One of the most annoying things about my dog is his determination to do whatever it will take to escape my yard. Barney is a Scottish terrier who loves to dig, and unfortunately, his fascination with digging means that the area around my fence is full of holes. This is a sight for sore eyes around my neighborhood.

According to the Humane Society, dogs try to escape from the yard for a variety of reasons.  They could be lonely, bored, and needing stimulation. Maybe they want an outlet for all their pent up energy or are simply experiencing separation anxiety or want to explore. To this end, they will go to any lengths to escape their homeowner’s yard.

This Great Dane-sized problem with Barney had me scratching my head for many months. In order to keep him from escaping day after day, I first looked to modify the fence around my yard. I started with chicken wire and large rocks at the bottom of my fence. However, Barney is also a smart Scottie and figured out my tactics.

I then tried tethering Barney up in the yard when I left the house for short periods of time. After a few tries, I received complaints from my neighbors about him barking and whimpering. According to them, he tried over and over again to escape his tether, and I determined that this didn’t benefit anyone involved including Barney.

The solution to my problem came in the form of a suggestion from a co-worker. She mentioned training my dog to stay within my yard using a fence free pet containment system. There is no actual fence involved. Using flags and an electronic pulse sent through a receiver collar, the dog is trained to stay a safe distance from the perimeter of the yard. Whenever the dog gets near the boundaries, a low level tone is emitted that warns him or her to stay away.

Although this new system took some planning, it turned out to be well worth the effort. I first had to determine where the underground electronic boundary should be, and my existing fence provided a great starting point.  Straight forward instructions for putting the electronic boundary in place and testing it helped me set it up and adjust the level of correction to Barney’s disposition.

The real test came when I trained Barney to stay away from the fence. It took a couple weeks for him to understand that the electronic tones sent through his collar meant to avoid the area. Since Barney is also a digger, I set up a specific area in my yard dedicated just for him to dig.

This new arrangement means that Barney is free to roam around my yard when I am not home yet he has learned to stay within its boundaries. Both dog and owner are happy.