black lab jumpind

Question
I have a black lab who jumps my regular sized chain link fence every time I let him out. he doesn't go anywhere but to my front door, but he won't stay in the fence no matter what I do. He started doing this when a stray in the neighborhood showed him how to worm himself through a hole in the fence and when I fixed that he found another way to get out. we really like the dog but because he gets out of the yard I have to keep him inside during the day when i am away. I tried giving him more exercise. I bought him a leash and collar and had good intentions of getting some exercise too, but when I tried to get him to run with me he sat down and wouldn't get up. We found him a stray in the parkinglot of a jack in the box, and I don't know his history. I do know though that he can sit and laydown on command and loves kids and others animals. In fact when my son fell and hurt himself the other day he was the first one to get to him to help. He's a great dog but he can't stay in the house and a woman in my town got arrested the other day for letting her dog run loose. So what should I try next.

Thank You
Alicia

Answer
Hi Alicia!  The only few things I can suggest would be to take him out in the yard on a leash.  The more you work with him with a leash, the more he will get used to it.  Since he was a stray, he probably has never been on a leash before, so it will take some getting used to.  Also, neutering him will reduce his need to escape.  The reason dogs do this is because they want to find a mate.  Neutering also calms male dogs down quite a bit.  You could also get a tie out chain.  There is a stake that goes into the ground and a long leash hooks onto that.  The only thing about these, is it's not a good idea for a dog to be tied out for long periods of time unsupervised, as they can get themselves all wound up and hurt themselves.
I wish I could be of more help.  I would definitely start with neutering and leash training him, as I feel you will see a big difference. You can also take him to some puppy classes which are very reasonably priced, so he can learn some manners hehe.
Best of luck!
Hilary