# Fence Height



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Our fence is 4' and we've never had a problem with the dogs getting out.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Same here, our 4 ft fence works fine. Goldens are not great jumpers.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I agree-4' seems to work well for dogs who are generally well supervised and are not climbers/jumpers. All of my fences are 4' and I have not had a problem with dogs going over them-going under them is another issue!

Chainlink seems to be the easiest for them to climb, while the hog wire type of fence seems to be fairly difficult. I suspect because the wire hurts their feet and there is little to no support for their feet, versus the "v" shape of chain link.

I have also learned over 30+ years, to get both top and bottom rails. The bottom rails, placed as low as possible, help to prevent them from going under if they dig, or the ground dips. The top rail provides support for the fence and prevents it from being bent down.


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## flanjamma (Jan 19, 2011)

Thank you!

I know that our local GR Rescue requires a 6ft fence, so I wasn't sure if that was the "norm" for the breed.


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## BuddyBoy (Feb 17, 2011)

I recommend PVC fence at least 4' I had a 4' chain link fence and my former golden retriever Rusty use to climb it. I would come home from work and find her sitting on the front porch. Since then I have replaced my old chain link fence with a 6' PVC around the whole yard. If you ever decide to get a pool you will need a 6' fence it's the law.


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

We have 6' wooden fence in our yard but the gate to enter the yard is only a 4' door. He has gotten pretty close to jumping over it in the past, but hasn't yet succeeded. If you are outside to supervise your dog, 4' should be fine I would think.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I now have a 6ft wooden fence... One of my 4 cleared a chain link fence, with me standing 5 feet from him...


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

A four foot fence is plenty to keep Rookie in. Keep in mind though that in the winter, the snow can turn that into a two foot fence pretty easily!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Whatever fence you get, make sure that it has a flat top. As a child, I had two neighbors lose their dogs because their collars choked them when they got caught on the top of the fence. In those days, everybody had the typical stockade fence.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

All of mine are fence jumpers... :doh:
In their younger days, Liberty and Lexi would clear 36" garden fences easily...which is why we went to 4' fences around the garden...then the meathead came along and BAM! He scales the 4-footer!
Our yard fences are all 6'...

I noticed you are in Mass...the other thing to factor in is the snow...if you have a 2' snow pack...all of a sudden your four foot fence is only 2' tall! <unless you plan to snow blow along the fence line>

Even though you have great neighbors....the novelty of watching your dogs take a dump while they are enjoying barbeque & cocktails will wear off.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Same tragedy to my husbands childhood dog...and another reason why mine are supervised and even then, they are naked in the yard..



cubbysan said:


> Whatever fence you get, make sure that it has a flat top. As a child, I had two neighbors lose their dogs because their collars choked them when they got caught on the top of the fence. In those days, everybody had the typical stockade fence.


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

Some goldens can clear a 5-foot fence. Depends upon how long a run they have in front of the fence.


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## flanjamma (Jan 19, 2011)

Great tip on the flat top! I hadn't thought of that!!

And how could I not think of the snow!!:doh: It's only been gone for like 12 hours!


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## MelMcGarry (May 2, 2010)

We are trying to figure out what to do about our fence. Within the past week and a half Tucker and the neighbor dog have started jumping the 4ft chain link fence to our other neighbor's yard. The snow base is definitely a factor - our snow is finally beginning to drop but there is still about a 1 foot base that they seem to be launching from. Evidently, they are clearing it with no problem!!! I have been at work when they have jumped it, so I think the one needing the training is my husband! For now I will be working on diverting Tucker's attention when he goes near the fence, but will be coming up with other ideas once we can do any work out there. Luckily, all the neighbor's yards are fenced and they are only jumping over to the one house. Sheesh...and I thought Tucker was the PERFECT dog! LOL!!!


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## claireb (Dec 21, 2010)

You could always get the fences with the bit of trellis on top....that'd give you the height you need without completely blocking out your neighbours


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I ended up having to put the If inside my regular fence, he never did get a running start , he just jumped up and over....hes been known to go over a 6 ft wooden fence...


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I have a 4ft fence and have had no problems in over 3 years. However, I know if he wanted to he could easily clear it.


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## julliams (Oct 27, 2010)

My nearly 5 month old just jumped a 3 foot fence 3 days ago. If she can do that at 5 months, what's it going to be when she is bigger, stronger and a "teenager"???? Thankfully that was only the fence on her dog run, the standard "dog" fence. Our property fences are over 6 feet and we just totally enclosed the dog run so there is no escaping it now. Ditto on the bottom of the fence - they do dig.


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## MittaBear (Mar 9, 2010)

4 foot fences have always been high enough to keep our dogs in. However, it has no effect on wolf dogs. My parents and their neighbors had this wolf dog that kept getting loose (he actually lived on the other side of town but kept going to their neighborhood), and he jumped all those fences like they were just a typical hurdle in a track meet.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

LibertyME said:


> ...then the meathead came along and BAM! He scales the 4-footer!


LOL!!!!!!:bowl::bowl::bowl::bowl: Meathead??? Poor Tracer!! What did he do to deserve that nickname???

We have a 5 foot chain link fence. Fortunately Brady is not much of a jumper and has never shown any interest in trying to get over it. We chose the height because it seemed to give some added security in making it harder for him to jump it should he try. We chose chain link (it's black vinyl covered so no maintenance and blends into the surrounding landscape) so that we could easily see beyond the fence. I don't know if this is true or not, but it seems to me that if a dog hears something on the other side of the fence and can see it through the fence, they might be less apt to try and jump to see what's going on. As opposed to if they hear something but can't see though the fence, it might be more temping for them to jump to see what's on the other side. JMO.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

If you're with them than a 4 foot fence would do but I have seen retrievers clear 8 foot chain links and 6 foot wooden fences, repeatedly. But hey, I work at a shelter, I see some pretty crazy things...


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

If you leave your dog unattended in the yard, I recommend a breakaway collar. This will prevent strangulation if they get caught. Jaro wears one from Premier, I think the name is safety collar, something like that. It has two D rings and if you want to use the collar on a leash you have to hook it through both rings.


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## rogerthedog (Nov 27, 2014)

*letting dog out to pee*

Hi, I also live in Mass and am hoping to get a 4ft fence. Our guy, Roger, doesnt seem like much of a jumper and the back of the yard already has some 4ft so even if we went higher there would still be lower access points. How did yours work out, OP?
as a secondary question, we never really intend to leave him out there when we are not around the house - we are more hoping it can be used as an option to let him out for a bit of exercise or to pee when we may not be able to take him for a walk - how will i know if he's actually gone pee/poo though - i know this seems silly but i'd worry if i let him out at night that he'd come back in not having gone!


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## Go 4 It (Nov 1, 2014)

I think the answer is to put on your slippers and robe and walk out with him for a few minutes.

I, too, am curious about how the OP ended up deciding on the fence and how it has worked out.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

flanjamma said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I know that our local GR Rescue requires a 6ft fence, so I wasn't sure if that was the "norm" for the breed.


Many rescues ask for that although I think with Goldens it's rarely necessary. I had a fence put in recently, and it's five feet. Works fine. Most Goldens aren't leapers and aren't wanderers. If you were getting a Malinois or husky, I would suggest a higher fence!


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

I would not consider a 4' fence unless you also put an invisible fence at the base of it. My Goldens can clear a four foot fence without even running at it. 6' minimum is my idea of safe, even then, if they really want out, they can get out of even a 6' fence. If not over, then under it!

Kinda depends on the temperament of your dog, its training, and what exactly stimulates it to get out....


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

It really does depend on the dog, I think. The fence at one of our parks is only four feet, and none of the dogs go over it. And many of them, including Shala, stalk squirrels on the other side that they would kill to get. The fence at the other park is five feet, and I have only ever seen one dog go over (but the owner said he'd go over any fence). I wonder if your pup grows up from puppyhood in a yard with a four-foot fence, he'd just know that that's his area and he wouldn't try to jump it? I have no clue - just putting that out there.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

My newest pup, now 2 years, jumped out of her xpen at 9 weeks. OMG

It was 36" high and I saw her do it, her feet never touched the pen, cleared it with all air under her....

She is the jumpiest dog we have ever owned....we call her 'pogo' for short!


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## golfgal (Dec 31, 2013)

Depends on age too I think. When Murphy was 9-12wks, he'd try to climb up, under or attempt to jump over anything. Was stunned at how he could squeeze through the gaps in the fence slats. My fence heights range from 3ft to 6ft depending on where in the yard you are. I actually added the cheapo chicken wire to some the 3ft areas for some height protection since they were wide rock wall, so once up, easy to escape. Since then it hasn't been an issue other than him liking to lean against the fence to say hello to the neighbours so they can scratch his ears.


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