Hound/Retriever keeps escaping

Question

I have a mix of Hound and Retriever who just wont stop escaping. Here is the story:

We got her from a rescue shelter about 3 years ago, and she was the only one that was laying down and kept quiet, so we decided to get her, thinking she would be easy to take care of. However, we kind of thought wrong, and she chewed up just about every piece of paper in our house. We solved that by getting chew toys. However, we haven't solved the problem of her seeing a squirrel and deciding to jump a 6 foot tall privacy fence. We tried a tether with concrete (she has pulled the concrete blocks and almost hung herself on the fence), we tried tether in the ground (it sort of works, but we have to check it now and again). I don't want to use the "stubborn dog" collar because it just seems so wrong mentally for my dog. Is there any way I can train her to stay in the yard?

Side note: We also have a lake that after escaping, she goes to and jumps in the mud.

Answer 1

Your dog needs mental and physical stimulation!

The question should not be, "how can I physically trap and contain my dog?", rather, "why is my dog doing this, and how can it be corrected?".

she chewed up just about every piece of paper in our house. We solved that by getting chew toys.

No. Incorrect. By just buying chew toys, you haven't "solved" anything.

You need to play with those toys with your dog (fetch, tug of war, hide and seek, etc.).

Since your dog can't engage themself, that's where you as their owner must come in and help your dog.

Every dog needs physical and mental exercise and stimulation, when neglected in these areas, bad behavior such as "chewing up every piece of paper in our house" will surface.

For physical exercise, play with your dog in your yard, go on walks, run around, and have dog playdates.

rover.com says:

In general, most dogs benefit from between 30 minutes to two hours of physical activity per day, according to PetMD. That can be all at once, but most people break it up into two or three walks per day. There’s no perfect formula to determine how long to walk your dog, but half an hour at a time is a good rule of thumb. Start with a gentle 30-minute walk in the morning, and another before dinner.

There’s really no limit to how far you walk your dog as long as they’re comfortable. For some dogs, that’s around the block. For others, it’s ten miles. Just remember to build distance and stamina gradually over time.

For mental stimulation, play games like hide and seek, practice tricks, and give your dog a challenge, like putting your dog's food in an egg carton. See https://www.puppyleaks.com/more-mental-stimulation/.

I am almost 100% confident that your dog needs more mental and physical stimulation, also because you say this:

We also have a lake that after escaping, she goes to and jumps in the mud.

See - she wants to play!

Is there any way I can train her to stay in the yard?

You can:
a) follow my advice to physically and mentally stimulate your dog;
b) watch your dog more often;
c) remove climbing aids and add landscaping.

Although I would recommend all three.

I added option c) because it will reduce escape attempts, but, ideally, you want to treat the cause, not the symptom.

You can find more information here.

Answer 2

I can only agree with Nai54's answer. If your dog escapes your yard, it doesn't mean that the dog is bad, it means that the yard doesn't fulfill the dog's needs.

A very easy way to entertain a dog is a puzzle feeder. Those come in various shapes and sizes and can also be crafted by you. Feeding a dog in a bowl is easy and boring, but feeding them in a puzzle feeder adds a little mental stimulation to the process without requiring more time from you. If this is done in the morning, the dog is a little more relaxed and balanced throughout the day.

Since she likes to chew things, you could redirect this destructive behavior into a safe direction with a food dispenser toy like a Kong or similar product. There are many different fillings (from soft and easy to lick out to dry or frozen to withstand the attempts at getting it out).

Please see this post for a list of more ideas and examples of games to play.

And don't forget to take the dog on walks. It would probably be ideal if you had a dog park nearby where dogs can run around and play with each other. If you don't - she loves the lake, so why not take her to the lake on a long leash and let her have fun? If you offer her the things she likes, she may feel less of a need to escape.

As with the puzzle feeder, it's ideal to take one walk in the morning / before noon. It doesn't even have to be extremely long, just 20 - 30 minutes is enough. That relaxes your dog for several hours. You can take a second or even third walk later in the day, or play games like fetch or frisbee with your dog instead of a walk. With some training, you can teach your dog to drop the frisbees or balls she catches near you so you don't have to run around the whole yard.