I have a fenced yard, I also have a large outside kennel. My dogs are all crate trained. My two bigger dogs love other dogs. The lil one takes some warming up, but he comes around. He will be kept safely inside, during the visit from visiting dogs. Before winter I will be putting in a fence to separate the front and back yard so no chance of an escape when the mailman come. We always watch the clock and kennel the dogs before they come and unkennel when they leave. We secure the gates, at all times. We all know dogs are supper smart and its possible for them to open one.