How to Stop my Dog from Chewing?

labs are wonderful dogs, but they can be very stubborn dogs too. i feel your pain, my brittany mix didn't "grow up" until he was about 3. he was still destroying stuff well beyond one year. my best suggestion is to simply spend more time playing with him, labs need alot of stimulation. my dog always seemed to be more destructive when he was bored. he eventually grew out of it, but i knew his breed was one that would not fully mature until after 3 years. there really is no quick fix. put toys up when you arent playing with him though, so he doesnt have the time to chew them up. we went from picking up shredded baby diapers, toys, shoes on an hourly basis to not even having to worry about him touching a package of meat if left alone. with my dog he just needed time to grow up. so don't give up hope, im sure others will have better suggestions for you.

Labs are puppies for a LONG time. Hang in there.

First, I wouldn't bother replacing the bed or anything right now- he'll just chew up the new thing. A chewed up blanky's okay.

Secondly, what about things like bits of beef femur, like this
- you can buy them [linkhttp://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101279+003]http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101279+003[/link] here.

Once the dog has gotten all the filling out, I fill them with canned dog food (nothing HORRIBLY cheap, but nothing expensive either- something middle-of-the-road pricewise like Nutro Max or something- and then freeze them. Voila- new toys that are VERY desirable chew things.

Another option would be bully sticks- they cost a bit more but take even my heavy-duty chewer (Indy the corgi, who can eat a greenie in under fifteen minutes- I really should tape that sometime- nylabone edibles take him less than ten) usually takes at least a few hours non-stop on these. You can get them by the case (or on ebay) for a bit cheaper than you find them at petco and petsmart.

Lastly, I'd start doing your toy shopping at the dollar store- at least it doesn't hurt so bad to throw away a toy that only costs a dollar!

Oh, and forgot to say- you might also try getting him some more exercise, whether it's fetch in the yard, an obedience class (mental rather than physical exercise) in preparation for taking some agility courses in 6-8 months when his growth plates close, or even start training for some draft work or scootering. (Dogscooter.com has some info about scootering, and most labs love it!) Walks are important, but dogs really need to RUN- and they walk a LOT faster than us!

I would get him some 'soup bones' (aka marrow bones, beef thigh or whatever) from the supermarket. They are raw, have a little bit of meat still on them, and they are much more enticing than chewing your shoe or baseboards. My dog loves them and they last her a while too.

Gracie was this way, and still is to a degree. She'll chew on non-authorized things if she's bored or we're away longer than usual, and some things just because (Barbie dolls . . . she hates Barbies!). I've tried to put her chewing to a positive use, whenever I get junk mail, I let her shred it, but only if I GIVE it to her, otherwise she'd be taking bills off the kitchen table while I balanced the checkbook! I also let her shred (she doesn't injest anything she chews) empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls, wrapping paper rolls, and the paper cartons soda cans come in. It has seemed to help provide an outlet for her "Gozer the Destructor" need, and with the exception of the above listed instances, she doesn't chew so much anymore. I found the Bitter Apple somewhat effective, but she did seem to build up a tolerance for it. Just yesterday she had picked up a toy hot dog bun (VERY realistic, so I can't say I blame her) and I got that away from her and cleaned it with antibacterial gel, then I let her sniff it and she HATED that stuff, made her sneeze and she ran off to her crate! I wouldn't let her lick it though because of the alcohol, but it may work better than the Bitter Apple.

Labs take a while to grow up, and asking a one-year old not to destroy everything in sight is like expecting world peace lol.  It'll take time for him to mature, and in the meantime, you'll have to spend a lot of time dog-proofing your house and letting him know that he can destroy *his* stuff, not yours.
 
The bones in the pic posted by pwca last forever, and they're the absolute favorites of my three very avid chewers (2 labs and a big-ole bc mix). We must have at least 20 of those bones, and 18 of them are probably scattered on the living room floor right now. []  I buy the largest size, but I don't get the ones that are filled. If I need something to occupy their time while I'm busy, I'll scoop in a little bit of pumpkin or  eanut butter into one end. We actually have the two original bones we bought over two years ago. I should throw them away, but Brown pulls every one of those bones out everyday and makes it a point to chew on each one. The only thing I don't like about them is they're hard as stone, and you'll scream more than once when you stub your toes on them.
 
As my own little personal rule, I avoid rawhide, even compressed rawhide, and bully sticks only because bully sticks really don't last long with my dogs and, good lord, does it give them gas. I prefer to give marrow bones and deer bones (all raw) when deer is in season. These won't last as long, but they're good to keep my three busy.  Also, I suggest you avoid any smoked/boiled/cooked bones like those huge smoked knuckle bones you'll come across at Walmart and large petstores.
 
Also, if you buy stuffies for your dog, check out places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army. You can pick up stuffed animals for cheap there...just pull off the little pieces like eyes and noses and throw them in the washer, and they're good to go.
 
I hope that helps. Good luck!
 
 
 
 

Thanks for all your help. Sounds great! Actually I tried to buy chews for my dog ( usually from [linkhttp://www.walgreens.com]http://www.walgreens.com[/link]  or [linkhttp://www.opentip.com/]http://www.opentip.com/[/link] ), and these indeed work for some time, but my dog doesn't seem to have a lasting interest in these like chews or toys. I will try this one [linkhttp://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101279+003]http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101279+003[/link]. Hope it will help me, and my dog.

On the advice of this thread, I bought one of those filled bones for my dog. She LOVES them and has definately cut back on her chewing. I think I will buy 100 of them and put them in every nook and cranny of my house.

Heidi grazes alnog the floor, trying to find anything at all she can destoy and devour. She doesn;t just chew- she EATS. I am so scared she will choke or get an obstructed bowel. My vet wants a stool sample and I would like to find one that is not filled with bits of plastic or cloth.

Those filled bones have lasted a week now, she still loves them and compared to all the other toys I have bought her, and she ignores, they are cheap.

Plsu, you can refill them. I discovered a new trick this week- overbaked strata (savory bread pudding) makes REALLY good bone stuffing.     

I was told the labs  are notorious for chewing anything and everything. Acturally it's my husband who advised me to raise it, while I myself know little about the breeds. Now I feel like adopting another more docile dog, but I'm afaid my lab will also chew other dogs.OMG! Any suggestion?

socialize socialize socialize! is your lab regularly exposed to other dogs? if not i would recommend getting him out there with other dogs before you consider adding another to the household. that way your dog will have a chance to experience what its like to be around other dogs and you can pinpoint any behaviors that need to be worked on.

i doubt he would chew on another dog though []

Once the dog has gotten all the filling out, I fill them with canned dog food (nothing HORRIBLY cheap, but nothing expensive either- something middle-of-the-road pricewise like Nutro Max or something- and then freeze them. Voila- new toys that are VERY desirable chew things.

 
I never thought of that, good idea..... but are those bones cooked? 

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

socialize socialize socialize! is your lab regularly exposed to other dogs? if not i would recommend getting him out there with other dogs before you consider adding another to the household. that way your dog will have a chance to experience what its like to be around other dogs and you can pinpoint any behaviors that need to be worked on.

i doubt he would chew on another dog though []

 
 
Yes. I usually walk my dog every day or every other day, and sometimes with any neighbor's dog. I think this is not a big problem. So, what breed do you think shall I adopt? I hope the next one will be more tender[]

I wouldn't get another dog until your dog has become older and less work, JMHO. Another dog is not going to help him stop chewing, but it will distract you, making it more likely that he really digs into something bad, like your electrical cords or the tower of your computer!

1. Bones
2. All food out of puzzle toys or kongs (have him work for his food)
3. Religious puppy-proofing of your house!!! This is not just to save your things. By managing his environment, you are passively teaching him how to discriminate between his things and your things. He can have his things, but not yours... this does work, it takes awhile with labs. Be patient.
4. Tiger balm or vicks vapo-rub for things you can't move out of his way (works much better than bitter apple, needs to be reapplied)

ORIGINAL: candycandy

I thought it used to be because he was teething & when his teeth had grown it would stop, but it hasn't.

Crusher hit his second chewing stage right around 1 year as did Onyx.  Its my understanding that most dogs do.  If itchy gums are to blame you might try a few icecubes.  My dogs love to chew on ice cubes and I have found that it is absolutely the very cheapest toy![]  Just be prepared to step in a few puddles of water now and then...[&:]