How do I fit wire mesh fencing to keep a dog in?

A slack fence is a failed fence. Mesh that has not been strained sags, and a sagging mesh is easy to push under, climb or lift. Almost all the work is in the two straining posts and the tension between them.

What you'll need

• Welded or woven wire mesh of an appropriate gauge
• Straining posts for each end and corner, plus struts
• Intermediate posts at 2-3m centres
• Line wire and straining bolts or a wire strainer
• Fencing staples and pliers

Step by step

1. Choose the mesh by the animal, not by price.Mesh spacing should be smaller than the dog's head can pass through, and small enough that paws cannot get a grip for climbing. Welded mesh is stiffer and holds shape; woven or chain link is cheaper but sags more easily.
2. Set straining posts at both ends and every corner.These carry all the tension. They need to be bigger than the intermediate posts, set deeper, and strutted back along the line of the fence. Everything depends on them.
3. Set intermediate posts at 2-3m centres.They only support the mesh, so they can be lighter, but they must be in line and plumb.
4. Run and strain a line wire top and bottom.The wires take the tension so the mesh does not have to. Strain them tight between the straining posts using a wire strainer, then staple to the intermediates.
5. Hang and tension the mesh against the line wires.Unroll along the fence, fix one end to a straining post, then pull the roll taut before fixing the other end. Tie the mesh to the line wires with wire ties every 300mm or so.
6. Deal with the bottom edge deliberately.Either bury 150mm of mesh in a trench, or fold 300mm of mesh outwards along the ground surface and peg it down so a digging dog hits mesh immediately. The outward L is easier and works as well.
7. Staple to intermediates without over-driving.Staples should hold the wire against the post but still let it move slightly. Hammering staples in hard cuts the galvanising and the wire rusts through at every post.
8. Walk the line and test it.Push at the bottom edge every couple of metres. Anywhere it gives is where the dog will go. Fix those points before trusting the fence.

Tips

• Strain the mesh on a cool day if you can. Wire tensioned in hot weather goes slack in a heatwave and tight in frost, but starting cool leaves the right margin.
• A single strand of line wire pulled tight along the bottom, 50mm above ground, stops most pushing-under before it starts.
• Galvanised mesh rusts first where it is cut or bent. Touch cut ends up with a zinc-rich paint.

Common mistakes

• Relying on intermediate posts to take the strain — They pull out of line or lean. Only strutted straining posts at ends and corners can carry the tension of a strained fence.
• Fixing mesh only at the top — The bottom lifts and the dog is out in a day. The bottom edge needs a line wire, ties and either burial or an outward L.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask