Installing escape-proof fencing is a critical step in preparing for owning a wolfdog. This section will cover some basic structural requirements and materials necessary to keep your wolfdog contained safely.
Fence Height
Wolfdogs and the breeds they consist of are extremely athletic animals. Some breeds, especially the Siberian Husky, are notorious for being escape artists that rival Houdini in their ability to seemingly magic their way out of a typical backyard. Other breeds, like the German Shepherd Dog, are well known for their ability to overcome large obstacles that stand in their way. Jumping great heights and climbing over walls or even up steep inclines is all in a day’s work for German Shepherds used for sports such as personal protection or agility.
For this reason, fencing needs to be tall enough to prevent your wolfdog from easily jumping right over the fence. A typical 6-foot backyard fence is incredibly easy for even medium sized dogs to jump over if they are determined, let alone a large wolfdog. We strongly recommend that you increase your fence height to a MINIMUM of 8 feet, as shown in this photo.
Climbing and Jumping Prevention: Lean-Ins
There are many dogs and breeds who are excellent climbers. Wolfdogs are one of them. Materials such chain link fence, cattle panel, goat panel, horse wire, etc. all provide excellent footholds for a determined dog to climb straight up and over the fence. The horizontal rails on wooden privacy fences might as well be a stepladder to the top.
To prevent dogs from jumping or climbing over the fence, installing lean-ins is a very important step. These should angle inwards at a 45-degree angle and should be no shorter than 2 feet, although 3 feet is more ideal. This creates a visual barrier than can help to deter dogs from attempting the jump or climb, but also works as a physical barrier for the ones who still try. The 45-degree angle for 2-3 feet in length creates a steep roof-like obstacle that prevents the dogs from hooking their paws over the top of the fence to pull themselves up and over.
Some owners even include a line of hot-wire (electric fencing) at the top of the lean-in, as a last resort preventative that will shock any dog who manages to somehow grab on. This is also a great deterrent to help discourage any domestic animals or wildlife from entering the pen from the outside, as well, such as cats or coyotes.
Pictured is our 10-foot fence with 2-foot lean-ins and 4-foot dig guards.
Digging Prevention: Dig Guards
Another activity that wolfdogs love and are very proficient at is digging! These guys are capable of digging a hole several feet deep in just hours and can easily tunnel under a fence if there are no preventative measures taken.
Dig guards stop dogs and wolfdogs from digging under the fence and escaping. They can come in many forms. You can:
Dig a trench along the fence line that is 3-4 feet deep and fill it with concrete before installing the fence
Install commercial metal pronged barriers such as “Dig Defence” (however, this product does not go deep enough in the ground for wolfdogs!)
Dig a trench and bury fencing (straight up and down as if it was above ground) underground 3-4 feet deep underneath the fence line
Lay fencing flat on the ground along the inside perimeter of the fence that is at least 4 feet wide and securely attach it along the bottom of the fence (this is what we do). This can be buried under a thin layer of soil/gravel.
Regardless of what method you choose, the point is to make it impossible for your wolfdog to tunnel under the fence. Make sure that whatever product or method you use is securely attached to the bottom of the fence itself, so that your wolfdog cannot squeeze their way out underneath the fence.
All of our wolfdog fencing has dig guards.
Primary Fence Materials
It is vitally important that you choose sturdy materials to construct your fence. Wolfdogs are strong and avid chewers who can easily bite and tear through many of the materials which are most popular for residential fencing.
A wood slat privacy fence, which is popular for many neighborhoods, is NOT going to safely contain your wolfdog. Wood is a favorite chew toy for many wolfdogs and it is extremely easy for them to rip off the wooden slats and escape.
Chain link, which is another popular fencing material for many homes, is typically installed in gauges which are way too thin to safely contain a wolfdog. The most popular gauges for residential fencing are 12 to 14 gauge. The important thing to remember about gauge measurements for wire is: the higher the number, the thinner the wire; the lower the number, the thicker the wire. The correct gauge of chain link fencing that will safely contain wolfdogs is 9 gauge or thicker.
Welded wire livestock panels, such as cattle panels, goat panels, hog panels, etc. are extremely popular for constructing wolfdog-proof fencing. These panels are typically 4-6 gauge and are extremely sturdy. Make sure to invest in a good pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters if you choose to use this type of material. Livestock panels are sold at most farm and ranch stores, such as Tractor Supply, Attwood’s, Menard’s, etc.
Our fences are constructed using cattle panels, which we purchased at Tractor Supply.
A Note About Livestock Panels:
Some livestock panels, such as cattle panels, have wide gaps between the welded wires which are large enough for a wolfdog to stick their head through, or for a young puppy to climb through. Hog panels, which have very small, square gaps between the wires, do not allow dogs to put their heads through, and is sufficient to contain young puppies, but it is much more expensive because it has more steel per panel compared to cattle panels.
Any hole a dog can stick their head through almost always guarantees that their body can fit, too, if they are determined enough!
For this reason, we have chosen to add an additional layer of fencing on the outside perimeter of our fence, attached to our cattle panels, in order to prevent our wolfdogs from putting their heads through the gaps in the cattle panel wires. We use 5-foot tall woven-wire no-climb horse fencing. There are several different brands who produce identical versions of this fencing, which are sold at stores like Tractor Supply, Atwood’s, and Lowes.
The horse fencing does NOT make up the main structure of our fence, the 4-gauge cattle panels do! The horse fencing’s only job is to prevent our dogs from putting their heads through the cattle panels. It also keeps young puppies inside their pen, since puppies can easily walk right through the gaps in cattle panels.
Double-Gated Entries aka “Airlocks”
Double-gated entryways are an important safety feature for a wolfdog pen. There are lots of dogs in general who get pretty good at door-dashing and slipping right between your legs to freedom! The best way to prevent this from happening is to have a double-gated entrance to your wolfdog’s pen. Make sure the first gate is closed securely behind you before opening the actual gate into the pen.
The square footage for the double-gated entryway doesn’t have to be huge. Some of ours are 4 feet x 4 feet, although looking back, it would have been nice if we made that at least a little bit bigger. It’s very helpful to have that extra layer of protection to stop your wolfdog from running off if they manage to slip through your grasp as you open the gate. We strongly recommend double-gated entries for all wolfdog pens.
Step-By-Step Tutorial
For a step-by-step photo and video tutorial on installing your own wolfdog pens, click the button below to link to a public album on my Facebook profile which documents two different builds as we installed our own wolfdog pens. All of this is completely DIY, but there are plenty of fencing companies who are willing to reference ideas like this and build to your specs, if you aren’t planning to do the install yourself.