How to Choose a Safe Aluminum Fence for your Dog

With so many styles and types of fencing available today how do you select the right fence for your dog?

Fence-depot.com has many options of fencing available to assure the safety and protection of your pet. In order to make the right fence choice, please consider the following important information and characteristics of your canine.

1).What breed of dog do you have?

There are seven classes of AKC dogs:
a). Sporting Dogs - require regular vigorous exercise. These dogs love the outdoors and have remarkable instincts.
b). Hounds – hunting dogs who have acute senses and love the outdoors.
c). Working Dogs – wonderful for guarding your property, pulling sleds, enjoy water rescue and are very intelligent and strong.
d). Terrier Dogs – feisty and energetic ranging from fairly small to grand in size. Due to their ancestry they generally do not care for other animals.
e). Non-Sporting Dogs – a varied collection in terms of size, coat, over all appearance and personality.
f). Herding Dogs – very intelligent dogs who enjoy exercise and training. These dogs make excellent companions.
(Please refer to www.akc.org for more information on dogs, dog breeds etc.)

2). Do you have a Tiny Dog? Small Dog? Medium Dog? Large Dog?

The size of your dog and its temperament will help you to determine the type and amount of fencing needed in your yard.

3). Consider the dog’s overall height, girth, and body weight when comparing fence systems and styles.

These factors are important because you want to make sure that your dog will not jump over or squeeze through your fence system.

4). Consider the purpose of the fence:

Is it mainly for containment of your dog? Is it for added security? Is it mainly for decorative purposes?

5). Are you seeking to contain your children and your pets?

You may want to consider designing two different fence systems within your yard that will blend with each other. This method will give you the freedom to separate your children from your pets while allowing both to exercise freely in your back yard.
Let fence-depot.com help you design a layout!

6). The grade of your yard is just as important important as the overall height and style of the fence you choose.

Carefully walk your fence line to make sure that your dog cannot squeeze through the bottom of any point. At the same time, make sure that there are no major dips in the top of the fence which would allow for your dog to leap over the fence. Keep in mind that most yards are not perfectly level. Any deviations in the grade of your land will leave a gap at the bottom of your fence and will allow for easy exiting of your canine. All fencing (fence posts) should be cemented in the ground for proper installation and strength. Upon installation of your new fence system be sure to fill in any gaps left open at the bottom of your fence.

7). Proper gate closures are very important for the safety of your children and pets!

Fence-depot. com recommends that you select self-closing, self-latching gate hardware for any gates that enter your property. This added safety precaution is necessary to make sure that any gate being entered or exited will automatically swing shut and latch.

 

Recommended styles of Aluminum fencing for your canine:

Numerous styles of aluminum fencing are available. We carry everything from the traditional spear top fencing to the standard flat, smooth top rail design, and everything in between. We have listed suggestions for aluminum fencing which will best suit the breed of dog that you may have.

* Notice that we have selected fencing with tighter spacing for the tiny and small dog breeds, and have selected the standard styles having a 3.75” picket spacing for the medium and large breeds of dogs. An Specrail brand aluminum fence system in “residential grade” is strong enough to hold the weight of a 225 pound person. There are however, four grades of fencing available, just in case you own a dog weighing over 225 pounds.

The four grades of fencing available are as follows:
A). Residential Grade: Manufactured for homes, most animals, and pool enclosures.
B). Residential Wide Grade: Designed to create a bolder appearance to the residential line of fence.
C). Commercial Grade: Developed specifically for high-end residential and medium security use.
D). Industrial Grade: Engineered for high security settings and high visibility projects.
Each fence system comes with a limited lifetime warranty!

Following please find a list of the different breeds of dogs and the fence recommended for each class of dog.
Keep in mind that there are some deviations in the weights and heights associated with the various breeds of dogs.

Most basic fence styles have a 3.75” spacing between each vertical picket so we are recommending the following styles of fencing for tiny and small dogs. The fences listed have a 1.5” spacing between each vertical picket for these tiny and small dog breeds. Nothing is more disappointing than making the wrong selection, which would allow for your dog to escape. Please carefully assess the girth of your dog.

Recommended Ornamental Aluminum Fence System For The Following Tiny and Small AKC Dog Breeds:

• All four styles are available in the following heights:
  36”, 42”, 48”, 54”, 60”, and 72”
• Fence sections are 71.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of the next.

A). HORIZON: This fence has a smooth top design with a 1.5” spacing between each vertical picket for the majority of each fence panel.

B). SAYBROOK DOGGIE PANEL: This fence has a special “puppy panel” strategically placed 18” from the bottom of the fence panel. The “puppy panel” has 1.5” spacing between each vertical picket. The rest of this panel has the standard 3.75” spacing. Ascot Puppy Picket has a smooth top design. Allows for an unobstructed view through the fence while keeping your dog safe within the confines of your yard.
* The puppy panel which comes standard at 18” from the bottom of the section may be custom made upon a customer’s request.
(puppy panel)

C). FALCON: This fence panel has a decorative spear top design having a 1-5/8” spacing for most of the fence panel.

D). BENNINGTON DOGGIE PANEL: This fence has a special “puppy panel” strategically placed 18” from the bottom of the fence panel. The “puppy panel” has a 1-5/8” spacing. Belmont Puppy Picket has a spear top design.
(puppy panel)

*The puppy panel which comes standard at 18” from the bottom of the section may be custom made upon a customer’s request.

 

Tiny Dog Breeds:

Affenpinscher
Brussels Griffon
Dachshund
English Toy Spaniel
Japanese Chin
Maltese
Miniature Pinscher
Papillon
Pekinese
Pomeranian
Silky Terrier
Tibetan Spaniel
Toy Fox Terrier
Toy Poodle
Yorkshire Terrier

 

Small Dog Breeds:

Australian Terrier
Beagle
Bichon Frise
Border Terrier
Cairn Terrier
Cocker Spaniel
Dachshund
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
English Cocker Spaniel
Havanese
Italian Greyhound
Lakeland Terrier
Lhasa Apso
Manchester Terrier
Miniature Bull Terrier
Miniature Schnauzer
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Pug
Schipperke
Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
Shih Tzu
Skye Terrier
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)
West Highland White Terrier

Suggested Aluminum Fence Systems for the Following Medium and Large Dog Breeds:
For the safety of your dog, we have selected fences having a smooth top rail.

The following three fence designs all feature a smooth top rail.
1). SAYBROOK: Fence sections are 71.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of another. Heights available are 36”, 42”, 48”, 54”, 60”, and 72”. Spacing between the vertical pickets: 3.75”.

2). ESSEX: Fence sections are 71.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of another. Heights available are 36”, 42”, 48”, 54”, 60”, and 72”. Spacing between the vertical pickets: 3.75.

3). SAYBROOK 2-RAIL: Fence sections are 7.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of another. Available in a 48” height. This fence features smooth top and bottom rails.

4). STORRS: Fence sections are 71.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of another. Available in a 54” height. This fence features smooth top and bottom rails.

5). ESSEX FLUSH BOTTOM : Fence sections are 71.25” in length when measured from the center of one post to the center of another. Available in a 54” height. This fence features a smooth top and bottom rail with a straight line of picket spears under the smooth top rail.

 

Medium Size Dog Breeds:

Airedale Terrier
American Eskimo
American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Basenji
Basset Hound
Bearded Collie
Bedlington Terrier
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren
Border Collie
Boston Terrier
Brittany
Bulldog
Harrier
Irish Terrier
Keeshond
Kerry Blue Terrier
Manchester Terrier
Norwegian Elkhound
Pharaoh Hound
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Plott Hound
Poodle
Portugese Water Dog
Puli
Portugese Water Dog
Puli
Samoyed
Siberian Husky
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Standard Schnauzer
Sussex Spaniel
Welsh Terrier
Whippet
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

 

Large Dog Breeds:

Afghan Hound
Akita
Alaskan Malamute
Bernese Mountain Dog
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bloodhound
Borzoi
Bouver des Flandres
Boxer
Briard
Bullmastiff
Canaan Dog
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Chinese Shar-pei
Chow Chow
Collie
Curly-Coated Retriever
Doberman Pinscher
English Setter
Finnish Spitz
Flat-Coated Retriever
Foxhound (American)
Foxhound (English)
German Pinscher
German Shepherd
German Shorthaired Pointer
German Wirehaired Pointer
Giant Schnauzer
Golden Retriever
Gordon Setter
Great Dane
Great Pyreness
Great Swiss Mountain Dog
Greyhound
Ibizan Hound
Irish Setter
Irish Water Spaniel
Irish Wofhound
Komondor
Kuvasz
Labrador Retriever
Mastiff
Newfoundland
Old English Sheepdog
Otter Hound
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Pointer
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rottweiler
Saint Bernard
Saluki
Scottish Deerhound
Shiba Inu
Spinone Italiano
Vizsla
Weimaraner

Other acceptable aluminum fencing options for Medium and Large Dogs. This type of fencing should only be considered if you canine will not attempt to jump over the fence.

1). BERKSHIRE: This fence has a staggered spear design on the top with a standard 3.75” spacing between each vertical picket. Available in the following heights: 36” 42” 48” 54” 60” and 72”.

2). BENNINGTON: This fence features a straight line of spears at the top of each fence section. Comes with standard 3.75” spacing Available in the following heights: 36” 42” 48” 54” 60” and 72”.

Ruth Tekavec of Fence-depot.com has compiled this information for you using her twenty years of experience in the fence industry. There are almost as many suppliers of aluminum fencing as there are species of canines. The friendly, knowledgeable sales staff at fence-depot.com is available daily to assist you in your quest for the right fence solution for your particular breed of dog. Please feel free to browse our site and call us with any questions which you might have.

You can reach us by calling #1-800-760-5170.