Berberis would form a dense prickly hedge. Lots of varieties to choose from depending on how tall you want it.

We used sheep or pig netting ( farm supplies) at the base of the hedge and It stops animals getting out--or in and the hedge just grows around and through it

I woud advise against a thorn hedge of any variety..Scratches and punctures are a major cause of abcess on dogs. Especially just under the eyes as they sniff about.

Never thought of that Pimp, being more of a cat person.(Cats have more sense...) The netting is a jolly good idea.

Paid the vet so many times Stera..Cats do have more sense.

your not going to get anything that grows quit that quickly unless you got a cow and your name is jack and you want to grow beans and like giants . i would get some plastic coated chainlink fence , bury it partly in the ground and then as said bye some quick growing plants , maybe some climbers infact you can take your time and have a variaty of different shrubs etc once youve put that up and as said it will basicly dissapear when said plants grow .

Depends how tall you want it to be - Lonicera nitida makes a good not too tall hedge - the all yellow variety 'Baggeson's Gold' is quite attractive. Otherwise consider Buxus sempervirens. Things like Aucuba japonica or Prunus laurocerasus tend to develop gaps near the base, which isn't ideal if you want to keep an animal contained.

you can buy different hight chainlink fences so dont worry and if need be you can cut it down to the right hight . the reasen i say bury some of it is that to have chainlink put up properly you need special equipment to stretch 2-3 wires realy tight and concrete posts . if you do it yourself it will be a little lose at the bottem and a determind dog will get under it . another option would be to stake it in the ground every foot or so . i hope this has helped sorry about my sense of humer but you got to laugh right . i wasnt being sarcastic as it may sound . take care bye for now .

You are going to have to think long term on this as any hedge takes time to knit together even if you spend more and buy quite mature plants. You will still need some fencing to keep a dog in.

thats egsactly my point to drc726 . i mite be more inclined to get some nice climbers on the fence and plant a few veriaties of shrubs,trees and flowers etc . be more interesting than a hedge . as the chain link can be baught plastic coated green you would soon lose it under some clematis,honeysuckle,ornimentle grapevine or even virginia creeper . i wouldnt use russian vine as that goes mad .

Many thanks to everyone for your most helpful suggestions. I think the green link fencing is a good idea and less costly than buying more mature plants..........ROLL ON SPRING;0)

your more than welcome summerfly and its fairly instant x .