Improving Dog Run

Madisonmenece

Hi all

we have just moved house to a larger property and we want to build a large dog for our Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute as the property is not fenced in. The size of the run will be approx 6 meters by 9 meters (min 6 ft high) and intend using mesh panel fencing similar to what you see around tennis courts and astro turf pitches or X-Fence (horse fencing)

our problem is Siberian huskies are escape artists and I am afraid she will scale the fence and escape. I have no intention of training my dogs to a radio fence but is there an electric fence similar to that used on farms but for dogs?

I would run one strand around the top of the fence and the dogs would only ever experience discomfort if they were about to escape which I don't like, but better than them potentially escaping and being hit by a car.

Any suggestions?
thanks

Sigma Force

Placing the dog run on concrete or tarmac will stop any digging and make it easy to pop a dog run on and easy to clean. If you have concrete, patio slabs or tarmac..makes life so much easier. Also if it's near a drain so when you wash it down you can wash it straight into the drain.

I have the timber posts and chainlink wire fencing which is grand for the garden but I figured it wouldn't be strong enough for a reliable dog run long term and I wanted to be able to move the run around..which it turns out we've had to do loads of times.

We went with the cilldara run panels but there are others on the market try adverts.ie slaneyside i think they are they are cheaper. The bars on the run make it so the dog can't climb them. But you would probably need a run with a roof panel because your guys would be bigger and probably brighter than mine so would try and jump up on kennels to get out of the top. I don't need a roof panel because my dogs would be smaller.

If you get a roof panel not sure if you can extend the run further but it's well worth the investment they are really solid, last a lifetime, don't rust and you can move them around or take the with you if you move.

I don't think running an elec. wire on the top would work because the dog would probably still jump out once he hit it might actually make him jump forward out of the run.

Long term (i.e. if you're not renting) a high fence around the property is a good idea in combonation with the dog run, but I'd get the dog run first so that when you do get fencing done you have somewhere safe to put the dogs while the work is going on. ..that's what we did and it worked a treat esp. with the diggers and having to leave gates open etc. Yes it does cost but has to be done. We're broke lol

ISDW

I would go for the runs with bars rather than the small squares, I've had huskies that climbed them like a cat. I wouldn't recommend any kind of electric fence for a husky or mal, they will take the shock and just keep going. When one of my sibes was younger we would walk on a golf course every evening, he would jump over an electric fence designed to keep rabbits away, he would get a shock every single evening, and still do the same thing the next day.

If you put fencing on the run, they won't get out, and as said above, concrete floor to stop digging. Best of luck

Nody

Try for the cat style net of 45 degree angled in like a roof; even if they climb up it should stop them from getting over the top.

Bid08

we also have the same problem, we bought a chain link dog run and it was useless with our dogs also escape artists, firstly we had to use jubilee clips a few inches apart the whole way round the bottom of the run as they were chewing the original clips and getting out. then they just began to chew the chain link making holes in the run and constantly getting out. I dont know how many days I came home from work and here they were running around (our garden isnt fenced in but luckily they didnt stray too far) so my OH had to get that boxed mental (I think its used for putting rocks in to make walls around coastal areas) anyhow really strong stuff and reinforce the whole bottom of the run and luckily that has worked.

It just doesnt look nice anymore so we are also looking for a new run that will do a good job at keeping them in. one thing I will ensure to change is to have the run slightly raised on legs as with them shedding the hair gets caught under the bars and its a disgusting job trying to get it out also it will reduce any bacteria build up aswell

Sigma Force

The slaney side ones have bars rather than the squares check out adverts.ie I think they still have their runs on there and they are actually fairly reasonable. Those pet safe chainlink mesh ones are too flimsy for big dogs.

Madisonmenece

Thanks for the replies guys, I did look at stuff similar to slaneyside in a place in cork and it to me didn't seem to overly strong, It may be different Stuff so slaneyside so I am not knocking their stuff.

I did find railings on donedeal which are 3.3 meters x 2.2 meters using 20mm vertical round bar @ 100mm centres , they were made for development many years ago I think and never collected so they are cheap for such robust railings, I am also using 18'x18' paving slabs for the floor which I have got as seconds fro less than euro each.

Hopefully it will hold the our guys at bay and give us peace of mind when we need to go away for a few hours

ISDW

Sorry, fingers working ahead of brain, I meant to type 'if you put a roof on the run'

Sigma Force

Can you take some piccies once it's done, am no good at DIY esp. but would be good to see the results might give us some inspiration.

Madisonmenece

so as requested here are a few pics of the almost completed run, I need to paint it and get a few more paving slabs until I have three runs of them around the inside of the run to prevent any digging out. Also waiting on a kennel but it is only used for when we are out for a few hours not sleeping at night.

The posts are just sitting on the ground not concreted in, but each panel weighs approx 120 kg so I dont think they will lift it..., it is approx 36 sq meters and ideal that we just open the back door to let them into it.









And the detainees

Arya 8 months 1 week, real athlete and getting stronger


Logan 10 weeks, he may not threaten the fence yet but he will hopefully become as srong as his dad below.


logans dad

Sigma Force

Lovely pics, very cleverly built run as well. Very cute pooches.

TheDoggieLodge

Run looks fantastic!! I'm I'm the process of trying to extend some runs here. Any advise welcomed as its working out very expencive

Madisonmenece

TheDoggieLodge wrote: »

Run looks fantastic!! I'm I'm the process of trying to extend some runs here. Any advise welcomed as its working out very expencive

I suppose it depends on the type of dogs you are trying to keep in, one of mine will get out of anything hence the heavy & high construction. Mesh panel fencing seems to be popular, light and easy to fit.

I did look into the galvanized commercial dog runs but they were too light and actually more expensive.

Petra157

Run looks great. Just ensure that there is no danger,if dogs do get spooked, that they do not get impaled on the top. This happened to a friend's dog when fireworks went off and it jump up to the top of the fence.

Madisonmenece

Petra157 wrote: »

Run looks great. Just ensure that there is no danger,if dogs do get spooked, that they do not get impaled on the top. This happened to a friend's dog when fireworks went off and it jump up to the top of the fence.

yea I thought of that but the fence is approx 7'2" or more so hopefully they won't be up that height, I suppose I could put rubber stoppers on the top bars

TheDoggieLodge

Madisonmenece wrote: »

I suppose it depends on the type of dogs you are trying to keep in, one of mine will get out of anything hence the heavy & high construction. Mesh panel fencing seems to be popular, light and easy to fit.

I did look into the galvanized commercial dog runs but they were too light and actually more expensive.

I've 6 terriers of my own and we have a decent concrete run at the side of the house. We also take in dogs either to foster or to board with us. Huge big garden to play with that I can let the well behaved ones off in. Got a quote of over €1200 to section off another 30x30 area. Not feasible at the moment. It's fencing rather then a chainlink run I need ideally the whole garden but realistically that's not going to happen for a while.

Madisonmenece

TheDoggieLodge wrote: »

I've 6 terriers of my own and we have a decent concrete run at the side of the house. We also take in dogs either to foster or to board with us. Huge big garden to play with that I can let the well behaved ones off in. Got a quote of over €1200 to section off another 30x30 area. Not feasible at the moment. It's fencing rather then a chainlink run I need ideally the whole garden but realistically that's not going to happen for a while.

you could try the x fencing I mentioned earlier in the post, just under 300 euro for 100 meter roll, you could use timber post and a fencing contractor to drive them for you, for sure would be well less than 1200

I didn't go for it because a husky will scale it.

StompToWork

For those of you who have open gardens, I cannot recommend the underground wire radio fences strongly enough. We have 3/4 acre of open garden, and our system covers the lot. In our experience, it didn't take that much training to get our Lab used to where the boundaries were. Right now, there is a break in the wire that I need to fix, but simply having the collar on our fella is enough of a deterrent to stop him approaching the boundries. He does get cheeky from time to time, and tests to see how far he will get, but then the correction will kick in.

The most important thing to do is train him what to do when he gets a correction. Some dogs actually bolt forward. You need to make sure that he turns back.

All that said, we do have a 24'x24' run as well, as we are still not 100% comfortable leaving him all day with just the fence while we are at work. As for the OP's question :
For the "Over the top" escape artists, the only thing to combat that is either height or, as had been previously suggested, and inward slant at the top of the fence.
For "The Great Escape"/Diggers, bury a strip of chicken wire (about a foot wide) under the perimeter of the run. That will stop the digging in it's tracks.

ISDW

StompToWork wrote: »

For those of you who have open gardens, I cannot recommend the underground wire radio fences strongly enough. We have 3/4 acre of open garden, and our system covers the lot. In our experience, it didn't take that much training to get our Lab used to where the boundaries were. Right now, there is a break in the wire that I need to fix, but simply having the collar on our fella is enough of a deterrent to stop him approaching the boundries. He does get cheeky from time to time, and tests to see how far he will get, but then the correction will kick in.

The most important thing to do is train him what to do when he gets a correction. Some dogs actually bolt forward. You need to make sure that he turns back.

All that said, we do have a 24'x24' run as well, as we are still not 100% comfortable leaving him all day with just the fence while we are at work. As for the OP's question :
For the "Over the top" escape artists, the only thing to combat that is either height or, as had been previously suggested, and inward slant at the top of the fence.
For "The Great Escape"/Diggers, bury a strip of chicken wire (about a foot wide) under the perimeter of the run. That will stop the digging in it's tracks.

And so many dogs end up in pounds still wearing the collars, that they are not that effective. A lot of people also do not want to give their dogs an electric shock. Most modern trainers and behaviourists will not advocate using them, as the dog does not understand where the pain is coming from, and it can cause a dog to become aversive to certain things, as they think thats whats hurting them, these things can be children, people on bikes, other dogs etc. That aversion can manifest itself as aggression, so that when the dog does get to meet one of the things he/she has been hurting it, it can be aggressive.

The OP was also looking for advice for a husky and a malamute, electric shock collars do not work on northern breeds, their prey drive is too high.

Dodd

Maybe make a wooden box for the gas cylinder incase the dog bites trough the hose.

Madisonmenece

Dodd wrote: »

Maybe make a wooden box for the gas cylinder incase the dog bites trough the hose.

already in process, but good spot.

In regards to the radio fence, I am not really in favor but have seen them work effectively for some more timid breeds. They would not work on a Mal or Husky, our husky looks at us before doing something and is like I know im going to get in trouble but im gonna do it anyway. and there is also a chance the battery would run out or become faulty.