How do I stop my black labs from ruining my room!? 7 Years old.?

Question

I have 2 black labs that I have had for 7 years. At our old house, we let them sleep in the living room and chew on firelogs. Now taht we've moved, they destroy my room. We have nowhere else to put them. The neighbors complain if we put them outside, and we have no extra rooms. So far they have destroyed over $9,000 worth of things. I can't train them, they're too old. Chewy toys don't work becasue they destroy them too quickly. I don't want to give them away but I think I might have to because I dont' know what else to do. They only chew things when I'm not around, so when I come in to see the damage and punish them, they have no idea what they did wrong. Some advice please?

Answer 1

Kong toys filled with peanut butter, soft cheese or liver sausage. Raw knuckle bones, frozen. Heavy duty raw hide bones.

When you aren't around, put them in crates. Get large crates that they have plenty of room to move in, put the above things in with them.

Only give them the above mentioned items when they are crated. This way, being crated is something 'nice', not puppy-jail. When they come out of the crates, pick up the items left over and put them up where the dogs can't reach them.

They also might require more exercise. If you can't run them a minimum of a mile a day for physical reasons of your own, toss a ball for them to fetch for 1/2 hour before leaving them. If you have a stair case, sit at the top and toss a ball or treats down, having the dogs run up and down the stairs for 1/2 hour.

Work on obedience training. If their minds are exhausted from 1/2 hour of sit/down/stays, their bodies will seem to be tired, too.

Answer 2

You can teach old dogs new tricks. Try getting a couple of "Gallileo" bones by Nylabone. My Pit Bull chews on those. You can also get some Kongs and put some treats inside for chewing and hooves are good for outdoors.
If they have done that much damage, for less than a thousand dollars you could have someone build them a secured outdoor kennel where they can have access to an indoor area from weather hazard.
They are working dogs and are bored especially when left alone in a room.
Schedule as much exercise and fun time with them as possible, between you and any other family members so they will have things to look forward to, like regular daily walks, romps in a dog park, time to play fetch or whatever with you.
If you can't build the outdoor kennel for when you are gone, then invest in a few kennel cabs. At seven yrs old, your labs are elderly, for that breed. Placing them in new homes will be difficult and will be much harder on them.

Answer 3

Well, you do have an issue there. I got a German Sheperd that is now 5yld. He used to destroy MY room only and not others. At that t time, we where in a big house with a garden, so i wasn't mad at him that much. But now we live in a condo, he doesn't have anywhere else to destroy things...so he goes into my room and make things fall, shewing on my homework paper (yummy!) So whenever i came back from school, i see my room in a mess. So what i did is, that i lock myself in the rom with my dog. I took a stick, in which he is scared of, pointed his noise to the mess and colded him with an angry voice. My dog has never seen me that angry to him. He would be wondering what he did wrong. On the weekend i would train him bit by bit. I would put some very look-like-expensive-object on a shelt about his hight (all this in a room with no one else but the dog and you) Then when ever my dog tries to get near the object, i would use my stick and show him near to his face to let him know that i am ready if you topple that object. Because he is scared of the stick he backs away and i quikcly award him his favorite treate! ever since he has been very careful with things around him. Well...time ot time he would topple somethings but it won't be a complete mess. Try it, try to show the dog something that he hates alot. Maybe the vacuum, or the broom, or the mope...or the radio...ANYTHING to get him off...hope this helps...

Answer 4

A dog is never too old to train, they may take some more time and patience than others but they are still trainable. I don't know where you live but here in Australia we have these toys called Kong's and they are a really really hard rubber and they have a hole down the middle so you can put this stuff down there called Kong Stuffer which comes in all different flavours. I have an American Staff and trust me he can eat through anything!!! We got him one of these and he CANT destroy it and when we put the stuff in the middle he will sit there for hours trying to lick it all out.
Good Luck and please feel free to email me if you need anymore ideas. I have plenty!!! [e-mail]

Answer 5

Let's look at this issue from a dog's view. It appears that they were raised in the same house for 7 yrs. And what is the neighbor issue? Did they have a yard and now they do not? Their lives were just as uprooted as yours, big changes. They are going to react.

Things to think about: is this place a bit smaller. the yard and exercise changes, are you gone more, leaving them closed up in your room when gone???

Labs need quite a bit of real exercise and if this situation has changed then you have to remedy that by walking more and being outside with them. Wear them down. They are obviously upset with the changes and at you, they simply don't understand what the heck happened.

Labs are smart. Dogs are smart. Yes, they do know what they did. If this is new behaviour then they are very aware of what they doing to your things. They miss the fireplace and logs too. So get them their wood to chew on if that is what they are used to. Their world got turned upside down and they are trying to tell you that.
Maybe this was not a move you wanted and they sense that. Yu can't fool dogs as easily as humans.

Has your routine changed with them? Then fix that. Stop and observe and listen to your dogs. Get down with them and talk, spend extra quality time and get things as near to the old house routine as possible. I am sensing you moved to a apartment from a house or something like that. Big changes for all to adapt to and they can.

And I am sure when you come in and they have done damage you may not react as should. That is when you get down with both in your room with whatever got damaged and have a heart to heart. Been working with dogs from lots of situation for years now and I do know that they do understand a lot more than we give credit. They are real anxious right now about things. Their sense of security and stability and life as they knew it for 7 yrs. is all messed up. Your vet might try them on a anxiety med for awhile to help ease them. I'm rehabbing a dog right now with help of medication, it's working, he's getting over the initial problems and then we'll wean him off the meds.

No, they are not at all too old for training but this is a emotional issue first. Yu have to regain their trust and position as pack leader. The rest should resolve itself. Sorry you've lost so many things in the process.

Answer 6

Your 2 Labs are dogs that need to work. They need alot of exercise and they suffer from boredom. They are not too old to train, and you can do it yourself. It just requries consistency. You have to take the time to let them release energy. They have no idea how much the things that they have destroyed are. You have three options. Take time to exercise them and train them, crate train them for when you are away, or please, find someone who will take them together (separating them may cause additional behaviors), who has the time to dedicate to them. They are exactly like children, they need attention, they need to run, and they need consistency.

Answer 7

A dog is never to old to be trained. Try enrolling in obidience school for them. Also I had alot of dogs, cats, etc. and your moving has gave them a big shock. This is thier way of "revenge". Just try the school before making any decision that you might regret.

Answer 8

you need trainer to train them.and these are labs they need exercise.they cannot be cooped up in the house all the time.

Answer 9

Put them in a crate when you can't watch them, I have a crazy golden retriever, that i love, but he is NUTS!!!!!!

Answer 10

get a spray bottle.fill it with water.when he does something wrong spray him and tell him know.he should get the idea after a little time.