Adopting A Dog Into Your Family? Here's What You Should Know About Fencing In Your Backyard
If you've decided to take the plunge and adopt a dog into your family, there is an important thing to take care of before you bring your new family member home— a fence in the backyard. But there's more to it than simply placing any old fence around the perimeter of your property.
3 Reasons Why Fencing Is Necessary for Dogs
Dogs are notorious for being escape artists when it comes to fences, especially certain breeds that like to hunt and chase. All it could take for a hunting breed to want to traverse a fence like a stepping stone is the sight of a furry bunny or squirrel hopping along. It's their instinct to chase such creatures. Sometimes, dogs just like going places and will escape their fencing to do so.
Some dogs may try to get out of fenced in yards because they are reactive, which means they overreact to triggers or stimuli when other dogs would not. For example, a dog can be reactive towards tall men riding bicycles and want to chase after them when they see them in the neighborhood, but they couldn't care less about small children riding tricycles.
You also need to be concerned about containment laws, which are different for each state, county, and local municipality. You can learn more about the containment laws for your area by asking the receptionist when you obtain your dog license at your local county courthouse. Alternatively, any fencing contractor should know what the containment laws are in your neighborhood or know how to find out.
3 Ways Dogs Can Make a Fence Useless & What to Do About Them
Dogs can be extremely agile. They can squirm their way through, under, and over obstacles -- whatever it takes to reach their goal of being on the other side, for whatever reason. Here are 3 ways dogs can make a fence useless and what you, as their owner and pup-parent, can do about them.
- Through. If a dog thinks it can go through a fence, it will likely give it its best shot. Sometimes, however, this can result in them getting stuck halfway through the fence. Unfortunately, this can lead to injuries and, sometimes, professional help from a fencing contractor may be necessary to get the dog out of the fence. A portion of the fence may need to be removed or cut with strong tools that you may not have. To prevent a dog from trying to go through a fence of any kind, you can securely attach chicken wire or any other type of mesh fencing material to the fence.
- Under. If dogs cannot go through fences, another option is to go under them. They will dig and dig until they can create an opening they feel is large enough for their entire body to get through. However, sometimes, being dogs, they misjudge the space their bodies require and end up getting stuck underneath the fencing. Other times, they may reach the other side but have injuries, particularly when crawling under a chain-link fence. Keep your dog from digging under the fence by extending the fence deeper underground or by installing an underground mesh barrier that is designed specifically for this purpose and can be ordered by a fencing contractor.
- Over. Dogs can jump over fences. For example, in one unfortunate instance, 2 boxers jumped over a 5 feet fence to attack a small dog that was walking with its owner. Using barbed wire and spikes at the top of the fence are 2 possible solutions to prevent dogs from jumping over fences that don't require building a taller fence.
In conclusion, it's important to understand dog behavior and the various ways they can play Houdini and try to escape fenced in areas. Hire a fencing contractor to build a fence specifically with your dog, neighborhood, and backyard in mind. Click here to read more about your fencing options.
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