Losing a dog because it escaped a fence can be a traumatic experience for you and your family, but it doesn't need to happen. Using a few simple steps, you can reinforce and fix your chain link fence so it offers complete protection for your dog. With a bit of consideration of your circumstances and your dog's size and capabilities, you can design a perfect pen to house your precious pet.
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Wet concrete or large bricks
- Concrete rake
- Optional:
- New fencing
- Fencing wire
- Pliers
Instructions
Digging
Dig a trench under your fence in the areas where your dog might dig. A dog will return to the places where it has dug in the past, so start with places where your dog has dug. The trench should be about 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep. The trench should be as long as the area in which you think your dog will dig.
Make sure the measurements are wide enough and deep enough to prevent your dog from digging around or beneath your reinforcement. Even the depth and width of your trench, and flatten the floor to allow for easier installation of the reinforcement materials.
Reinforce the hole. Use concrete to fill the hole to about an inch from the top. As the concrete pours, even it out with a concrete rake. Lacking concrete, you can fill the hole with heavy bricks or very large rocks to prevent digging, but it is less effective than concrete.
Allow the concrete to dry.
Fill the rest of the hole with dirt to hide the concrete reinforcement or bricks.
Gaps and Weak Spots
Inspect your fence for small gaps and weak spots that might allow your dog to escape.
Fill the gaps. Use an extra pole or a decorative object to block the gaps in the fence. Make sure the object is large and heavy enough to block the hole without being moved by the dog.
Reinforce weak areas by using wire to close open areas or areas where the chain link has separated or broken. Use your pliers to bend the fencing wire into shape.
Use wire to reattach any areas that have become detached from the fence poles, making them easy to bend out of the way.
Reinforce any loose poles by piling rocks or other heavy objects to surround the loose pole and give it better support. If you have a larger dog, you might need to set the poles in concrete to keep your dog from dislodging them from the supports.