Will a chain link fence hold a large dog in Barrhaven?

Whether a chain link fence will contain a large dog depends on height, gauge, mesh size, and how the bottom of the fence is finished, and those are questions to put directly to a fence installer who can look at your yard and your dog.

On height, the City of Ottawa Fence By-law, as published on ottawa.ca, allows up to 213 cm (about 7 feet) in a side or rear yard, and up to 1 m in a front yard. The by-law also requires that any chain link fence on residential property be vinyl or powder coated, so plain galvanized chain link is not allowed.

A few things that belong in the conversation with your installer:

• Height: what height does the quote assume, and is it enough for the breed?
• Gauge and mesh: ask what wire gauge and mesh size the quote specifies, and why for your dog.
• Bottom of the fence: if your dog digs, ask how the installer proposes to finish the bottom edge and whether that is in the price.
• Gates: a gate in a side or rear yard may be up to 30 cm taller than the fence under the Fence By-law, and the quote should list the gate as its own line item, including the latch style.
• Posts: installers commonly set posts below frost; ask how deep the quote assumes and how the holes are filled.

A fence contractor cannot certify the line.

Published Ontario installer pricing for coated chain link runs roughly $15 to $50 per linear foot installed, a wide spread, so compare quotes on the same height, gauge and coating. Gates are priced separately, with a pedestrian gate running about $500 to $1,500. These are published 2025–26 prices, not a quote.

The most useful person to speak with first is a fence installer who can see the yard, the grade, and the space between the fence and any structures, because the details that matter for a large dog, such as bottom security and post spacing, are things that show up in person before they show up in a quote.