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Concrete Footers and Buried Wire
Concrete footers and buried wire stop digging animals by putting a hard barrier where they try to tunnel. A concrete mow strip or footer under the gate line is the most durable choice, and buried wire is the lower cost option for a long fence run. The depth and shape of each decide how well it works.
How animals dig under fences
Most dogs dig at the base of a fence or gate, right against the vertical surface, and they dig down at an angle. Their goal is to get beneath the lowest rail. A barrier has to reach deeper than they will dig and extend outward so that they hit it when they try to go under. Foxes, coyotes, armadillos and rabbits also dig along fence lines, so a good barrier helps with wildlife as well.
Concrete footers
A footer is a continuous strip of concrete poured in a trench along the fence or gate line. It acts as a wall that goes below grade. For small dogs, a depth of about six to eight inches is a start. For larger diggers, twelve inches or more is better. The strip should be at least four inches wide, and it can be reinforced with a rebar to prevent cracking.
At a gate opening, the footer usually becomes a threshold slab that fills the gap between posts. This gives a flat surface for wheels and removes the soft soil where digging starts. It should be poured level with the surrounding ground, or a hair above, so that water runs away.
Mow strips
A mow strip is a footer poured flush with the surface, wide enough for a mower wheel to ride on, usually a foot or so. It keeps grass from growing up through the fence line and makes trimming easier. It also stops a dog from digging because the surface is hard. A mow strip is more visible than a buried barrier, but it adds a neat edge to the fence.
Georgetown yards often have limestone just below the soil, and a trench through rock is slow work. In such spots, a shallower strip combined with an anchor into the rock can work, and a fabricator can advise on how to proceed.
Buried wire
Buried wire uses galvanized hardware cloth or welded wire fastened to the bottom of the fence and bent outward in an L shape under the soil. The outward leg should extend twelve to eighteen inches from the fence, and the buried wire should sit four to six inches below the surface. An animal that digs at the fence hits the wire and gives up.
Use a mesh with openings no larger than one inch for small dogs. Fasten the wire to the fence or the bottom rail with clips or ties, and overlap seams by several inches so there is no gap. Cover the wire with soil, gravel or sod. Over time grass grows through the mesh and holds it in place.
Choosing between them
Concrete costs more up front and lasts for decades, with almost no maintenance. Wire costs less and suits long runs, but it can rust and may be dug up by a persistent animal that finds an edge. A common approach is to use concrete at the gate, where traffic and digging are highest, and wire along the rest of the fence.
For a pool or a yard where a failure would be serious, concrete is the safer choice. For a dog that digs only occasionally, wire may be enough.
How deep to go
Depth depends on the animal. Small dogs rarely dig deeper than a few inches. Large breeds and determined diggers may go a foot or more. A good rule is to bury the barrier to at least twice the depth of the deepest hole the animal has made. Check existing holes as a guide, and consider the soil, since sandy ground collapses and clay holds a tunnel.
Installation notes
- Call 811 before digging, since utility lines run along many fence lines.
- Dig a straight trench with a flat bottom and compact the base.
- Pour concrete in dry weather and cure it for several days.
- Set the gate clearance after the footer is finished.
- Slope the surface slightly to drain water.
Gate posts and footers
Gate posts sit in their own concrete holes, and the footer should tie into them so there is no gap between the two. Leave a small expansion joint if the slab is long, so that cracks do not form from heat. Coordinate the work with the fabricator so that the gate swing, the hinge height and the footer all agree before the concrete sets.
With a solid footer or a well laid wire apron, a Georgetown yard becomes much harder to tunnel out of, and the gate line stays neat for years.
A note on cost and effort
Hand digging a trench is slow work, especially in rocky ground, and many homeowners hire help for long runs. Wire is easier for a do it yourself job, while concrete usually calls for a mixer, forms and a few days of curing. Start with the gate opening, which matters most, then extend the barrier along the fence line in stages as time and budget allow.
Whichever path is chosen, plan the work before the gate is hung. It is much easier to pour a footer between open posts than around a finished gate, and a coordinated schedule with the fabricator avoids rework. Take photos of the trench before backfilling, so that the location of the wire or the depth of the footer is on record for future repairs.
Checking the work afterward
After the barrier is in, test it. Walk the fence line and press the ground with a boot to find soft spots. Watch how the dog reacts for a week or two, and look for new scratches near the edge of the strip. If digging moves to a new spot, extend the barrier there. Rain will also show weak points, as water finds gaps that the eye misses. A short follow up pass keeps small flaws from growing into escapes.