My friends 8 months old ESS chews everything and anything. He has wrecked their leather sofa (it was a 3 seater, the middle seat is now a hole as big as a well) Any ideas how she can stop him from chewing? He is walked 3 times a day, so he cannot be bored :-)

Walking a dog doesn't always mean its working its mind. From what i know of Springers they need to use their brain a lot more than many other breeds. Do you play games, hide and seek etc with the dog.
What does the dog have in the way of chews, bones, toys etc in the house. Is he left on his own in the house much?
Can they not confine him to the room without the sofa or less furniture while they are out by placing baby gates or closing doors?

I have a colleague who has a slightly younger ESS and they are having the same problems. You can only but advise and offer help, its up to them if they take it or not - In my case they don't appear to be doing anything.. Heyho

> He is walked 3 times a day, so he cannot be bored

Walking a dog means you have a fit dog, but one that's still likely to be bored. He sounds like an intelligent dog who needs something to exercise his brain as well as his body. Does your friend do any sort of training or work (play retrieving, agility etc) with him? He's at the teenage stage, and also his adult teeth will still be settling into the jaw, so it's vital that he chews to help this process. So your friend should make sure he has plenty of things that he's allowed to chew, and make sure that he doesn't have access to things he's not allowed to chew!

> He is walked 3 times a day, so he cannot be bored

It depends how much mental stimulation he needs. If his 3 walks a day include experiencing new places/people/situations and training then they will be providing some mental stimulation, but at 8 months old each walk shouldn't be very long so that still leaves loads of hours in the day for him to need to be entertained in some way (even if each walk is a hour long that leaves 13 hours a day of doing nothing - factoring in 8 hrs of sleep per night).
Being that he has had the opportunaty to destry an entire sofa he must be being left to his own devices for long enough periods that lonliness/boredom/seperation anxiety/the need to chew or play are getting the better of him.

Pesonally, my pup was never left for more than 2 hrs per day without a dog-sitter and when he was left he was in a dog-proof room (the kitchen), after ensuring he had allready had some mental stimilation (training & play took care of the mental stimulation) and he was left with something to do (a cardboard box with treats hidden in for him to chew his way through).

ETA JG & suejaw beat me too it and without all the waffle I always manage to do!!

I agree with the postings about mental stimulation.

However, I would not allow an 8 month dog free reign of my house when I wasn't in. I am a strong believer in crates at this age. Limiting opportunities for unwanted behaviour means you can concentrate far more on positive training. If my dog gets into mischief - it's normally something I have done wrong :)

xxx

> He has wrecked their leather sofa

Presumably this happens whilst they are out.  I can't imagine allowing it to happen whilst someone is at home - so have perhaps answered my own question!

I agree with confinement.  Young dogs can easily get stressed by activity outside the home so he does not need a large space to patrol.  Put him somewhere where he can't see out or hear too much external noise.  Crate is OK short term, baby gates and doors are a bettter option if it's for a bit longer BUT either way this dog needs to learn house rules.  Give him a box of things he IS allowed to chew, and rotate them to prevent him getting bored, also use them to swap each time he chews something is isn't allowed.

I don't know the circumstances or type of walk they are giving him but at 8 months he should still be on limited walking.  Far better to give him things to see and do whilst out rather than covering big distances.   Formal training classes are excellent for tiring dogs out - mine used to sleep for hours after each lesson!  Find a good class and practise training at home each day too.  These dogs can be a joy to see when trained well and generally have enormous potential.  Clicker training is a good option too. :)