I'm not sure if anyone can help but any suggestions would be gratefully accepted! I have a year old black Lab who insists on eating everything; socks, gloves, tumble dryer sheets, she even tried to swallow a tea towel! She's already had one operation to remove a swallowed sock and the way she is, it can only be a matter of time before it happens again. In all other respects she's fine, she's well behaved with other dogs, fine off the lead and great with children, it's just her need to eat EVERYTHING! Since her operation we have confined her to the kitchen with the help of a stair gate and the garden, but still she finds bits of rubbish, which have blown into the garden, to swallow. Friends have suggested that I muzzle her, to prevent her picking things up, but I loathed to do this. Eventhough I can't see any other way of preventing her form picking up everything! 
Please help

You can't prevent her from picking up everything because she's a labrador.  You need to prevent her from swallowing stuff.  This is what I would expect from a dog that has had things taken away from her and/or been told off for picking up things.  She's saying "it's mine, I found it and you're not having it".  You won't be able to turn this around overnight.  If this isn't the case I apologise for assuming it is.  You can try the popular 'teaching her to swap things for a treat' method - starting with low value (to her) articles and building up but this doesn't work for all dogs.  Some dogs will see this as you trying to trick them and will only play swopsies if it suits them.
You are going to have to make sure that she doesn't get hold of anything that she might swallow and when she picks up anything that is safe to have in her mouth tell her she's a very good girl but don't want it and don't try to get it from her and meanwhile work on getting a good retrieve during play.  So everytime she picks up something you must be pleased with her and not cross with her and I would expect her to eventually not want to swallow but instead to show you and hopefully even give you what she has found.  It will take a while though.
Sally

welcome to the labrador!
my first bitch ate through our sofa!
my second was an angel and didnt chew anything, oh actually she did, a pair of 100 quid leather boots!
thats why we love 'em!

maybe invest in a kong and stuff it??

all the best
Gemma

KONGS.

:)

Unfortunately, thats a Labradors job, thats what they're here for, to eat everything.....

Mine ate a shed door, garden bench, kitchen units, countless shoes, etc etc....

She stopped doing it after about 4 years I think, after that she just ate her meals.

Geoff :)