Some dig to escape.
Studies show that unsterilized dogs roam 94% more than their unneutered counterparts. Spay or neuter! Dogs who suffer from inadequate companionship escape to find social interaction. Your dog needs more exercise than just lying around in the yard all day - if you don't give him an outlet, he'll exercise himself. Many sporting and northern breeds were bred to run, and run fast, for miles. Scent hounds catch a scent and go! Increase exercise and install a concrete or buried wire footing around the perimeter of the fence.

Once you know WHY, the solution becomes obvious ...

A digging pit can help relieve boredom and give your dog another reason to stay home - but will notreplace the need for spaying, neutering and providing regular activities and exercise.

Give your dog a digging pit. He likes to dig, so give him an appropriate place to do it! Select a corner of the yard that you don't care about and give it to your dog. When your dog isn't looking, bury a leg-shank bone from your butcher or a favorite toy. Leave a little sticking out. Take your dog out to thespot and when he discovers the "gold mine" encourage him to dig it up - join in! Praise him when he returns to the spot. Daily for a week, and every so often after that, bury something in his digging pit.

Interrupt any inappropriate digging and redirect it to the digging pit -
"What are you digging there for? The good stuff's over here!" If he finds one or two bones in the pit, he'll believe there might be a whole dinosaur and will return to the spot again and again. Your job is to convince him that it might be true!

Can't supervise constantly?

Transform a portion of your yard into a destruction-free zone by removing all vulnerable vegetation, sprinkler system lines, etc. and fill it with dog-safe stuff. Give him his own space to redecorate to his heart's content.

To deter the dog from returning to an inappropriate spot, fill the hole with fresh feces and cover it over. The next time the dog digs there, the hole will make the correction. Some dogs find chili pepper sprinkled on the ground distasteful. There are also sprays available at pet stores. Remember - damp weather, sprinklers and hot sun will make it necessary to replenish the deterrent often. It's much easier to redirect, then both of you will be happy!

For those digging to escape, wire mesh, rocks, or a concrete footing along the fence line will halt most perimeter excavations. For more persistent escape artists, a buried "invisible" type fence wire run along the existing fence line is an effective solution.* The dog wears a transmitter collar and his proximity to the fence line results in a correction by the collar.

*In all fairness- you must find out why the dog is so intent on getting out and fix that problem (NEUTER?? more exercise? more time with you?) in order for your dog to be content to stay at home! (See Intelligent Diversions and Creative Play)

This handout may be reprinted in its entirety for distribution free of charge and with full credit given:
© CAROL A. BYRNES "DIAMONDS IN THE RUFF" Training for Dogs & Their People -
ditr_training @ hotmail.com - http://www.diamondsintheruff.com