the ground all along the trench you cut. Use your shovel to create a thin trench between 1 to 6 inches deep in the areas you wish to protect. The trench does not need to be wide — simply kick your shovel into the ground, and move the shovel back and forth a couple of times to create room for the wire.

In areas where your ground is particularly hard or rough, you may need to use a pickaxe to create your trench. Install the boundary wire. Tuck the boundary wire into the trench, and cover the wire by stomping on the ground around the trench. You can use a handheld weeding tool to simplify the process, just make sure to dull the prongs first — if the weeder is too sharp, you may accidentally break the wire watch a video of me using this technique.

Alternatively, you can use a wooden paint stirrer, although a weeding tool tends to be far more efficient. Create and install your twisted wire. In some areas, you'll need to install wire that shouldn't correct your dog — for example, the wire that connects your transmitter to your outer boundary wire. Fortunately, there's a simple solution: when you twist two lengths of wire together, it cancels the signal each of those wires emits.

If your twisted wire needs to travel a long distance, it's pretty painstaking to create the twisted wire by hand. Fortunately, I can show you a quick and easy way to create as much twisted wire as you need. Cover your wire. Once your wire is in the ground, take a few minutes to cover the trench you dug by stomping on it.

Flag your boundary line. Every two to three feet, put one of the flags that came with your DIY dog fence in the ground to act as a temporary visual cue for your dog.

You'll remove the flags in a couple of weeks, once you finish training your dog to understand his new fence.

Helpful Tip: If you accidentally break the wire during installation — or if you need to cut the wire to complete your installation — use a waterproof wire splice to reconnect the loose ends of wire. Using a regular splice or electrical tape is not sufficient and will lead to major headaches down the road as the two ends of your wire either wriggle loose or tarnish.