Dog Pen Question: Preventing Dig-outs?

Carl

Carl

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Working on Coco's pen. Our entire back yard is "fenced" but she will stay in her pen when we are away from home. If we are home, she will be on the back porch or in the yard when supervised.
It is 8'x16', with 60" tall 2"x4" galvanized wire fencing.
Floor is natural, with a raised wooden deck for her doghouse, bowls, to get up out of the rain, etc..
A boxwood for shadem, but I will probably add a tarp over the whole enclose at some point.
To prevent casual dig-outs, I have bend the bottom 8" of wire at a 90 degree angle, into the pen. I will line this (and the top of the fence) with a 2x4s, attched to the posts & stapled to the fencing.
Do y'all think this is good for preventing "casual" dig outs? I know that nothing short of concrete will stop a habitual dig-out inspired dog.
Here are some pics.
Any advice is welcomed!

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[inline CocoPen1.jpg ]

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Have you thought about laying fencing on the ground,securing it to the sides and covering it w/ dirt?
That should do the trick and be inexpesive.
 
not to feasible to bury fencing under the entire pen (dont know that I could, with all the roots), I was hoping having the "fringe" around the bottom would be enough.
 
I use 1 foot by 1 foot concrete pavers from the big box store. Gets the dogs off the bare dirt, they can't dig them up and they are removable.
 
If the pavers work like concrete another upside is that it will help keep the dogs nails short. the rough surface constantly will keep them ground down. This seems to be the case with my dads dogs which stay in the kennel. Not mine she spends way to much time on the couch.
 
No, It will slow him down a hour or so but it won't stop him.

I have pieces of cattle panel on the ground, then they are covered with lime siftings (ag lime). the siftings pack down and make a nice covering for the kennel floor and are easy to clean.

Soft ground like you have there is only asking to be dug in and that pretty bush will get chewed to pieces in a long afternoon in the kennel.

My .02 opinion
I see a kennel that looks hard to clean and will be messy and muddy, for inside/outside dogs I think concrete will be cleaner for you and your dog.

The dog starts tracking in the house, wife gets mad, dog doesn't get to come in any more... I speak from experience.

Craig
 
Carl,

We've all been there. Save yourself some grief and pour a concrete slab. I've done the pavers and you'll end up with a stinky mess in summer trying to clean up after her. Dogs don't like laying where they're poopin and she won't be comfortable. That'll make her work all the harder trying to get out. I poured a 6'x12' run. It's didn't cost that much because I rented a portable cement mixer from Home Depot and had the slab done in one weekend. I also bought the 6'x12' kennel at Home Depot. I think I had less than $300 in the whole thing. I know that kennel today is something like $225.

Good luck,

Ed L.
 
I have had dogs on pavers for 20 years and never had a problem. The pavers are on a solid base of crushed stone and then tightly fit. Never had any problem hosing any messes off them.
 
I went the other way ,i used the wire fence and collar showed her the boundaries ,she out smarted the collar buy sittting close until batteries wore down ,so i ordered a training collar for 400 yards... i watched her ...she would get close to the spot and sit,she heard no beeping she inch closer and closer when right on the fence she started to walk i gave her a warning tone she took a step and a tap she backed off and tried another spot this went on for a while and then one day she tore off on a dead run to get thru ,my missus said she had done this with the old collar ,she had figured out the zing stopped just the other side ..but now with us watching the zing didnt stop ,,she gave up after about another week.. and then i took off the collar and to this day she patrols our 5 acre property and very very rarely leaves the boundary we had showed her...

someone had said to me chain a dog and it will run everytime it is off

so i hoped it would work out for us and it did she just as soon sit on the dek and watch for intruders...." MY Property"

it funny no birds are alowed to land on the lawns... no cats no rabbits and no deer but she got a surprize when a young buck put the run to her one day ....she is more causious of them now lots of barking

good luck carl...
 
Ya might want to re think the 2x4 wire. When I moved in with a girl friend I built a 20'x30' pen out of that stuff. First time I went to work(2nd shift) & she let dog out back, he tore a hole thru the wire & beat her to the front door!. I don't know if he used paws or mouth, but he went right thru that stuff. I lined the pen with OSB 2' high & he didn't tear up the fencing again. If the hound wants to get out, tis going to be a match of wits for quite a while. Good luck!
Dennis
 
Guess I need to do some re-thinking about the kennel floor. Will take alook at the concrete and/or paver options this weekend.
Thanks for pushing me in the right direction.
 
Coco is, and will most likely continue to be, an outside dog. Any time spent in the house will be very limited, and then, most likely, she will be in her crate.
That may change, but as of right now, Mom is simply not going to have a dog living in the house. Period. End of discussion.

Most days, Coco will spend her time in the outside kennel I am building. She will be "loose" in the yard only when supervised, unless I greatly improve the fence around the entire yard. Some days, she may be in the back porch pen. On those rare very cold nights in Mobile (only ~5 nights so far this year), she will be inside the house in her crate.

Snow is also not an issue down here in Mobile, so not to worry about getting the snow blower in or shoveling snow.

Thanks again, and I will keep y'all posted on progress.
 
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On those rare very cold nights in Mobile (only ~5 nights so far this year), she will be inside the house in her crate.
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It's only the fourth day of the year and she has been inside 5 nights? You're a softy. hehehe I know what you mean. Good luck with Coco. Looks like you are getting a lot of good advice. Women are strange around pups. Some that you would never think would get closely attached to them do. I can see where mom with a young child would like an outside dog just to keep the inside to kid caused messes. I think it is a good idea to bring her in once in a while, in the crate, just to keep her use to it. You never know when for bad weather or injury that she will need to be indoors. Tim
 
Carl,

My kennel is large, 18x18, I bought it cheap from a friend - $150. So large it is.

I lined the bottom with cattle panels, treated 4x4s around the outside, filled the middle with 4 inches of pit run sand, and placed the kennel on top...

1. Sand helps the water drain quick
2. Easy to rake up the "mess"
3. Cheap to replace and the waste sand going into Mom's garden to help condition the soil. The sand is free at a local pit.
4. He likes digging a shallow "nest" in the sand for summer
5. It is easy on the joints.

So far after 5 years the cattle panels have not rusted, but the West is dry.

Was that .002 cent worth? maybe less?

Matt
 
Observing that my dogs seem to enjoy watching the world go by & do not pace around, I cut my pen down to 6x6x6' tall from 6x12.

I've used pavers before but the dog pen now sits at the end of my gravel drive way. It has 2" of stone dust on top of 8-12" of ground recycled asphalt/brick/concrete they sell around here as foundation for driveways. It is delivered loose but compresses over time. Haven't bought it lately but I do not think more than $20/yard or so. My Boykin is a digging fool in dirt but she can't get past the stone dust.
 
Oh, the wife is just as attached to her as me & the kids, maybe more!

We have had Coco inside in the crate on those cold nights as well as for the 3 nights we were at my Mom's for Christmas. Couple of days at my office as well. She took right to it, she does very well in the crate. And will probably keep brining her in every once & while, like you mentioned, just to keep her used to it.
 
Concrete slab or blocks. Blocks are bad because IF she drops a bolt and it gets between the cracks of the blocks it is difficult to keep clean. Prepare some 2x4 forms and pour a slab. Buy a kennel from Home depot or on Craigslist. Treated lumber will get your dog sick. It precipitates arsenic and dogs WILL chew on anything wood in a kennel (treated or not) So...to keep Coco happy, healty, and living a long life, follow the above advice. You won't have to clip nails either. My kennel is 3 side by side runs that are 4' wide, 6' tall and 14' deep. My female chessie was born in Aril of 1997 and is still going strong.
 
My dogs have a shed with and outdoor run. I have not completed the outdoor run ,but it does have a concrete floor. It has to be cleaned from time to time. My dogs hold it till I let them out. Very few accidents once they are trained.
My lab and chessie are indoors. When I first got my lab I would leave him out ,but it took its toll on him swimming in below freezing temps. I moved him in to the house. I like my dog in the house. It gives you a special bond with your dog. Your dog will be your best hunting partner. Dont skimp.More important than a boat, shotgun, or decoys, but that is my opinion. I can shoot a duck with any gun, ride in any boat, set any decoy, but it takes a good dog to sit , watch and wait to be sent on the retreive and do it. You will have a lot of time in training, so take care of your dog.
John
 
Carl-while concrete is probably best all around, I did not want the permanence of that. I ended up using heavy rubber horse stall mats for the floor set in sand. As easy to clean as concrete, can be cut to the sizing you need, and will last for years. I believe the ones I used are 6x4 and weigh 60-70 lbs apiece.I put down 3 width wise (12x6) and have a 10x5 kennel on it. I have had this two years, and have been very happy with it. It might be an option for you. The only downside is if you are in full sun in the summer with no cover, the black will get too hot. I have a UV cover on mine, and it only gets morning sun, so it is not a problem for me. And if you decide to move the kennel some day, you don't have to get a jackhammer.
 
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