How high a fence should you purchase to ensure your dog can’t escape? This is one of the most important questions to ask, and it’s not as easy to answer as every dog is different. Can dogs jump a 6-foot fence? While many dogs will never jump that high, the answer is that it is possible.
The highest jump by a dog, per Guinness World Records, is 6’ 3.5”. Feather, a two-year-old greyhound, set the record in 2017. An 18-month-old lurcher in the UK jumped and scrambled over a 12’ 2.5” wooden wall back in 1993. Without a jump to start him off, a three-year-old German shepherd managed to scale an 11’ 9” wall back in 1986. But, those are uncommon situations with amazing dogs.
What about your dog’s habits? Is your dog a jumper? If so, there are things you can do to stop your dog from escaping her fenced area that don’t require electricity or dangerous tie-outs or dog runs that your dog can get tangled in and end up choking or injuring herself. How do you choose a fence that keeps your dog safe?
Make the Fenced-In Yard Engaging
If the fenced-in yard is full of appealing areas, activities, and features, your dog may not feel as tempted to jump the fence to explore the outside world. Make sure your dog has shady, comfortable areas to rest. Fresh water is a must. Toys and appropriate areas for digging are also important.
You could create a sandbox area where your dog’s favorite toys and a few new surprises get buried. She can dig around to find them. Bury a new rotation of toys for the next day after letting your dog in for the night.
Supervise Your Dog When Outside
Even the best fence can’t guarantee a dog’s safety. Your dog could get stung by hornets, wasps, or bees and suffer severe reactions. A predatory bird could fly into a fenced yard and harm or even fly off with a smaller dog. Snakes and spiders can also get into the yard and harm your pet.
You should be outside with your dog and supervising activities. Never leave your dog alone outside all day. If you see your dog cornering a snake, you can call the dog away before something happens. You’ll be there to keep predatory birds away. If your dog gets stung, you’re immediately aware of it and can react immediately.
If your dog tries to jump or dig under a fence, you’re also there to say “no” and stop your dog’s behavior. All of this keeps your dog safe.
Engage Your Dog in Plenty of Play
Each day, make sure you’re keeping your dog active. Take her outside and play. If your dog likes to go for walks, put on a harness and leash and go for a long walk to burn off your dog’s energy. At home, throw a ball or toy until your dog is tired out.
Ideally, you should aim for half an hour or more of play each day. Much of this will depend on your dog’s energy level and size. Border collies need more activity and engagement than a less active dog like a basset hound. All dogs need exercise, but some need much longer sessions than others.
In addition to physical activity, your dog also needs to be mentally stimulated. Keeping your dog’s mind engaged is just as important. Purchase dog dishes or snack boxes that require manipulation before the treat dispenser is opened. If you have an active dog, agility courses are excellent for training and mental stimulation.
Put Up Barriers Before the Fence
If you’re really worried about your dog jumping and don’t believe a 6-foot or 7-foot fence is tall enough, you could add barriers that slow your dog down. Instead of giving your dog plenty of room to build up speed before the fence, add bushes or a secondary fence line to keep your jumper from making the jump.
For example, you could put in some flowering shrubs around four feet in from the fence. Even if the dog starts running, she’d have to jump the shrubs and then try again to jump the fence, which would be extremely difficult. Put up a section of snow fencing before the flexible fence to create a secondary barrier.
At the same time, make sure you’re not putting any aids near the fence. You love having lounge chairs in the yard, but if they’re close to the fence, your dog could use them to jump the fence.
Create a Place to Encourage Jumping
Create a safe place where your dog can jump. Is there a tree in the middle of the yard? Tie ropes from a branch and loosely tie toys to those ropes. The dog will still be able to jump, but she’s jumping in appropriate areas and not trying to escape.
Use Flexible Fencing
Many dogs can use a chain link or wood fence like a ladder. It makes it easy for the dog to scale the fence and jump to the ground on the other side. If you rely on flexible fencing, the movement and shifts make it impossible for your dog to climb the fencing.
There are other benefits to flexible fencing. Not only will it keep your dog in the fence, but it also keeps other animals out. Have you seen the YouTube videos of coyotes scaling fences and getting into people’s yards? Coyotes are able to jump 5-foot or 6-foot fences without too much hassle. Some have been able to climb and jump fences much higher than that.
A coyote can’t climb flexible fencing, so you’re keeping your pets safer. You could also add a coyote roller using steel cable and a section of PVC above your fence line if you’re worried about a coyote being able to jump up and pull itself over.
Inspect the Yard Regularly
Each week, walk the fence and look for any weak spots or problems that are appearing. For example, you notice a tree limb has broken off and is hanging over your flexible outdoor fence. If you don’t remove that before it falls, it could cause a lot of damage to your fence and fence posts.
Fencing Options From Pet Playgrounds
A motivated dog that is good at jumping can try to jump a 6-foot fence, but there are ways to prevent an escape with a great jumper. Pet Playgrounds offers DIY dog fence solutions that are ideal for escape artists and extend up to 7 feet high. These are your options:
- Two-layer polypropylene mesh 5-foot fence with a 1,100-pound break strength
- Two-layer polypropylene mesh 6-foot fence with a 1,100-pound break strength
- Three-layer 6-foot fence with a 1,800-pound break strength rubber coated welded steel wire mesh and polypropylene mesh layers with a 1,100-pound break strength
- Three-layer 7-foot fence with a 1,800-pound break strength and a 1,100-pound break strength layers
The flexible fences are impossible to climb and have a dig-proof barrier. With the posts and hardware included in the kits, you can build them yourself or schedule a time with us for a professional installation. Build your kit online to get prices and learn more about what comes in a dog fence kit.
