Our 10 month chocky lab is becoming extremely destructive when left on his own. He has completely destroyed his own bed, he keeps emptying the rubbish bin and has even taken a pin board off the wall and chewed all the cork on it. Each time I leave him he is given some new chews and dog treats. He wasn't so destructive when he was a small pup. If I let him have a run of the house, hall landing etc he chews the books and the skirting boards.As of yet he hasn't chewed the kitchen cupboards although he has chewed a cheap butchers trolley complete with a bottle of Paul Masson red wine which he managed to get the plastic lid off. He drank alot and was very quiet that night!!!
Is it too late to try using a cage?
He has a kennel outside, but unfortunately one neighbour says he barks all the time, although I know he doesn't as nobody else hears him. He is also quite destructive in the garden digging holes, chewed the parasol.
By the way his pedigree name "Our Chocky Monster"
Any suggestions would be appreciated

From reading the posts of other peoples Labs , he sounds like a failry average Lab puppy to me :D

We have several Lab people here who will , hopefully be able to offer help. One thing struck me though , is he left on his own for a long period of time and have you tried using a Kong to occupy him?

Melody :)

Welcome to my world (but with Danes) :)

Get a crate, definitely, but only use it closed for short periods. It will help you a lot. Do a search on here on crate training too.
Chloe :)

One of the problems is that by simply leaving him with chews you are not leaving him with anything stimulating so he is getting really bored, and a bored dog can cause absolute havoc. There are loads of products on the market that are really stimulating, first of all I would try a Kong, buy a black Kong from you pet shop (black is super strong for power chewers like labs), then experiment with fun and interesting fillings, the kong recipe book on the packet gives you some ideas but also search the net because there are loads of recipes out there, my spaniels love it stuffed with bread and then soemthing fun like cheese, but spaniels go nuts for bread so you need to experiment. Also you can try boredom balls, they can be filled with some of his biscuits and he then rolls it about the kitchen and treats fall out randomly. If you want to start crate training then you will need some of these interactive toys to keep him happy in his crate or he will bark the place down. Good luck.

Crate are fantstic i never used one for my first GSD and noy did i regret it, she ripped up my kitchen lino, carpets shoe toys books doors, u name she done it, even thought the longest time she was left was prolly about 3 hrs, but in that time they can do a lot.
I now have a 17 week GSD and have learnt me lesson she is crate trained to the point where i can put her in it whilst i hoover and mop all my floors by the time this is finished she is fast asleep. They do get to like there crates as it is there own personel space. She does not go in it at night but the door is always open for her to go in with blankets and some of her toys.

Just have to say that whenever I leave my Lab puppy (5 months old) with anything chewy including a kong he always goes on to chew something he shouldn't when he gets bored with the chew. Luckily so far he's confined himself to chewing the arcitrave around the kitchen door which nonetheless he's damaged quite badly. The thing is when I leave him with a chopped up apple in his bowl by his bed instead he doesn't go on to chew anything else - he just goes to sleep. He's confined to the kitchen when we go out and is left for up to 3 hours at a time. Don't know if apples are soporiphic or if I'm just counting my chickens before they've hatched and there's worse to come yet............

best of luck
Cathryn

When pups are this age they can be particular about the texture of the thing they chew - too hard and it hurts the teeth - but just the right texture and the action of chewing helps reduce the pain and inflamation - have your tried using Bongela on his gums to soothe the teething pains?

<<One of the problems is that by simply leaving him with chews you are not leaving him with anything stimulating so he is getting really bored, and a bored dog can cause absolute havoc. There are loads of products on the market that are really stimulating,>>

I had to laugh at this - not that you are wrong, but there is always an exception to the rule!! When we got our first pup (I'd had dogs all my life, but our first pup as a married couple) we kept her in the hallway/kitchen. Puppy proof, nothing dangerous, LOTS of toys/chews - all stimulating and fun. What did she decide to do? She'd sit in her dog bed and chew on the wallpaper and skirting board!

You just can't win sometimes. However it was because of this that as much as we hated the idea of crating,we still decided it was safer for her - and now I would never go through puppy stage without a crate.

The other benefit is no matter how old she gets we can still crate her if needed (both of our dogs actually) and this can be really helpful when you've got workmen, or are travelling etc.

Wendy

how long is he on his own for???

Melodysk is right he does just sound like a normal naughty chocolate lab, but it may be that he is bored becasue he's on his own too long

Do you leave him all day????

Hi,
we have a 8/9mth old staffy X, he is a rescue dog. having experienced 2mths of internal house damage despite treat filled kongs and another dog to play with during our absence, our vet/behavourist suggested a crate which we got on Saturday just gone. Our dog didnt seem too keen on it to begin with but now having covered it with a sheet limiting our view into it and making it more den like he is appearing to be settling now. And can I just add, that comming home now from inevitable trips outs alone, it is so nice because there isnt the torn papers, carpet, chewed toys or footwear to clear up. I have never been that keen on the idea of caging any animals(even our rabbit had an open access into the garden all the times) but the fact that our dog is now appearing less stressed I am now of the thinking that sometimes some dogs do suit this kind of treatment and they are not so bad. Incidently our other dog who is 2 1/2 rescue gsd has always been happy with kongs.

Join the club!!!!

Just put everything he shouldn't have out of reach, and make sure he has plenty of toys. Kongs stuffed with melted cheese & biscuit bits works quite well

Skirting boards, carpets, wallpaper etc liberally dosed with Tabasco sauce worked for me.

As far as the garden goes - its a labrador :D

Once again i would recommend a crate for you puppy, as he is in the kitchen there can be lots of dangers for a mischief pup :-), espieclly if you keep your cleaning materials where he can get to them, you never know what he might decide to do next.

I think we need to know how long this puppy is being left for before we recommend a crate.

Sometimes he's only left for half an hour when I go to pick up the kids from school, other times it a couple of hours. If I have to go out for longer than that a neighbour kindly goes in and often takes him for a three mile walk. It was after a three mile walk that he chewed his bed to pieces. I'm relly reluctant to crate him, he has a small kng like toy which I filled today, left him for hour and a half, came home and he hadn't chewed anything nor had he managed to get the treats out, he waited till we got home!!!!

I see, well for those sort of spells I would say give a cage a go, some say theirdogs reject the idea whole heartedly but all mine have taken to them very well appreciating the sense of den-like security.

Ps I saw what you said co28uk :p ;)

oh when i said she has already said about the times :-) sorry i thought she had but saw that she didn't put the times until after you asked, so i deleted it:-D

I have those moments too :D

:-D

I'm now in the process of ordering the largest cage I can find. Is there any way I can put a feeding bottle of any sort on them. At present he even tips up his water bowl and and his food bowl. He even manages to smash a china water bowl by carrying it around,also he tipped up a whole bucket when he was left in the garden. Do you think he'll get fed up with a wet bed all the time and nothing to drink, I'm worried he'll get dehydrated. I remember my old dog as a puppy was a chewer and a mischief but that was 16 year ago, so I guess I'd forgotten what it was like to come and find everything chewed. We "monty proof the kitchen " every time we go out, but as you say he could get in a cupboard with bleach or the like and I'd be devastated if anything happened to him

The company that you are buying from should be able to help you, most of them do sell stands and bowls designed to fit onto the cages.
Karen.

I'm not sure that a dog would be able to use a rabbit style feeding bottle :D you could try the type of bowl that fits inside a metal frame hooked onto the side of the cage, the cage makers will usually supply these, but really if you are only leaving him for an hour or two, with a good drink before hand, he should not dehydrate unless the room is overly hot.

Hi,
I am having the same problem only I own two Boxers, Bruce 20 months, and Lucie 18 months. When we go out they destroy the house, even if they have just been on their own for 10 mins while I walk to shop. Lucie even managed to get on top of the kitchen work top and jump through the top (very small) window into the garden. They have pulled the blinds down, ate the wall, doors, bin, floor (anything they can get to). I have a hatch from my kitchen to dinning room which they can open and jump through and then trash the dinning area and living room. We have left toys, chews, kongs filled with everything we can think of, balls they have to get the treats out of, etc, etc but nothing works. We have spent alot of time training them (which they respond well too, while we are around), they go on lots of long walks, and are like different dogs while we are around but once left on their own they just destroy everything, even when we go to bed at night. We have tried lots of differnt things people have told us to but nothing seems to work and we just don't know what else to try. We would be gratefull of any advice any1 can offer. This all started about 2 months ago and is getting worse everyday. I don't know why they started to do this because nothing has changed.
Please help!!!!!
Louise and Gary.

Crates would seem to be the answer.
:)

What would be the best way to go about this? One crate each? In together? Where would we get them from? Etc, Etc. Sorry, but never used a crate before, as you can prob tell. I think it may be the answer though because I think if this carries on they will really hurt themselfs. Bruce has allready got out the window and jumped the fence and got his leg stuck and I don't even know how Lucie got out the top window, it must have hurt. They have also smashed things and we have come home to find them around broken glass. It worries me just to leave them while I go to shop.
Thanks. Louise.

I would suggest one crate each, but side by side. Put their bedding in them, and for a couple of weeks or so keep them doors open and feed them in there, so that they think of them as places where good things happen, and where they sleep at night. Once they are happy with this, you can start shutting the doors for short periods, so that they realise the doors are shut, but opening them before they want to come out. You don't want them thinking they're being punished. Eventually they should be relaxed about being shut in when you go out, provided, of course, you never leave them too long.

If you do a "Search" (top right of the screen) for crates, or crating, you'll find loads of info.
Good luck.
:)

Well done Isabel! Crate this, crate that. Dogs are social animals - if this dog is upset being left alone then he needs something more stimulating than a crate. OK it helps if your dog will go into a crate ie: workmen etc but if we dont have time for our dog's then we should not get one in the first place. Inevitably they will spend periods alone, in which case I would recommend more stimulating activities - my mother has a collie/spaniel x who, when left alone has a whole box of toys, including puzzle toys which keep her busy for hours on end!!

I agree dogs are social animals which is why I say crating should not be done for long spells but leaving them tucked up safe for a couple of hours does no harm at all. Nothing to stop you giving them stimulating toys in the crate, safe from destroying the house or chewing something that might hurt them. Never needed to give anything to mine I only crated them after excercise and play when they were ready for a sleep anyway I would be home again before they woke up, now they are adult they are not crated except when we stay with friends where the dogs are always delighted to see the old familar crates again.

Hey all, I have a new Saint Bernard with the same problem. She is a resuce and now living here with my other 1.5 y/o Saint and 10 y/o cocker mix. Sophie is 9 months old. We have had her about a month now. She literally destroyed our home with every excrement possible and even took toilet paper out of the bathroom and flung it all over etc etc. while I was gone for THIRTY MINUTES, so we bought the crate the day after we got her. She does FINE in it, when I leave but I think she is so attached to me that even if my husband is home and I leave for a short while, she gets destructive urinating every time. Should I keep her in the crate at all times for 2 weeks until she breaks of this? I had read that somewhere....just wondering if anyone had tried it. Keeping the dog in the crate, let them out at least every 2 hours for meals, exercise etc. I dont know if I can do it, the poor girl was so neglected and just wants to be near me all the time. Any way, any ideas out there?
ALSO, she is food agressive- any tips?

Hi

The fact that your dogs is not only destructive but urinates and defecates when you are out sounds more like she(?) is suffering from separation anxiety and is not just bored. You say she also follows you about the house, is very attached, and is a rescue dog. All these things would point to separation anxiety too.

i would think this dog needs her confidence building to get her to understand that you leaving is not such a big deal, that she can survive on her own for periods of time and that you will come back.

I'd try leaving her in another room from you, just for a few minutes each day whilst you are home, try putting a babygate across a doorway so that she can see you if she gets too stressed shut out completely. Train her to stay outside a doorway while you make a cup of tea etc. Don't fuss her too much either just before you go out and when you get back - make those times as calm as possible. Then try going out for just a few minutes but alter your routine - if you usually go out the front door try going out the back and vice versa. Try going out the front door and walking around the house and coming in the back just for the heck of it. If your dog never knows if you are going out for 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes or longer she won't get so upset when you've gone. She will probably be sitting in the hallway wondering if you're going to walk back in the back door or the front and forget to be upset.

If she's had losses in her life before you she is probably so scared of letting you out of her sight in case she loses you too so she needs time to realise you are here to stay and that she's not going to get abandoned again.

Hope this helps.

I forgot the food bit!!

Again, if she's had to fight to keep food, perhaps in kennels if she's been with other dogs, she may still feel she has to guard what she's got in case she doesn't get any more or it gets taken from her. You could try the 3 or 4 bowl trick. It has been suggested on here before but basically you split the meal ration into 3 or 4 portions and feed one portion in a bowl. Have a second portion in another bowl. When the dog finishes bowl one put down bowl two and remove bowl one. Put portion 3 in that bowl and place that down when bowl 2 is empty and so on. If the dog only ever sees people and hands being near when its eating as being givers not takers of food it should begin to feel safe. No dog who feels threatened has reason to guard. If your dog is very aggressive I'd place the second bowl just a little bit away from the dog then step back. When the dog moves to that bowl then go pick up the first empty one and refil it etc.
You could then progress to having a real tasty bit of extra chicken or similar that you could just drop in the bowl every now and again. It worked with a rescue dog we had who was dreadful with food. Now when I have reason to go near when she's eating she actually steps back from her bowl just in case I've got an extra treat to slip in. At one time she would have lowered her head almost in the bowl and grumbled and growled to guard it.

He sounds like a normal Lab I am afraid !! He needs stimulation as he sounds although he is getting a tad bored. You will find he will grow out of it by about eighteen months ish but will have relapses !!! Welcome to the world of owning a Labrador !! I think that all breeders should package a Lab up when it goes to a new home with a warning like you see on cigarette packets, 'Owning a Lab can serious damage your house !! ' :D :D

Lucy

you're soo right lucy, i've got four and you should see the state of my house!!!They were much worse at the 10 month stage though, it's like the terrible teens.I had two labs and a teenage daughter at this stage last year, what a nightmare.The crate definitely worked for mine, they don't need it now at 6, 2.5 years but amber who's only 21 weeks loves it, she goes in there when she has stolen something or when she needs to chill out.amber ate one of my daughters thongs yesterday, apparently it cost £6!!!!she's more money than sense:)

Another way to build confidence is to get a chair and sit in the part of the house with the most uncomfortable floor (usually kitchen) so they don't want to lie down, and then read a book. In the next room, you can have a buster cube or some other interactive toy (has to be one she can't pick up and bring into the room with you!) and ignore her. That way she'll have to take herself off to do something pleasant away from you. You're not forcing her, but it's just more fun over there. If she wont do that, you might have to introduce the toy or whatever in the same room and then gradually move it further and further away.
I give my dogs the option of sleeping in the bedroom with me on the floor, or in their crate with lots of squishy comfy bedding. Len, who followed me around the house even to the toilet when we first got him now happily trots off to do his own thing, and couldn't care less when we leave him. Not great for the self esteem, but good for the dog!

Jo