I have a choclate lab, and he is one year and some change. This dog seems to chew everything in our back yard. He goes up to our walls and rips the cable wiring to out computer and tv, from the out side. There was an electrical out let in the ground, which is not hot, he dug up and ripped the whole electrical wires out of. His teeth are fine. The dog has a playmate, gets excercise, has chew toys in the back yard, plenty of water, food and attention. He only does this when im gone of course but if I can't see him do it how can I correct him. I've caught him in the past and like I said if he is alone man o man. This dog chewed all of my childrens toys, everything from playskool picnic tables to my weightbench cusion, to my wiring around the house. The only solution I have is lock in a kennel we have but I hate cageing him up. The kennel we have is made of fence. He even rips the fence away from the piping. I've had to re attach it in the past. Can anoyone give any real solution!!!!!

Have you had your dog since a pup? .... If not do you know history of previous owners ? ... Unfortunately I can only advise on taking on older dogs with inherent bad habits ,without any background history on them, which are a nightmare to overcome. However if you obtained your Lab when it was older pls let me know and I can give you lots of tips as to how to ' Teach an old dog new tricks' ... cause if you have recently obtained your dog it will just be behaving the way that was 'Normal' in its old home and although it takes time, you can change their habits.
( Mind you it sounds you need help ASAP) , And if you have not had it since pup, your dog is still young and if u dont want to kennel it,and are willing to make a few changes I know there are plenty of people on this site with much more behavioral prob experiance than me who can guide you correctly.
Best of Luck
Karyn

Have you tried bitter apple? We spray that on stuff and my choc lab hates it -- its very safe, though. Of course, you can't spray your entire house, but this may at least help certain places. You may want to think about crating him for periods of time while you train him to be trusted alone. Think about crating him while you're not home, and if it's for more than a few hours, make sure that someone comes home to check on him and walk him.

I am not disputing the previous advice ... however I have very strong views on 'crating' domestic pets in the home. I am of the opinion if you want an animal as a house pet it is brought up and treated as such with freedom.
Crating animals in a domestic environment is similar to them being in a Zoo. Yes , we may have to get them used to crating for transport reasons and this can be achieved by 5 minute sessions....but surely not for behavioural problems in the home?
I acknowlege that it was said someone checks on the dog for a walk after a few hours ... but what is the dog going to learn being caged?.. Not a lot..mainly it is more convenient for owner , but the poor animal will only have time to build up wee bit more frustration?
I had a colleague at work who came from a Welsh country homelife brought a collie to Borehamwood, which has got loads of countryside. However both her and her partner were at work during day and surprisingly (NOT) the poor dog got bored and destructive..Their solution was a mesh crate ( agreed it was large enough for dog to stand up and turn) which the dog was put in when they were out of the house.They couldnt understand why the dog then went into a frenzy when let out??
There are so many possible reasons as to why the afore mentioned problem dog is behaving as such and without the background and present homelife facts I can only ask for further info in order to try to help.
I do not wish to offend anyone who uses home crating as a training tool , and may be able to justify their reasons , However as this site is open for all advice and opinions , I have given my honest opinion.
Karyn

I crate my dogs when we go out and when we go to bed. I do not charge an admission fee for people to come in and view them in my home so cannot see why you could compare to a zoo? A crate should only be used when you are not there to supervise your dog and what it is doing. Also if someone shows their dogs they need to be used to a crate, and for being in there sometimes for quite a while if a large show.
The reasons we crate when out are:
* You do not come home to a destroyed house. Furniture/ posessions are expensive to replace and a destructive dog can damage a great deal in a very short space of time.
* Not only can damage be caused to your house, your destructive dog can cause serious damage to himself. Chewing an electric wire if live could kill him, chewing plastic could cause a blockage requiring surgery - one very sick dog and one huge vets bill
* If you have more than one dog a crate when you are not there guarentees you do not come home to a couple of dogs hurt because they decided to have a fight over who had the last chew on the table leg
Whilst there is noway I agree with crating a dog 24/7 at certain periods of time they can proove very useful.
Would like to know if someone does not use a crate and they have a very destructive dog, where do they put the do if they have to go out where the dog can't go e.g hospital appointment etc?

My dogs are crated for their protection. In the event of a fire they will be found in crates which can be removed from the house so my dogs are not running around getting themselves into more danger. If I'm out for longer periods they are shut in their own room whiich is clearly marked as such with a decal on the window stating they are inside and awating rescue in the event of fire. I much prefer to leave them in their crates though because I know if they need to be rescued it will be easier.

Crates used correctly are a godsend.

Are we starting a crate/cage thread again if so do a search on them on here theres enough to fill a book.
Re: the original posting this dog is obviously needing some more stimulation than he is having how much excersise does he get? does he get on with other dogs? if so how about a companion for him. as it could be separation anxiety If I put Ned out alone he goes barmy if I put Minnie out with him he is fine not a peep.

I did not mean that they should be kept in the crate for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time. We crated my lab while we were training him, and slowly built it up so that he could be trusted outside of his crate. When he would young, we would come home to find he had destroyed things we didn't even know we had! Now that he's a little bit older, we can leave him out of it all of the time. Of course, he would be extremely excited when we took him out, but we knew that and would devote time to helping him work off that extra energy. Crates (although often abused) aren't all that evil.

Just incase you havent already tried it my chocolate lab can be entertained by a stuffed kong for hours.
or maybe a big juicy bone.

Hi Rachel,

I have a kong for my staffy and he chews it for hours, sometimes i put dog biscuits in it, but he gets them out within minutes. What do you put in the kong that lasts for hours?

Hi Mariab,

I put sticky things in my kong - like biscuits with peanut butter or a bit of mashed banana, things like that :)

Hi Mariab
My GSD is on dry food, but she like the texture of the wet food, so I give her Naturediet "lite" as part of her food regime. She can get it out within 10 mintes though as shes found out that if the "throws" it, or drops it on the floor, the food comes out quicker !!!!!!
If you want something that lats longer, then maybe you should try one of those "cubes", and instead of putting traets in (which will make 'em fatter) try putting in some dry food. The problem with mix 'n matchin different foods is that you then have to work out all the nutritional info, but hey.....the colories/proteins etc etc dont have to be EXACT!

why not kennel him (not a crate!) and provide lots of things in the kennel that he can chew/destroy?

I would suggest you invest in a proper kennel and run - secure mesh fencing and a concrete base with a secure "den" compartment. Then if he's left with toys to keep himoccupied he can't damage anything.

It does sound although he needs more stimulation and a companion.

Moose my 18 month Chocolate Lab has got passed the chewing stage. (She says laughing as when I get home she will have devoured something just to prove me wrong !! :D )She had companions but Min who is left is an elderly girl and so was not necesarily able to give her the full stimulation she wanted as sleep is more on mins agenda for the days activities ! MB who is 17 weeks however has Moose to keep her occupied and had has her moments but they have plenty of toys and access to the enclosed garden and so have plenty to keep themselves occupied !

Lucy

I must admit to you that I haven't read EVERYONES advice. As I flicked through I have read people suggesting crates.
I have never used a crate, I've never felt the urge to use one either. I must add at this stage that Sophie sleeps in a kennel during the night and the run of the garden when we are not in (that includes the night, just incase she needs to "go"). She has all the downstairs to play/rest in when there is someone at home, and I have kept a dog cushion to suggest a place in which she MAY want to rest :)
The only time which I have thought that I would want Sohie (GSD 16 m/o) in "her own place" is when we have visitors come around, especially children. Sophie loves people especially kids, and doesn't know her own strength sometimes. I know that crates are NOT EVIL, nor they are HARMFUL but I would prefer to use one of those "puppy pens". I saw one in a dog magazine and they looked quite good. The only problem is that they can be quite big. Has anyone used these?????

At the mo my next door neighbours are having a conservatory built. We can't let Sophie outside duirng the day (which she HATES) as she keeps barking at the workers. MY solution was not to let her run loose in the house (she chewed up my mobile phones, dvd's etc when she was younger and I dont trust her still!!!) so I keep her in the hallway. There is NOTHING in the hallway for her to chew, break or anything else. Maybe you can give your sweetie a part of the house and maybe use one (or two!! :)) of those "child gates" to secure him.