dog collars

Question
Labman -my dog lucky is a 25 mouths old basset hound puppy
with a small head and big neck and over that 25 mouths so
far she has gone though 12 collars and 17 hardnesses. i cant afford fence and i gone 8 hours a day so i have to chain her
up, but after i chain her up i go inside to get my things i
come out she is gone. so i get some cheese, get lucky,and
her bring inside lock her in my house and when i get back
home she made a huge mess.if i could get the right collar or
the right hardness that stays on her she can stay outside
and i wont have a huge mess to pick up when get home. so my
question to you is do you know of any collar or hardness
that a basset hound with a small head and big neck can wear
and it wont come off easier?

Answer
What is happening to the collars and harnesses?  Do they break, or are they coming off?  You may need to send a follow up question before we solve this.  

I am not a Neanderthal that rejects new things just because they are new, but I have had bad luck with the newer fabric collars.  The adjustable ones tend to adjust themselves becoming too big when the dog pulls.  The solid ones have a different style of buckle that the older leather ones do and often come unbuckled.  

I wanted a simple, but sturdy collar for our one dog.  I couldn't find what I wanted.  Finally I bought one much too big and cut it down.  You can punch holes in leather with a punch with a flat end meant to be used by mechanics.  

You may need to find somebody that does custom leather work to make a collar or harness that will work for her.  

Have you considered a crate inside?  In our modern society, even if we are home, other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a "safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving itself.

I am a big believer in crates, but hate to see any dog left over 4-5 hours. If you can't make it back to give it a mid day break, see if a neighbor or professional dog walker can. Doggy day care is a great idea too.

Some easier dogs may be left loose in the house without any problems.  Ignore those that have let such a dog fool them into thinking they have trained it that way.  The 2 dogs we have behave themselves when left alone, but it is their nature, not our training.  

You do need to solve the problem.  As a back up, you should have her chipped if not already.  

If none of my answer helps or you need more details, go ahead and post back and I will try again.  Sometimes questions are about a problem I have had and solved and know how to help others.  Yours forces me to try to think of how it could be solved.