yellow lab

Question
I am in my 40's and purchased my first yellow lab pup, my first pup ever.  He is 7 months old basic leash and command training so far is going very well.  My question is how do you train your dog to stay in her own yard without any kind of fencing?  I would like to let him run in the yard but everytime I do he runs into the neighbors yard and gets close to the road which makes me very upset.  I just don't know the next step in the training process.  Can you help me?

Answer
Congrats on the pup. You can boundary train him by calling him back and treating him for coming away from the edge of the yard, or you could do it negatively with an invisible fence - which I wouldn't recommend. But the thing is, dogs aren't real good at seeing imaginary boundaries. And some dogs will even go through an invisible fence if there's something sufficiently interesting (squirrel, cat, etc)so I would not trust this dog to be left outside without you and without a fence. Is physical fencing not an option? In the mean time, I'd take him out with me on a long line, work on teaching him to stick close when you are present, and find him a safe enclosed area where he can play and work off some of that lab energy. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com