If you are stuck staring at the driveway in the process of installing an underground dog fence wire, you’re not alone.
Many dog lovers struggle with this last part of putting together invisible dog fences. This is because it can be time-consuming to bury the wire under your driveway.
In this article, we’ll show you how to bury dog fence wire under your driveway, the tools you need, and other considerations.
How To Bury Dog Fence Wire Under Your Driveway – The Basics
How do I run an invisible fence under my driveway?
In general, to cross a driveway with a dog wire fence requires a tiny 1-inch deep trench across the driveway.
If the driveway is dirt or gravel, this can be dug with a small spade or hoe.
For an asphalt or cement driveway, use a circular saw fitted with a diamond blade to cut a single 1-inch deep cut in the surface of the driveway where the wire will go.
Carefully slide the wire into the cut.
Seal the cut with waterproof asphalt or cement caulk and smooth it with a trowel.
Read our related article, How Deep is an Invisible Fence Buried? for more installation tips and information!
Install Dog Fence Wire Under Gravel Driveways
If you have a gravel driveway, the electric dog fence wire will be much less time-consuming to install.
We use a length of PVC conduit to ensure the wire doesn’t break from gravel puncture and vehicle weight.
What You’ll Need:
- Hand shovel (garden trowel shovel works the best)
- PVC pipe (length depending on the width of gravel driveway)
Steps:
- Mark a clear line across the gravel driveway with a chalk line for the boundary wire.
- Brush debris and tripping hazards out of the way.
- Dig a trench about 3 inches deep into the gravel driveway. Unless you want the driveway to be a dead zone for the collar, keep it close to the surface of the driveway so it can send signals to the collar.
- Run the wire through the PVC conduit then place it into the shallow trench.
- Fill the trench back up with the gravel, fully covering the boundary wire.
Read our related article, Can You Put Invisible Fence into Conduit Pipe? For more installation info and help!
Pro-Tip:
Before deciding to make the buried wire deeper, check to make sure your invisible dog fence wire’s signal is able to withstand the distance.
If not, the standard depth will work just fine.
Installing Dog Fence Wire Under Asphalt or Concrete Driveway
Installing the invisible fence wire under your asphalt or concrete driveway will be more time-consuming, and require a few more tools.
What You’ll Need:
- Safety glasses
- Circular saw (if you don’t own one, you can rent one for $25 to $50 per day)
- Masonry blade or a diamond blade (you can buy them pretty cheap for $5 to $20)
- Caulking gun
- Waterproof caulk
- Gloves
- Flathead screwdriver
- Broom or pressure hose
Steps:
- Wear safety glasses and gloves.
- Mark a clear chalk line across the concrete or asphalt where the wire will run.
- Taking your circular saw, run the masonry blade over the chalk line lightly, just to get a feel of the concrete or asphalt.
- Cut into concrete or asphalt about 3-inches deep (or less). Make sure your hand is firmly grabbing onto the circular saw handle to control the cut.
- Use a broom or pressure hose to clean the cutout asphalt or concrete groove. This will make it easier to lay the wire deeply into the trench.
- Lay the wire into the trench. Use a flathead screwdriver to push the wire a bit deeper if needed, but be careful to not pinch, twist, cut, or crimp the wire.
- Test the completed fence before covering the driveway section in case it needs adjustment or replacement.
- Using your caulking gun and waterproof caulk, cover the cut across the entire driveway, sealing the wire inside.
- Let the caulk dry and cure before walking or driving over it.
Pro-Tip
For optimal protection of the electric dog fence, consider investing in a splice kit, as well as a length of PVC conduit pipe, and use it to place the wire into a wider trench in the driveway.
Usually, the dog wire will be fully protected in the tiny driveway trench due to the inflexibility of the materials around the wire, but if you’re worried about the wire you can install it inside the conduit.
Read More: How Do You Test an Underground Dog Fence? Need more tips for testing? This guide is here to help!
Installing Dog Fence Wire in Driveway Expansion Joints
If you have an expansion joint in your concrete or asphalt driveway at just the right spot, we’re envious!
This is the easiest method for installing the electric dog fence wire with no special tools needed!
Expansion joints can be located at the end of the driveway where the garage begins, or near the sidewalk.
What You’ll Need:
- Caulking gun
- Waterproof caulk
- Broom or pressure hose
- Hand shovel (flat blade garden head trowels work the best)
- Broom or flathead screwdriver
Steps:
- Using the flat blade hand shovel, clear and widen the expansion joint if needed to accommodate the wire. You may also have to cut out any existing caulking.
- After clearing out, clean the expansion joint so laying the wire is easier.
- Lay the wire carefully into the expansion joint and use a flat head screwdriver to help push it into the joint. Be careful to not break, twist, or crimp the wire.
- Test the wire system before sealing it into the expansion joint.
- Using the caulking gun, cover the expansion joint and wire.
- After finished caulking, let it dry and cure according to the label directions before walking over it
Pro-Tip:
Some people choose to let debris or dirt cover the expansion joint instead of covering it with caulking to save the additional cost.
However, we don’t recommend it.
Protecting the expansion joint with caulking will ensure that the underground dog fence lasts longer, and isn’t a tripping hazard if it pops up out of the expansion joint.
Read More: Easiest Way to Bury Dog Fence Wire. DIY doesn’t have to be difficult! Here’s how to make installation easier.
Installing Dog Fence Wire Under Stone or Concrete Driveways
Stone driveways are much less common for underground dog fence installation. It’s not the easiest job and may require hours of labor.
This method can also work for tunneling under concrete driveways.
However, we have a strong method that can work for you. This approach involves water drilling a tunnel underneath using PVC pipes.
A metal pipe may disrupt the signal for the dog fence in that area, so consider how you want the fence to work before choosing your pipe material.
What You’ll Need:
- Walkway tunnel kit (can get one cheap for $5-20)
- PVC or metal pipe depending on your wire signal strength
- Chalk
- Hand shovel
- Water hose
- Water drill
Steps:
- Make a clear chalk line over the path you want the wire to run.
- On both sides of the driveway, dig a small hole (this will be for the PVC pipe and water hose).
- Use as much PVC pipe as you need to get across the driveway width.
- Attach the walkway tunnel kit to the end of the PVC pipe.
- Attach the hose to the other side of the PVC pipe.
- Turn the hose on, and water drill under the stone or concrete driveway.
- You will want to drill as level as possible.
- Repeat steps 6-7 for the rest of the chalk line/width of the driveway
Check out this short video to see how easy it is to use PVC pipe and water to drill underneath a layer of concrete. It sounds hard, but it’s pretty simple to do.
Pro-Tip:
To avoid flooding, make sure any sprinkler system is turned off.
Make sure your dog fence wire is waterproof, and for best use, do not bury the wire deeply if it has a weak signal.
Read More: Why is My Electric Fence So Weak? A weak fence almost guarantees that your dog will be able to leave your yard. Here’s how to solve common problems!
Other Considerations When Installing Dog Fence Wire
When installing your electric dog fence underneath your driveway, make sure you take precautions while using a power edger, circular saw, masonry blade, or a sharp point shovel.
Always wear safety glasses, gloves, and protective clothing.
If you’re unable to install the invisible fence, decide if hiring a professional might be the best option. You can also hire out the short section across the driveway if needed.
Stop by our related article where we discuss a Do It Yourself Invisible Fence for Dogs, for more helpful installation info and tricks!
Final Thoughts
We know that installing dog fence wire can be a bit laborious when it comes to crossing a driveway, but we hope you see that it can be done with the right tools.
The key is to take it easy and use methods you’re comfortable with. Always use safety equipment including gloves and safety glasses.
