gate, fencing ideas?

[leigha]

We've got 5 acres. The back 4 acres is no problem. It's fenced and crossfenced for livestock. The front acre is where the house, driveway and garage sits. We are about to fence the front acre also. Here is my problem. We want perimeter fencing because we have 2 dogs that we want to keep around the house for protection, but we also have lots of family that drop by quite often. We don't want to fence our family out, but we can't keep the gate open all the time. I guess the solution is simple, just call before you come and I'll open the gate or tell them to not drop by. How do you all handle this? Any creative suggestions?

[Judy in IN]

A neighbor of mine had two dogs that he wanted to keep in....He ran electric wire about 6 inches above the gravel in his driveway, with a spring arrangement at the posts. You could drive your car right over the wire, but the dogs didn't challenge the hot wire. Just a thought.

[Jena]

I had a friend with lots of dogs, some of them not very nice. When I dropped by her house, the rule was that I would pull up and honk. Someone would come out to put the bad dogs up.

If your dogs are good, then simply tell the family members to open the gate, drive in and close the gate behind them.

Jena

[moopups]

Just build a 'parking pocket' inward with room for about 6 vehicles to park near a pedestrian gate. They have a place to park, you get closed gate peace of mind.

[Little Quacker in OR]

I have been discussing this very same thing and you will find lots of good advice from the great people on this forum. Check the archives...I think I put a subject up like "Communicating from house to Gate" Oh, here's the posts I think:

http://homesteadingtoday.com/search.php?searchid=44526

Lots of very good ideas. I am researching them and will have one of my boys do the installing when they visit next month. One of the ideas that sounds good to me is the "Wireless Doorbells"..my oldest kid who is in Navy INtell called and said they were introduced to these when "visiting bad guys"(?)and they found they used them to be alerted when a special forces team was after them...?

Anyway, it sounds like a good way to go. Let us know what you use and how it works .....I will do the same.

By the by..our fencing is field fencing, non climbable wire(I know they call it by different names depending on where you live)with a strand of barbed wire 4" over the top and a strand at the bottom, with chain link gates and it works very well for keeping our dogs in and other dogs and stock out.

[uncle Will in In.]

Leave as much parking space outside the fence as you think you need and put a walk through gate for their entry. put a drive through gate for your own entry with your vehicle. If your dogs are normal they will tell you when you have company. If your dogs are people eaters your visiters will wait outside the gate if they are normal.

[leigha]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I guess the pull up and honk thing is what we'll do or the wireless doorbell. Hopefully family will start calling before they come out. I wish I could use the electric fence ideas but we also have 3 kids under 5 years old. If anyone has anymore ideas, let's hear them.

[Don Armstrong]

Originally Posted by leigha

I wish I could use the electric fence ideas but we also have 3 kids under 5 years old. If anyone has anymore ideas, let's hear them.

Kids are smarter than most dogs (except maybe collies). If you teach the kids about electric fences, they'll only need to learn once. You can tell them, then have them check it with the back of their hand (better because muscular contraction jerks the limb away, whereas with the front the tendency is for muscle jerk to move ONTO the wire). It's like teaching them about HOT with a freshly ironed handkerchief - enough bite to give them the idea, no way could it be enough to be damaging.

[george darby]

don thats how dad always tested the old electric fences and thats why he he never had much confidence in electric fences . some of the new generation chargers pack a wallop touching one will give you a sore arm the next day