We have a 15 month old black lab. He is chewing 24/7 $1500 damage so far. How do we stop the chewing?

Question

We are going to get rid of him next week . I dont know what else to do and our children are devestated. He has a kong and chew toys and bones but he is outside digging and chewing plants.He has chewed over 20 shoes, a bar stool a chair in my living roo, All sorts of materials and textures. We are desperate. Will he outgrow it? We have tried sprays and reprimands and praising and everythign we have heard of. I really love his sweet temperment but we are at hte end of our rope. Help please!

Answer 1

Before getting rid of the dog, you need to think about what that would be teaching your children. 1. that pets are disposable. 2. that if a loved one doesn't behave, you get rid of them.
These are very serious lessons, and will make a difference in your children's future decisions, including making a go of marriage, or getting rid of the problem maker, etc.

Dogs chew because:
*They are bored and want to play.
Without you there, life for your dog just isn't too entertaining. So they make do with your stuff, and you aren't there to correct them. A dog does not differentiate between a remote control and a chew toy. Both are chew toys to them. What they do know is that you react in an unpleasant manner when it's the remote control and remain calm when they goes for the chew toy. So, naturally, they'll wait until you're gone before tasting the forbidden fruit!

*They have a lot of energy and it needs to go somewhere!
Exercise is very important for all dogs. Certain breeds need more than others depending on the characteristics of that breed. Take time to exercise your dog frequently. Use this as quality time between the two of you. Have family members share in the responsibility. Others have used this as their exercise time as well, and have steady walking routines with their dogs as a personal weight management tool.
*They are experiencing Separation Anxiety.
Each day when you come home, you make a mental record of the destruction...today they chewed the remote control into a gnarled piece of plastic, and there's a bite out of your slippers. And the list just keeps getting longer and longer. Why is your normally happy and obedient dog pulling this Jekyll-and-Hyde routine?

Separation anxiety is another serious cause behind chewing. Highly dependant dogs may feel abandoned when their owners are away, and may chew when alone to relieve anxiety and stress. Chew marks near doors indicate "barrier frustration," in which the dog is trying to break through the barrier to find his way to you. Dogs that chew as a result of separation anxiety often show other signs of this condition. They may follow you from room to room, shadowing you excessively. greet you in an over-exuberant way when you return after being gone, and sometimes vocalize, or will nonstop howl, bark, chew destructively, and may even urinate or defecate when separated from you. Some dogs with separation anxiety panic when they are unable to follow their owners around from room to room. If you suspect separation anxiety to be the cause of your dog's problem, contact your local veterinarian. You may need to institute an independence program to modify the behavior.

Before you leave, try adding your scent into your dog's toys. Rub the bone or toys between your hands and give it to your pup as you are leaving. Be sure and exercise your puppy to help relieve boredom and burn off energy - two factors that lead to destructive chewing. Make your exit of low importance key to help avoid separation anxiety.
Using a crate for training can be a great asset at this stage of the game.
Giving your puppy free run of the house while you are away is an invitation for destructive chewing by your puppy. Remember, just like a baby, puppies learn about the world through their mouths, and your house is the classroom.
Keep them in the area you puppy-proof. If they are allowed out of the area, you should be there to supervise them directly.

Always know where your puppy is, and what they are doing....Always!

Give your puppy plenty of chew toys. The focus of your puppies chewing behavior should be directed toward these items you select. There are many items to choose from, including Gumabone and Nylabone-type products. Rawhide bones, especially high quality varieties satisfy more than just chewing urges. There are also many safe, long-lasting chew toys that are made especially for teething puppies that will keep them occupied and content for hours. Examples would be knotted rawhide, compressed rawhide and durable rubber teething products ie: Kong toys, that satisfy your puppy's need for chewing and add gum stimulation. The items shouldn't be similar things you don't want your puppy to chew. Remember, your puppy can't tell the difference between your new shoes and an old pair.


Be thorough, consistent and correct chewing of inappropriate objects.
For this to work, you must catch your puppy in the act. If you catch your puppy chewing on "bad" items remove the item immediately and give them a "good"chew toy. When the puppy takes the good toy, praise them lavishly for doing so.

Always reinforce desired behavior with praise.

Is there anything else I can do?
You can also teach the puppy to ignore "bad" items. if they are always chewing the wrong things. You will need to set aside some quality time here. Place "bad" objects on the floor along with your puppies "good" toys and then act like you are not watching or paying attention.
At the precise moment they start to mouth one of the "bad"items, in a stern voice, correct the with a firm 'No!' and point out the correct "good" item. Soon enough they will learn they can only have the "good" items when you are present.
After this has been accomplished, you will need to leave the area for short periods of time, a good starting number would be one to two minutes. When you suddenly appear from nowhere, see what they are playing with, and you may catch them red-handed. The is the only time corrective action should be taken. Correct the puppy again, and give them a "good" item, praising when it is accepted. If your puppy continues to chew on "bad" items while you are away, further sessions like this may be needed, or else you will have to crate or confine your puppy when you are away. When successful, you will have removed a major stumbling block in developing a healthy relationship between you and your puppy.

If needed, you can spray or treat the '"bad" items with a chew deterrent like Grannick's Bitter Apple or Chew Stop that will give it a very bad taste. In the case of furniture, you can rub bath soap on the legs of the furniture as a deterrent.

Have a battery of 15-20 toys at the ready. Only give your dog 5 toys at a time, and rotate the others in and out on a daily basis, or every other day. This keeps the interest in the toys, and the dogs sees something new every so often.

Consider crate training, baby gates, etc. combined with lots of exercise (crate never used for punishment)

Answer 2

At 15 mos., your dog is not teething. My 5 month Ridgie has all his adult teeth. It sounds like your dog is just bored and has pent up energy. And given a lab - those are one of the most high-energy dogs around.

It sounds like you don't crate him. While the "unread" folks think it's mean, it's really just catering to the dog's natural denning instinct. And that's probably why he has the opportunity to chew things you don't want him to - he's not supervised. An overly supervised dog actually respects its owners more because it is told the rules as it comes across them. It doesn't have to guess or get random punishments.

Next is exercise. That's a dog's #1 need. Put it on a treadmill if you can't take the time out of your day (and if you can't, why did you get a lab in the first place???!?!!!!)

Shoes - they smell like his family! He loves his family! And his family seems to neglect him! Hence the chewing of shoes. Keep your shoes up high and out of reach.

I'm a little upset that maybe you made a poor choice in a dog and will contribute yet another dog to the local shelter, all of which could have been avoided if you chose the correct dog for your lifestyle and trained it properly. Dogs sent to a shelter have serious abandonment issues with their new families.

Answer 3

What Fawnice said is right. I just want to add that you can give him ice cubes and freeze wet towels for him to chew on. The cold will numb his aching gums and help with the pain. Make sure that when you are exercising him (I would recommend about an hour walk 2-3 times a day) that you aren't doing it on pavement because Labs being a large breed can develop CHD from the hard surface. At 15 months you only have about 7 more months and he should be settling down. Try to be patient. Get a book about raising Labs (there are tons, some of which I have since I am getting a Lab). Best of luck

Answer 4

I have the same problem with my dog. She chews everything she can get her mouth around. I asked our vet what I could do, cause I too had tried everything, but he said that she will just have to outgrow it. He said it could take until she was 2-2 1/2 years old for her to fully mature and quit chewing. He suggested we put her in a large outdoor kennel where she can only chew on her toys, bones, etc., and to let her out only when she can be supervised. Basically just separate her from stuff she shouldn't chew on. We took his advise, built a large kennel over 400 sq ft, and let her out to run loose in the backyard for about 2 hours every day, plus her 30 min morning walk. This way she has her own space where she can't chew on stuff she shouldn't and she gets enough exercise and socialization to keep her healthy and active. I hope this helps cause I would hate to see you get rid of your dog over something he will out grow in a few more months.

Answer 5

Have you talked to a professional? It seems like a natural step before giving him away- or worse- just letting him go. He will outgrow it, but he needs your help.

CRATE HIM. It's not mean, puppies need it. It's a safe space for them. Too much space overwhelms them. Puppies chew when they are anxious and/or bored. Does he get enough exercise? This doesn't mean being left alone in the yard. You need to run around with him or walk him on a leash. Take him to a dog run where he can play with other dogs.

Talk to your vet, a trainer or read. He will outgrow it, but he needs your help. It's a big commitment, but you made it when you got him. Hang in there. He will give you more love and joy than you can imagine.

Answer 6

First, I've always felt dogs are outside animals. If you keep them outside there are probably fewer things they can damage. Puppies chew because they're board (I think I spelled that wrong?). If you give them enough attention and something else to do (chew toys) they will usually stop chewing on the things that you don't want them to chew on. Puppies eventually grow out of the chewing. As a last resort, when my dogs were puppies, I would put Tabasco Sauce on anything I didn't want them to chew. One lick and they stayed away from whatever it was.

Answer 7

Here is the question I always ask when people ask me the question you have posted here. Do you walk your dog at least 30 minutes everyday? This right here is going to win you a good percentage of this battle. If walking him alone does not help to calm him down, you can go to a petshop or online and get him a doggie backpack. Put some bottles of water in it for added weight. Put this on him when you go for your walks. Also, digging and chewing plants. When he is outside doing this activity, is there anyone out there watching him? Is anyone out there trying to correct this habit? If not, then the only thing you can do is get outside when he is out there and be with him. Walk around with him, or sit and watch him. The second you see him starting to dig/chew, go to him and nudge him slightly in the shoulder area and do a 'tsk' sound. Keep doing this each and everytime he does this behavior. He is doing it ONLY because he is bored. Yes, that's right. He's not getting enough exercise/walking. Dogs are natural walkers. This comes down through their ancestery of having to hunt for their food. They may have walked for miles each day before finding anything to eat. You dog needs something to do. You could even go outside with him and play hide-go-seek with a ball. Start with the ball out in the open telling him to get it, then gradually begin to hide it. You can even put a treat in his kong and do the samething with it. But please, get that boy out and walk him 30 mins a day. He should not be pulling, but walking by your side or behind you. You must be his "pack leader". If he is not obedience trained, get him out there to a class. You will see a big difference and love him for it. You wanted this dog, it is your responsibilty to take care of him and provide his needs. Letting him outside to play/chew/dig does not take the place of his 30 minute walk. Also, do not feed him before the walk. Walking him is his way of working for his food, which again, he would do if he were a wild dog in a "pack". Good luck and I hope you give this an honest try. It's not his fault he is digging/chewing. Thank you.

Answer 8

Well to start with, go to the store and get this stuff to spray on whatever he is chewing, it makes it taste bitter, sour or hot. He will hate it. Every brand has a different name but theone I bought was called "shoo" and "no chew". Worked wonders!
Next, talk to a trainer, behaviorist or vet.
And finally, find a constructive way to exert his energy. Labs are extremely high strung; he needs something to wear him out so he loses the energy to chew on things he is not supposed to. Most labs are wild until they are 2 or 3 yeras old, then they lose most of their puppy energy. But you did choose a high maintenance breed. Labs were bred for hunting and retrieving, thus bred with a high energy flow!

Answer 9

That's the down side to a lab. He will NEVER stop chewing things. I had to lace the chain Link fence with barb wire to keep them from chewing through the gate. Most dog stop that when they about 1 year old but a lab never does.

Answer 10

Same here with me I had a chiuhaha and her problem was peeing everywhere and chewing alot of stuff, What we did was put an item we wore on our shoes and things on the floor so she wouldnt chew them up, but eventually we HADto get rid of her there was nothing else we could do. I hope you find a cure! It breaks everyones heart to lose a dog :(

Answer 11

If you haven't already please watch the dog whisperer with Cesar Milan. I had the exact same problem with my golden retriever mix. He just had sooooooo much energy and was starting to become destructive. But on one of the shows Cesar talked about dogs needs. How they need 3 things.

1.Exercise
2.Discipline
3.Affection

So now we walk him twice a day. an hour each time and he is great! I highly recommend you watch the Dog Wisperer on the National geographic channel. You wont be sorry!