Dog Fence Kennel Ideas

You may want to keep your dog safe in your yard and feel that you can achieve this by building a kennel, but you may not have an idea what kind of kennel you should build and what type of fencing you should use. A 6-foot-tall kennel should suffice for any size of dog; for an escape artist, build a kennel at least 6 feet tall with a top.

  1. Kennel Panels

    • If you're not handy, or looking for a quick solution, consider purchasing a chain-link kennel panel or a prefab kennel̵2;an easy way to build a kennel with few tools. Most prefab kennels and panels require little more than a screwdriver and wrench. These panels usually measure 6 feet by 4 feet or 6 feet with a 6-foot ceiling and allow you to set up a kennel in various configurations. Unfortunately, these kennels do not work well on uneven terrain, and many dogs can easily dig under them. Unless you add a top or some way to keep your dog inside, a climbing escape-artist dog can escape easily. These portable and easily built kennels have the advantages of incorporating common material allowing dogs to see outside. Should you choose the kennel panel approach, situate the kennel on level, rocky ground, which your dog will find hard to dig under.

    Wood

    • An alternate, and often costlier, option for putting up a kennel involves using wood in the form of a privacy fence. Purchase either privacy fencing panels similar to the kennel fence panels or boards to put together a privacy fence. Do not use split-rail or picket fencing, which dogs can easily climb or jump over. To keep your wood kennel in place, dig post holes and set the posts with concrete.

      Tailor your custom privacy fence to the undulations in the ground; even better, sink it into the dirt to prevent a dog from digging under it. Face the crossbeams on the outside of the fence, which will make the fence almost impossible to climb.

      Because this type of kennel is essentially a box, your dog will not have the ability to see out. Of course, the lack of visibility could also help prevent your dog from barking at neighbors.

    Chain Link and Field Fencing

    • Chain link, the old standby, makes a very sturdy kennel fence. In order to built it, sink posts in concrete and attach the chain link to them. Sink chain link, which comes in rolls and various heights, into the ground to prevent diggers from getting out. Like wood fencing, tailor chain-link privacy fences to the undulations in the ground. Time-consuming to put up and potentially costly, this material can also provide an easy surface for escape artists to climb.

      Field fencing, a cheaper and easier alternative to chain link, comes in various sizes up to about 5 feet tall. Made of soft wire, this bendable material attaches to field posts that do not require post holes (you can pound field posts into the ground). Unfortunately, a determined dog can knock down, tear or dig through field fencing.