Bandit the wonder hound is an expert excavation engineer. He can dig a hole to china in a matter of minutes. Bandit usually has a very short attention span except when trying to dig a small animal out of the ground or to get in trouble. Then he will stay on task for days at a time. Sometimes he will dig a hole to china just for the fun of it.
Bandit is sweet but rather expensive free dog. Routinely have to prove that man is smarter than dog. Had to put a latch on the kitchen garbage container to keep him out. A tall baby gate to keep him from climbing up on the pantry shelves and browsing for snacks. We finally trained him not to jump up on tables or kitchen counters, at least when we are lookiing.
We have about an acre of woods chain-link fenced for the dogs to play in (and I enjoy it too).
After we installed the fence, Bandit dug out within 10 minutes of the first time we let him back there. Had to lay 4 foot 14 gauge welded wire mesh around the entire bottom fence perimeter to keep the hound from digging out. Fold the wire into an L, 2 feet on each side. Weave the top wire into the fence, and then stake the bottom side laying on the ground. That worked because so far Bandit hasn't figured out how to start his escape tunnel 2 feet away from the fence and tunnel under both the chicken wire and the chain link fence. He could do that in a half hour tops, if he ever figures it out.
The wooded back lot straddles a ridge and a little valley goes thru the middle. When we get toad-strangler storms a few times per year, rain streams down that little valley from up the ridge, and washes leaves into a leaf dam against the chain link, making big lakes in the little valley which has enough water pressure to sometimes pop the fence wire off the posts on the uphill side, or bend the double-door vehicle gate on the downstream side.
So was trying to figure out how to make a few drainage holes big enough for water + leaves to pass thru, but small enough to prevent dogs passing thru. We had previously reinforced the two flood areas to prevent the leaf-dams from destroying the fence, but the last tornado storms got real close to dumping enough water to damage the reinforced sections. It is annoying to have to go out there and shovel leaves after every 'mini flood', but it is kinda difficult to keep woods free from sticks and leaves.
We recently got a small adjoining lot of woods on the uphill side. It is fenced but the old fencing is not long-term-Bandit-proof so he can't go out there for awhile yet. Leave the feller in the adjoining lot for more than about 10 minutes and he would be out roaming the neighborhood. He's not dangerous, but likely to chase a cat across a street and get hit by a car, or dig up a neighbor's flower bed, or whatever. And he is greyhound-fast and you don't catch the dog unless he wants to be caught.
So I tried cutting a first experimental leaf-drainage hole in the uphill fence. The hole is about 8" square, reinforced with fence pipe and conduit so it can't get any bigger than 8". Figured on making a few more if the first one worked.
Bandit saw me cutting the hole and supervised the work, because he is quite interested in holes. All the dogs are good helpers when there is work to be done. He studiously ignored the hole in the fence for two days after. Was kinda surprised he left it alone that long. Kept periodically checking to make sure he couldn't get out the hole.
Dad says rabbits and cats can go thru any hole that is big enough for the head to fit thru. Bandit is only about 55 pounds but I was pretty sure that his head is the only thing that would fit that drainage hole. Third day, the other hound was barking, "I'm gonna tell on you", so looked out the window and Bandit was halfway thru the hole. By the time I got out there he was all the way thru and quite pleased with himself exploring the new lot. Travis the other hound was still barking, "I tried to warn you. Now look what he's done!"
So I retrieved Bandit from the other lot before he dug out of the fence, but now have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make a drainage hole big enough for leaves but small enough to keep a dog in. Its amazing a dog could wiggle thru such a small hole. There is concrete on the bottom at that area so he can't dig the hole any deeper under the fence.
Temporarily set a concrete block endwise in the hole so Bandit couldn't go thru it till I work on it some more. But now that he knows the fence can be defeated, he sits back there for hours sticking his paw thru the chain link trying to dig out the dirt on the other side of the fence that isn't concrete-reinforced. He has made quite a good-sized hole digging with one paw thru the chain link. So I need to pour concrete on the other side of the fence at that area to discourage him practicing his new trick. He is banished from the back lot until this weekend so I can work on it some more.
Bandit is sweet but rather expensive free dog. Routinely have to prove that man is smarter than dog. Had to put a latch on the kitchen garbage container to keep him out. A tall baby gate to keep him from climbing up on the pantry shelves and browsing for snacks. We finally trained him not to jump up on tables or kitchen counters, at least when we are lookiing.
We have about an acre of woods chain-link fenced for the dogs to play in (and I enjoy it too).
After we installed the fence, Bandit dug out within 10 minutes of the first time we let him back there. Had to lay 4 foot 14 gauge welded wire mesh around the entire bottom fence perimeter to keep the hound from digging out. Fold the wire into an L, 2 feet on each side. Weave the top wire into the fence, and then stake the bottom side laying on the ground. That worked because so far Bandit hasn't figured out how to start his escape tunnel 2 feet away from the fence and tunnel under both the chicken wire and the chain link fence. He could do that in a half hour tops, if he ever figures it out.
The wooded back lot straddles a ridge and a little valley goes thru the middle. When we get toad-strangler storms a few times per year, rain streams down that little valley from up the ridge, and washes leaves into a leaf dam against the chain link, making big lakes in the little valley which has enough water pressure to sometimes pop the fence wire off the posts on the uphill side, or bend the double-door vehicle gate on the downstream side.
So was trying to figure out how to make a few drainage holes big enough for water + leaves to pass thru, but small enough to prevent dogs passing thru. We had previously reinforced the two flood areas to prevent the leaf-dams from destroying the fence, but the last tornado storms got real close to dumping enough water to damage the reinforced sections. It is annoying to have to go out there and shovel leaves after every 'mini flood', but it is kinda difficult to keep woods free from sticks and leaves.
We recently got a small adjoining lot of woods on the uphill side. It is fenced but the old fencing is not long-term-Bandit-proof so he can't go out there for awhile yet. Leave the feller in the adjoining lot for more than about 10 minutes and he would be out roaming the neighborhood. He's not dangerous, but likely to chase a cat across a street and get hit by a car, or dig up a neighbor's flower bed, or whatever. And he is greyhound-fast and you don't catch the dog unless he wants to be caught.
So I tried cutting a first experimental leaf-drainage hole in the uphill fence. The hole is about 8" square, reinforced with fence pipe and conduit so it can't get any bigger than 8". Figured on making a few more if the first one worked.
Bandit saw me cutting the hole and supervised the work, because he is quite interested in holes. All the dogs are good helpers when there is work to be done. He studiously ignored the hole in the fence for two days after. Was kinda surprised he left it alone that long. Kept periodically checking to make sure he couldn't get out the hole.
Dad says rabbits and cats can go thru any hole that is big enough for the head to fit thru. Bandit is only about 55 pounds but I was pretty sure that his head is the only thing that would fit that drainage hole. Third day, the other hound was barking, "I'm gonna tell on you", so looked out the window and Bandit was halfway thru the hole. By the time I got out there he was all the way thru and quite pleased with himself exploring the new lot. Travis the other hound was still barking, "I tried to warn you. Now look what he's done!"
So I retrieved Bandit from the other lot before he dug out of the fence, but now have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make a drainage hole big enough for leaves but small enough to keep a dog in. Its amazing a dog could wiggle thru such a small hole. There is concrete on the bottom at that area so he can't dig the hole any deeper under the fence.
Temporarily set a concrete block endwise in the hole so Bandit couldn't go thru it till I work on it some more. But now that he knows the fence can be defeated, he sits back there for hours sticking his paw thru the chain link trying to dig out the dirt on the other side of the fence that isn't concrete-reinforced. He has made quite a good-sized hole digging with one paw thru the chain link. So I need to pour concrete on the other side of the fence at that area to discourage him practicing his new trick. He is banished from the back lot until this weekend so I can work on it some more.
