Dog Fence Guide: How Tall, Which Material, and How to Stop Digging

Short answer: for most medium and large dogs, build the fence 6 feet tall, give it a smooth face on the dog side with no rails to climb, and close off the bottom with a kickboard or wire buried below the ground. Height stops jumpers, a smooth face stops climbers, and a sealed base stops diggers. Miss any one of the three and a determined dog will find it.

We build dog fences across the Portland area in cedar, chain link and hog wire, and the material matters less than those three details. If you already know you want one built, our Portland fence contractors page covers how we build them. If you are still deciding what your dog actually needs, start here.

How tall should a fence be for a dog?

Six feet covers almost every medium and large dog. Small dogs that do not jump are fine behind 4 feet, and a determined climber or an athletic large breed may need more than 6 feet or a solid face they cannot get a paw into. The right height is the one your dog cannot clear from a standing start, and most owners already know whether their dog is a jumper.

Inside the City of Portland, a backyard fence can be up to 8 feet in the side and rear setbacks, and a wood fence needs no building permit until it passes 7 feet. So a 6 foot dog fence sits comfortably inside both rules. The front yard is different: Portland caps a fence at 3 feet 6 inches in the front setback, which is too short to hold most dogs, so the dog yard belongs in the back or side yard.

What is the best fence material for dogs?

It depends on the dog more than the budget. Each common material solves a different problem.

If you like the open look, see how we build a hog wire fence, and ask about panel spacing and height before you commit to it for a dog that climbs.

How do you stop a dog from digging under a fence?

Close the gap between the bottom of the fence and the ground, then carry the barrier below grade. There are two reliable ways to do it, and on a serious digger we use both.

• Kickboard: a horizontal board run along the bottom of the fence at ground level. It closes the gap under the pickets, and it also keeps the pickets up out of the wet soil, which is where cedar rots first.
• Buried wire: galvanized welded wire fastened to the bottom of the fence and run down into the ground, or bent into an L that lies flat just under the soil on the dog side. A dog that digs at the fence line hits wire instead of open dirt.
• Chain link base: a bottom rail or a tension wire along the ground, so the mesh cannot be lifted or pushed out.

Wood that sits in or near the soil has to be rated for it. The American Wood Protection Association puts fence pickets in its above ground category, but posts and anything else in ground contact belong in its ground contact category, Use Category 4A or higher. A kickboard that will sit in the dirt should be treated to that level, not cut from the same boards as the pickets.

What is a dog run, and do you need one?

A dog run is a smaller fenced area inside the yard, usually along a side yard or a back corner, where a dog can be outside safely while the rest of the yard stays open. It makes sense when the whole perimeter is not dog-proof, when you want to keep a dog out of a garden, or when a side yard is the only place with shade. Runs are usually chain link or cedar, 5 to 6 feet tall, with a gravel or paver floor that drains instead of turning to mud in a Portland winter.

Multnomah County sets a useful benchmark. Its animal code defines a secure enclosure, the standard it requires for dogs classified as potentially dangerous, as a locked pen with secure sides at least five feet high and either a secure floor or sides embedded in the ground no less than one foot. Most family dogs never need that level of containment, but it is a sensible spec for a run that really has to hold.

Do you have to fence your dog in Portland?

You have to keep your dog from running loose. Multnomah County makes it unlawful to let an animal be at large, and it defines at large as not being physically restrained on your property in a way that physically prevents the animal from leaving. A fence is the usual way to meet that, although the code does not require any particular kind of fence. Off your property, a dog has to be on a leash no longer than eight feet and under the control of a capable person.

Gates are where dogs get out

Most escapes happen at the gate, not over the fence. A gate that sags drags on the ground and gets left open, and a latch a dog can nose up is no latch at all. For a dog yard we hang gates on posts set to carry the weight, fit self-closing hinges where the owner wants them, and put the latch where a dog cannot reach it. Every gate we install comes with a year of free adjustment, because wood gates settle in their first season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 4 foot fence tall enough for a dog?

For a small dog that does not jump, yes. For most medium and large dogs, no. Keep in mind that 4 feet is the most you can build in a Gresham front yard, and it is already over the 3 foot 6 inch cap in a Portland front setback, so a front-yard dog fence has to stay low.

Can dogs climb a chain link fence?

Some can, because the diamond mesh gives paws something to grip. For a climber, a solid cedar or vinyl face works better, or the chain link needs to be taller.

How deep should wire be buried to stop a dog digging?

Deep enough that a dig at the fence line hits wire instead of open soil. Running the wire down into the ground, or laying it in an L on the dog side just under the surface, both work. Multnomah County uses sides embedded at least one foot into the ground in its secure enclosure standard, which is a good benchmark for a run that has to hold.

Do I need a permit to build a dog fence in Portland?

Not for a normal backyard fence. Inside the City of Portland a wood fence needs no building permit up to 7 feet and chain link up to 8 feet. Zoning still limits the height to 3 feet 6 inches in the front setback and 8 feet in the side and rear setbacks.

What is the most affordable fence that will hold a dog?

Chain link is usually the lowest cost per foot, and with a bottom tension wire and the right height it holds most dogs well. Solid cedar costs more but stops climbing and cuts down on barking at things the dog can see.

Before you build along a shared line, check the Portland fence height and property line rules so the fence you put up for your dog does not turn into a problem with a neighbor or an inspector.

Gorilla Works proudly serves Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Troutdale, Vancouver WA, and Camas WA. Call (971) 343-4964 or request a dog fence quote.