We are about to move and have a large garden so will be building a large run for the dogs to stay in during the day(Leonbergers).
I'm not sure if run is a right word, Basically I'm wanting to securely fence off large section of the garden so like XXL sized run :).

We were going to use wood and mesh as buying metal run panels would be very expensive for the kind of area I'm looking to fence off and I like the softer look created by wood, it kind of blends in better...

None of the DYI shops near by seem to have what I'm looking for, they only have very weak looking mesh/small mesh panels.
Therefore I have been looking at mesh rolls online but have no idea what "strength/gauge" I should go for?
Some places use for example 2.5mm where some use a number like 12g and I really do not know what these mean, except it is to do with the wire thickness, I think.
It is very difficult to get a clear picture of exactly how thick the wire is from a picture.

The height of 6 foot(making it about 7 foot with the wooden rail on top) and I think 2x2 mesh size is the size we should go for?
I spoke to a chap in DYI store and he recommended chain link mesh instead of welded mesh which has got me even more confused as many places seem to say welded mesh is stronger? He said if the dogs jumped/leaned against the mesh chain link would not bend so easily but I would the fence nipping paws/paw hairs where the links join?
Our dogs do usually stay on four paws but some jumping/leaning on when excited is expected :).

We have never build anything like this before (but are quite capable :) ) so any ideas/advise would be gratefully received!
If somebody knows of a good supplier of mesh that would be even better!

try an agricultural/farm supplies  outlet they do all types of mesh from very large sheep stock wire down to very small gauge , and if you buy in bulk they normally give quite a good discount

Will the dogs be left unsupervised or is this just a dog proof garden area with supervision?

I suspect the solution depends very much on your answer, and the temperament of your dogs, plus any external distractions or dangers BUT post and rail fencing with some form of stockproof mesh might do you.  If you take a walk around any nearby fields with sheep you'll see this has approx 4" gaps which would be fine for your size of dogs, anything less looks more like chicken wire and is often much more pliable.

I'd recommend getting/hiring a wire tensioner as ill fitting net/wire will go baggy very quickly.  You can try places like Mole Valley Famers, Scats, Countrywide for agricultural supplies.

This is another good site with examples and photographs of fencing solutions.

thank you both!
I shall try to find a farm supplier to see if they will have what we need so I can see and feel the stuff!

Dogs would be left in during the day unsupervised, both are used to having access to outside during the day already.
Temperament wise they are pretty calm/not chewers/diggers but youngsters :) so have their bouncy moments.

Rest of the garden will be fenced in as well, with sheep/deer netting but I want the run to be stronger.
I would worry their paws getting through and stuck on size 4" as it is big enough to have a paw though but not much extra room to pull it out if that makes sense?
Maybe I'm worrying for nothing?

http://www.moncasterswireproducts.co.uk/ We get all our wire (twilweld) from here. My husband has built an assortment of dog runs, catteries etc etc. However beware that I would NOT trust wood and wire if you have a bitch in season! One of mine BROKE the door off (snapped the hinges, broke the wood clean off -the wire was intact!) last time she was in season, got out and mated with her son. And she's just a 23 kg bitch. Hence we had to buy metal kennel panels to have one area 100 % secure.

All our fencing is stock fencing, all from agricultural stockists.. Not sure how high your's jump, mine don't tend to jump over fencing, but you can get fencing up to 7 foot which is seen more as deer fencing, though all the posts will cost a bit though...
What we also have in place should the need arise to split up areas of the garden is heras fencing, some places sell panels which are dented or need re-welding in places, and my friend picked hers up for £10 a panel. By getting the blocks or burying the poles into the ground this can work wonders in keeping dogs in and out from areas.

as an aside there is no way mine would ever be left outside unattended if i wasnt there. What about their security? :( I think youd want weld mesh that comes as pannels/sheets rather than on a roll. Anything that comes on a roll is going to be pretty flimsy. We but large weld meshsheets to make puppy enclosures.......but again there is no way id leave a dog in a garden no matter how well fence and sensible the dog was.

Sheep netting.  it starts off with small squares at the bottom, and as it goes higher the gaps get wider with fewer strands across but the same number sown if that makes sense.

A lot of people will just use this for the bottom, it's about 3 foot and Post and rail the rest, but you could easily use two rolls on above the other.

My friend has made a post an rail fence with this along the bottom around her Land where her horses graze, and also made a dog paddock using the same.  The neighbouring farmer has sheep the other side.

We have the Bar fencing, so they cant climb over, we bought it in 6x6 pieces ,and it concreted into the base, which is concrete, we made a walk in kennel, and would be suitable for up to 3 danes if left so they have plenty or room to wander around.
We only use if whens girls in heat etc, or I have a rescue in, havent left any of ours in it overnight, as there all house dogs!
We were pretty reasonable for the panels, and the guy delivered for us also.

As a builder myself when we built a 6 foot high fence for opur two smaller dogs BC & CS we used weld mesh as it can stand alone. For our two anything less was to saggy.

Sam, when you say security of the dogs what do you mean?
I would think dogs are safer&happier in a secure run build to them than in a human house full on various items they could get in trouble with.
Not to say we could not make a "safe room" for them inside but it would be much smaller area and boring compared to outside sounds, fresh air etc.

Do you mean they could be stolen from the run?
Do dogs get stolen from such situations very often(large dogs, locked run)? As of course I would not wish to put them under a risk if there is a real worry that could happen!
If people have planned the whole thing (to have the equipment to steal the dogs) surely they would take the dogs where ever they were?
I'm not English so maybe I am being naive as that is what I am used to doing at home, having a dog in a run even when you are not at home is not seen un-safe.

To me our new garden seems secure, house and gate on one side, 2 sides with neighbours(one will be 6" fence panels, the other shrub &mesh) and the garden ends to a over grown wooden area(so dence you can't go through it) and field after that.
Nobody can see in to our garden and to get the dogs people would have to go through locked gate at the front and break the lock on the run(or cut through the mesh).
It is not like my dogs are small and easy to just pick up & and stick in a crate etc, the oldest one definitely has a guarding side to her...
I would never leave puppies outside but until now, saw no issues in leaving the adults out in a secure run!

Most days there is somebody home but obviously not standing in the garden all the time and I would not like to leave them roaming free in the garden if nobody is out with them(even though the garden will be secure by normal standards)...
I rather put them in a run where I know they are not doing anything they should not be doing.

I have looked at mesh panels as well, hence the question here to see if people say the roll mesh is not strong enough and I should maybe get panels :).
Some thicknesses of the rolls look pretty thick to me though, I have found a farm shop near by so will go and see them at the weekend.

Just to add, even if your dogs don't normally dig , they may well find the temptation too great if they are confined to an area so you might be better burying some wire mesh under the fence just in case? Also will they have an area to shelter if it rains?

>Do you mean they could be stolen from the run?

Dogs do indeed get stolen from runs - not often (to be honest it's not often that dogs are kept outside in runs!) but it's certainly not unheard of, especially if they're visible from the road and there's a routine to them being outside.

Another aspect:

You say you have neighbours, unsupervised dogs have a tendency to bark to pass the time if anything of interest goes on outside their territory. 

This could lead to neighbour issues.

>I would think dogs are safer&happier in a secure run build to them than in a human house full on various items they could get in trouble with.  Not to say we could not make a "safe room" for them inside but it would be much smaller area and boring compared to outside sounds, fresh air etc.

Have you moved yet?  If not, it may be worth not making too many plans until you've had a chance to fully assess your new environment.

I don't leave mine outside (and wouldn't - but that's my preference) but when they are mooching about out there we have particular things that will provoke a reaction from one or other of mine.  One of our neighbours is very tall and obviously has some kind of raised area on the other side of one of our boundaries as he sometime pops over the top when gardening there - gives my gundog the willies and annoys my barker!!  Low flying ducks, passing horses, a new resident cat from somewhere in the village, the window cleaner etc    In a previous house it was the kids on the trampolene next door that kept popping up over the fence accompanied by squeaking noises...  I have to admit though that as one of mine is a reactive terrier type it may be a different scenario.

Once you've determined what goes on in your neighbourhood you may be in a better position to design the most appropriate solution, indoors or out, proper kennel fencing or something else.  :)

Excellent post.

I have had the dog hating neighbour across the back move (dogs never go within 40 feet of that boundary), and the new neighbour has pigeons.  they have bells on their feet and not only they, but the cats who now find my garden a great place to watch for pigeons have been winding the dogs up, and I have had to do extra quiet training.

They get brought in if they bark and the Young one is not allowed to rush out all revved up to go clunk against the garden gate.  it's a bit of a pain as normally the back door could be left open most of the time I am home, now if they start (it's usually the two youngest) then everyone gets called in and door closed. 

it's getting through and they wind up less often, and are getting used to the birds and to ignore the cats..

Have now a slight issue with next doors terriers barking their side and my youngest reacting to it, to the extent she managed to poke her head through one of their fence panels that had rotted at the bottom, as it sits direct on the ground (we went straight out and bought a new one, neighbour was gob smacked.

Now I supervise and keep her away from the fence when the little terrors are rushing up and down.  they have lived there all her life, but in winter they don't get to run in this part of the garden and are kept to the patio-ed area, they obviously enjoy getting a rise out of Inka, so we have nipped that In the bud, and it will settle down, but there is always something when you have neighbours, even good ones.

I've got heavy duty trellis panels separating off part of the garden, they are concreted in and then have the sheep fencing attached, as mentioned by Brainless. It looks quite nice and keeps my Goldies and Dobes in, but they are never left unattended. Here are a couple of photos (http://goldobiel.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=22314923 and http://goldobiel.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=22314921) to give you an idea.

We have not moved yet but I am researching different options :).

The one dog I have here at the moment is definitely not a barker, never has she reacted to any noise by barking.
Thinking about it, we have had her for 2 years and I can count times she has barked in the house (never barked in the garden!) with one hand :).
The times she has barked(one loud woof) we have been like what was that, did you hear it!

New girl is 10 months old when she joins us and where she is at the moment spends most days outside with other dogs in a big run.
Another reason to build a run is to help her settle as this is what she is used to so could get pretty frustrated being "stuck in the house"...
Obviously I do not know how she will be in her new environment but as a breed they are not barkers so I'm hopeful barking will not be an issue.

I will of course provide them with shelter, I doubt they will use it though!
So in addition to "shed", I was thinking of putting a roof over the whole thing to keep them dry in this lovely English weather.
After all they live in the house, sleep on our sofa's (in our bed in my special baby's case!) so keeping them as clean as possible is also my aim...

Yes thats exactly what I meant Noora :(
Barbara.....pigeons with BELLS on??? why???

No idea, they seem to have jesses.  Maybe it is so they aren't shot as townies or woodies?

how bizarre! maybe they are carrier pigeons LOL