Pet fences are important to ensure that your animal companions are safely contained. This is important not only for their own safety, but also for the sake of your yard, neighborhood harmony, and compliance with local ordinances. The types of pet fences that are best for you will depend on the types of pet and size of your property, as well as factors such as aesthetics.

Wood fencing, especially split rail style, is a popular type of fence because it looks nice but it doesn't always make the best pet fences. It is strong, durable, and relatively low-maintenance, but most pets can easily get through split rail styles of wood fencing. Wire mesh fencing on its own often makes very effective pet fences, but can tend to be rather unsightly. Split rail fences that are built in conjunction with wire mesh fencing that essentially covers the open spaces between the rails can work for many pets. A better bet for wooden pet fences is stockade style fencing, which provides a better barrier to contain pets. This type of fencing, also commonly referred to as privacy fencing, is most often used only in a rear yard rather than in front of houses.

If appearance is one of your biggest concerns when choosing pet fences, you may want to consider an "invisible" fence. These pet fences have transmitters buried along the perimeter of your yard, or whatever portion of the yard to which you want your pets to have access. These transmitters then relay a signal to a device attached to your pet's collar. Through conditioned response, your pet learns not to venture too close to the perimeter area. If he gets too close, an audible sound followed by a mild electric "correction signal" lets him know that he should not venture any further. These pet fences require digging along the edges of the fenced area, to allow for burying the transmitters. During the initial training phase, most systems also utilize flags as visual signals to your pet about the boundaries. Once the training had been completed the flags can be removed and the pet fences are essentially invisible.

For larger pets such as horses, the choices for pet fences are significantly different than those for house pets. Wood fences are the most popular choice for horse farms, since wooden fences are easily visible to horses and this prevents them from running into the fences accidentally. Wooden fences also stand up well to a fair amount of pressure, depending on the type of wood used. Hardwoods, such as oak and cedar, are better choices than pine, which is a much softer wood. In terms of pet fences it is important to note that horses are not known for respecting boundaries such as fences, and are especially prone to running right into them when very frightened or angry. One concern with wooden fencing, therefore, is that it can break on impact leaving dangerous splintered boards. To minimize this danger, reinforce the fence by nailing the boards to the inside of the posts, and consider adding a line of electric wire on the inside of the top fence board.

When choosing the pet fences that are right for you, consider both your pets and your yard. You need to decide how you want the pet fences to look as well as the proper way to contain your pets.