So last week I came on here to praise my dogs behaviour at the vet as his manner outside have improved. He will be 2 in February. This week he has ruined every piece of furniture I have! I am at my wits end and breaking point. Previously I have sought advice on here for chewing and not really got very far. He has chewed before and no doubt will again. I am being advised elsewhere to crate him. He has never been crated before and I never ever wanted to crate a dog however I can't keep doing this. Daily this is the routine; 6.30 - 30minute walk 7-7.30 left with a Kong, bone and radio on. He has access to lounge and kitchen. 11.30-12.30 Dog walker attend and he goes out for between 1 and 2 hours 1.30-2.30 dog returns (sometimes 3.30 if she takes him longer) 5.30 - 6.30 We return from work and he is walked for 30 minutes We have to work so advises us to be home more isn't helpful. We have put the above structure in place so that he has no long periods of separation. He sees other dogs daily on his walk. He has enough space but not too much. Its not working. In the last 2 days he has chewed my £500 sideboard, £300 TV unit, 2 tables, a candle, 3 PS4 games, pulled the sky box. Now we are forced to resort to reducing his space and access. I really need some advice and support in how to do this. My OH is off work again next week which isn't helpful as I anticipate a repeat performance when he goes back to work so we need to put something in place before then
Have you considered doggy daycare? That way he’s not at home to chew stuff. I realize this doesn’t help, say, for weekends when you might need to leave him, but perhaps as an interim measure to keep your sanity?
Could you split his one long walk with the dog walker into 2 separate visits? Maybe she could come between 9 and 10 for first walk, and then between 2 and 3 for 2nd walk? They don't need to be long walks, probably 45-60 mins each time would do, and will probably be a bit more expensive - but not as much as replacing your furniture!
Hiya Thank you. Unfortunately he needs to learn. We already spend £250 a month on the dog walker and cannot afford to double these costs to accommodate a 2nd walk a day. Doggy day care, as you say doesn't solve the problem. We cannot have him not being able to be left it just isn't an option. We need to be able to leave him rather than him become worse because he has constant human contact - if we cant then we can't keep him and this also isn't an option I want to explore We have had him now since April and had about 10-12 incidents of this so it isn't daily but this week it has been particularly hardcore. His daily dog walker is 1 hour (that's what we pay for) sometimes she chooses to have him longer hence the different times. I believe this is dependant on her other charges that day
Could you up the Kongs throughout the day e.g. leave two in the morning; get the dog walker to leave two? If they are frozen, the second may have thawed a bit before he gets to it but it will still keep him busy and chewing them. Also do you use the black kongs for heavy chewers so he has to work harder at chewing. Sorry I know this is not the total answer but hopefully others will have some other strategies to add.
Could you have a look on borrowmydoggy.com to see if there is anyone local who would like to walk / have a dog in their home for a few hours a day? Obviously there are all the checks to go through, and for both parties to be happy, but when I registered i was amazed at the number of people within 5 miles from my house who loved dogs, wanted one of their own, but couldn't due to circumstances. the only cost would be the annual registration fee which last time I looked was £45 p/a
This is an option - I assume this would be instead of breakfast and dinner and more like a mini meal each time. He has chew toys but we are finding he isn't touching his bone until we get home so that's lost its appeal. He will chew a Kong whilst it has something in it and he waits every morning for this before we leave. The damage seems to nearly always be before lunch.
Hi Thank you for replying. We wouldn't be able to do this and dog walker. I looked into this before we employed her but had concerns about being let down and short notice and also him not getting enough exercise if they didn't feel like actually taking him for a walk. Also do they have insurance etc? Part of him going to the dog walker is that he continues his education with someone know also keeps him in tow and he is in effect being trained at the same time, by socialising with other dogs and learning recall.
There's no reason why you couldn't use up all his meal allowance (perhaps with a nice bit of tuna / pb/ veg / chicken to make them always interesting) on 6-8 kongs a day - you could get a freezer bag and ice blocks to keep them frozen if you aren't happy with your dog walker getting them out your freezer.
I apologise for this thought, but is the dog walker actually taking him for an hour's walk, it has been known that some dog walkers don't actually do what they are supposed to do. Forgive the wicked thought. On the other hand, he might have had a super walk and some dogs seem more energised by a walk and then he is protesting that the DW has left him.
Yes, borrow my doggy has insurance - i understand your concerns, think this would have to be 'bonus' activity rather than something you rely on daily.
Hiya yes he is definitely going out. We have arrived / left alternatively before and during his walks without notice and also seen the state he comes back in (mud ball). He tends to do more damage before the walk. We are going to record the next working day (a week away) on the tablet
Yes as @leejane says. The more he chews on his kongs, hopefully the less he wants to chew on your furniture. Have you tried bitter apple spray on your furniture as a deterrent?
In which case, could you make that 30 minute early walk as exciting as possible - building in as much training, brain games as possible - maybe an extra 5-10 minutes brain training just before you leave the house? So he's as tired as he possibly can be when you leave for work, and will hopefully just sleep? I'm sure he will do this more anyway as he gets older.
Hi @Carys it us possible that your dog is suffering from separation anxiety with the chewing and also that he is leaving his bone until you return. Crates are frequently recommended as once trained to love a crate a dog can not chew and damage the house - or himself by inappropriate chewing of wood which can splinter and lodge or pierce the stomach/intestines or chewing if electric cables. A long walk in the morning may help to settle him particularly with some tasty kongs. It would be good to video him over several days to try and discover whether there are any external triggers - knocks on door etc., at what point he starts chewing and then I would suggest a consult with a behaviourist for advice on how to modify his behaviours.
He is huge. The XXL crates we have looked at don't seem big enough which is a worry. We are assuming separation anxiety as this spell has been after we have been home from work. The fact it is usually infrequent with no normal triggers is harder. Anyone ever crated a 35kg lab?
I crate a 43kg Lab. Initially I was against crating (it's not particularly popular in Australia), but after my monster left a path of destruction in his wake, I had to do something drastic and immediate. And it works like a charm. Furthermore, he loves his crate...he gets fed in there, and also Kongs throughout the day. He's about 16 months now, but there's still no way I'd trust him left to his own devices in my house. Additionally, he goes in during the day on and off as he pleases - the only time it's shut is when I go out and I try to keep it to a maximum of 4 hours. I'm a crate convert - it's given me peace of mind when I have to leave him home alone.
Not a Lab but have worked recently with a 42kg Akita (and still growing ) that was eating the sofa and had no problems with crate size.
