What does your fence need to do?

Formally demarcate a boundary? ... in accord with some legal requirement?
Keep out industrial noise; views of the neighbours rusting car collection; arctic winds; stray animals and people; weeds; runaway vehicles; ...?
Keep in employees; children; dogs; cats; horses; sheep; goats; warmth; roses; ...?
Separate the goats from the roses? :-)
Be permeable to friendly neighbours; mountain views; summer breezes; small wildlife; ...?

3 or 4 ft high, wooden post, 3-strand wire fences are common here from outer suburbia to rural areas. Simple, inexpensive and useful (though cedar would be an *expensive* option here - I'm assuming you're closer to the source, so it's a more economical choice for you). Where wood's in short supply, or the ground's not suited to post-hole digging, star-droppers can be used instead of wooden posts. If wood rot in a wet envoronment is a worry for you, that could be a functional alternative, though it ain't so pretty. There are tasks that sort of fence isn't up to, but it can be added to, or used while another form of fencing is established.

I've heard of but, don't know much as far as specifics go of using a clumping species of bamboo (as apposed to the running varities which spread like weeds) planted closely in a row I've heard this is great for keeping out deer and should be able to contain your doggy.

Why not consider living fences using techniques such as copiccing, or pilading, even simple hedges? It is far more eco friendly and cheaper in the long run and doesn't feed into the whole consumer mentality.

any chance on a solution closer to problem source: train dog to stay close to home, or bring him in at night etc? I just moved from a semi-wild environment where the new people moving in were always putting in these big fences around their entire properties so their dogs could patrol the grounds like prison guards, chasing any wildlife away. It sucked balls.

hi amy. is there much clean up to be done on the property? what about using what is available? like tree stumps. although i do like the idea of cedar rails and wire fencing. there is a fence like that at the farm that i work at. it keeps the deer out of the garden.

Do you live near a lumber mill? If so, you can ask for cutoffs, they're often free. I made a nice fence using unmilled cedar, walnut or locust branches 4-8" diameter as posts and ran the cutoff lengths as rails. I've also used them as stockade fencing by ripping the edges straight and using milled 2x3 as rails.

Do you have timber on the land?

what are the requirements of the fence? Is it for livestock?

Locust and walnut resist rot in the soil the logest. More than cedar, but I guess it depends on availability and cost.