We have a very large backyard and are thinking of fencing it for our 18 month old Labrador. Best suggestion please, based on experience for the height of the fence? Our neighborhood is "urban-suburban", many young children, many dogs, sidewalks, busy streets. Thanks for any advice or other ideas on appropriate fencing.
Is budget an issue? You say the garden is large....if it's very large, you might consider a smaller, enclosed dog run? I have a very small garden, with a 10ft wall at one side, but a wooden fence at the other which I replaced when I got my puppy. I bought pre-fabricated slim concrete posts with anti-dig concrete sleepers, and 6ft wooden panels slotted in between the posts. It wasn't really cheap, but neither was it as expensive as I expected and it took almost no time to install, so I saved on that. Turned out, the puppy grew into a dog that has never dug under anything in his life, and would probably have stayed in my garden behind a line of chicken wire! Typical. Still, he couldn't get out of the garden if he tried. Which he hasn't.
Thanks; don't think it could anyway be a DIY project; we're talking maybe 1/4 acre, lots of trees to contend with as well, and shrubs and stuff ... thanks for your info, appreciated!
Well, for 1/4 of an acre, I'd have a look at the prefabricated concrete anti dig fences - I have to say it's fab. No dog would get under it (or over it). The concrete posts are slim, and weathered in, and most of it is behind shrubs and now covered in ivy, so it looks ok too.
As regards height, our lowest fence is 5 feet high and none of our dogs have escaped. I think the type of fencing is relevant as when we were in a previous house we had fencing which was just as high, but because it was ranch railing our Springer Spaniel used to scramble over it. However when we moved to our current house, which has larch lap fencing, she could no longer do it. Since then I've had a cocker, Labrador and currently a LabX, and the fencing has contained them all.
We have a 6' cedar fence. The lower section is what we call a "good neighbor" fence with the vertical boards alternating sides. The top 18" is open with hammered Iron bars going horizontal. Neither of our dogs seem to be interested in getting out. I they were inclined to, I'm sure they could dig out, and at the rate Cooper is growing she might be able to jump it, but they are happy to wander around the yard, and spend most of their time in the house. Years ago I had an Alaskan Malamute, who was an escape artist. I think it was because the Indians had tied them up for 10,000 years, but they had never been in fences.
