How to Keep Your Dog From Destroying Your Chain Link Fence

If you have a dog, you may be considering installing a chain link fence around your yard to keep the dog in. However, dogs can destroy chain link fencing by jumping, climbing and digging around the fence. Here are some steps you can take to help your dog and your fence coexist without harming each other.

Choose the Right Fencing

Not all chain link fences are the same. The strongest chain link fences are made with thick wires. The technical term for wire thickness is gauge, with low gauge numbers indicating thicker wire. To ensure that your fence can stand up to a boisterous dog, choose a fence with a gauge between 9 and 11.5.

Discourage Digging

Even the strongest fence can be toppled by a dog digging underneath it. To discourage your dog from trying to dig his way out of your yard, bury chicken wire around the base of your fence. Dig a trench just inside the fence, lay chicken wire close to the base of the fence with the pointed ends pointing down, and then cover the wire with soil. When your dog digs down to meet the wire, he won't be able to dig any further and is likely to stop.

Extend Your Fence

If you already have a fence, adding an extension to the top of it is a good way to dissuade dogs from trying to jump over. An extension that inclines toward the inside of your yard at roughly 45 degrees discourages jumping without requiring you to install an excessively high fence. Faced with this kind of overhanging extension, even the most adventurous dogs are less likely to try to jump over.

Avoid Giving Your Dog a Springboard

If you leave objects next to your chain link fence, such as garden furniture, your dog may be able to climb onto them and use them as a springboard to jump the fence. If your dog tries to jump the fence and doesn't quite make it, he could damage the fence or even hurt himself, so it's important to discourage this behaviour.

Keep Your Dog Happy and Entertained

Sometimes, dogs attack fences because they are bored. Provide interesting toys to keep your dog entertained while he is in the yard and spend some time every day playing with him so he doesn't get bored. You also need to take your dog for daily walks to burn off excess energy and keep him happy and well.