How do I build a cheap, temporary fence?

December 15, 2006 5:35 PM

Temporary fencing question : I'm going to foster a retired greyhound for a few weeks but have to somehow put up a fence on one side of the yard so he won't get over. The length needed is around 8 metres and runs along some hedges on the border of the neighbour's place. Probably needs to be about 5 feet high. I want to do this myself as cheaply and quickly as possible. Any suggestions?
posted by zaebiz to home & garden (15 comments total)

If it's only temporary, you might do better with a long leash.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:44 PM on December 15, 2006

I thought about that but was told you can't tether a greyhound - they are too thin and too fast to do so without risk of injury.
posted by zaebiz at 5:48 PM on December 15, 2006

Get some T-bar fence posts and pvc temporary fence fabric from your local hardware store. The posts cost about 3-4 bucks each and you just pound them into the ground. The last time I bought temporary fence fabric, a 100' roll of 42" high fabric cost about 12 bucks, IIRC. It's orange and ugly, but it's cheap and does the job.
posted by buggzzee23 at 5:55 PM on December 15, 2006

Here's a pic of a t-bar and another of the pvc temporary fence fabric. The fabric is tougher than it looks.
posted by buggzzee23 at 6:05 PM on December 15, 2006

Thanks, Ill give the PVC a try.
posted by zaebiz at 6:50 PM on December 15, 2006

Be careful. Your greyhound can easily slip under the fence with just a little digging.
posted by The Deej at 6:52 PM on December 15, 2006

I used buggzzee23's T-bar/PVC fencing* idea to keep a very rambunctious, boneheaded, and incredibly strong 5 month old labrador out of a section of my backyard for a few months** and it worked great. What worked for us was to use two layers of it: the first layer fastened overlapping the ground about 18" inwards (i.e. toward where you want to keep the dog), the second layer overlapping that about midway up the T-bar. An older, craftier dog might have quickly figured out to ignore the flap on the ground and scoot under but my pup never did. He also bounded into it a few times going full speed*** and just bounced off.

Zip ties are the way to go for securing the PVC fencing to the T-bars. Use a lot of them, they are cheap.

*my local big-box home improvement store also had it in green, so hurray for avoiding the 100% eyesore look.
**while reseeding the lawn the same lab had destroyed the previous 4 months.
***at 80#, he made quite an impact.
posted by jamaro at 7:26 PM on December 15, 2006

Can a harness be used? The idea for the fence in earlier posts seem very good if you need to go that way.
posted by JayRwv at 7:37 PM on December 15, 2006

Are you dead set on the fencing? You know you don't really need it, right?

I've got a 5 year old Grey myself, and have no yard. We walk her 3-4 times a day, and on the weekends, we take her to dog parks, or other completely fenced in areas. She goes full speed for 10 minutes, and then says, "okay. I'm done." and sleeps for the rest of the day.

Having a fenced in area for a Grey is nice, but by no means necessary. I'm actually glad that we don't - I think it would encourage the "Okay, go out and pee now" mentality, and keep me from spending actual time with my dog.

Other things - Make sure you have a huge, soft bed for him to sleep on, and when he spends 18 hours a day on the bed, he's not depressed. He's just a greyhound.
posted by god hates math at 8:26 PM on December 15, 2006

god hates math: "Are you dead set on the fencing? You know you don't really need it, right?"

They (the people I am fostering the dog from) say it is essential because they are ex-racing dogs and if they see a small animal like a cat in the adjacent yard, they will bolt after it.
posted by zaebiz at 8:41 PM on December 15, 2006

Rental fences seem to be used at most construction sites - I don't know if they do residential but it might be worth a call to one or two companies in your area to get more info. Usually there's a sign on the fence advertising the company.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 9:44 PM on December 15, 2006

If you're going to let him out off leash, then yes - a fence is 100% essential. Prey drive is still pretty darn high. My girl gets along with my cats just fine, but looks at the squirrels in our neighborhood like they're all sorts of tasty.

The idea is, you don't need a fence if you don't let the dog out, unsupervised, and off-leash. Walk him on the leash when you wake up, when you get home from work, and before you go to bed. 15-20 minutes each time is doing pretty good. Despite what some people would believe, a greyhound doesn't need to run around in a circle in your backyard to be happy. All they want is a little bit of exercise, and an excuse to get out of the house.

Basically, greyhounds are the reverse of a lot of dogs - you don't have to keep much of an eye on them when you're inside (unless he's particularly devilish). When you're outside, though, it's a whole different story. You've got to be aware of what they're doing, and make sure there's no way the dog can escape your grip on the leash (or from the fenced-in area).

All that said, if you do manage to get the fencing, watch out for the digging. Our girl was returned from her first home because the owner (a gardener) kept her outside all day, and then got pissed when she dug in his gardens. Because they sleep in big mounds of newspaper at the track, they have this nesting thing they do, and outside, digging becomes a very natural part of that.
posted by god hates math at 10:07 PM on December 15, 2006

You could use croquet wickets (or similar) to attach the bottom of the PVC to the ground. Even so, I'd keep a fairly close eye on the dog to nip escape attempts in the bud.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:42 AM on December 16, 2006

Probably needs to be about 5 feet high.

You need at least 6 foot high fencing to safely contain ANY dog, and Greyhounds can jump and climb with the best of them.

The dog shouldn't be left outside unattended even if you have fencing, if it's going to be anything other than 6+ foot proper privacy fencing with sunken posts (about the only truly dog-safe fencing, and even then, not 100%) - if they will only let you foster the dog if you have fencing, I'd find a fence rental, but I'd keep the dog on-leash and see the fence as extra insurance, as others have suggested.

A back yard isn't enough room for a Greyhound to really run in anyway, and a short sprint in a fenced-in area (like a schoolyard) is probably all the dog will need other than regular walks.

When they say you "can't tether" a Greyhound, they probably mean you shouldn't tie them out (no dog should be tied out anyway, it's dangerous and causes behaviour problems).

I'm sure they'll provide you with an appropriate collar, but remember that you can't use a regular dog collar on a Greyhound, because their heads are narrower than their necks - you need a martingale or Greyhound collar.

Thank you for fostering this dog, I hope you find it a rewarding experience, Greyhounds are lovely dogs.
posted by biscotti at 7:20 AM on December 16, 2006

what god hates math and biscotti said. Greyhounds love to snooze inside all day where it's nice and warm, with a daily sprint at the dog park.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:43 AM on December 16, 2006