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Thanks for the info and pics!! :)
I went to Home Depot and found some bricks like that...they start at about $1 each here. :( I'm going to see if I can find them any cheaper. His dog run is 10x14.
I think those flat bricks would be easier to do then cement!
The guy said he had a small power backup system so it would give him enough time to get the dog inside (the dog was never left outside when no one is home)
I don't think I would *ever* let my dog outside in a wire fence unsupervised. My fear is that there is no block against other dogs. So if another dog decides that MY dog looks like lunch, my dog can't run away. :(
However, my brother & sister in laws have a shepherd mix that is trained BEAUTIFULLY!! The system works flawlessly for them. She was older when they started training her as well. So we are thinking of trying it as it is so we can fence in our entire yard. But like I said, I would never leave him unsupervised for any lenght of time.
Amy, my friend with the 2 huskies has the underground fencing. With Zac (male) she has no problem, but Niki (female) on the other hand will cross out of their yard every once in a while if she sees something she really wants (small animals mainly). She doesn't care about the shock. So I personally am against getting a underground fence, you just never know.
And as for something to put on the ground so it's not all muddy; we have 2 8x8 truck mats in ours. No work to put them in, they are just very heavy, but there are diffent weights (thicker-thinner) of mats. And there is still a little grass for them to lay or potty in. We also put wire fencing under the kennel, so roxey couldn't dig underneath! I know you've seen these pics but here they are again.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/fcbd9c06.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...1/fcbd9c0f.jpg
Wow! What a great idea with the brick pavers! Your mom did a really good job. When Bella was a puppy she had this one flowerbed that she loved to dig in (usually just after a rain! :( ) I had some slate pieces that I had been using in another area of the yard and I placed them in the flowerbed temporarily. Presto! It worked beautifully! I have since removed the slate pieces and put them back where they were and replaced them with bricks, at least temporarily. I am hoping at some point to be able to remove the bricks and I am thinking of doing that a little at a time. If she starts digging again I'll put them back. They don't look too bad and they serve their purpose!
Lauren I agree that the dog run your mother made is very attractive. She did an excellent job.
As far as underground fences goes, Invisible Fence is a company that does a lot of them around here. In fact, my neighbors on both side of me use it for their labs. It works very well for them, but I tried it for Hannah and I didn't like it. It completely spooked her and she didn't want to go outside at all. When forced to go out, she would go out one door and cling to the side of the house and try to get in the other door. The other thing I didn't like was that the shock would kick in quite a ways from the boundry where the wire was buried, hence the amount of space that could be used for running and playing (if she would have used it) was reduced considerably.
My boss has the Invisible Fence too only he has little dogs. They very frequently *go through* it. There is upkeep, with purchasing the batteries for the collars and if the wire ever gets broken by someone digging that has to be repaired.
Thanks you Pam & Rachel. So far the whole paved area is holding up just fine. The grass between the bricks is growing is wonderfully. Cleatus has kinda killed the grass in the back because of his potent urine, but oh well. The grass plugs or flats of grass aren't too expensive to replace. I am going to try that tomato juice tidbit someone had mentioned (sorry I can't rememeber the person's name).
Pam - I think by removing the pavers one by one that Bella may not relize it. That would be nice. :D