Fence height?

[kightfam]

I haven't been able to find any definite recommendations on fence heights for a retired racers. Galgos seem to need 6 feet, no matter what, but I've seen anything from 3 feet to 6 feet for greyhounds. Like anything, I'm sure it depends on the individual and their athleticism and motivation to hop a fence. We have an almost 4 foot fence currently, that we intend to someday replace with a 6 footer, but I'd like to know if we should prioritize that before adopting, or if we'd be ok for a while. (We're on the list with a good rescue group, and may find the right one within 6 months or so! The adoption volunteer I talked with thought we'd be fine fence-wise, but I'm not convinced.)

[MarcR]

I have a four foot fence.  None of the greyhounds that have been here (seven adoptees and three fosters), none made any attempt to jump the fence.

[Hubcitypam]

Not one of well over a hundred including a galgo ever challenged my 4 ft.chain link...but an 7 year old brood mom could climb the corner of a wood privacy fence by going up the corner in a nanosecond..  I think height is relative.
 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Hubcitypam

[BatterseaBrindl]

None of our 4 have ever tested our 4'.

 

On the other hand, our GSDx climbed up and over it on a regular basis....

[greysmom]

A lot will depend on your adoption group's requirements rather than on the dog.  If you've been approved through your home visit you should be good to go.

We went for many many years having one side of our yard be only 3 foot welded wire (approved by our group) and none of the dogs we had here - including three Great Danes - ever made any attempt to go over it.  It has since been replaced.

One caveat, our dogs were/are never outside unsupervised.   Either myself or my husband is always with them.  If you are planning on having a dog door with free access to the whole yard you may want to think carefully about replacing a shorter fence.

[MerseyGrey]

We have an area in our garden where the wall is 3-4 feet high. Buddy put his paws up when we first brought him home but has never tried to jump it. The lady who did our home check was unconcerned about the height. But I would think that your adoption service will let you know if a particular dog is an escape artist - in which case even a six foot fence might not be enough!

[HeyRunDog]

In this dog's case you would need a 6 feet 3 inch fence as it clears a 6 feet 2 inch one. 

 

[cleptogrey]

if need be you can also add fencing to the top of your fence, depending upon the style- wire is conducive to this. that would mean additional fence posts and zip ties to secure the addition. then you can go to 6 ft. my salukis used to scale 6 - 7 ft fencing. when there is a will there is a way. my current whippet is know for jumping 4 ft fencing- but he has never attempted, i guess he's happy where he is right now. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15V7JhXfqbQ

Edited July 9, 2019 by cleptogrey

[kightfam]

This is very helpful! It's incredible to me that these crazy athletic dogs don't tend to be jumpers, because, as the videos show, they could clear anything they WANTED to! I do supervise for potty breaks in the yard, but I'm not sure even my watching would stop a dog from leaping over to get a closer look at a neighborhood cat or rabbit, so I think I'll add a little extension to the top of the fence until we get our privacy fence installed. The adoption group approved our set up, but ultimately the dog's safety is on me, and I just wouldn't want to chance it!

[dmdsmoxie]

Remember a lot of people keep their dog in one room with a baby gate.  While they can go over the baby gate or a four or five foot fence, they tend not to.  There are always exceptions to the rule, but these are a very small percentage.

 

[krissy]

13 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

In this dog's case you would need a 6 feet 3 inch fence as it clears a 6 feet 2 inch one.

I know you were kind of joking, but not necessarily. My dogs high jump for SuperDogs shows, but don't challenge our 3.5' fence. If I asked them to jump it, they could and would. If there was a rabbit on the other side they could and would. But as a general rule... no interest.

[MaryJane]

As others mentioned, it's relative. I would suggest that you do turnouts on a leash with new greyhounds until you get a better sense of how they regard the fence.  This is what I used to do with my fosters until I was sure they would not challenge the fence.