How to Build a Dog Fence

Dogs enjoy the freedom and exercise of being allowed loose in your backyard, but it is important for their health and safety that they be properly contained. Escaped dogs run the risk of becoming lost or being hit by a car. These steps show how to make a mesh wire fence to contain a dog in your backyard. The mesh fence is relatively cheap and easy to install compared to other types of fence such as the chain link fence but has less aesthetic appeal.

Things You'll Need

  • Gloves
  • Boots
  • Wooden stakes
  • Post hole digger
  • Wooden posts
  • String or twine
  • Metal T-posts
  • Hammer
  • Wire mesh
  • Fence staples
  • Pliers
  • Wire ties
  • Wire cutters
  • Gate
  • Rope or latch hardware
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Call your local utility companies and have them mark utility lines before you begin any fencing project. Accidentally striking a utility line while digging a post hole or driving in a T-post can not only disrupt service but also cause you serious personal injury.

    • 2

      Mark where the corners of your new fence and both sides of the gate will be, using the wooden stakes. Respect the utility marking as you do this; position posts away from the lines.

    • 3

      Dig a hole 2 feet deep using the post hole digger where one of the stakes is. Drop a post into this hole and pack the dirt around it to stabilize it. Repeat this for each stake.

    • 4

      Run a string between each of your posts, leaving a gap between the gate posts. Tie the string to the posts a few inches off the ground. The string will give you straight lines to run your fence along.

    • 5

      Place a stake along your string lines every 5 feet. This is where you will need T-posts.

    • 6

      Drive a metal T-post into the ground at each point you have a stake. Hammer it down until the entire flange is below ground. Be sure that the hooks that will hold the wire mesh are facing in.

    • 7

      Secure the wire mesh to one of the gate posts using fence staples at least once every foot and at the top and bottom. Do this by hammering the fence staples into the posts and over the the wire. Be sure to have the fence staple turned against the grain of the wood.

    • 8

      Roll the mesh out along your fence line on the inside of the T-posts and the outside of corner posts.

    • 9

      Pull the mesh tight and attach it to each T-post in turn. Slide the wires into the holders in the T-post and use pliers to squeeze them closed. Tie the mesh to the T-posts at the top, using the wire ties for added security.

    • 10

      Pull the mesh tight around each corner and use the fence staples to secure it as you did on the first gate post.

    • 11

      Continue the process of attaching the mesh to the T-posts and posts until you have covered the entire fence perimeter and reached the opposite post of the gate you started with. Cut off the excess mesh using the wire cutters once it is attached to that post.

    • 12

      Install the gate between the gate posts and tie closed with rope or install a latch mechanism.