Fencing options for homes with dogs

If you own a dog, one of your responsibilities as a dog owner is to ensure that your dog does not become a pest to your neighbours, such as by allowing your dog to roam freely or impinge upon your neighbour’s property. It is your responsibility as a dog owner to keep your dog in, and the onus is not on other people to keep your dog out, and this means that your garden should be suitably enclosed to keep dog from wandering next door! Even if your fencing or property boundary is a joint responsibility between you and the neighbour, if the current provision is not sufficient to enclose your dog, it is up to you to resolve this issue.

In this article, we will look at some of the different types of fencing options for homes with dogs, plus the pros and cons of each system.

Walls

Concrete or brick walls are the ideal option when it comes to keeping your dog in, providing that the wall is both tall enough to keep your dog from jumping over it, and deep enough to prevent your dog burrowing beneath it! A wall offers both privacy and security, but depending on the height of the wall, may obscure the light to parts of your garden.

Brick or concrete walls can be expensive to have installed, but on the plus side, they are a good, low maintenance long term solution, and may actually add value to your home as well.

Wooden fencing

Picket fencing or other wood options are much cheaper to install than brick or concrete walling, and can be chosen in any size or finish that you like, to provide a variety of options. Fencing with small gaps between the slats may allow your dog to look into the neighbouring garden, which is not a problem unless your dog tends to bark when there is activity next door, which can prove annoying for your neighbours.

Exposure to the elements and the passage of time can compromise the integrity of wooden fencing, and if your dog is apt to chew, it may also become a target for their endeavours! It is important to build strong foundations for your fence posts, and possibly look at putting wire under the ground to keep your dog from burrowing under the fence, if this becomes a problem.

Vinyl panel fencing

Vinyl panel fencing is a relatively modern invention, and one that has a lot of benefits that are also reflected in the relatively high initial cost of the product.

They last for years, are easy to maintain, and tend to weather well while remaining resilient. Vinyl fencing tends to suit the appearance of modern homes, and is not always sympathetic to the appearance of more traditional areas, however.

Hedges

Hedges, such as evergreen shrubs, trees or other natural boundaries are a great way of adding privacy and shade to your garden, but they can take a long time to grow to a suitable height, which may mean that you need to use another form of fencing in the meantime. Added to this, dogs will often burrow underneath them or create their own walkways through sparser areas of the hedging, which can pose a problem too.

Hedges require a reasonable amount of maintenance to keep them in good condition and stop them from growing out of control, but they are one of the most natural ways of securing your garden and ensuring your privacy.

Chain link fencing

Chain link fencing is one of the cheapest fencing options for dog owners, and it is also one of the easiest and fastest to install. Chain link fences require concrete or wooden posts, and the fence itself can simply be unrolled and secured to the height of your choosing between the posts. The chain link can also continue below the ground level if your dog is apt to dig.

However, chain link fencing can look a little temporary and unfinished in some areas, and also, it does not provide any additional privacy. This means that your dog will be able to see straight into your neighbour’s garden, which can again be a problem if your dog likes to bark at the people next door!

You can make a chain link fence more private by growing climbing and trailing plants up the wire, but this does require regular maintenance and extra gardening too!

Bamboo screens

A cheap, quick fix for fencing that will enclose your garden with some support is bamboo screening, and this can usually be bought in various different heights from home improvement stores and garden centres. However, screens of this type tend to be rather flimsy, and will not remain in good condition over the long term. They are also apt to be chewed by dogs that are prone to chewing, and strong or persistent dogs may be able to chew their way out!