top of page
Containment
We use the 96" Max-Lock High Tensile Game fence manufactured by OK Brand Wire and purchased from Stockyards Ranch Supply in Commerce City CO.
This fixed knot game fence weighs less than many other fencing options yet offers the strength needed for housing wolfdogs. It is easy to install and work with. Fencing we installed in 2000 is still being used at Indigo Mountain with very little maintenance required.
We begin every construction project the same. We spend some time walking the proposed area looking for problems that might crop up such as seasonal streams, plants that are poisonous or injurious to the wolfdogs and change in slope. Building containment in the Rocky Mountains can be challenging. When we feel we have good area roughly mapped out we begin staking out the habitat.
Once it is staked out staked it is much easier to decide what trees or plants need to be removed and hauled away.
We coat the bottom 2' of post with a protectant seal and then stain each pole.
Next we begin drilling 2' deep holes for the 5-6" in diameter wooden posts. Some of our terrain is fine for a 2 man auger or a tamp bar, some areas require a jackhammer, or a skidloader with a carbide bit
Then we pour a 60 lb. bag of Fast drying Quickcrete into the hole, add water, stir and begin tamping it down with the tamp bar
It is important to have one person making sure the pole is still straight as the concrete is mixed
Then we measure out a section for the fencing
Once we have the distance for one section measured we roll out some of the fencing and measure before cutting the roll of fence
It is much easier to manhandle a piece of fence less than 100' that is 8" tall
While one person holds the fence in place a second person begins at the bottom and staples the tightlock knots to the pole.
Once a corner has been stapled we attach a come along to the winch on a utility vehicle and pull until the fence is taut and begin stapling
Landscape timbers are notched and cut to fit the corners as braces
We loosen the dirt along the inside of the fence and rake it back 3-4' to lay the groundwire (if you are using heavy equipment you can do this prior to setting the poles)
Ground wire is then rolled out
Next we hogring the ground wire to the bottom of the fence to keep the dogs from digging out using 9 gauge galvanized Loxit rings. You will need a Heavy Loxit Ring pair of pliers (don't use the flimsy copper rings as the dogs can bite them off)
Then the wire is covered with dirt to protect the dog's paws
We have tried a number of methods to keep the ground wire covered including pounding rebar through the landscape timbers over the edge of the wire, but we have gone to installing a cantilever system on each pole that extends beyond the outside edge of the wire. A 4’ long 2x2” piece of lumber is screwed onto the post. Two 4” tube insulators are stapled onto the 2x2”. This holds 2 strands of electric wire which keeps the wolfdogs from digging near the fence line and keeps them back so no one can reach them through the fence. We use a solar electric charger with at least one ground rod with a copper clad.
One of the last things we do is build log houses. The houses are always stained using a non-toxic stain to protect them from our weather conditions. First we level the ground
Last we brace the poles that will hold the gates and hang them. The gates are 8’ tall and made of 9 guage chain link
bottom of page