Puppies are curious and inquisitive, and they want to play! Unfortunately, this can mean your fence is merely a toy for them to play with, a jungle gym for them to go over, under, around, and through. And sometimes this isn’t limited to puppies, but older dogs also want to escape from the confines of a fence.
If you’re a dog owner, you’ve likely seen this behavior. Dogs will squeeze underneath, push between the pickets, and leap over the rails. You sometimes wonder if dogs even have bones, the way they can contort their body to squish through such a tight space. But it seems no matter what you do, a mischievous dog will always find a way through a fence. If the fence is wood, they may push a board out of the way. If the fence is chainlink, they can make use of its flexibility to get to the other side. If the fence is short they’ll jump, and if it’s high they’ll dig under.
What you need is a fence that is specially designed for dogs, one that is made by dog owners can think like our canine companions. That’s where the puppy fence comes in.
The Right Fence for Your Dog
We call it a puppy fence, but make no mistake: they’re good for any kind of dog, any size. Whether you’ve got a two month old terrier or a twelve year old St. Bernard, you can get an aluminum puppy fence that will keep that dog safe inside.
Aluminum Puppy Fences Have Close Pickets
Probably the number one benefit of puppy fences (which applies to all dogs, regardless of age) is the fact that the pickets of the aluminum fences are much more narrowly spaced, making it impossible for a dog–even a puppy–to squeeze through. These pickets are typically spaced 1-⅝” apart. With Aluminum Fences Direct there are a number of styles of fence that you can get that accomplish this: some of them have pickets tightly packed together all the way up the full height of the fence (such as the Sierra XP, the Appalachian XP, and the Carolina XP), but some aluminum fences only have the pickets close together at dog height. We call these low-picket extras “puppy panels” and they’re ideal for a small dog who is a little too curious and wants to get out of the yard. Puppy panels, which are typically 16 inches tall, come in the Sierra, Carolina, and Appalachian. (The Appalachian can be upgraded with “puppy press points”, an attractive feature that brings the pointed finials atop the Appalachian fence down to the height of the puppy panel, giving it a finished and attractive architectural look.
(Typical aluminum fencing pickets are spaced at 3-13/16”, so if you have a narrowly spaced puppy panel at 1-⅝”, then after 16” up the spacing will go to the wider 3-13/16”. If you’re concerned about a taller dog being able to get over that 16” puppy panel, then you’ll want to look at the XP styles, which are 1-⅝” all the way up.)
Aluminum Puppy Fences Go Down to the Ground
In addition to having narrow pickets which make it impossible for a puppy to squeeze through, puppy fences are also built to extend all the way to the ground–there is no gap between the bottom of the fence and the dirt, so you won’t have a dog pushing its way under and out, either.
Look, we’re dog lovers and dog owners ourselves, and we know very well the sight of a dog trying to scramble through the dirt to get under a fence. If you properly install an aluminum fence with a puppy panel, your dog won’t be able to dig underneath. And if you’re extra concerned about this, there are some styles of fence with a flush bottom rail, so you have added protection. And, of course, you can always put paving stones beneath the fence if you have a dog who is a real digger–and we know there are some who are true escape artists. It’s our job to make sure that your pup, young or old, is going to be safely kept within the confines of the yard, making sure that it is safe from traffic and getting lost, as well as making sure that people on the street don’t get accosted by your overly friendly dog who has slipped through the bars.
Aluminum Puppy Fences Are Strong
Aluminum fences are strong, make no bones about it. An aluminum fence is going to withstand the playful force of any dog that jumps up on it and puts pressure on the fence. The way that these fences are installed and built, using concrete under the posts and large sturdy panels of pickets, they’re meant to withstand the weight of a person climbing over them (if you’ve got a rowdy teenager in the house, or even a prowler in the neighborhood) and so there’s no worry that even the biggest dog will be able to jump against the fence and cause it to buckle, warp, or bend.
Likewise, there is no fear of a dog being able to bend the bars in an attempt to squeeze through. These aluminum pickets are built for strength, made to make sure that no child (or burglar) can get into or out of your yard between the pickets.
When it comes to strength, our aluminum fences stack up against any in the industry. Wood is weak, warps, rots, and the boards come loose. Vinyl is notoriously bad for standing up to windstorms or other lateral force (like a large dog leaping against it). Iron and steel are strong, but are prohibitively heavy, making them more expensive. And all of the above require a large amount of maintenance to make sure they don’t rust, corrode, rot, or fall apart. Aluminum doesn’t rust–it’s chemistry makes that impossible–and it doesn’t require paint or resurfacing.
The Perfect Fence for Every Animal
So whether you have a small dog with tons of energy who loves to play in the yard–and loves to try to get out of the yard–or whether you have a large dog who either loves people or is aggressive toward them and needs to be kept securely in the bounds of the yard, we have a fence that is right for you.
And don’t just think that these puppy fences should be restricted to suburban homes with the family pet. We have customers who use puppy fences to corral their baby goats, to keep the chickens in the yard, and to manage their rabbits.
They Don’t Just Keep Animals In–They Keep Animals Out
There are a lot of critters that you’d much rather not have invading your yard, and the same protection that comes from a puppy fence to keep the dog restrained will also keep wildlife from getting into your yard, your pool, and your garbage. A good puppy fence will keep out the raccoons (who just love to wreak havoc on a house) but also keep away the scarier predators that would come after your precious pets: the wildcats, the badgers, even the occasional cougar. If you’re living in a yard that is anywhere close to the woods, you can be sure there’s something lurking in there that wants to dine on something in your backyard, be it in the trash, the garden, or a small pet.
Puppy Fences Are Perfect For Toddlers, Too
Although all our aluminum fences are made with the pickets too narrow for a child to get through, kids have a way of getting into trouble, and as soon as you have your back turned a small child might get his or her body halfway through a regularly-spaced fence. But you can rest assured that your toddlers are perfectly safe in a yard protected by a puppy fence. Sure, your baby might still sit down next to the fence and try eating the dirt–all kids do that from time to time–but you don’t need to worry about that toddler getting out of the yard, wandering away from home, and getting onto the street.
Conclusion
So whether you’re trying to maintain a barrier between your adorable puppy and the street, or trying to keep an aggressive dog from harassing the neighbors, or trying to keep wildlife from sneaking into your yard, or lastly, trying to keep your little tots safe in a secure yard, an aluminum puppy fence is the way to go. It will give you peace of mind, knowing that nothing can get in or out, day or night. Plus, they look terrific.
Check out our styles of puppy fences here.
Are you ready to get a puppy fence for your yard?
