My Lab has eaten the wall!! (Why? How to prevent destructive behaviour?)

Hi i mentioned before about my lab eating a concreate wall, well now she has eaten the other wall. i caught her doing it myself, it could be both of them doing it but ive only seen one of them doing it. I need her to stop otherwise i will have to get rid of her, i live in an army quarter so any damage i get billed for when i move.
This cant be normal behaviour, she has toys and bones. i dont know what to do, all i know is she has to stop otherwise i will have to get rid of her, which i really dont want to do. She is 5 1/2 months. She has only just started doing it this month. please help me, i think she has a problem if she feels the need to eat a wall.
before she ate the wall when i went out, this time it was while i was in bed, i havent left them on their own since the last time they ate the wall.

Your puppies are teething and to them chewing things is normal behavior, (think of human babies who put everything in their mouths when teething) They may well both be chewing the wall as two puppies together may copy each other,they do grow out of this teething related chewing. Chewing can also be caused by boredom/lack of of mental stimulus . At their age they should be having half an hour walks daily (5 mins per month of age) and lots of play It can help to change their toys around, frozen large carrots are good for teething puppies, also kongs (filled with a soft substance like mashed potato with cream cheese or sardines then frozen) will keep them occupied and distract them from wall.

Ive never heard of a dog eating a wall though. i could see it if she had chewed the bottem of it where the wood goes around the bottem, but she has eaten half way up the wall, and a huge hole in two of the walls where she has eaten it. she has toys to chew on, and hard bones. I play with her all the time, but this was while i was in bed. She even did it right in front of me once. Im wondering if she has a mental problem. Would the vet be able to tell this?

There is even a dog gate up by the door because the other puppy can open the door. She didnt try to chew on that at all.

Hi Jade&sky,
It is definatley normal behaviour especially in labs who will chew anything!
Can you tell us her daily routine please then we may be able to help you, include everything from the moment you get up until you go to bed, how many walks, what type of play are you doing, what do you feed her etc.

Hi
I don't think that your dog has a mental problem, My black lab at the same age displayed almost identical behaviour.. but the wall was plasterboard, with plastering over and he managed to dig/chew all the way to the dining room.. and a few other delights over the next few weeks whilst teething (I won't go into as they are not relevant)
I think .. but I could be wrong... that their is a mineral in plaster that some dogs do find particularly attractive, my dog at the moment often licks & mouths a small area of bare wall!
All of the suggestions regarding chew toys particularly Kongs ( so many ways to fill them)is good advice ... Don't Forget that you can buy large crates, perfectly ok as a safe place for them to go to bed when you cannot supervise them.. day or night.... I think there are quite a few people here that can give you good advise about crate training and the benefits of it....
Rachel

Hi i get up at 7:30am i open the door for them both so they can either go out or stay in while i sort my two sons out with breakfast. after my sons have eaten i call the puppies in. I close the door behind them, and open the dog gate so they can roam around the house while i clean up.
I leave the puppies to eat while i bath my two sons. Then i go down stairs and let them out again for a pee. After that i carry on with my normal routine of cleaning the house, and getting myself washed and dressed.
The i take the puppies for a walk with my two sons. When we get back i carry on with any other house work ie washing, and give my sons lunch. then a nap.
Usually the puppies let themselves out whenever they feel the need to go outside, before i get the chance to let them out.
i feed the dogs in the morning, after lunch, and at around 6. they get walked a second time when my husband comes home from work around 5.
They are on a food i got from a farm shop, that is a popular one for labs apparently..a few people use it for their labs and it was highly recommended.
I go to bed at 10 so that is the last time i let them out for a pee.
sorry if its difficult to understand my routiene, i have never thought about how i go about my day. i think i have put everything in.
while my sons nap i usually play with the puppies and get them to sit and lay down on command with treats..we do the same again when my husband comes home.
On a weekend we just do a bit of shopping, and then we walk the puppies, play with them, and teach them commands. we spend more time on just the puppies on weekends.

I've just been informed that this might be a vitamine dificiency, and she is trying to find what she needs from the concreate, and i should take her to the vet. Apparently it can be normal in labs, and the lab owner has heard of this before. so im going to make her an appointment. thanks for all of your help everyone. it is appreciated.

Just a quick bit of advice if all else fails, try introducing a crate!! I am currently getting my 6 month old pup used to one, and I have been assured that the work I have put in at the beginning with regard to the crate, is far better than the damage that can be done to your property. I arent sure about crating 2 dogs though, whether it would work seperate or you would have to crate them together or even if you can at all. Someone with more experience will be better answering that one for you.

Just thought I would offer my help

yep definitely go for the crate - although two as it wouldn't be a good idea keeping two in one. Although our pup doesn't sleep in it at night she's put in there when we go out as I'm sure she'd trash the place. She's never left in a room by herself either. If she feels she's getting ignored she will steal something and destroy it!

She sleeps beside us at night - I do the early shift and OH does the late shift for toilet. Usually goes out at just after midnight and up again from 6am. The bedroom door is closed, she has her own bed, bowl of water and a puppy training pad - just in case (but never needed it).

Hope this helps