Lab question, problem..

[Roughneck71]

Hey guys all the dog people i need a little advice..our 8 month old lab Harley, she stays home in the back yard while the wife goes to work. 8 hours a day stays in the house when someone is home sleeps inside great dog......Latelly during the day she squeezed her big ole head out the gate ate the garden hose, now chewing the fence, and tonight ate the hoses off my bbq!! the weird one she has water and food in the morning out there, and she just throws the bolws off the deck? then goes thirsty all day...The back yard is not huge but all kinds of shade with straw under the deck, cedar dog house from pet smart, bones,ropes,balls toys,lots of stuff!! Question how to get her to stop chewing everything except her toys? and she ggoes for a walk in the evening and too the dog park for at least an hour every night.. thanks
Darrell

[Pudelpointer]

Dogs go through phases, including destructive attention seeking ones.

What to do about it? Sounds like she is bored and is keeping herself busy. A lot of dogs, hunting dogs especially, get bored and then start getting mischievous. The only suggestion I have (and probably the best given the situation) is to start taking her for a big run / training session in the morning (I never said it would be good for YOU) and get her tired out before you leave her alone for 8-10 hours.

FYI, labs can be high energy (depending on breeding) and at 8 months old she is just beginning her physical peak. Puppyhood is filled with hyperactivity, but they usually tire after an hour or so. A dogs teenage years (dog years) and early adulthood - say from 1 year to 4/5 years old is when your dog will be at its most active, requiring daily intense exercise and mental stimulation, or IMO they can go a bit squirrely in the head. From 1 to 4 or 5, a dog can keep up an insane pace for hours and hours. I have hunted my latest dog for more then 7 or 8 hours on a number of occasions. He is 4 1/2 now and is just starting to 'slow down' a little (still a speed demon) and I can now get away with missing the odd day or two of exercise, but after 3 days he starts looking a little bit twitchy, after four I know it is only a matter of time until he destroys something in the house. And I, or my wife, is with my dogs 24/7 for the most part.

I find that my dogs also go through a "second puppy stage" at around 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years, when suddenly they start chewing up things they know they shouldn't, like TV remotes, glasses and phones. Regular exercise and mental stimulation can go a long way towards making this retrogression a lot shorter.

[FishBrain]

MY dog has chewed everything in the yard except his own stuff, that has finally changed, he now digs, and digs, and digs. good luck with each phase the dog goes through.

[jpohlic]

Maybe try exercising him for an hour in the morning before work... tire him out a bit before he gets bored

[Roughneck71]

thanks well have to try exersising her in the morning and the night, i mean the wife only has a job and a 2 year old.... lol..i think i might try a dog run to keep her a little more confined with her million dollars in toys..
Darrell

[Mulestalker]

Got the same issues with ou 1 yr old Lab/Wire hair...AKA Dingdong....she is getting better but took a year and a couple hundred dollars of destroyed goods...

We have the kong,the rope,numerous deer sheds to entertain her,which helps...now she has the fresh garden veggies for a new toy...I swear that things part goat!!

Good luck to you,but I think PP has nailed it on the head!!

[nevercatchmuch]

my lab had energy to spare. A kong with peanut butter and lots of chew toys (note: must be TOUGH unless you want surgery). I also like the kong toy that you put dog food in and they have to roll it around to get food out. TAkes about 20 min for my pooch to get it all out.

[Nerdapres']

Sounds like your dog is bored. If I didn't walk mine in the morning and at night he'd bounce off the walls. Labs are high energy and time must be devoted to their mental and physical needs. Try sitting alone in the back yard for 8 hours, when all you want to do is run through the bush with your pack (you and your family),and you'll get a better taste of what your dog is feeling.

Try riding your bike with him, a 10 minute bikeride with him running beside you is an excellent activity, mentally and physically. And if you can't find those 10 minutes, then..... well, you know.

[Albertadiver]

We have our 8 month old black lab Duke. My wife works from home which helps. He gets a good 30-60 minute rollerblade or bike ride in the morning from my wife, and when I get home from work, it's a good hour walk up on Nose Hill.

He still chews things once in a while, but I find if he gets lots of activity and exercise his behaviour gets MUCH better. Also, just had him fixed which has improved his manners as well.

ALTHOUGH... he JUST ate the straps out of my hardhat 20 minutes ago!!

Here's a pic from Saturday


And his first ice fishing trip

[graham1]

My brother in laws lab used to chew everything. Ripped the grill out of a couple vehicles before he outgrew it. Kinda costly

[jpohlic]

Our youngest britt ruined at least a dozen pairs of shoes before she outgrew the chewing. We thought we'd solve it by buying a shoe rack and getting them off the floor, but she'd pull them off the rack one by one and scatter the pieces around the house

[Banger]

Originally Posted by jpohlic

Maybe try exercising him for an hour in the morning before work... tire him out a bit before he gets bored

This is bang on. My lab is pushing two years old now. Had the same problem. He would stay in the yard all day but had to much energy he would chew on stuff. But i noticed it was only on days where i was too lazy to drag my self out of bed before work. I either play fetch or go for a run every morning now and he is just fine all day. Then again in the evening after work. Great great dogs as long as they are well exercised.

[TheClash]

exercise in the morning is right on!!..


do you live near a swimming area?....now that it is nice and warm in the mornings 35-40 mins of swimming/retrieving out of water will tire that pup out a bit so he can relax all day till it is time to play again. great on the joints as well...

if not, a good run/walk etc. in the morning should help.

[Doodle30]

Originally Posted by Roughneck71

Hey guys all the dog people i need a little advice..our 8 month old lab Harley, she stays home in the back yard while the wife goes to work. 8 hours a day stays in the house when someone is home sleeps inside great dog......Latelly during the day she squeezed her big ole head out the gate ate the garden hose, now chewing the fence, and tonight ate the hoses off my bbq!! the weird one she has water and food in the morning out there, and she just throws the bolws off the deck? then goes thirsty all day...The back yard is not huge but all kinds of shade with straw under the deck, cedar dog house from pet smart, bones,ropes,balls toys,lots of stuff!! Question how to get her to stop chewing everything except her toys? and she ggoes for a walk in the evening and too the dog park for at least an hour every night.. thanks
Darrell

Let me start by saying I am far from an expert.

I don't think this is a lack of exercise, I think it's boredom and separation anxiety. I understand that some feel that leaving dog being outside all day is the more human, and feel that your dog would prefer it to a kennel but I don't think that is true of all dogs. I"M NOT JUDGING. If it works for you, great. All I'm saying is that I think that for some dogs that is more stressful.

We have a two year old lab that is kenneled during the day Monday Wednesday and Friday. She is exercised religiously. Walks, rollarblades/bikes and runs. Tuesday and Thursday she goes to doggy daycare and on the week-end we are very active with her. Within the last six months she has started to sleep outside the kennel at night. While I know some of this is luck we have never had a problem with her. No chewing or digging. Our next door neighbor leaves their dog out side while they are work. Although I am not sure this dog digs or shews, believe me this is a very stressful time for this dog. It paces the back yard and whines non-stopped until the owners return home. I do not know that this dog chews or digs but it most certainly sufferes from anxiety. I think your dog may be suffering from anxierty and displays and deals that anxiety via chewing.

Much of the research I read before getting our dog was clear in stating that a kennel often offers a dog a place of security. I find this to be true.

In the kennel your dog avoids the potentials dangers in your back yard. To me the cost and frustration of replacing chewed items is small when you consider any of these things she is eating could require surgery to remove.

If it where me I would try a kennels during the day. Dog may coupe much better.

Again no expert.

Doodle

[Muller]

Roughneck71,
You probably already know that your dog is bored…………….try to relieve that by giving the dog a fresh bone or peanut filled Kong toy.
However to stop the chewing you need to apply “bitter apple” to anything and everything that it may chew.
Buy a large quantity (Pet smart will have it) and apply liberally………………..it works.

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by Doodle30

Let me start by saying I am far from an expert.

I don't think this is a lack of exercise, I think it's boredom and separation anxiety. I understand that some feel that leaving dog being outside all day is the more human, and feel that your dog would prefer it to a kennel but I don't think that is true of all dogs. I"M NOT JUDGING. If it works for you, great. All I'm saying is that I think that for some dogs that is more stressful.

We have a two year old lab that is kenneled during the day Monday Wednesday and Friday. She is exercised religiously. Walks, rollarblades/bikes and runs. Tuesday and Thursday she goes to doggy daycare and on the week-end we are very active with her. Within the last six months she has started to sleep outside the kennel at night. While I know some of this is luck we have never had a problem with her. No chewing or digging. Our next door neighbor leaves their dog out side while they are work. Although I am not sure this dog digs or shews, believe me this is a very stressful time for this dog. It paces the back yard and whines non-stopped until the owners return home. I do not know that this dog chews or digs but it most certainly sufferes from anxiety. I think your dog may be suffering from anxierty and displays and deals that anxiety via chewing.

Much of the research I read before getting our dog was clear in stating that a kennel often offers a dog a place of security. I find this to be true.

In the kennel your dog avoids the potentials dangers in your back yard. To me the cost and frustration of replacing chewed items is small when you consider any of these things she is eating could require surgery to remove.

If it where me I would try a kennels during the day. Dog may coupe much better.

Again no expert.

Doodle

doodle great post...and i am no expert either. i think that all of us are on the same page though. the exercise helps to relieve anxiety and stress from the dogs by releasing that energy and allowing them to relax. it has a calming effect on the pup...however i do agree with your kenneling comment as well. my young dog does much better when left alone in his crate than in the open. it gives him boundaries and defines his place. it is a calm spot for him, his safe place. he generally settles down and just naps in his crate when he is in there.

i also feel there is peace and calmness in a routine.....a walk in the morning at the same time, breakfast after the walk at about the same time..some free time to run and play in the yard while mom and dad get ready and then, if you choose to go the kenneling route, into the kennel....in my experience having a routine with my dogs allows them to relax and "understand" what is going on and what comes next etc...

and bitter apple works great, unless you dog loves it like ketchup!! mine couldn't get enough!! lol.

[Tofinofish]

The bitter apple has worked for us as well with the training while Cooper was smaller, but now he is 7 months and doing the same, chewing everything. Hard to spray the apple on everything in the yard, but trying to keep him occupied. He spends most of his day chewing on our old dog who tollerates a lot. The old boy is Huskey Chow X Wolf and with the destruction he did, I was prepared for more from Coop the LabxRetriever. The old boy chewed the license plate off of a truck that parked too close to his house one time,,,,so I think the Lab will have a hard time outdoing that.
We try to keep him active and have access to things that are "his" to chew and is now getting better than last couple months.
He just had his boys knocked off as well, so this may be part of the mellowing cycle, though I'm sure it will take a while for this to really take effect.
I'd be pretty mellow if I went through the same....

Pretty great dog for 7 mnths though, but am sure there is more unexpected damage ahead.

J.

[OutwardBound]

Lots of good tips and info above.

One other piece of advice that may help, is that in my opinion most retriever breeds need to work / be mentally stimulated.

This doesn't mean you have to hunt her, but some basic skills while playing fetch could go along way. We found that 30 mins of training is the same as letting the dogs just run for 2 hrs.

Instead of just throwing a ball. Make the dog sit at your side, throw the ball, once the ball stops, release her by her name, when she comes back make her heel at your side and hold the ball until you say give or drop.

You would be amazed at just how adding some simple obdience into something is fun for your dog will help tire her out. as a bonus, this will also help in your everyday handleing of the dog.

Also it is natural for your dog to want to chew. like metioned bones or treat balls stuff work well. + You can by feeder balls where the dog has to roll it around to get it's food out. Again metally stimulating the dog + chewing, rather then just feeding her in a bowl. you don't have to do this every meal.

FYI we have to Chesapeke Bay Retrievers and we kennel them when ever we leave as they would randomly chew things. They always kennel fine and don't seem to mind it.

Dustin

[Roughneck71]

thanks for all the good info guys, im in the process of pricing out a chain link dog run to keep her a little more confined, and the exercise in the morning..hopefully she grows out of it soon

[FCLightning]

Chain link kennel is a good idea.
Train her for some tasks like retrieving and give her some mental stimulation - chewing is as much boredom as it is restless energy. So exercise her in the morning by doing retrieving drills and get double the benefit from it.
Get rid of most of the toys. If the dog has too many "allowable" chew toys it will never be able to tell the difference between what is chewable and what isn't. More chew toys is not the answer - in fact it will be detrimental to the effect you are wanting. Get a few highly enticing chew/play toys and then spend time teaching the dog the difference.
Very good insight from doodle and CBRHunter.

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by FCLightning

Chain link kennel is a good idea.
Train her for some tasks like retrieving and give her some mental stimulation - chewing is as much boredom as it is restless energy. So exercise her in the morning by doing retrieving drills and get double the benefit from it.
Get rid of most of the toys. If the dog has too many "allowable" chew toys it will never be able to tell the difference between what is chewable and what isn't. More chew toys is not the answer - in fact it will be detrimental to the effect you are wanting. Get a few highly enticing chew/play toys and then spend time teaching the dog the difference.
Very good insight from doodle and CBRHunter.

x2!!

[oilngas]

Thanks to all for the great advice, our brand new French Britt is now 3 months, so weve had her for almost 4 weeks. It's been awhile since we had a pup, (13 years) so I had forgot a lot of the trials. It's good to be reminded to get back to the morning walk as well as continue the after supper walk.
She loves her crate and will go in for a nap.
We are working on adding new expearences, people, dogs, and general stuff to her day. Sit, come, stay etc.
Having trouble with still occasionally peeing in the house is easier than going outside, this is pi----sing me off. But likley the problem is us and not the dog, so working on positive reinforcment.
She's great fun, starting to get more comfortable with us and her environ.
Anybody have exper. with these "from France" Britt's???

[Pudelpointer]

Oilngas, my suggestion on the peeing in the house problem is to create a routine that is consistent. When not actively doing something with you the pup should be in their crate. As soon as you let them out it is time for a pee, and lots of praise when they do.

Simple. Go back to basics.

I find we all want to rush are pups into adulthood, because it is easier for us, not necessarily for our dogs. I am as guilty of this as anyone.