What Concrete Footings for a Malamute Fence Cost
Your Malamute has already tunneled under the fence once, and the rocks you lined along the base only bought you a week. Now you’re pricing a concrete footing, and every quote seems to come from nowhere. This guide works through the real numbers: what concrete, rebar and buried mesh cost per foot and for a full yard, with retail examples and arithmetic you can check yourself.
Why a Malamute Fence Needs a Footing in the First Place
Before spending money on concrete, it helps to understand the animal you’re trying to contain. A Malamute that digs out is not being spiteful, and it isn’t a sign that you’ve failed at training. You’re dealing with one of the most determined excavators in the dog world. That’s why the bottom of the fence matters more to you than it does to almost any other dog owner on your street.
Digging Is Hardwired, Not Spite
The Mahlemut people of northwest Alaska relied on these dogs to haul freight, find game and get through brutal winters. Digging was part of that life. A dog that could carve a sheltered hollow in snow or earth survived the night. A dog that could work its way toward a burrowing animal brought something useful home. If you want the full background, A Malamute’s Digging Is Not a Problem, It Is the Breed traces how that instinct got locked in.
In a modern backyard, the same instinct shows up in a few predictable ways. Some Malamutes dig because they’re bored. Some dig because they hear voles or moles under the lawn. A great many dig because the ground a foot or two down is cooler than the air, and a dog wearing a double coat in July will go looking for that relief. Why a Malamute Digs to Stay Cool covers that heat-driven version, and it matters for fencing because a cooling hole dug against the fence line can turn into an escape route by accident.
Imagine an owner in Tulsa whose dog spends every August afternoon in the shady strip along the north fence. The dog isn’t trying to leave. It’s trying to get comfortable. But each day the hollow gets a little deeper. Then one evening the neighbor’s cat walks past on the other side, and the dog finishes the job in five minutes. That’s the scenario a footing is built to stop.
Where Malamutes Breach a Fence Line
Malamutes rarely dig at random spots. They pick the corners, the gate, and the stretch of fence nearest whatever interests them: the street, the neighbor’s dog, the chicken coop two lots over. Gates are especially vulnerable because the gap under a swinging gate is often the largest gap anywhere on the perimeter, and the ground there gets churned up by foot traffic.
Soft ground invites the most digging. Sandy loam along the Gulf Coast, freshly backfilled soil around new posts, and garden beds against the fence give way easily. Hard clay slows a dog down but doesn’t stop it, especially after a rain softens the top layer. For a breed-specific look at how deep a determined dog will go, How Far Down a Malamute Will Dig lays out what owners have watched happen.
Digging isn’t the only way out, either. Some Malamutes climb, and some learn to work a gate latch. A footing solves the bottom of the fence and nothing else. How a Malamute Climbs a Fence is worth reading before you commit your whole budget to the ground, because a dog that can’t go under may start trying to go over.
Concrete Footing Types, Depth and Reinforcement
“Concrete footing” can mean two different things, and they cost very different amounts. Know which one you’re pricing before you collect quotes or load a cart with bags.
Continuous Trench Footings Versus Post Footings
A post footing is the concrete poured around each fence post. Every properly built fence has these, and they hold the fence upright. They do nothing to stop digging between the posts, because the dog simply tunnels in the gap.
A continuous trench footing, sometimes called a dig guard or concrete curb, is a strip of concrete poured in a trench along the entire base of the fence. The fence fabric or panels sit on top of it or are embedded in it. This is what actually blocks a Malamute, because there’s no soft soil at the fence line to dig through. It’s also where nearly all of the cost lives, since the concrete runs the full length of the perimeter instead of sitting in a few dozen holes.
Many owners use a hybrid: standard post footings for the whole fence, plus a continuous trench only along the stretches the dog actually targets, such as the gate, the corners and the side facing the street. That keeps the concrete bill down while protecting the most likely breach points. If you’re still deciding on fence material, Whether Chain Link Holds an Alaskan Malamute looks at how different fabrics hold up once the bottom is secured.
Choosing a Depth for Your Dog and Your Soil
The two depths in this guide’s worked examples are 12 inches and 24 inches, both in a trench 6 inches wide. A 12-inch footing stops a casual or occasional digger, especially in firm soil. A 24-inch footing is aimed at the dedicated excavator, the dog that has already proven it will keep going once it hits an obstacle.
Your soil changes the answer. In loose, sandy ground a dog can dig down and around a shallow footing faster than you’d expect. In dense clay or rocky ground, a shallower strip may be enough because the dog tires before it gets past the concrete. How Deep a Malamute Fence Must Be Buried goes further into matching depth to the individual dog, and How Far Under Concrete a Malamute Will Dig covers the frustrating case of dogs that tunnel under the concrete itself.
Picture two owners. One lives outside Fairbanks with a young female who digs only when bored, in compact gravelly soil. Twelve inches along the gate and corners probably handles her. The other lives in coastal Mississippi with a three-year-old male who has escaped four times, in sandy loam. That dog likely needs the full 24 inches along the whole perimeter. Same breed, very different footing.
Rebar and Setting the Posts
Concrete is strong when you squeeze it and weak when you bend it. A long, narrow strip of concrete in the ground will crack as soil shifts, freezes and thaws, and once it cracks into sections a dog can sometimes work on the joints. Steel rebar laid along the length of the trench holds the pieces together and keeps cracks from opening into gaps.
The common sizes are #3 bar, which is 3/8 inch thick, and #4 bar, which is 1/2 inch thick. Both are sold in 10-foot lengths. A single continuous run needs one bar per 10 feet of trench plus extra for overlaps where bars meet. Overlapping sections are typically tied together with wire. Rebar should sit up off the bottom of the trench, usually on small supports, so concrete flows underneath and fully surrounds it.
For the posts themselves, QUIKRETE’s own instructions give a straightforward method:
- Dig each post hole three times the width of the post.
- Make the hole as deep as one-third to one-half of the post’s above-ground length, plus 6 inches.
- Put 6 inches of gravel in the bottom and compact it.
- Set the post, brace it plumb, and fill with concrete. QUIKRETE’s fast-setting mix sets in 20 to 40 minutes.
On a fence that will also carry a trench footing, setting the posts first and pouring the trench to meet them is a common sequence, so the two pieces of concrete work together along the base.
Estimating Your Budget for Concrete Footings
This is where the math lives. The figures below are real examples from retailers’ own product pages on specific dates. Prices vary by store, by region and over time, so treat them as examples and check your local store before you plan a pour.
Concrete by the Bag
Two examples of bagged concrete prices:
- QUIKRETE 80 lb Concrete Mix was $9.99 a bag on Ace Hardware’s product page in October 2026.
- QUIKRETE 80 lb High-Strength Concrete Mix was $5.98 a bag at one Lowe’s store in Meridian, Mississippi, on Lowe’s product page in July 2026.
That spread is wide, and it shows why calling around pays off. The same brand and bag size can cost noticeably more at one store than another.
Yield is the other half of the equation. According to QUIKRETE’s data sheet, an 80 lb bag of its Concrete Mix makes about 0.60 cubic feet of concrete, and a 60 lb bag makes about 0.45 cubic feet. Sakrete’s 80 lb High-Strength mix also yields 0.6 cubic feet. Since the yields match, the bag counts below work for either brand.
If you mix it yourself, QUIKRETE says to allow at least 1 cubic foot of mixer capacity for each 80 lb bag and about 6 pints of water per 80 lb bag. A small rented or borrowed mixer handles only a bag or two per batch, which becomes a big deal once you see how many bags a perimeter needs.
What Each Trench Size Costs Per Foot and Per Perimeter
Here’s the arithmetic for a trench 6 inches wide:
- At 12 inches deep, each linear foot holds 0.5 cubic feet of concrete. That’s about 0.83 of an 80 lb bag, or roughly $4.98 per linear foot at $5.98 a bag and $8.33 at $9.99 a bag, for concrete alone.
- At 24 inches deep, each linear foot holds 1 cubic foot. That’s about 1.67 bags, or roughly $9.97 to $16.65 per linear foot for concrete alone.
Now scale it up to a 150-foot perimeter, which is roughly what a modest suburban backyard needs:
- At 12 inches deep, you need 75 cubic feet of concrete, about 2.8 cubic yards. That’s 125 bags of 80 lb mix, about $748 at $5.98 a bag or $1,249 at $9.99 a bag.
- At 24 inches deep, you need 150 cubic feet, about 5.6 cubic yards. That’s 250 bags, about $1,495 to $2,498.
| Trench size | Concrete per linear foot | 80 lb bags per linear foot | Concrete cost per linear foot | 150-foot perimeter, concrete | 150-foot perimeter, bags | 150-foot perimeter, cost at $5.98 to $9.99 a bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in wide by 12 in deep | 0.5 cubic feet | about 0.83 | about $4.98 to $8.33 | 75 cubic feet, about 2.8 cubic yards | 125 | about $748 to $1,249 |
| 6 in wide by 24 in deep | 1 cubic foot | about 1.67 | about $9.97 to $16.65 | 150 cubic feet, about 5.6 cubic yards | 250 | about $1,495 to $2,498 |
Your own yard won’t be exactly 150 feet, so the per-foot column is the one to use. Measure the run you plan to protect, multiply by the per-foot figure for your depth, then plug in whatever your local store charges per bag. If you’re only footing the gate and corners, that might be 30 or 40 feet instead of the full perimeter, and the total shrinks to match.
For a wider view that adds fencing materials to the footing, see What a Dig Proof Perimeter Costs a Malamute Owner.
Bagged Mix Versus Ready-Mix Delivery
Look at the bag counts again. Mixing 125 bags by hand is an exhausting weekend. Mixing 250 is a serious construction project. Each 80 lb bag has to be lifted, opened, mixed with about 6 pints of water and placed before it starts to stiffen. That’s why large footings are often poured from delivered ready-mix concrete, ordered by the cubic yard and discharged from a truck straight into the trench or into wheelbarrows.
For a sense of what bulk concrete runs at scale, here’s one public reference point. For July to December 2026, Ottawa County, Oklahoma accepted bulk bids of $142 to $144 per cubic yard for 3000 lb ready-mix delivered to county job sites, and $148 for 4000 lb mix, with a 3-cubic-yard minimum. That’s one county government’s bulk bid, not a retail quote, and it isn’t what a homeowner should expect to pay. Residential deliveries are smaller orders, and suppliers price those differently.
What the bid does show is the minimum-order issue you’re likely to run into. The 12-inch, 150-foot trench needs about 2.8 cubic yards, just under a 3-yard minimum. The 24-inch version needs about 5.6. Call local batch plants, ask what they charge for a residential delivery of your volume, ask about their minimum and any short-load charges, and ask whether the truck can actually reach your fence line. If it can’t, you may need a concrete pump or a crew with wheelbarrows, and that changes the price.
Rebar, Labor and the Costs Only a Local Quote Can Answer
Rebar adds a modest amount. On Lowe’s rebar listing in October 2026, a 1/2-inch by 10-foot #4 bar was $6.98 and a 3/8-inch by 10-foot #3 bar was $5.58. A single continuous run along 150 feet takes at least 15 ten-foot bars before overlaps, which comes to about $105 in #4 bar. Overlaps, tie wire and supports add a little on top.
For labor, the official benchmark is wages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics put the US median wage in May 2025 at $27.41 an hour for cement masons and concrete finishers and $23.07 an hour for fence erectors. Those are what the workers earn, not what you’ll be billed. A contractor’s price also covers equipment, materials, overhead and profit, so it runs higher than the wage, and how long the job takes depends on your soil, access, trench length and depth.
Several other costs depend entirely on where you live and what your yard looks like:
- Professional installation, whether by a fence company or a concrete contractor
- Permits, if your city or county requires one for fence work or footings
- Equipment rental, such as a trencher, mixer or post-hole auger
- Removing an old fence and hauling away the spoil from the trench
- Repairing lawn, irrigation lines and landscaping after the work
Each of these varies by city, contractor and site, so the only reliable number is a written quote. Get at least two or three. Ask each contractor to break out the footing separately from the fence itself and to state the trench width and depth in writing, so you’re comparing the same job. Check with your local building department about permits before anyone digs. A crew in suburban Atlanta working in red clay and a crew in Anchorage working around a short summer season will price the same footing very differently.
One more budgeting thought. A footing is a one-time cost, while the consequences of an escape can recur. What Retrieving a Loose Malamute Costs walks through the bills that come from a dog that gets out. Some owners also carry accident coverage through a pet insurer such as Healthy Paws so a run-in with traffic doesn’t turn into an impossible vet bill. Check any insurer’s own policy documents for what’s covered and what’s excluded.
Call 811 Before the First Shovel
A trench footing means digging a long, continuous line through your yard, exactly the kind of work that hits buried gas, water, electric and cable lines. 811 is the free national call-before-you-dig service. The Common Ground Alliance advises contacting 811 or your state’s 811 center a few business days before any digging, including putting in a fence.
Notice periods differ by state. Alaska, for example, requires 2 business days’ notice, or 10 business days in remote locations. Check your own state’s rule and build the wait into your schedule. It costs nothing, and it keeps a fence project from turning into a ruptured utility line.
Alternatives and the Training That Makes Any Footing Work
Concrete is the most permanent answer, but it isn’t the only one. Depending on your dog, your yard and whether you rent or own, a different barrier, or a mix of approaches, may serve you better.
Buried Hardware Cloth as a Cheaper Barrier
Galvanized hardware cloth is a stiff welded wire mesh. Buried along the base of a fence, either straight down or bent into an L shape that extends outward under the soil, it gives a digging dog a surface it can’t get through. When the dog hits wire, it usually gives up at that spot.
Two retail examples:
- A 36-inch by 25-foot roll of 1/2-inch, 19-gauge galvanized hardware cloth from YardGard was $69.99 on Ace Hardware’s product page in June 2026.
- A 36-inch by 50-foot roll from Garden Craft was $76.49 on sale, regular $89.99, on Tractor Supply’s product page in October 2025.
A 150-foot perimeter would take six of the 25-foot rolls or three of the 50-foot rolls, plus some extra for overlaps at the seams. The mesh is attached to the bottom of the existing fence with hog rings or heavy wire ties, then buried. The L-footer version, where part of the mesh lies flat facing outward, works well because a dog digging at the fence line hits wire right where it starts.
The trade-offs are real. Galvanized wire eventually corrodes in wet soil, mesh can be dug around at the edges if seams aren’t overlapped and tied, and a very strong, persistent dog can sometimes bend lighter gauges. For renters, though, buried mesh is often the only option a landlord will approve, and it comes out far more easily than concrete if you move.
Comparing the Options
| Approach | Material cost example | Labor intensity | Permanence | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete trench, 6 in by 12 in | about $4.98 to $8.33 per linear foot in bagged concrete | High: trenching, mixing, pouring | Permanent | Occasional diggers, firm soil, homeowners |
| Concrete trench, 6 in by 24 in | about $9.97 to $16.65 per linear foot in bagged concrete | Very high: deep trench, large volume | Permanent | Proven escape artists, sandy or soft soil |
| #4 rebar in a concrete trench | about $105 for at least 15 bars along 150 feet, before overlaps | Moderate, done during the pour | Permanent | Any concrete footing in freeze-thaw or shifting soil |
| Buried hardware cloth L-footer | $69.99 for a 25-foot roll at Ace Hardware; $76.49 sale or $89.99 regular for a 50-foot roll at Tractor Supply | Moderate: shallow digging, attaching mesh | Semi-permanent | Renters, lighter diggers, tight budgets |
| Post footings only | depends on post count and hole size | Moderate | Permanent | Fence stability only, does not stop digging between posts |
Electronic boundary systems don’t belong in this comparison for most Malamutes. A dog with high prey drive and a thick coat will often run straight through the correction. Whether an Invisible Fence Is Wasted Money on a Malamute covers that in detail. A physical barrier at the base of a real fence is the dependable answer.
Whatever you choose, a backup matters. Gates get left open and storms knock down panels. Why a GPS Collar Is Essential for a Malamute explains why a tracker is cheap insurance even behind the best footing in the neighborhood.
Digging Pits, Enrichment and Supervision
A footing tells your dog where it can’t dig. You’ll have far fewer battles at the fence line if you also give it a place where it can. A designated digging pit, a sandbox or a corner of loose soil where you bury toys and chews, redirects the instinct instead of just blocking it. Giving a Malamute Its Own Digging Pit walks through building one and teaching the dog to use it.
Here’s a simple way to get a dog started on a digging pit:
- Choose a shady spot well away from the fence line, so cooling hollows end up there and not at the perimeter.
- Fill it with loose sand or soft soil, deep enough to be worth the effort.
- Bury high-value items shallowly at first, so the dog finds them within seconds.
- Praise and reward every time the dog digs in the pit, and calmly lead it there when it starts digging elsewhere.
- Bury items deeper over time so the pit stays interesting.
Enrichment beyond the pit lowers the boredom that drives so much digging. Durable chew toys, snuffle mats and puzzle feeders from a retailer like Chewy give a Malamute something to work at during the long stretches when you’re busy or away. A frozen stuffed toy packed with the dog’s regular meal, whether kibble soaked into a paste or a fresh food like Ollie, can buy a good half hour of focused licking and chewing on a hot afternoon. If your dog is on a supplement or a special diet, check with your vet before changing how meals are served.
Exercise matters most of all. A Malamute that has pulled a cart, carried a backpack on a hike or had a long early-morning walk before the heat sets in has much less energy left for excavation. Watch the fence line for the first few weeks after any new footing goes in. Dogs often test a new barrier at its ends and seams, and you want to catch that probing early. Fill fresh holes promptly, redirect to the pit, and if the dog keeps working one spot, extend the footing or add mesh there.
A concrete footing is a real investment, but it’s a predictable one. Measure your run, pick your depth, price your bags locally, and get written quotes for anything you won’t do yourself. Paired with a digging outlet and enough daily work, it gives a Malamute’s natural talent for excavation somewhere to go other than under the fence and down the street.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.
