# Fenced yard a must?



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

jackson4 said:


> ...... I can't help thinking having the ability to run like crazy without a leash would be a very good thing for an energetic puppy...... it would also be nice on those cold winter days to be able to send him out to go potty on his own in a fenced yard.....




You pretty much answered your own question. A fence is a luxury I couldn't live without. I've had dogs without a fence and of course it's manageable. But the joy of sending the dog outside alone at 2 a.m. in winter when the wind is blowing and he just has an upset stomach is something I can't put a price on. Most Goldens do not want to be outside long without a person or they will get into trouble, but there's nothing like being able to open the door and let them go chase a squirrel or lay in the sun for a few minutes without me having to keep eyes on them that is just worth the investment.


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## CCG_FDL (Sep 23, 2019)

Love having a fence for letting the dogs run, get the zoomies out and especially for playing a good game of fetch!! Can’t wait for snow to watch our golden pup romp leash free around in it!!


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## Cjm (Oct 26, 2018)

We do not like the looks of fences either
We have an invisible fence. It works very well. However, do not let the dogs outside without me (unless I'm standing at the door while they potty).


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

A fence is not only for keeping your dogs in; It's also for keeping critters and other dogs out..Not to mention the casual human trespasser .


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## Macca (Aug 11, 2011)

I am ever so grateful to have a wooden fenced yard for my Golden, who is now 8. The first 3 years of her life I did not have one, and I would never go back to that arrangement. The joy that both she and I feel when we are playing fetch or frisbee is priceless. I just love to see her bounding back to me, frisbee in mouth, ears flapping, knowing that she is getting a good workout and I don't need to worry about her going outside of my yard, or other uninvited animals coming in. 

All of that being said, she still loves her long walks, as do I. She really needs to sniff out new territory and have adventures outside of her own yard on a daily basis.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

jeffscott947 said:


> A fence is not only for keeping your dogs in; It's also for keeping critters and other dogs out..Not to mention the casual human trespasser .



I fully agree with this. I love our fence not only because it keeps my dogs safely contained, but also because it keeps our neighbour's unpleasant and aggressive dogs out. And I agree with others who mentioned the convenience of being able to send the dog outside on its own when necessary. I live in Canada where we have snow, ice and frigid temperatures for five months of the year. It's wonderful not to have to put on a coat, boots, gloves and spikes at 11 pm, just so I can take the dog out for a pee ...


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

> A fence is not only for keeping your dogs in; It's also for keeping critters and other dogs out.


This statement is very important..........

I've always had a fenced in yard, keep my gate locked unless I am going to and from the front yard to do yard work. 

It keeps your dog safe and also keeps other dogs and critters out of your yard. 
I've always gone out with my dogs, they are never unsupervised. 

There are a lot of nice fencing options to choose from besides a regular chain link fence.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

We don’t have the luxury of a fence because we rent our home. In our community we have a large soccer/recreation complex right across the street from our neighborhood. We frequently take Denver over there to run off leash because there is SO much space. It also connects to a network or walking trails that are great to walk/hike on. The positive is that Denver is never outside unsupervised, and we get out and about on walks and hikes ALL the time. 

I don’t think a fence is a MUST, but when we go visit my parents it is really nice to be able to just open the door to let the dogs romp around. (They have an electric fence and Denver is trained to it). The only downside to that is that it doesn’t keep neighbor cats and deer out of the yard. Denver has run through it once before, and came running right back through once he got the correction. 

It works for them but when I own my own home...I’ll 100% put in a physical fence.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

It honest depends on the size of your yard. It's easier to border train your dog successfully if there's plenty of space to run without coming close to border lines. 

My sister has a very small yard (postage stamp) and her dog is never off leash. <= To me, this is a huge hardship especially for the dog who needs to run... but border training is close to impossible because of the size of the yard.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Aesthetic might be important in your home, for your car, in your jewellery, visual tastes but it is not important when it comes to your child / dog. I'd rather live in a house unaesthetic than making my dog prone to any accident. It happened. Just last week, a 4 years old Forum Golden lost her life due to a car accident. ( check title "pain")


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## daisy1234 (Jun 17, 2018)

Can you have a wood picket fence? You can see through those, though you said privacy so I'm guessing not. I have a wood picket one that you can see through. I can see my neighbors and my dogs can see their dogs and they run along the fence together. I don't let my dogs alone in the yard either. I walk them out to go potty, even in the Winter. I'm in MN. It's cold. It's quicker that way when I don't have time to let them run. When I moved here we didn't have a fence and the Golden that I had then was old and really didn't run around in the yard. I do wish I had the fence for her though. We built it after she died when I was finally ready for another dog. I would suggest getting one. It has been great to be able to get zoomies out. A happy, tired dog leads to a happy house.


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## Tony G (Oct 2, 2018)

WHen I first moved to my new house it was brutal the first month going from a fenced yard to a no fence because I had to wait for the yard to settle enough to install a fence (new build) Ollie was right at 16 weeks when I moved and hated it as well as he had not place to get his zoomies out and the 2-3 am potty times were bad as it was starting to get hit our cold wet season. my yard isn't that big and its only the back that is fenced maybe 30x60 as we can't go past the sides of the house for aesthetics but it is plenty of room for my boys to do their business, wrestle and get just lay in the sun (or mud) and allow me to not freeze or melt depending on the season.


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

Duplicate deleted by author


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

jeffscott947 said:


> A fence is not only for keeping your dogs in; It's also for keeping critters and other dogs out..Not to mention the casual human trespasser .



Just to add to my original post..If building a fence from scratch..It is wise to add a footing underneath..Dogs will dig out and critters will try and dig there way in!


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

We love the electric fence that all of our dogs have been trained on through the years. It completely surrounds our house, front and back. We get the occasional deer during the very early morning and late evening hours who love to eat the fallen apples from the tree. We’re pretty lucky because there haven’t been any unwanted visits from other dogs. However, Bear is always supervised when he’s out. The only exception is during a storm where I keep watch from the front steps. I think any fence you choose is good but I do encourage you to keep an eye on your pet when he is out.


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

This is a neat idea too..


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I live on 15 acres and am surrounded by our family farm. I do have one main road that runs in front of my house, and a business at home that generates some traffic. For 30 years all of our dogs have been border trained, and that is just a must do for me. A few years ago we got a new neighbor that ran a pit bull rescue and didn't have proper enclosures for the number of dogs she had. Two summers ago I saw three of her dogs sitting just outside my dogs "safe zone" watching them play. Her dogs were on my property at the time and Duke barked at them. I had to scoop Moe up and pray that Duke came with me, which he did, Yay for good recall!! 

I immediately decided I needed a safe space for my dogs. Our fence is split rail with no climb wire inside. It went better with our property then some other types of fencing. Moe was still a small puppy and all I could imagine was one of them grabbing him. It was completely to keep her dogs away from mine, or at least give me time to react. I never leave them in the fence if I'm not outside, but it is convenient if I'm doing something that I can't easily keep an eye on them while doing. They both still prefer to have the run of the entire yard, and most of the time they do. Our fence is 4 1/2' high and Duke can easily jump it within seconds of being placed in it if he wants to. I had to train him to stay 4' away from the edge to discourage him from jumping out. Fences are a great convenience coming from someone that lived without one for 30 years, but they don't replace training and having to keep an eye on your dogs. 

My neighbor moved this summer so now I don't have to worry about her dogs being in my yard, but I still am happy I put the fence up. I'm not a pitbull hater either, but having 6-8 of them that you know came from bad situations be your closest neighbor was more then I could take. I think with a puppy or a dog that is still in training a fence is a blessing.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Fences provide emotional safety.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I have neither a yard nor a fence, and it's never been a problem. I take my dog out on the leash every time and it is simply a fact of life. I would never let my dog out unsupervised in a yard anyway, so it wouldn't really help me. Would it be nice to be able to open the door and let her out for a quick pee without going out? Sure, I guess? Maybe? What I know for sure is it is no big deal to pull on a coat and boots and go out with her. Now, I do have 3 parks in my neighbourhood and drive to great places to train and hike, but just for the quick outs, to me, it's no biggie at all.


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## rockcp21 (Dec 29, 2011)

I'm surprised your breeder sold you the pup without a fenced in yard. We have always had a 5-6ft chain Link fence with vinyl slats put into it. And we keep it locked with cameras around. It's a very nice suburb, yet dogs do seem to go missing mysteriously.... My dogs are easier & safer to train in the yard,plus we get privacy too. Yet, I have one dog, that is too smart, & if he really wanted, could scale the fence. So my dogs are never outside by themselves.


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## AlexanDOG (Jan 4, 2021)

I'm probably a bit late, but I just wanted to share my stories with fences here.

Our garden is fertilized with food composition, so there are a lot of things in there: eggshells, orange peels, watermelon skins, wasted food, etc.

There have been two incidents when two dogs(not mine) trespassed into our yard and ate the things in the garden(the garden has a weak fence around it which is wire and apparently hadn't been properly set up. It's also super bendy). One was a white poodle whose owner had lost control of the leash. Another was a puppy that probably had become lost. It looked something like a golden.

If you are going to consider getting a fence, get a strong one. The fence around our garden was weak, and those two incidents probably wouldn't have happened if it was stronger.


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## jackson4 (Jan 3, 2019)

I am the original poster, and I just wanted to follow up on this for anyone who might be in a similar situation. We did end up getting a 5 foot wrought iron fence and couldn't be happier. A fence with a dog is a GAME CHANGER! He is SO much happier and it is so nice for us as well, especially now that he is an adult and can go in and out in below zero temps on his own.  We don't have a huge yard, but he loves to run out there and just wander around and observe nature. He is a much happier dog with a fence, without a doubt!


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## Bigblue (Jun 18, 2021)

jackson4 said:


> I am the original poster, and I just wanted to follow up on this for anyone who might be in a similar situation. We did end up getting a 5 foot wrought iron fence and couldn't be happier. A fence with a dog is a GAME CHANGER! He is SO much happier and it is so nice for us as well, especially now that he is an adult and can go in and out in below zero temps on his own.  We don't have a huge yard, but he loves to run out there and just wander around and observe nature. He is a much happier dog with a fence, without a doubt!


This is good to know, i was really on the “fence” no pun intended about putting up fence in my back yard or going the invisible fence route. Im getting quotes now for fence. Unfortunately for me the fence seems like its going to be $7K and the tree work i need to do first is another $2K.. $9,000 for a fenced in back yard is a hard decision to make, but my pup deserves it and i really want other dogs to be able to come over to play with him so im 80% leaning towards just doing it as of now.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Wow those prices are decent compared to what we were quoted in the fall. 20k to fence our backyard with chain link. We ended up doing it ourselves.


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## Ontariodogsitter (Feb 23, 2020)

Since it was required by the breeder, we did put in a fence sort of, partial solid and the rest "rollable" the spring before the pup came.
I assumed we will take down the whole thing by fall or winter for sure.
This is the second winter, and I have said a quiet Thank You to the Breeder many times, since it has proved to be a bit of a life saver on many levels.


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

I like how you fenced that tree in.....don't have to worry about it wandering off...


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## Ontariodogsitter (Feb 23, 2020)

it's dual purpose, since we are on bedrock there is no way to sink fence posts in the ground, so beside controlling the tree's wandering tendencies, it also supports the gate frame


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

I just had to laugh when I saw that....


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

I know that trees are content to sit one place at first....but then they get bored and start to branch out.......


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

FurdogDad said:


> I know that trees are content to sit one place at first....but then they get bored and start to branch out.......


Oh my... I think I'll go out on a limb and say that's a bad pun. Of course, at the root of it, all puns are bad...


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

OscarsDad said:


> Oh my... I think I'll go out on a limb and say that's a bad pun. Of course, at the root of it, all puns are bad...


Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.....


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

And puns are a sign of intelligence.....which is probably why my wife calls me a smart mouth.


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## ozrkadienne (5 mo ago)

jackson4 said:


> We have a five month old puppy, our first dog ever. We do not currently have a fenced in yard, and have been playing around with the idea since we got him. I am not a huge fence fan as far as aesthetics... we have a fairly small yard and I fear a fence will make us feel really boxed in. In our neighborhood, the only two options for fences are a wood privacy fence or a wrought iron fence. While I love the look of the wrought iron and the more open feel they create, they are so pricey.
> 
> How much of an advantage do you feel having a fence is when you have a dog? We take Gray on frequent walks, to play with other pups about once a week, and have a long leash that we put him on and follow him around the yard so he can run. However, I can't help thinking having the ability to run like crazy without a leash would be a very good thing for an energetic puppy. At this point, we always have to be watching him in the yard, since he eats anything and everything, but once he's a few years older, it would also be nice on those cold winter days to be able to send him out to go potty on his own in a fenced yard.
> 
> Those of you with and without fences, what is your opinion?


I don't think WE could survive without a fence!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

We don’t have a fence. We have a 100 ft nylon lead thing for when she needs to go out. She can run on it and everything. Made out of the same thing as a leash. If we are out front we just put a 20 ft lead on her and drop it so we can grab it in case she sees something. But my Golden is 7.5 and not a runner. Not a puppy. When we moved and built she was 2 and that’s what we have always used. It’s hooked to a stake in the back yard. We also don’t live in a sun division setting. It’s more of a country setting with 6 houses down our lane.


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## GrandmaToGoldens (Jul 2, 2019)

About 30 years ago, we moved onto a rented acreage with an unfenced yard when my husband was seconded to another city for six months. Six months turned into six years and although the dogs were never outside alone, I guess we became more casual about supervision.

I couldn’t puzzle out why my border collie kept gaining weight despite smaller meal portions. One day, I glanced out the window when my husband was working in the yard with the dogs keeping him company.

As I watched, the border collie slipped behind the woodshed, scurried across the gap between the woodshed and garage, and evidently (although I couldn’t see) ran into the neighbours’ yard through a gap in the hedge. Ugh. He’d been stealing the neighbouring dog’s food.

Since then, we’ve always had good fences.


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