Containment Issues - Chainlink Fences
The most common home fencing
material, chainlink, is fairly easy for dogs to dig under, climb
or jump over; that's the bad news. The good news is that
chainlink is easy and relatively inexpensive to dog-proof.
I have often given advice to
frustrated dog guardians that has proven to be so successful
that it's time to put it in writing. Dog "escape artists"
are either Diggers or Climbers; it's rare for a dog to do
both. I'll describe fence reinforcement steps for Diggers and
Climbers separately, however, the tools and materials you'll
need to do each job are basically the same.

Basic Tools for Each Project

5' tall Wire Fencing - 150 feet |

6' long Metal Fence Post |

3/8ths Diameter Rebar |

Rebar Wire String |

Chainlink Gate Latch & Padlock |
The tools can be purchased at any
hardware store or stores with hardware departments such as WalMart. The materials can be purchased from stores such as Home
Depot or any building supplies retailer in your area.
Objective: To make the bottom
part of the fence rigid and as unyielding as possible.
Materials:
3/8ths Reinforcement
bar (rebar), Reinforcement bar wire (rebar wire) and possibly
some wire fencing.
For each section of fence (the
distance between posts, usually around 9 feet) you'll need one
long and four short rebar pieces. Long means at least 6 feet and
short means at least 3 feet. I recommend ordering an extra dozen
short pieces and a small roll of wire fencing; invariably you
will see small openings that these materials can easily fix.
Thread horizontally the long
pieces through the bottom-most loops of each section of fence,
starting at roughly a foot or so from each post. You don't
have to go through each loop, every 3 to 4 loops is fine, and it's
better if you thread either back-to-front or front-to-back
loops. Just imagine you're sewing and you'll get the idea.
Try to end up with the rebar roughly in the center of each
section.
Space the four short pieces
evenly apart, with two at either end, about half way between the
post and the end of the longer horizontal piece, and the other
two behind the horizontal piece. About a foot from the bottom of
the fence, begin threading vertically the short pieces through
the loops to the ground. Hammer the remaining two feet into the
ground.
Chances are you'll have a
pretty tight fit and you might not need to use rebar wire but I
recommend tying the rebar stakes and horizontal bars to the
fence with foot-long pieces of wire that are folded into 6"
pieces and then twisted tightly with pliers.
Finally, the gate(s) need to be
prepared. If the gate swings in as well as out, you need to
place a short rebar stake into the ground on the outside of the
gate in order to prevent it from being pushed open from the
inside. With the gate closed, hammer all but 3 or 4 inches of
the shorter rebar stake into the ground, at around the gate's
center.
Note: I strongly recommend that
you add a second latch, see MATERIALS above, and put a heavy
duty padlock through the hole in at least one of the latches.
TIP: The latches can be adjusted to fit more snugly if you
squeeze the ends closer together just a little, and you can
tighten the latch bolt so that some force is necessary to raise
it up and down.
Objective:
To stop climbers by
adding height or blocking to the tops of fences.
Materials:
Wire fencing, metal
fence posts, rebar and rebar wire.
If adding height to existing
fencing is all you need to do to keep your pet confined, we'll
discuss it here; later we'll discuss adding blocking to the
tops of fences.
Get as much heavy gauge wire
fencing (minimum height of four feet) as you'll need to go
across the entire length of your existing fence. You'll need
two metal fence posts for each section of fence (the distance
between posts, usually around nine feet); two for each working
gate, and one for each corner. The fence posts must be at least
six feet tall. Even if you have to pay a higher price for the
materials and a delivery charge, the total cost of the project
will be less than ten percent of the cost of replacing your
fence so, cheer up!
Lay out your fence post material
by section of fence, placing each new fence post about five feet
apart, (roughly two feet away from each existing fence post),
place two on either side of each working gate, and put a post in
each corner. Now you're ready to begin the hammering, sweet
joy! It doesn't matter whether you work from the inside or the
outside of the fenced area, whatever is more convenient.
Put each fence post up against
the existing fence and hammer about one foot of it into the
ground. Now that the posts are up, we're ready for the wire
fencing to go up. Unroll as much of the wire fencing as you can
comfortably work with and place it flat against the outside
of the new posts and entire existing fence, including all gates.
No more than half of the height of the new fencing should be
above the existing fence. Use rebar wire to secure the wire
fencing to the chainlink fence and new fence posts. The wire is
inexpensive; use a lot of it!
The working gates can now be
attended to by cutting only enough wire fencing above the gate
to allow the gate to open. What you'll have left is a working
gate (Dutch door) that requires us to stoop a little to enter or
leave the yard.
Note: I strongly recommend that
you add a second latch, see MATERIALS above, and put a heavy
duty padlock through the hole in at least one of the latches.
TIP: The latches can be adjusted to fit more snugly if you
squeeze the ends closer together just a little, and you can
tighten the latch bolt so that some force is necessary to raise
it up and down.
Objective: Place a block (wire
shelf) along the inside fence top.
Materials: 3/8ths thick, seven
foot lengths of rebar, rebar wire, and wire fencing.
For each section of fence (the
distance between posts, usually around 9 feet) you'll need two
pieces of rebar; two for each working gate, and one for each
corner.
Lay out your rebar by fence
sections, about five feet apart and roughly two feet from the
nearest existing fence post; one rebar at each corner, and two
on each side of a working gate. Thread the rebar vertically from
the top loop into the middle loop and through the bottom loop to
the ground. If weaving is too difficult, secure rebar with
multiple pieces of rebar wire. Now, finally, the lovers of
hammering can begin to hammer!
Hammer each rebar approximately
one foot into the ground and secure the rebar with rebar wire to
the existing fencing. Now it will be necessary to bend about one
foot of rebar 30 to 45 degrees into the fenced in area. It takes
a little bit of muscle but it's not too difficult. Once done,
we're ready to lay the wire fencing along the top of each bent
rebar.
Begin by laying the wire fencing
flat on top of the bent rebar. Half of the fencing will be
horizontal and the other half is folded vertical on the outside
of the existing fence. Use rebar wire to fasten the wire fencing
to the rebar and existing fence.
At the working gates, you may
need to cut some fencing above the gate enough to allow the gate
to swing open but there should not be space enough for any dog
to squeeze through. However, to reiterate my point about gates:
I strongly recommend that you add a second latch, see MATERIALS
above, and put a heavy duty padlock through the hole in at least
one of the latches. TIP: The latches can be adjusted to fit more
snugly if you squeeze the ends closer together just a little,
and you can tighten the latch bolt so that some force is
necessary to raise it up and down.

Short & Long Rebar on
non-Chainlink Fencing |

Rebar with Chicken Wire
Fencing |

A Secure Enclosure. Elly's Lair.
Now you have outsmarted Woofer
and your worries are over! Congratulate yourself. Good Job!
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