How do I keep my dog from escaping through or under a chain link fence?

Why dogs get through chain link in the first place

Chain link’s open weave and the natural gaps that form at ground level — especially on uneven yards where the fabric doesn’t sit flush against the soil everywhere — give determined dogs two main escape routes: squeezing through a gap where the fence doesn’t meet the ground tightly, or digging underneath at a weak spot. Neither is a flaw in chain link specifically so much as a predictable consequence of any fence that isn’t specifically reinforced at grade.

Solutions that actually work

• Bottom rail. Adding a horizontal bottom rail along the base of the fence removes the flexible gap dogs use to squeeze under, and makes the bottom edge far harder to dig past.
• Buried L-footer mesh. Extending a strip of wire mesh outward from the base of the fence in an L-shape, then burying it a few inches under the soil, means a digging dog hits solid mesh at the base of the hole rather than tunneling straight under the fence line.
• Ground-level barriers. Placing bricks, pavers, or large stones flush against the fence at any low spots or dips in the yard closes off the specific gaps dogs tend to target first.
• Tension wire or tent stakes. A tensioned bottom wire, anchored with stakes hammered into the ground at intervals, keeps the fence fabric pinned close to the ground along its entire length.

Matching the fix to the dog

Smaller or lighter dogs are more likely to squeeze through gaps than dig, so a tensioned bottom wire or closing off obvious openings is often sufficient. Larger, more persistent diggers usually need the buried L-footer approach, since it addresses the digging behavior directly rather than just tightening the existing fence line. For a new chain link installation specifically for a dog owner, it’s worth requesting a bottom rail and close ground-fit as part of the original build — retrofitting these fixes later is possible but adds cost compared to specifying them upfront.

When planning a new chain link installation with pets in mind, ask your Mustang Fencing consultant about incorporating a bottom rail or buried L-footer mesh into the original build.