For the best method to keep your livestock in and your LGD free to come and go, try this DIY jump gate for dogs, complete with a video tutorial.
Why I Built a Jump Gate for Dogs
We raise goats, and our livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) help to keep our goats safe. Our LGDs stick close to our goats even when we are birthing a goat or bottle-feeding goats.
We suggest investing in livestock guardian dogs if you raise goats or other farm animals. We like to use Anatolian Shepherds and Great Pyrenees. These breeds make excellent guardian dogs.
They add some work to the farm life, like grooming a Great Pyrenees, administering flea and tick prevention, and preventing bloat in dogs. Yet, these extra tasks are worth it for the many ways our LGDs have kept our farm safe from predators.
Goats are both amazing and frustrating. If you are considering raising goats, research to learn everything you need to know before getting goats and learn the goat must-haves. In addition, learn what to feed goats and about selenium deficiency in goats.
This information will give you insight into raising goats and help prepare you better for making your decision.
Our loyal and protective dogs don’t always get the same respect they give to our goats. They often try to eat our dogs’ food or bully them while eating.
We built a jump gate to separate the LGDs’ food from the goats’ food. Our working dogs have a job, but we make sure the LGDs have a way to get away from the goats and have a break or eat in peace.
What Is a Jump Gate
A jump gate is a form of access for dogs to jump freely through a gate. Jump gates allow our livestock guardian dogs to enter through the gate, but not the goats. The space is perfect for dogs’ natural agility but doesn’t work for goats.
How Does a Jump Gate Work
The general design of a jump gate includes an upside-down triangle in the center of the gate. It is too narrow at the bottom of the gate to allow other livestock, like goats, through. But dogs can jump up and get through.
Instead of jumping over the gate, you can train your dog to jump through the gate. Since the jump gate is narrow at the bottom and wider at the top, dogs can put their front paws on the bottom triangular opening and hop through.
The opening is wider at the top, so the dog has plenty of space for its body to maneuver.
A jump gate can be added to any type of fence panel or gate. Simply make an opening in the metal panel, wood fence, or gate with a ten-inch opening on the bottom and a twenty-inch opening on the top.
Frame your opening with boards to make a sturdy v-shaped or triangular-shaped hole for dogs to jump through.
Supplies Needed
- 2X4 Boards – You need enough 2X4s to frame your gate, depending on the size of your gate.
- 1X6 or 1X4 Slats – You need enough of these boards to span the width of your gate horizontally.
- Screws – Make sure your screw bits fit the screws that you purchase.
- A Power Screw Driver with Drill Bits and Screw Bits – Be sure to have extra screw bits just in case one breaks.
- Gate Latch – Use a latch that allows you to secure it with a clip or a pin.
- Hinges – Use good sturdy hinges.
- Level – Use a level to check all the boards, hinges, and latches several times as you build your jump gate.
- Clamps or Racket Clamps – These come in handy, almost like having a second set of hands. Use them at any step in the building process to hold boards in place.
Building a Jump Gate for Dogs Step by Step
- Securely fasten hinges, using your screwdriver and screws, to the sideboard or post of your future gate. Attach one hinge near the top of the post and one near the bottom.
- Attach a 2×4 corresponding to the desired height of your gate to the other side of the hinges, ensuring that the 2X4 is level and plumb.
- Frame the remainder of your gate to your desired specifications with 2X4 boards.
- Once you have the frame in place and level, attach your horizontal slats beginning at the bottom of the gate. Use 1X6s or 1X4s, depending on your preference.
- Screw on the horizontal boards at even intervals, starting from the bottom. Once you reach 18 inches from the bottom of the gate, leave about a 24-inch gap before you attach the next slat.
- Cut two more slats to create a v shape vertically, spanning the 24-inch opening.
- At the bottom of the “V,” measure 10 inches for the opening. At the top of the “V,” measure 20 inches for the opening. Fasten the two slats you cut accordingly to make your “V.”
- Measure and add horizontal slats to the outside edges of the “V,” anchoring it to the gate frame, using the same intervals as the other horizontal slats.
- Lastly, attach your gate latch by screwing it onto the edge of the gate and the post. Checking it to make sure it is level as you go.
- Now, you are ready to train your dogs to jump through the jump gate. Use your dog’s favorite treat. We recommend hotdogs!
For more ideas for building structures on the farm, check out our DIY pig shelter, chicken tractor basics, and DIY farm fuel storage ideas. We hope we can help you find the tools and strategies to make your farming journey manageable and enjoyable!
