This post is Lea's email response to a comment by a desparate pet parent of a 9-month old labrador on our post Curing a Dog's Chewing.
Thanks for writing in about your Lab’s chewing. I sympathize with you, as my Lab mix did the majority of his chewing in the first year and a half, and it was bad. Let me tell you a few things that helped me…
One thing that stuck in my mind during all his chewing was something another Lab owner told me. She said that research says that great majority of Labradors that are re-homed are given up by their owners under the age of two and half. Beyond that age, the number of people who re-home their lab decreases significantly. This is clearly showing that young labs chew, but that it does get better. I promise you it will get better, and in a year or so, you won’t even remember how bad it really was.
If your dog is chewing the wood while you are away, I would suggest that you crate him during your outings. He’ll need a crate large enough to stand up and lay down in, and it may help if he’s got an enrichment toy with him.
If it’s a matter of his chewing while you are home, you may want to consider tethering him to you using a 5 ft leash, so that you can stop him before the chewing starts, and redirect him onto a toy or treat that is acceptable.
Toys like the Everlasting Treat Ball
(see Embrace Community Post: Your Dog Wants an Everlasting Treat for discussion) or a Kong
Beyond this, I can just emphasize the need for exercise. A 9 month old lab will need a minimum of an hour of exercise a day, which means a real walk or swim or fetch. If you’re just letting him wander the yard on his own, this is only going to increase his boredom and increase the chewing. You may want to hire a dog walker, or consider doggie daycare to help tire your Lab out. If this is not practical, then see if there are other dogs in the neighborhood that you can organize playtime with, so he can expel some of his nervous energy with them.
A site that has helped me with many different Lab related issues over the years has been OhYellowDog.com. Their message board can be seen here: I highly recommend you check in with these folks, as they’ve all been where you are now, and can help you through it.
Take care, and don’t give up.
