Fence Mounting the Dog Fence Boundary Wire
Contents
Wood Staples, Concrete Staples, Zip Ties / Cable Ties, Weaving
Introduction: Wall or Fence Mounting the Boundary Wire
If you have a wall or fence where some or all of the boundary will be, you can mount the dog fence boundary wire directly onto the fence. Fence mounting makes installation considerably faster and easier when compared to burying the wire. Additionally, the wire is protected from natural “predators” (lawnmower, edger, aerator) because it is elevated above the ground. Locating and repairing any wire breaks is also much easier. In terms of convenience, fence mounting the wire is almost as easy as installing a wireless dog fence.
Using the existing fence line also makes containment training easier. The fence is a powerful visual marker for the dog so he quickly learns the boundary lines. The fence is also a physical obstacle that makes running through the boundary practically impossible. So, if you have a fence located near your planned boundary, use it!
Types of Walls & Fences
What types of fences and walls can you mount the boundary wire on?
Mounting the wire works on nearly all kinds of fences except Sheet Metal Fencing. You can attach boundary wire to wood fences, wood picket, metal picket, steel post, split log, concrete, barbed wire, metal chainlink and pretty much any other kind of fence.
Sheet Metal fences are the exception. Often when you attach the dog fence wire to a sheet metal fence, the fence acts as a signal amplifier and makes the dog fence signal stronger. For some installations this causes problems because the signal is twice as strong around the fence, meaning you have uneven boundaries. (i.e. if you set the fence to be three feet wide, it is six feet wide in the sheet metal sections and only three feet wide everywhere else)
Note that this amplification effect does not happen with open metal fences like chainlink fences, barbed wire fences, wrought iron fences, or metal picket fences.
Wire Mounting Height
How high above the ground should you mount the dog fence boundary wire?
The ideal height for the dog fence wire is the height of the dog’s neck. But, there is a lot of flexibility in setting the height of the wire, so set the wire at a convenient height that allows you to hide the wire.
If a weed-eater or weed-trimmer is used in this area, mount the wire at least one foot above ground to avoid any damage from the weed-trimmer.
Creating Non-Active Sections
If the fence is already a secure boundary, and there are no concerns that the dog will get out in this section of the boundary, you may want to make these sections non-active or have a reduced boundary to give the dogs a little more space. To do this, mount the wire up high on the fence. The vertical height of the wire, decreases the boundary width down on ground level. Depending on how high up you can get the wire and how wide you have the boundary width set, you can even allow the dog to get all the way up to the edge of the fence.
For example if the boundary width is set to three feet and the fence is six feet high, mounting the wire at the top of the fence will allow the dog to get all the way up to the edge of the fence.
Mounting the Wire
Staples
U-shaped wood staples can be used to attach the dog fence wire to a wooden fence. Be careful when you staple the wire, since if you use too much force you will end up cutting through the insulation, resulting in a wire break or rust. We find that using a powered stapler or staplegun should not be used unless you have special staples that maintain spacing for wire to be run. We prefer to carefully drive the staples by hand in using a small hammer to give us more control over how far the staples are driven in.
If there is a convenient lip on the fence, you can staple the wire to the underside of the fence, to keep the wire hidden.
Concrete/Brick Staples
For attaching wire to a wall or brick fences, concrete staples can be hammered directly into the masonry to hold the wire in place. Concrete staples can be found in most larger hardware stores, typically hiding in the electrical aisle where they are sold to secure cable or satellite television wire to the side of a building.
Zip Ties, Twist Ties or Cable Ties
You can use a series of zip-ties, twist-ties, or cable ties to secure the wire to the fence. Secure the wire at 1-2 yard intervals. You don’t need to over-tighten the zip-ties. You want the wire to have a little give so that if the wire is accidentally pulled it has some flexibility.
Weaving Through Chainlink
With chain link and lattice fences, you can simply weave the dog fence wire through the mesh pattern. Leave a little slack in the wire when you run it through the chain link. One weave every few feet is all you need to hold the wire in place, there is no need to weave through every opening in the chainlink.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I have 1/2 acre fenced with 4′ chain link, can the Innotek UltraSmart IUC 4100 be installed above ground and attached to the metal fencing? It is just bare metal, not the plastic coated kind. If so how high off the ground and what type of clip or fastener will be needed.
ADMIN – Hi Debra,
Yes, you can install the Innotek 4100 on metal chain link fencing, it is fine if it is bare metal. I’d recommend installing the wire between 12″ to 18″ off the ground. As for clips, you can use zip ties, twist ties or any other type of clip that you have handy. I personally like zip-ties, they are quick and durable.
I just ordered an Innotek IUC-4100 from you guys and I have some questions not covered in the guide.
1. Will twin lead (two strands) wire have the same cancelling effect as twisting wire together?
2. How wide is the field for the various levels of correction on a loop running about 1600 feet?
3. I’m running most of it along existing barbed wire and pasture fencing at about 1-2 feet above ground using the fence posts. Will that affect the field strength?
ADMIN – Hi AJ,
I am pretty well decided on the Dogtra EF-3000 Gold for my two dogs. I just have a couple of questions before I purchase.
One dog is pretty timid and will not need much correction. The other dog will more than likely need a higher correction while she is learning. I really like the ability to have the different correction levels and the beeping feature as I feel that it will help them learn the fence.
I have a five acre lot and would like them to have access to the majority of it. I have a layout in mind and I was planning on using the barbed wire fence that runs around the majority of the property as a perimeter by wire tying the signal wire to one of the strands of the wire. Will this work or will the metal in the fencing cause a problem with the signal wire?
I have one dog that likes to pull and chew on the collar of the other dog. Is there a replaceable collar for the dogtra unit or will I be buying a new collar each time she destroys a collar? The product pictures make it look like this is a replaceable collar even if I have to have one made.
Based on this information is there another system that you would recommend other than the Dogtra EF-3000 Gold.
ADMIN – Hi Kevin
Mounting the boundary wire on the barbed wire fence will work great.
The collar bands on the Dogtra can indeed be removed and replaced. To break dogs of the habit of chewing on the collar, we usually spray the collar in bitter apple for a few days. This is an unpleasant tasting, but otherwise unharmful spray that you can get in the pet section of most larger supermarkets or pet stores. Once the dogs have tasted the bitter apple on the collar, they usually leave it alone even after you stop spraying the collar.
Happy to give you some other options. What kind of dogs do you have? (breed, weight, temperament, age)
Does a metal pole holding up wooden fences affect the system when attaching the border wire to the fence and under the metal fence posts facing my yard? I will be installing the fence this weekend. Thank you.
ADMIN – Hi Dwayne,
The occasional metal support post for a wooden fence will not cause any problems. Metal is only a problem when you have long stretches of metal fencing (like sheet metal).
When mounting the wire on a fence, what is the radius of the shocking mechanism? In other words, how far away will the dog be when he gets shocked? This question is asked because I am wondering, what if the dog starts digging before he reaches the shock area? Thank you
ADMIN – Hi Kelly,
You can adjust the radius of the boundary zone by turning a dial on the main control box. You can adjust it anywhere from a few inches to 10+ feet. Where there is already a fence in place, a 3 foot radius is usually plenty. If the dog is beyond the boundary zone they don’t get the correction. So if there is a particular area you want to protect from digging, you need to set the boundary zone a little wider than normal to cover that area.
I have a fence that covers the sides and back of my yard so I plan to mount the wire on those pieces, but when coming down to the ground, how do I avoid 90 degree angles and still keep the wire out of sight? Thank you!
ADMIN – Hi Seth,
Try to have a gradual arc on the wire when transitioning down. But, if you can’t make an arc then coming down at 90 degrees is ok – just avoid a very sharp bend in the wire.
I have a chain link fence around my back yard. I have 4 gates how do you go around those to be able to use the gates? I plan on putting the wire on the fence itself.
ADMIN – Hi Loren,
Usually for gates, if they are low we run the wire under the gate (i.e. dig the ground under the gate and place the wire in the trench created.
If the gate is high, you also have the option of running the wire up above the gate.
Hello: I thinking of getting an underground fence but wish to not to bury it. I live in North Dakota and the wind and snow can get 6 feet high and 40-60 below. Would it be better to bury it and how deep or can I get away with attaching it to my 6 ft chain link fence and how high with the snow? Lastly, I have to have the snow removed several times each winter with a bobcat and wonder how I can connect the fence where there are kennel panels are used as gates to allow the bobcat through. I would need to disconnect the wire in at least 2 places and would also be able to bend the wire in cold weather.
I have my yard separated into two kennels with a kennel fence separating the two how does one lay the wire and can it come up and around next to existing wire to close the circuit? I would like to basically have two separate units for each kennel but that’s expensive- so I thought to loop the wire back up again but it would lay next to the other.
ADMIN – Hi Leslie,
With snow accumulating so high, the system would work best if you attached the wire toward the top of the chain link fence – so that the signal would not have to penetrate all that snow.
If you need to connect and disconnect the wire where the bobcat enters and leaves – place one splice on one side of the removable panels. This will allow you to disconnect the wire at the splice and move it out of the way to let the bobcat pass through. Your other options would be to run the wire high above, so the bobcat could pass under.
You would make one complete loop around each kennel, and connect the two loops using the twisted wire. Connect any one of the loops to the transmitter, again using the twisted wire. You should not need two transmitters.
My yard is fenced with vinyl on the front and standard red brand/high tensile farm fence on all other sides. The bracing for the fence is wood posts in corners, wood bracing everey 150′ and metal T-posts every 8-10′ between braces. Will the T-posts or wire fencing cause problems with this type of system.
Admin- Hi Ski,
We have experienced great success when the dog fences are attach to a stationary fence 12 to 18 inches off on the ground. The T-post or wire fence will not cause any interferences issues with the boundary wire.
Part of the boundary area for our dog is the electric cattle fence we have. Would we be able to run the dog fence on the same poles as the electric cattle fence or would they interfere with each other?
ADMIN – Hi MM,
You can indeed attach the dog fence wire to the same poles you use to hang the electric cattle fence wiring.
I plan on running my wire in PVC pipe along the bottom rail of my fence which would make it invisible from the roadside, however the fence would make a 90 degree bend with a PVC elbow is this acceptable and what’s the deal about 90 degree turns anyways how does this effect anything?
ADMIN – Hi Richard,
Bending the wire in a 90 degree angle turns the wire on itself and cancels the signal in that corner. The degree of cancellation is determined by how wide the boundary width is set. So, a wider the boundary equates to a wider dead space in the corner. If there’s not way of escape in the corner, then this may not be an issue. We typically recommend suspending the wire from one fence line to the next creating two 45 angle turns to create a soft corner. You’d do this several feet off the corner.
Hi, I have purchased the Innotek Ultrasmart IUC 4100. I note I cannot place the wire along an existing full sheet metal fence. Unfortunately i have one that runs down one side of my property, It is 6 feet high. Could I run the the wire along the top of my fence to reduce the amplifying effect at ground level? Thanks Ann
ADMIN – Hi Ann,
Running the wire at the top of the fence should help, as you mentioned the signal even if it gets amplified will have a lower effective range when placed up high because the signal needs to travel the extra distance down to ground level.
Hi – I’m just about to place my order with your company but have one question about fencing. I have a pool with aluminum, Ideal picket fencing, powder-finished I believe. Can I wrap wires around this material and have effective correction? Thanks!
ADMIN – Hi Gary,
You can indeed wrap the dog fence wire through aluminum pickets and it will work fine.
Hi – I was wondering, can I use an unused electric fence wire as the actual boundary wire if it remains on the insulators insulating them from the metal posts? In other words, splicing it from the insulated wire to the uninsulated electric fence wire and then back to the insulated wire where the electric fence stops.
ADMIN – Hi Sheldon,
We find the electric fence wire, even when mounted on the insulators does not work well and tends to produce an inconsistent field. It is particularly problematic when you mix the higher resistance electric fence wire and the low resistance insulated wire.
I would use insulated wire for the entire boundary, for the portion that already has an electric fence, you can attach the dog fence wire to the fence posts so you don’t need to bury the wire.
I have the Innotek SD2000 system. I have a 4′ high chain link fence and a dog that jumps it. What would be the best way to run the wire, in front of the fence, thru the chainlinks or on top.
ADMIN – Hi David,
Either location would work. Just adjust he boundary width after you have done the installation so that the correction starts a couple of feet before the dog gets to the base of the fence.
Hi there, I have a 2 acre block that I am wanting to contain. I can attach the wire to the existing fence line for most of the block but am wanting to keep Bruce off the driveway – can I bury the wire directly under a gravel driveway or would you recommend running the wire through alkathine pipe? Will the signal still be strong through plastic pipe?
Also, as I will be needing much more wire, can you please advise if it is ok to mix stranded and solid wire together? (ie half the section with solid and remainder with stranded). Thank you! Claire
ADMIN – Hi Claire,
With a gravel driveway, I prefer running the wire through pipe. The pipe helps protect the wire from the sharp and abrasive stones in the driveway. Alkathene pipe works. I prefer using something like Alkathene over PVC because it is flexible and easier to work with. The pipe will not block the signal.
Yes, you can mix solid core wire with stranded core wire without any problems.
How do you wire an area that is three sided with the house being the fourth side? Can you double the wire around the three sides and connect the ends to the control box. This application is for a 15lb poodle who is difficult to contain. Thanks: John
ADMIN – Hi John,
For a three-sided layout covering just the backyard, there are a few options. The easiest is to run the containment wire along the three sides of the yard, then run the fourth side up a downspout along the gutter and then down the downspout on the other side of the house. You can also run the wire close around the front of the house. Finally, as you mentioned, you can run the wire around the three sides, then double back on yourself (six feet apart from the outbound run) to make a big U-shaped loop.
There is more information and diagrams in the Installation –> Layouts –> Backyard Only section of the website.
I am installing an electronic fence for my cat because I live right next to a busy street and there are coyotes in our area, but I would like him to be able to go in the backyard. I am wondering if I can just run the wire higher on the fence so that he can have the run of the backyard and only be corrected if he tries to climb out. Will this work?
ADMIN – Hi Stephanie,
Having the wire higher up the fence and turning down the boundary width would work well with a cat, letting her still have the full run of the yard but not let her start going up the fence.
Note, for other readers, this approach does not work with larger dogs because they just jump over the fence during, and so need to be stopped a couple of feet before the fence before they get airborne.
We live on a ranch that borders a road and has a year round creek. We need to keep our dogs out of the road, and I’d like to install on the fence, but what can we do about the creek (with a fence across it that is underwater for a few hours at a time in big storms).
ADMIN – Hi Kim,
You can just run the wire across the creek. (attaching the wire to the fence would work well) The system will still work even if the wire is exposed to water or submerged during flooding.