On Apr 24, 1:06 am, gpsman wrote:
On Apr 23, 3:55 pm, Jon wrote:



I need to replace thefencebecause my dogs are escaping the yard.

That sounds like a dog problem, not afenceproblem.

Your dogs don't know their boundaries, their "territory", and that is-
whatever you tell them it is.

I'd try training the dogs for free before I replaced what I assume to
be a perfectly goodfence. A determined dog might just dig under afencehe can't climb over, and then where are ya?

Perhaps you have already tried that and failed and assumed that since
you couldn't do it, it can't be done. It can, and chances are best
that you can do it.

I'd trying looking for advice in some kind of dog training group on
Usenet (no, I don't know) or other such type forum. If the general
consensus there is that it can't be done, go elsewhere. I have (just
1 left of 2, and actually the wife's, and spoiled ****ing rotten) Jack
Daniels Terrier, and you won't find a more dominant/
independentstubborn and nasty-mean breed on the planet. If I trained
them to stay in the yard, so can you.

OTOH, if you want to replace thefenceand are using the dogs as a
contributing factor, have at it.

I think your 4x4 posts would work OK for chain link, probably, buried
*¨÷* of their length deep with *all* the dirt tamped back in the hole,
level, no cheating. The corner posts I'd guess would best be half
buried. That's how we used to set them back on the farm anyway,
stretching 3 strands of barbed wire.

I don't know squat about chain link but, if you're planning to die
there, and the shrubbery is going to overgrow thefence, you might not
have to stretch it ****-tight.

Just as a former farm boy (just like in TPB!) and not afenceexpert,
I can't think of a single reason to use concrete/cement. Posts rot,
then you've made some real work if equipment can't get in there.

Apostproperly set in dirt (most dirt, not every single composition
of "soil") will stand plump (oops) plumb until most if not every
species ofpostfails due to rot.

And if it doesn't, c/c probably wouldn't have helped much , unless it
was a ****load. (that's an estimate, and guess)
-----

- gpsman

Thanks for the great feedback everyone.

First off the dogs are Siberian Huskies. If you're not familiar with
them they are a sled dog breed and have been bred for that purpose.
In any breed description you read they'll tell you they are escape
artists and love to run. They are also nomadic (not territorial) so
they don't have that sense of where to return home. My dogs have
those traits. So while it might not be impossible to train them as
you suggest, better people than me have failed to train their huskies
to behave like a lab or shepherd. To everyone that suggested an
electric fence those are expressively forbidden in my area as are barb
wire and chicken wire. Someone mentioned them digging out and in fact
they've done that too but I've got that covered already with a
combination of chain link buried 1 1/2' deep and a patio stone
"walkway" along the bottom of the fence.

What you are saying about not using concrete makes sense but what
about frost heave? Here the ground is frozen for part of the year and
frost heave is a concern. Local code for a deck requires concrete
footings 5' deep.

Its looking like those steel posts are the only real way to do
this...