Cheapest way to contain dogs?

they can buy a device and shock collars that will fit all the dogs and then set the device to the perimeter that the dogs are allowed to run in..my son had one and it worked wonderfully..you can also have fencing buried for the dogs for about $1000 and it will encompass the entire yard..our neighbors had it done for 3 dogs and it was on 13 acres..they did the entire 13 acres for $1000 it was from a company in Traverse city michigan that buries dog fencing

For their $500 they can get Premier electric netting. The 3 ft tall is used to keep in animals like sheep, 4 ft for birds. For keeping in dogs, the 4 ft poultry is probably good as they probably will not jump over it. (Had a german shepard jump my 3 foot netting to visit a lamb). They can move the dogs around if they use this type of fencing because it is portable, using step ins. They don't have to dig holes. However, it is difficult to move once the ground freezes or if it dries out completely. This shouldn't be a problem as they probably wouldn't be moving it often. With the portable el fencing they can separate the dogs if they have to, and they can roll it up if it's in the way.

I have electric wire around my pasture. Dogs do get in. Small dogs will jump over the low wire and zip right through. A careful dog or a large dog will touch the wire first with his nose or paw and get zapped, as will a raccoon. You say these dogs are in the 20 pound range, they will easily go though three strands of wire unless they are very laid back.

I don't blame the wife for not wanting to tie out a dog. Many dogs will not become aggressive when left tied out, but many will. It is very frustrating for them. A dog that is on a tie out just for potty, unless it's an Anatolian, should be okay.

I think you are a very nice neighbor for being so patient.

This does NOT work for all dogs, especially heavy chested think necked breeds. I had one put in when I lived in the woods to keep my Rottie Ted from wandering to far, HA, even on the highest setting Ted would turn and give me a look and blast over the area where the underground wire was, then stop on the other side and give me another look...didn't bother him in the LEAST!

Emmy

My sister and BIL had a buried fence for their 1 small, 1 medium and 2 large dogs. All 4 learned that if they ran very fast they could get past the fence with ?minimal? shock. And again, 2 of DH's coon dogs are chained. They are let off to hunt 3-4 nights a week. They have human interaction EVERY day (and not just when they are fed and watered). DH, DS or me let them off 1 at a time and play with them for at least 1/2 an hour. Not just those 2, but the 2 that are in kennels also get play time. It takes about an hour a day from each of us, but it is our responsibility to keep them happy as long as we own them. From my observation, our dogs on the chains are happier than the ones in the small kennels. If you think about it, how much room do they really have after you add a doghouse and the water and food bowls?! I am not saying that dogs have never done it, but in the 20 years that we have owned dogs, we have never have one strangle himself with a chain nor have we had one 'turn' mean. IMO, it is cruel to leave a dog turned loose to be hit by a car, shot by a neighbor or a hunter, or to be attacked by other dogs or coyotes.

Buy the underground fence and do it themselves doesnt take long and its not hard. Some rental centers even rent the machine to bury the wire. Took me and a buddy about an hour and a half to do it, with the machine..

I have 3 dogs, two 130 lb pyrs and a lab cross. The lab cross is a digger and one week she escaped 3 times. After that, we installed a hotwire about 6 inches above the ground all the way around the fence. It took her exactly twice to learn to stop digging. Now shes digging a moat partially around the house, but thats another story. I am a huge fan of hotwires.

Okay. I prefer the .22 but I keep our dog in with the invisible fence. Our dog is contained in an acre so she has plenty of room to roam and it only cost us $180. I did all the work.

IMO...your neighbors should have been made to pay for all of your losses in the first place. Then they'd be more than eager to shell out some cash for a decent fence.

My neighbors are mostly great. If one of their animals massacred my chickens they would be replacing every penny I put into them. I'd even offer them a dozen eggs and help them bury their mangy mutts after the fact...cause...uh...I still want to be neighborly.

Can't say it better

He's a really slow learner.

I have an underground fence for my German Shepherd/Mastiff cross. Some are better than others. I can set the distance on my fence for when she will start getting corrected. I have the collar turned on as high as it will go for maximum shock. The boundry was set as far as possible at first, but is now down to halfway which is about 3 feet from the wire. At that point she gets a small shock along with the beep to let her know she is getting close. The closer she goes to the wire, the stronger the shock is. She got zapped real good one time & she does not come even close to it now. I had one before this one that didn't phase her at all. The one I have now is very good & does a very good job. Even when the electric was off one day she did not go close to it. It pays to get a good one the first time. They are very easy to install, I did it myself. They also make wireless ones.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

LOL no the turkeys were all in the 20lb range

The dogs are all lab mixes that will eventually range from 30-?lbs. I have heard the same thing about the underground fences. Unreliable, especially with the birds 15ft away across the road. I will be pushing for the hotwire.

I know one six inches high.....then what? Which ones are hot? I was thinking:

six inches-hot
1ft six inches-hot
2ft six inches-ground
3ft sixinches-ground
4ft-hot

I'm a noob when it comes to electric fences.

My GS and oldest chow just laughed as they plowed through the invisible fence. They also dig, go under around and through any fencing we have put up. They are teaching the puppy their evil ways. We are putting a hotwire in. We almost lost Duke to a back injury incurred from going under a fence and if he hurts himself like that again it could be permanent this time. Also, just because they have 8 acres doesn't mean they have to fdence in 8 acres. We have a smallish area fenced off for the dogs right out of the walk out basement. It is in the back, no one even really sees it.

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Becky

If the dogs are under 45 lbs...it is possible for a determined dog to go through a cattle panel or combo panel. I have these in my inside runs and have a 45 lb collie bitch that somehow can squeeze herself through the larger squares- compressing her chest to less than half its depth. She can also climb. I am working on getting her fatter so she can't squeeze through then have a kennel with a top on it. I would just go with hotwire if they want a large area. They can get the rope and use t-posts or step in posts to fence off an area until they can afford to do the whole property. You can find chargers on craig's list or similar sites or local ads for a song. When putting up the permanant fence the biggest expense is the wood corner posts for tension/hot wire. That is why my 4 acres is not done yet (though wanted it for years) as it will cost me a good $1000 to accomplish what I need. Though I have already started purchasing wire and horsecote.
If they want to do a smaller area- say 40-50 ft square- place ads and watch craigs list. Many people want chainlink fence removed. I pulled enough to make six 10 by 20 runs plus a large exercise area...all free except for the extra gates I needed. So it can be done if they really want a solution.

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Willowynd Collies
"A breeder is at once an artist and a scientist. It takes an artist to envision and to recognize excellence, and a scientist to build what the artist's eye desires."

Your spacing sounds okay but I would (do) alternate hot and ground wires, the lowest wire hot, next wire ground, next hot etc.

I've used hot wire fencing for 25 years and my advice is to buy good high tensile wire, the best 110 volt charger you can afford, avoid battery operated chargers like the plague, and a surge protector is money well spent.

Make sure your fence is really well grounded, spend the bucks and buy a regular copper coated ground rod and pound it in deep, keep the area around it wet and be sure the ground wire clamp stays tight.

Going cheap on any of this will only cause you irritation amd more money spent in the long run.

I have one dog that used to jump out of any pen we put her in, including the large pasture if she was playing there. I finally had to hotwire a large pen (it's a multi-use pen by the barn that I have used to house all sorts of things in the past). The pen has a nice run in shed, where she can hang out and an area outside big enough for her to run and play in. The fencing was already non-climb for horses, so I just added hotwire at the top and bottom. In the past 9 months, she has not jumped out of that pen ONCE!!!! She hit that top hotwire a couple of times, yelped like someone was trying to kill her, and then gave up trying to get out.
It has had an amazing impact on her respect for containment. I can now let her play with the other dogs in our front yard, where the fence is only 3ft high, without her trying to escape.

Since it sounds like your neighbors have NO fence at all now, I'm sure the electric fence will cause a major awakening for the bird-killing dogs.

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

well the one our neighbor put in is on very large long hair tough dogs..and they cry like a baby if they get on top of that fence..usually only happens once and they learn

[[My neighbors, whose dogs killed half of my BBWs last week,]]

You raise big beautiful women?

Ok back to serious.
Don't shoot dogs with a .22 that's not only stupid, but dangerous.
A .22 wont kill the dog, unless you are 6" away and cap them in the head in just the right spot. No offense but you .22 caliber warriors really make my teeth hurt. *grit*

Use a bullet/caliber big enough to KILL it, not wound it.

Jeeze.

and if you are on good terms with the owners, the dogs can be put on 25 foot cable runs during the day and in kennels at night, they wont get mean and it isnt cruel. If it isnt a house dog, then take the time to train the dogs to be cable tied guard dogs. Tying isnt the cruel part, its isolation and lack of interaction with the dog thats cruel.

If I were you I'd suggest they go back to one family dog, not 4.

Fencing in multiple acres is not only expensive but pointless. In time, the dog will jump it, dig under it, or find a way to get out.
Better spent money to build a small 1/4 acre fenced dog yard with a TALL fence and electric wire. Room to run and play. 1/4 acre is enough for one or 2 dogs to live in loose and be very happy.

It isnt your responsibility to dog proof your farmette. Its a dog owners to contain their pooch.
Which isnt hard, and its a one time expense.
Unfortunately most people are cheapskates and will dump $1000 out for a TV or some useless toy but not to make a decent yard to contain their dog comfortably or take the time to train them to like being kenneled at night.

If you have to kill the dogs (not with a 22, use a substantial rifle/pistol caliber, 357, 30-30, 308, 762x39 whatever. Kill it with one shot. If you cant, or doubt you can dont.) bury it and deny ever seeing it. No good can come from confessing you snuffed the neighbors dog for any reason. Even if you are 100% in the right.

If the dogs are friendly and you can catch them, put them in your car and take them 50-100 miles away to a shelter and tell them you found them wandering on the highway. Maybe someone will take the time and expense to build them a proper yard to live in.

[QUOTE=Mr.Hogwallop;4085714][[My neighbors, whose dogs killed half of my BBWs last week,]]


Ok back to serious.
No offense but you .22 caliber warriors really make my teeth hurt. *grit*
Use a bullet/caliber big enough to KILL it, not wound it. Jeeze. QUOTE]

You are painting with a pretty broad brush there and know not whereof you speak! You .22 caliber denigrators make by backside ache. I shoot a .22-250 caliber Remington 700 BDL. I use 63 grain handloads and have killed dozens of coyotes, almost all with one shot, at ranges out to 125 yards. My .22 caliber will kill a dog as quickly, efficiently, and just as dead as anything you mentioned. No offense but, jeez, you are the one sounding stupid.

Well I told him that the consensus is that hot wire is the best and cheapest way to contain the dogs and that the underground systems don't work for some determined dogs.

After ignoring my advice on getting the extra dogs, ignoring my advice on training the extra dogs....surprise.....he has ignored my advice on containing the dogs. He dropped a bunch of money on underground fencing system.

That's fine, fingers crossed, but if i see the dogs on property again, they will be taking a long drive to the Humane Society (hope they are not mircochiped). Shooting would only be a last resort if they were literally in the process of killing a bird and could not be stopped with voice commands. I have gotten into the habit of grabbing the 12 gauge instead of the .22 when I hear trouble now, and at the range I would have to shoot making it quick would not be a problem.

Thank you for all the advice

EXACTLY!