How to stop my dog from eating everything?

hi everyone,
can anyone help me? I have a labrador cross, he's over 9 months & he eats anything.

here's a list

his poo
carpet
stones
his muzzle
tumble dryer hose
cooker cable
rose tree

i don't Know what to do, if he does'nt stop i will have to get rid & i don't want to.

have you not tried him with other things? what toys doe he have? and have you tried chew deterrent spray?

Its possible that this could go on for quite a while yet Lola. You will have to watch him in case him comes to harm.
My friend's lab actually destroyed the interior of her lovely car when she left him for a while - upholstery all over the place. I had a collie that chewed through the electrics in my car - THREE TIMES. He was in the rear of a hatchbach and managed to do it in the space of a few minutes. He would carefully pick up the mats - discarding them - until he arrived at the light cables and then nip them off. I had three garage bills and heaven knows what my friend's bill came to. I am sure everyone on this site has a tale to tell.
Cages can be quite a help when you are not around, as long as you don't keep him in too long. Until he can be trusted, I don't think you can leave him anywhere that matters; distract him every time he looks like doing something undesirable, give him his own toys and make everything else "off limits" to him. You do have to be there for most of the time to ensure he learns this. He will eventually grow out of it (I think - mine did anyway).

Hi

Have you had your dog since he was a pup? Labs can be notoriously destructive as pups. As gundogs, they are all about using their mouths. Combined with the fact that they are slow to mature, they can be a handful in their first couple of years. Please DON'T think about "getting rid" due to what is perfectly normal behaviour for a young dog of his age and breed.

Most young dogs of his breed and age will chew and destroy things if given the opportunity. So, I hate to say it, but the only person to blame is yourself if you leave the dog unattended and expect your house/garden to remain intact. By leaving him alone, you are automatically setting him up for failure. You have to contain him whenever his alone, either to a fully dog proofed room or a crate. Also, he should NOT be left in the garden unsupervised; the lure of destroying the garden is way too much for many young dogs. Remember, he doesn't know that he is destroying your favourite rose bush; he is bored and is making his entertainment in the only way he knows how. A bored dogs idea of amusing themselves takes form in chewing, barking, being destructive, etc. Don't give him that opportunity!

Also make sure that he is getting adequate exercise and stimulation. Labs LOVE to learn and please their owners and really thrive on this type of interaction. Get a clicker, teach him some new tricks and get him to use his brain. A tired Lab is a good Lab.

Please do persist. They can be challenging dogs at first, but when they mellow out and mature you couldn't ask for a more easy going and dependable breed of dog.

Very sensible and sound advice Labradork - It would be a shame to "get rid" at such an early stage - but he is in the "danger period" when quite a lot of dogs do find themselves looking for a new home. I can be a bit flippant, like my flatcoats

I have had at least one young Lab in the house most of the time since 1991. More exercise and more toys may help a little, but isn't the solution to the problem. You need to do something beforoe he kills himself one way or another. The real answer is close supervision when you can, and crating the dog when you can't. I wonder how many dogs have been dumped at the pound or worse because of old fashioned attitudes towards crating a dog.

Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

Damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice give it an ''Ah, ah, ah!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of his toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.

Use the crate only when you must I have a short length of chain fastened to my computer desk. With more mats around the chair mat, this gives a place where the puppy is with me, but about as controlled as in the crate, while still allowing me to get some work done, or at least answer Dogsey questions.

Hi Christine it is normal behaviour for puppies to eat all manner of things and to chew particularly during and after teething when the teeth are settling into the gums.

Dogs also chew excessively when they are bored and under stimulated . Most puppies grow out of excessive chewing as the mature.

It can help to make sure your guppy has a good supply of things he is allowed to chew like nylabones and perhaps a Kong (but not filled with peanut butter as Lab man suggests or you may make your dog vomit) .

If he is eating his own feces you need to clean up after him immediately don't leave it laying around.

You say he eats his muzzle, can I ask why he has a muzzle ?

Labman you call yourself an expert but many of the methods of training you suggest eg crating pups for long hours without bedding on wire mesh and without access to water, chaining them on short chains when not in their crates are not those recommended by any of the major training organisations like the Association of Pet Dog Trainers .

It has also been pointed out to you on numerous occasions by members here that many of your methods are not those recommended by the Humane Society of the USA .

thank you everyone for your replies.

Minihaha: when i got my dog he was 16weeks old & his bitting was very nasty, i Know he was teething but i could'nt risk my 7yr old daughter getting bit, i tried alsorts of chew toys with him but none would keep him interested for long he would alway attack me my arms & legs were a mess with cuts so that is why he had the muzzle(baskervillie).
he got passed the bitting but taking him out for walks was'nt good he was eating sweets, food, stones & slugs so then the muzzle was there to stop him.

Teaching a solid 'LEAVE IT!' command is probably more affective than a muzzle. Most dogs can still eat things through a Baskerville muzzle. Granted, you probably are never going to get a highly food motivated breed like a Lab to leave food when off lead, but you should be able to train them to leave inanimate objects (rocks, etc.) alone with some patience and persistence.