Installing Dig Defence Animal Control
For best installation results, you will need our 3' wide Dig Defence® Animal Control installation
tool which is placed on top of the 4' wide DDAC unit and driven into the ground with a standard T-post driver.
This sturdy tool will last you for years. It breaks down for shipping and storage and reassembles in seconds
with a tight fit. Using a hammer to hit the products into the ground is okay for lighter grade product
installation, and it will also work for the commercial grade animal control version too, but using
a hammer for the heavier commercial grade is labor intensive and will make installation uneven, wavy,
and possibly weaken the units.
Suggested Installation Tools
- Dig Defence® Animal Control Commercial Grade Installation Tool
- T-Post Driver
- Bolt Cutters
- A Plumbing Probe
- Kneeling Pad or
Wearable Knee Pads
- Safety Glasses
What To Do If You Hit A Rock Or Tree Root
If one or more spikes come into contact with a rock,
remove spike or bend it out of the way. Simply determine which rod
is hitting an obstacle, cut that rod off at ground level and continue driving it
into the ground. DDAC will not work well in very rocky areas. In areas where DDAC will still
not work in all places, you may need to also use rebar steel rods and hardware cloth bury methods
to exclude the animals.
This is not an end to all hardware cloth buries, but, it will
eliminate most. Think outside the box and there are many uses and
tons of income potential. With all of our testing of the final product and the
prototypes, we have used it on fox, armadillos, skunks, raccoon, cats, a groundhog and a opossum.
We invite you to send us photos of your own DDAC project!
Chain Link And Wooden Fences
Place the spikes over the bottom wire of your fence and drive in.
When filling a gap in a wooden privacy fence, if possible, install from
the outside of your fence simply driving the unit in. If wood is being chewed,
install from the side of the fence where the chewing occurs
and attach the top lateral rod with a staple.
Longevity
If a hardware cloth bury with standard 1/2" galvanized cloth lasts 15 plus years,
this will last quite a while longer. 4 gauge galvanized is pretty thick and hardy.
Unless it is standing in salt water, it should outlast us all. Short of a section
being removed, nothing skunk size or larger will get past it.
Safety First
You will be driving metal rods down to or past 15" into the ground.
At this depth, you can puncture gas, water, electrical and other utilities.
Have all utilities located before proceeding to avoid injury or death. This
product is not intended to be used for purposes other than animal control,
erosion and similar situations. Product user assumes all responsibility for
proper safety with this product.
Considerations For Decks & Larger Holes
If you have an area with a lot of erosion or a deck higher than 3" off of the ground
or animals such as coyotes, foxes, groundhogs, porcupines or armadillos that are digging
farther down than the 15" that the Dig Defence® Animal Control model normally protects,
simply double up, placing one deeper and another higher up at normal depth. Don;t leave a space
between the two. This creates a barrier up to 30" deep. Even when dig defense is doubled,
it is still a lot less money and work than a typical hardware cloth bury.
Keep Your Dog In The Yard
Stop Your Dog From
Digging Under The Fence
Dig Defence Animal Control is a popular choice for homeowners wishing
to keep their pets from digging under the fence.
To keep dogs in, install dig defence from the outside slightly angled inward
toward the potentially digging canine. To keep smaller predators, nuisance
wildlife or invading dogs out, install the barrier from the inside angled outward
toward the invading animal. Stop driving when the top lateral wire is even with the
bottom of the fence. If desired, you can staple the top lateral wire of the barrier
to wood. You can also attach the top lateral wire to the bottom of your chain link fence.
For extra underground protection in high problem situations or areas, you can
apply a barrier on both sides of the fence, having them locking into each other.
When deeper underground protection is required you can place one deeper and another
higher up at normal depth. Don't leave a space between the two. This creates
a barrier that protects twice as deep.