Fencing overkill.

[wedge40]

I'm planning on putting up a fence to keep dogs contained. They are all older dogs, but have never been outside. Gonna keep in an insulated shed with heater.
Fence will be 4' welded wire with t-posts every 8' (or so), also plan on running invisible fence along the time of the welded wire. Will running the Invisible fence on top of the welded wire be an issue. I can't think of anything.

I know this seems like over kill, but they being moved over 100 miles and don't want them getting out trying to go back home.


Thoughts???

Wedge

 

[lockhaven]

what size are the dogs? could they jump a 4 foot fence?
Frequently Asked Questions - Invisible Fence® Brand

 

[mikim]

I've got a dog that will either dig under or climb over a fence. Caught him climbing over a field fence... Going to put electric wire on the next one. He ignores the invisible fence one - even turned up full power.

 

[stuckmotor]

What breed are the dogs? Some beagles I've known were escape artists.

 

[Deerherd]

A lot depends on the size of your enclosure. If you want to turn up the fence high enough to keep them away from the fence with the wire at the top, you will need about a 5' field. You will also lose about a five foot field all along the inside perimeter so if it's a small enclosure this might not be ideal.

If you make a smaller 1-2 foot range with the wire at the top, a resourceful dog could dig under the bottom. I would bury the wire a foot or two outside the perimeter and adjust the field so it came about a foot inside to give the most room possible and alleviate any digging or jumping against the fence.

Good luck!

 

[lockhaven]

not all dogs are tough like Texas dogs

 

[gwdixon]

Just do it the simple way. Run a strand of electric fence wire 12" off the ground on the inside perimeter of the welded wire. Use the highly visible type wire and buy a simple charger (or go solar).

One zap and the dogs won't go near the fence. Trying to climb over it is out of the question. Guaranteed. Plus, if you happen to take the dogs somewhere they can be contained by just putting up a dummy fence line of the same wire.

I've used the method 30+ years with about 12 different dogs and never had one even try to get out. After a while, the charger can be turned off and the dogs won't challenge it. (Incidentally, pigs will take a hit occasionally to see if the wire is on.)

As a bonus, if there are stray dogs in the area, wire can be run on the outside of the fence, too. Just a 12" wire bridge from the inside wire to charge the outside wire works perfectly.

The expense, trouble, and maintenance of buried wire and the necessary dog collars are just not worth it IMO. With above ground wire the system is exposed for repairs if necessary. Stray dogs without a signal collar will be controlled.

Weed-cutter chargers can be used or a perimeter application of RoundUp a couple of times a year can keep the wire free of shorting issues (but a short can easily be heard).

 

[wedge40]

"also plan on running invisible fence along the top of the welded wire"

 

[bigtiller]

4' isn't enough. We had a short legged lab that could crawl up a chain link fence. What will keep them in is a 6' pen on concrete.

 

[Ken45101]

It all depends on the breed and the individual dog. And the ***. Some dogs are easily deterred, others are escape artists. We had a retired greyhound who would not challenge a three board fence or even a split rail fence! OTOH, when I was a kid, we had a Walker mix hound that was just about impossible to keep home, even chained!

The low electric line does sound like an effective idea.

 

[wedge40]

4' isn't enough. We had a short legged lab that could crawl up a chain link fence. What will keep them in is a 6' pen on concrete.

THE DOGS WILL HAVE SHOCK COLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they can crawl over or under a fence while getting zapped, they deserve freedom.


Wedge

 

[Pepsiboy]

THE DOGS WILL HAVE SHOCK COLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they can crawl over or under a fence while getting zapped, they deserve freedom.


Wedge

wedge40,

We have used Invisible Fence with great success, HOWEVER, it will ONLY shock. We are now using Pet Guardian. It is set to give a warning beep about 2 feet from the buried wire, and shock about 1 foot from the wire. we tried it about 3 inches above ground woven into the chain link fence. gave up on that idea when the squirrels, mice, and gophers chewed it up. We now have it IN GROUND about 1 foot inside the chain link fence. The kids (some people call them dogs) hear that beep and IMMEDIATELY turn around and go back to the porch. It is a bit more costly than Invisible Fence, but I feel that it gives them a bit of a WARNING that they are getting too close to the fence. IMHO :2cents: :soapbox:

Send me a PM and let me know which way you go, and how it works out.

Dave

 

[wedge40]

wedge40,

We have used Invisible Fence with great success, HOWEVER, it will ONLY shock. We are now using Pet Guardian. It is set to give a warning beep about 2 feet from the buried wire, and shock about 1 foot from the wire. we tried it about 3 inches above ground woven into the chain link fence. gave up on that idea when the squirrels, mice, and gophers chewed it up. We now have it IN GROUND about 1 foot inside the chain link fence. The kids (some people call them dogs) hear that beep and IMMEDIATELY turn around and go back to the porch. It is a bit more costly than Invisible Fence, but I feel that it gives them a bit of a WARNING that they are getting too close to the fence. IMHO :2cents: :soapbox:

Send me a PM and let me know which way you go, and how it works out.

Dave

Dave thanks for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for. I guess MOST people didn't read the part about the invisible fence being used along with a 4' welded wire.

Still not sure which system I'll get. This is in a cleared area in the woods so I'm not to keen on trying to bury the fence.

Wedge

 

[Deerherd]

Invisible fence collars do emit a warning beep before they shock and on some models the range of the beep is adjustable.

Invisible Fence : Invisible Fence Collar

I used to work for Invisible fence and have run miles of wire through the woods. Generally we would only bury short sections to maintain the basic shape of the desired perimeter when running in the woods. It was covered relatively quickly with leaves and ground litter. In the winter when the ground was frozen we would just lay the wire on the ground and come spring, bury it in areas people would want to mow.

I would still do what I previously posted, but just lay the wire on top of the ground versus burying it. Buy an inexpensive am/fm radio to easily find a break in the wire. (It's actually a radio signal that is used to signal the collar.) Holding the radio over a known wire position, turn the dial all of he way down and the volume up and you will hear lots of static and follow the wire until the static stops. There's your break.

I' m not recommending Invisible fence over any other brand, they all work on the same principle.

I would say the hardest dog breed to train to the fence were huskies, they do have a mind of their own. Good luck!

 

[zing]

A group of older dogs will probably stay together even if one of them manages to get out. My dad and his neighbor got labs from the same litter and so the dogs werre kept together all of the time except at night when they went into their respective houses. Dad's dog never escaped the pen, but the neighbor's dog was talented. Dad once watched her run and take two steps up a tree and push off the tree and sail over the fence. The tree was about 4 feet from the fence. Never mattered though, because when she got out all she did was run back and forth barking at her sister on the other side of the fence.

As far as shocks go, even those are only as good as the dog's determination. My border collie knows all about the 7500 volts going through the horse fences, but if someone throws a stick or ball in the field she is still going to barrel through it. Definitely willing to take the shock so she can get the ball. Once she gets the ball though, she will jog the whole length of the field and then come back out through the back if the barn where there are boards and no electric fence.

Not saying what you have is not going to work, it sounds like you have a really well planned solution that will probably work well for a group of older dogs. Just saying that there are always occasional cases where a determined dog will ignore what works for most, just to get where he wants to go.

By the way, how did you end up with this group of older dogs being moved a 100 miles from their home? Did you move yourself, or did you take them over for someone who couldn't care for them anymore?

 

[Pepsiboy]

Invisible fence collars do emit a warning beep before they shock and on some models the range of the beep is adjustable.

Invisible Fence : Invisible Fence Collar

I used to work for Invisible fence and have run miles of wire through the woods. Generally we would only bury short sections to maintain the basic shape of the desired perimeter when running in the woods. It was covered relatively quickly with leaves and ground litter. In the winter when the ground was frozen we would just lay the wire on the ground and come spring, bury it in areas people would want to mow.

I would still do what I previously posted, but just lay the wire on top of the ground versus burying it. Buy an inexpensive am/fm radio to easily find a break in the wire. (It's actually a radio signal that is used to signal the collar.) Holding the radio over a known wire position, turn the dial all of he way down and the volume up and you will hear lots of static and follow the wire until the static stops. There's your break.

I' m not recommending Invisible fence over any other brand, they all work on the same principle.

I would say the hardest dog breed to train to the fence were huskies, they do have a mind of their own. Good luck!

Deerherd,

I stand CORRECTED. :ashamed: When I was using Invisible Fence, it would only shock. Guess they finally changed. Good deal. We now are using Pet Guardian with great success. :thumbsup: :2cents: Our back yard (about 1/4 acre) serves the Kids (some folks call them dogs) VERY well.

Thanks, again, for setting me straight. :drink:

Dave

 

[turnkey4099]

I've got a dog that will either dig under or climb over a fence. Caught him climbing over a field fence... Going to put electric wire on the next one. He ignores the invisible fence one - even turned up full power.

I had a Australian Shepherd mix that I could not keep in. Strung a single hot wire strand on top of the fence. He tangled with it once and never tried to climb a fence again.

Harry K