How do i get my dog to stay in the yard!?

A couple months ago i adopted shep a basenji/german sheperd mix(1.5 years old) . He is a great dog but his still has alot of puppy spirit and likes to run away when i let him off leash. I am worried that he will run into the street or get hurt when he is running all over the place so i dont let him out without a leash. But i dont want him to always have to be outside on a leash. I need a training method that is quick and affective. I've tried "stay" and everything but he treats it like a game. I tried the underground electric fence but it wont work in my yard....there are too many wires in the ground. So if anyone has some ideas.....please share them

anyone?

I would just stick with a Lunge Line for Horses its about 20-30 feet long and still keeps the dog safe.I do this with my GSD,that way she can play in the front yard with me not worried that she will get hit.Our back yard is fenced.Why dont you fence a small area in chainlink for the dog.I am not a fan of chaining dogs up at all so dont suggest that.

You'll need a fence.

fence is not an option cause i live in town homes

Then you need to teach him a reliable recall so he doesn't go sprinting off when you let him out. You'll need a long lead to do that anyway so that's probably your best bet, you can use it on him for training and letting him out now, and then when when he's reliable, you can start to let him off leash.

then he has to stay on leash. or take him to a fenced in area to run around off leash. those are the only guaranteed ways to keep your dog safe.

there are no easy answers besides these.

Any learned behavior will only be 90% effective so to let him run loose where he could get hit by a car would be irresponsible. Take him to a dog park where he can run and get socialization with other dogs as well. A quick Google turned up this one in your town:

http://www.alimagnetdogpark.org/home.htm