Chewing the walls and anything else

Hi all,
I have just been to do a visit to a couple who are looking for a dog walker and their lovely dog , '' Marley'', and yes he's a lab but a chocolate one.
He's destroyed parts of the wall in their kitchen and seeing as i haven't even done the trial walk with him yet so i don't really know him, i'm wondering the best advice to give them regarding his chewing , could this just be boredom, he is 1 yr old and basically a lovely dog, he jumps up a little bit , doesn't really pull on the lead (or at least he didn't when we went for a tiny walk ).
I was thinking maybe if they get him a kong filled with yummy stuff do you think this may help, i'd hate to have to suggest crating as like i say i have my first walk with him tommorow, so i'm not sure they'd appreciate me walsing in with '' crate him'' as an idea.
Any thoughts would be really helpfull.
jackie

Crates are a big no no imo. I hate seeing dogs put in crates because the owners can't be bothered to walk them and/or provide enough mental stimulation - which is what all dogs need, some more than others.

A young dog like that lab will need adequate exercise and plenty of games to wear him out mentally. Kongs, bones and 'foodballs' are a good start - games or activities that make him use his brain (and/or muscles) would be ideal.

Agsin this is a case of people not doing their homework - Labradors chew - its part and parcel of growing up for a young lab. As Azz says they need exercise and mental stimulation

A nice big raw meaty marrow/knuckle bone will help give him something to work on and keep his jaws happy.

How long and how often in the day is he being left?

Have to agree with both of the above, having found out the hard way regarding labs. They need a large amount of stimuli to prevent this behaviour, which is just as distressing for the dog as it is for the owners......

Even half a Lab is a pain

Have to agree with the above though..

the dog needs excersize and stimulation is all,as for using a crate if i didnt crate my bulldog up id have no house left,if your at work for a few hours a day,the dog is walked,fed,before you go to work then i dont see a problem with using one,its when its used in the wrong way that causes a problem,karen

I know of a few people whose Labradors have destroyed their house. In all cases it is because they have isolated a young working dog in a bare room for 8 hours a day with a short break then largely ignore him except for the Family Walk at weekends.
I`m assuming from the dog`s name the family know little about dogs. Why not suggest they walk their dog in the morning and do some gundog training with him when they come home? Or find a pet sitter till he is a lot older and is content to stare at walls all day?