dog is digging up my yard

Question
QUESTION: hello, i got this lab/bullmastiff male dog a couple of months ago.  the lady i got him from said she was getting a divorce and could not keep him.  i noticed the dog had alot of scratches on his head and know i know why.  he likes to dig under fences.  i have gotten his shots, had him neutered in the past month and he has dug about 26 holes in my yard and gotten out under the privacy fence around 15 times, i block one hole he digs another.  he also does not bark, he also has chewed up my furniture, a leg off my kitchen table, the whole side of my coffee table and more. i have brought chew bones and toys and he loves them. he is supposedly around 2 years old about 55 pounds.  i like this dog, but he is doing everything to destroy me being able to keep him and i don't want to pass this problem off on somebody else, i am sure if i told them, they would not want him.  my neighbors are complaining when he gets out, i worry he won't come back and i have had to chase him down the street, once out he runs like the wind and ignores me.  so far after about 3 or 4 hours he does come back!  please, please help me, i can't afford an electric fence or dog training, my husband is ready to leave me for all the money i have spent so far on neutering, shots, toys, heartworm and flea treatments.  this dog is killing me.  thanks, lana

ANSWER: Does he stay outside a lot? He sounds bored, and I'm guessing from the amount of damage he's doing, he's not very well supervised. I'd crate train him, and when he is loose, I'd have him in the same room - possibly tethered to you, so you are aware of what he's doing. And if you can't afford training, there are numerous books and good information on line. You can do simple training yourself - it gives the dog something to think about besides digging and chewing. It's possible his destructiveness in anxiety, and giving him good training, rules and supervision will make his life feel a lot "safer." Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

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QUESTION: i am sorry, he is an inside dog and only goes out to potty in a fenced in yard. also i got this dog so that my 12 year old male german shepard would have a friend to play with and to get my shepard moving, he's having problems with his hips now and is getting very slow getting up and down.  both males get alone great and they mostly face wrestle, more like a male kiss, they sleep on the same area rug in my living room and both watch cartoons while i am gone out shopping, going outside is just for exercise or potty and most times i am not out there with them, it's fenced in, but after about 20 minutes i look out and my shepard is there, but jack the bullmastiff/lab is gone, dug his way out.  also, could you tell me what books to read? title, author or anything for my problem, digging and chewing.  i would also like to get this dog to bark.  my shepard, nick, has a ferousis bark and people come to my door and say oh my god, they see nick he's 150 pound and looks like a wolf.  nick is my heart, my protector, but he is 12 and i can see his health deterioriting and i thought a friend might liven him up and again, they are great together, but it's not enough for jack, he digs and chews so bad i just don't know what to do, it's like i am in too deep of things i have lost and money i have paid to give up on him now.  but i fear, that's what's going to happen, i will have to take him to the pound  because i wouldn't want anyone else calling me mad that he chewed up their valuable furniture or dug up their yard.  tonight i fell when my leg went down into a hole i didn't see.  i could have broken my leg or ankle.  this is horrible, please help, lana

Answer
Almost any good book on clicker training would be helpful for you www.clickertraining.com will have a good selection. Some good beginning ones are Clicker Training, getting started by Karen Pryor and Get Clicking with Your Dog by Peggy Tillman. But stimulating this dog's mind is the main thing you need to do. Since he's basically an indoor dog, I would supervise him outdoors and call him away from the fence (with a treat) as soon as you see him heading for it. If you know he's likely to dig out, 20 minutes outside is way too long to be unsupervised.