Owning a dog is quite demanding. You are expected to look after it diligently. One of your many obligations is providing your beloved pet as much outdoor exercise as possible. If you don’t have the time (or the patience) to walk your dog a number of times daily, then, you should allow it to run around.
A dog run keeps your favorite canine from wandering off or from getting lost. Aside from being effective, it also permits you to save good money since you can customize it to fit the size of your dog and to meet the activities you want for your dog. Here are some tips on how you can build a dog run out of chain link fencing:
- Choose a good location. Plan where you want to actually build your dog run. See how far it is from your gate. Consider the possibility that your dog is a jumper. Chasing your dog may be a hassle if you place your dog run too closely to the gate.
- Draw your plan. Plot the length and the width of the area that you wish to cover. Your plan does not need to be elaborate. Get a piece of graph paper and sketch it. Determine how high is the fencing. Adjust its height depending on your dog’s size and its ability to jump.
- Mark your spots. Once you have drawn the plan, go to the actual location. Measure out everything. Then, mark points by placing stakes a bit beyond the corners. Get a string. Run it between the stakes. Make them crisscross so you can readily spot the corner points.
- Dig holes for your posts. You need to scoop out holes for your end and corner points. They should be about two-foot deep and half-foot wide (diameter). You may need to dig deeper according to the actual height of your chain link fencing. It more helpful to let the lower portion of the hole to be a bit bigger than the upper portion. That is going to allow you to properly anchor your end and corner posts into place.
- Mark your posts. Use a crayon to set the actual height you want your posts to be buried. That permits you to bury all of them evenly. When the posts are already set, mound or heap concrete into the holes.
- Place your hooks. Use hook ends as connectors. Start with the first post and hook the chain link fencing there. And then, pull it to the next end. Attach it to the corresponding hook end. If you need to pull the fencing tightly or reconnect the hook end firmly, aid yourself with a fence stretcher. Continue the process until you have gone around and covered the entire dog run area.
- Set up your closing mechanism for the gate. Choose and purchase a unit that reaches all the way to the ground. You don’t want your dog to crawl under the gate.
Add a shelter or attach a sun screen top to further customize your dog run.