I have a one year old rottie female, who is obedience trained. We currently exercise her by taking her for long walks. We have a dog kennel which is seldom used but is there if we need it. We are getting a German Shepherd puppy. I want to fence in my backyard this spring. My rottie is well socialized and loves to visit with the neighbors. Kids walking up and down the street stop to pet her when she is out. The German Shepherd puppy will also be well socialized and taken to obedience classes. What size of fence will I need and what type to give them a nice play area. I am leaning toward a chain link fence so that they can look out and see what's going on and visit with the neighbors, who are an older couple with no children. On the other side of my yard is woods so there won't be a problem there. Any advice? Does an underground fence work? I've considered that too. Thanks.

An invisible fence (underground) should not be an option for you. Dogs this size may blast right through. More importantly, though, is the fact that an invisible fence won't keep anything OUT. Other animals (dogs, cats, rabbits) can come into your dog's area and I'll bet there will be cases where a given animal may not make it back out of your dog's area.

If an unknown child were to walk into their area would the possibility exist.........
Regardless of how sweet and social your animals are there is still a great degree of instinct there. A stranger, child or adult, could accidentally provoke a nip, and even a nip from a large fairly strong dog could be a HUGE problem for you.

I lost one of my dogs because he caught and partially ate a rabbit. The rabbit apparently had some parasite that attacked my dog’s liver. And I have a fence. The mesh is now much smaller to prevent rabbits from coming through.

Get a real fence.

Best, Bob