How to Make an Inexpensive Dog Exercise Pen
Exercise pens are a versatile piece of equipment that can be used to contain your dog in a variety of situations. Many owners carry exercise pens with them when they attend shows or take vacations with their canine companions as exercise pens allow the owner to construct a small turn out area no matter where they are. Making an inexpensive exercise pen is not difficult and will help keep your dog safe in any situation.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 -- 36" by 20' hog wire panel
- Measuring tape
- Permanent marker
- Wire cutters
- 10 double eye snap bolts
Instructions
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Lay your wire panel out on a flat surface and measure out 5 four foot long sections with your measuring tape and mark them with your permanent marker. Most exercise pens are made of short sections that can be erected into a spacious pen, then separated and folded up when not in use.
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Cut the sections with your wire cutters and trim away any sharp ends. Hog wire is made up of rows of small rectangles that make the fencing strong yet light enough to be portable.
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Set the newly cut panels end to end along the ground and connect them at the top and bottom with a double eye snap bolts. The eye bolts will keep the panels together while allowing for easy dismantling when you need to move the pen.
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Upright the panels and arrange them in a pentagon design so that the two end panels come together to form a completely enclosed space for your dog. Place your dog inside your newly constructed exercise pen and secure the ends with your remaining eye bolts.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure you erect your pen in a flat area free of debris to keep your dog from injuring himself or knocking them pen over.
To transport your panel, unclip the eye bolts and stack the panels on top of each other. You can keep the panels from shifting by wrapping two or three small bungee cords around them once stacked.
Never leave your dog unattended in an exercise pen. It is only a temporary pen to contain your dog and is not meant to be used as permanent fencing.
References
- Photo Credit Homeless dog in Kennel image by dinahr from Fotolia.com
