Niagara County Dog Obedience schools?
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We had a lab that would eat remotes, cell phones, and pretty much anything that was left around.
We did a couple of things to get him to stop. Every time, as soon as we got home, we would find a toy (tennis ball, rope, whatever). This associated us coming home with toys. In order for us to play, he needed to find a toy. Now we can say "where's the ball" or "get your rope" and he knows exactly which toy to get. Leaving for 10 minutes, then 15, then half an hour, then an hour helped work his "tolerance" up. Within a few weeks, he stopped chewing up things. He was about 8 or 9 months old when this happened.
Our other yellow lab wouldn't stop. She would eat remotes, shoes, and even pulled a couple dozen books off the shelf and tore them up. We finally had to get a crate and put her in it when we left. After a couple years we tried it again, and she has stopped eating things, so both dogs are left out when we leave.
We did a couple of things to get him to stop. Every time, as soon as we got home, we would find a toy (tennis ball, rope, whatever). This associated us coming home with toys. In order for us to play, he needed to find a toy. Now we can say "where's the ball" or "get your rope" and he knows exactly which toy to get. Leaving for 10 minutes, then 15, then half an hour, then an hour helped work his "tolerance" up. Within a few weeks, he stopped chewing up things. He was about 8 or 9 months old when this happened.
Our other yellow lab wouldn't stop. She would eat remotes, shoes, and even pulled a couple dozen books off the shelf and tore them up. We finally had to get a crate and put her in it when we left. After a couple years we tried it again, and she has stopped eating things, so both dogs are left out when we leave.
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My lab was real aggressive with other dogs and would eat things around the house occasionally. I took her to K9 Connections in Buffalo (I know its not Niagara County) for a week long bootcamp, they have different programs and my dog has been great since. A little expensive, but worth it in my opinion.
It's weird how she only does it when my wife leaves her for a few minutes. I work 24 on 24 off so I'm gone every other day. My wife and I have left the dog for up to 5 hours and would come home and have a couch pillow or a shoe moved to the living room floor but not chewed up. The other night my wife left her for a few minutes and she took a dish rag from the sink, shredded a magazine, chewed up a remote, chewed up a plastic cup, and had an area rug pushed across the room. I showed her the damaged items and scolded her when I got home from work the next day and I made her feel bad for a few hours. She's usually happy to see me when I come home because I'll roughhouse and play with her. We've left her for a few hours at a time the last couple days and she's back to only moving a couple things but not being destructive. I guess one of the local dog trainers has a class opening up in a few weeks so we might give that a try. I understand most of it is training the human more than it is the dog.
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