Outdoor secure enclosure?

[Georgia1983]

Hi,
We are picking up our 8 week old Labrador puppy soon. Our garden is large surrounded by hedges and wire fencing - too large to set up fencing.

How do I make sure the dog is safe whilst outside? Can anyone recommend an outdoor playpen or fencing ideas? I won’t leave the pup alone outside but I would like him to be safe whilst toileting etc.

How have others dealt with this? Thanks so much, really appreciate any input!

[Floralnomad]

We fenced off our patio area with ornamental fencing ( park railing type stuff). Our entire garden is actually secure but our dog digs and chews and lots of bulbs are poisonous so it keeps him safe , with the added benefit of a nice lawn and no mud when it’s wet .

[Georgia1983]

Thanks Floralnomad. So maybe fencing is better (and maybe cheaper?) than outdoor playpen. I’ll take s trip to garden centre I think! X

[missbattenburg]

You can get rolls of wire fencing you just push into the ground. We used it and it did the job perfectly.

Like this
www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Border-Edging-Coated-Fencing/dp/B00NXX45U2/ref=sr_1_31?s=gateway&keywords=wire%20fencing&qid=1560856103&sr=8-31&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[missbattenburg]

Just remembered we used a few canes to support it every metre or so.

[Maneandfeathers]

We also fenced off our patio as the dogs ruined the garden.

Plants eaten, grass dead, ponds dug where I did not want a pond...you name it!

It has also prevented lots of mud which has been an added bonus.

[Floralnomad]

We got our metal fencing from eBay , it’s very solid , wire fencing wouldn’t stop our dog if he saw a cat / squirrel .

[MrsMozartMkII]

We got panels from Kennelstore for our 2 Rotties and a GSD. Labradors can grow pretty big and solid so it might be useful for you.

They do pens but we wanted to make up our own.

Lovely people and very helpful.

[mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork]

Just a word of caution. Please don't leave your dog alone for any length of time in your garden if there is a chance a stranger could notice it (or approach your garden without going through your house) as many dogs are stolen from their own gardens each week - this is big business and the thieves are very clever. If they see you out with a lab puppy and follow you, they will know where to look! They are quite calculated about this and puppies are particular targets.

[stucknoue]

Depends on the personality of your dog, mine thinks he's an extra in the great escape, ideally to "protect" my neighbours chickens (he honestly doesn't hurt them and has chased many a fox away). If you realise your dog is like mine only 6+ ft fences are enough and for large gardens that's expensive