Hi all,

Is a 6 foot fence high enough, in your opinion and/or experience, to keep a full grown GSD contained?

I'm currently in the planning stages of acquiring a pup and want to take the necessary measures to make sure the dog is properly accommodated.

Our village codes don't allow for any fence higher than 6 feet. I've read that German Shepherds are excellent jumpers and so I'm a little concerned about this 6 foot limit.

What I may do to bypass this 6 foot limit is plant some large shrubs/bushes after the fence is installed and thereby create a shrubbery "fence" on top of the wood or vinyl (haven't decided yet) fence. A couple of the neighbors have shrubbery fences which are 8-10 feet high and this is permitted by law. Of course I know that a properly brought up dog would not go jumping fences but I'm just a bit paranoid!

Also, wood or vinyl for fencing? Which one would you choose and why?

Thanks to everyone in advance!

I would choose a fence that not only doesn't allow the dog to see out, it doesn't allow neighbors or passers by to see IN. the shrubbery idea is great as well. You can also try doing an invisible fence inside the actual fence if it is really a concern. The key here is to not leave your dog to amuse itself outside unsupervised!
Also, depending on the quality of wood, a wooden fence can be sturdier, but more maintanance. A vinal fence looks good, and stays looking good, but can be a little less sturdy. THere is less maintenance with vinal as well.

Hi Cameron,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm only considering "no gap in between" wood and vinyl fencing. This would block people from seeing into the yard and would also not permit the dog from seeing out.

To tell you the truth, I'm not a believer in the invisible/electronic fence. So I won't be considering that.

The dog will definitely not be left outside for too long unsupervised. But I definitely want him to be safe and enjoy his time out there whenever he is there.

Thanks for your insight on the wood and vinyl fencing. I've read and heard pretty much the same things you said. The main difference between the two will be the pricing I think. I got a fence guy coming next week so we'll see how big the difference will be.

Do you guys think I should be worried about the dog digging below the fence and thereby escaping a la Beethoven? Maybe laying a concrete barrier right below the fence, a couple of feet deep, would be wise to do as well. Yes, I'm paranoid but I would like to have all the "bases" covered.

Kevin,
I've got a 5' black vinyl chainlink fence, it looks nice and will keep nice for years. As far as the dog jumping over, depends on the dog and it's training i guess. Not sure what Cameron is talking about not letting the dog see out, i want my dogs to see everything. Good luck with your new pup when you get it,
AL

 Quote: al curbow

Kevin,
I've got a 5' black vinyl chainlink fence, it looks nice and will keep nice for years. As far as the dog jumping over, depends on the dog and it's training i guess. Not sure what Cameron is talking about not letting the dog see out, i want my dogs to see everything. Good luck with your new pup when you get it,
AL

There are a lot of cases of dogs and puppies especially being taken from their yard, some when the owners were home, some not. I've read and seen some massively cruel things being done to dogs in peoples' backyard simply because they saw the dog or pup through the fence. Not being able to see what you have helps with this. (Would be thieves cannot tell if you are there or not, another dog, etc)
In the case of not being able to see out, that is something I value as I don't enjoy off leash neighborhood dogs wandering up to my fence or being attracted by a pup enticing them over. I also don't like passersby reaching their hands through to pet a cute pup because it's whining at them or just simply looking cute. I find it especially disturbing when someone walks their dog over intentionally to "socialize" through the fence. Having a solid fence allows (for me at least) a way to prevent or at least minimize these things.

The GSD I used to have could easily jump 6' without a running start so yes they are jumpers.

All in all not many fences will contain a full grown GSD with a desire to get out so I'll repeat the statement Al made, "It depends on the dog and the training". We have pasture on three sides with a fence a dog can easily crawl under or jump over but all our dogs have been trained to stay in the yard. For potty I currently have only a three foot chicken wire fence for Molly that she can easily jump or just push down but I trained her to stay inside that. Of course we live in a rural area so not a lot of temptation such as other dogs and people walking by. We do have cattle in the pasture but Molly hasn't shown any interest in chasing them. She'll sometimes bark at them but only when safely on "her" side of the fence. Guess they are too big to mess with.

There are several things you can do to deterr fence breaking from being an issue.

Most problems with fence breaking have to do with dogs who have been taught to make an exit by entering and leaving from gates hence why the first place the dog usually digs out is under or next to the gate, second is dogs that are weakly confined in the beginning and escalate accordingly once they figure out hey, getting over/under the 4 foot fence isn't hard and a 6 footer is just a little more effort. Lastly and most important is dogs that are left unattended for long periods of time in a yard.

First off is to make it very clear that the backyard can only be accessed from your back door. Seems simple enough but most fenced backyards have a gate. In my house this gate is for lawn equipment only and dogs never are allowed to exit or enter from the outside gates. As a consiquence the dog if she gets pushy about coming in which is a rarity these days she abuses the back door as opposed to the fence which I am 100% fine with. Backdoors are cheap, steel is not.
Second is I have securely fenced yard with a well maintained fence. Gates here are locked since I discovered my neighbor's kids loved to come over to play with the new pup. We walk the fence at least 3 times a month when we mow to look for weak spots which are patched, filled, or reinforced.

Finally don't leave your dog out in your yard for long periods of time without looking out to see what the dog is doing. A kennel run on a cement or block slab is a great friend to the dog owner as it'll keep your stuff outside intact for the most part, will keep the dog sized gopher holes to a minimum, and keep your dog safe and inside your fence.

 Quote: Melissa Thom

Backdoors are cheap

They are? Just paid $170 for a door Molly destroyed and going to pay another $150 for installation.

OK granted I'm replacing a $45 storm door with one with tempered glass and all steel frame.

I've always kept my dogs from seeing the street from the kennel for not only Cameron's reasons but also because Rottweilers naturaly want to guard their property so I don't want him "protecting" his property from every person that walks by.

6ft is generally OK, but if you really have an issue, depending on the type of fence it is, add those things to the top that normally hold barb wire, have them facing in toward the yard and use non-barbed plain metal wire. The dog would have to go up and backwards to get over it. But generally it really depends on the dogs. I would be more worried about digging under the fence than I would be about going over a 6 footer.