Dog eating everything in house!

[Rachel Wojtylko]

Our Large Mixed breed (maybe a Bouv.-lab mix 47 lbs. ) dog (13 months old) can not be left out of his cage when we leave, even for short periods of times. If we do he will eat anything in site. He ate olive oil, a box of chocolate, a diaper, and a butter container tonight while we were gone for two hours. We jumps on our kitchen island to get things, opens garbages, etc. He gets to small treats EVERYTIME he goes outside (the only way he will go out). He gets approximately 3-4 cups of food in the morning and 3-4 cups at dinner. Whatever the standard dish size is. The chewing on my sons toys is upsetting, but this eating problem is a breaking point. It is dangerous to him and it is trashing our house. We have several discipline issues with this dog, but his is the most baffling. Any ideas? Should I feed him more?

[Luba]

Some questions first

How long have you had the dog?
How long has this behaviour been happening and what have you already tried to do to prevent it or deter it?

[LavenderRott]

Large breed dogs tend to mature more slowly. At 13 months, he is still a pup. There is nothing wrong with crating him when you are going to be gone. These problems are difficult to correct, because you have to catch him in the act. Once he is done, he has no idea what you are yelling at him for.

Crating when you are not home is not cruel. However, should he get into something toxic (and chocolate is toxic in large quantities) while you are gone, the death could be very painful.

[Lucky Rescue]

My first question is - How much exercise is this puppy getting? He is a mix of two high energy dogs and needs a lot of exercise. A tired dog is a good dog.

How long are you gone every day? If it's only a few hours here and there, get a large crate and train him to go in it.
Crate Training

He gets to small treats EVERYTIME he goes outside (the only way he will go out).

ARe you saying your dog doesn't want to go for walks? Or do you mean you are sending him out to relieve himself?

I suggest you enroll in an a obedience course, and find out how to train a dog.

[amaruq]

OMG can I identify with you! I have the Queen of Garbage guts!!!!

In fact she had to have major surgery because of it.

First off. 8 cups of food is a bit excessive. What are you feeding?

Was the dog a stray?

We have had to dog proof our house. Locked garbage cans that are hidden on cupboards....nothing but nothing laying around.

I run them (I have 3) for 1 1/2 -2 hours a day. Plus other play times in the yard and house. In the summer this will increase more.

Don't bribe the dog to go outside....something not quite right there? I'm not sure what it is. Could be the dog is suckering you into giving him or her treats? It will cause problems in the long run.

A dog is a big responsibility....and when things go wrong it can make you a little nuts.

[melanie]

when my girl was a similar age she was just as destructive i actually thought we had been robbed once it was that bad. i even know a dog that chewed through the bannister of the stairs.
well i found it was seperation anxiety and not enough excersise. seperation anxiety is quite common so look it up, the dog is obviously stress about something and you need to find out what, putting him in his cage will stop his destructive behaviour but will not relieve his stress and anxiety which is more impoortant that possessions. hope it helps

[chico2]

I suppose it's worse if you have a larger dog,but loneliness and boredom seems to be the problem here.If the only exercise he gets is to be let out into the backyard on his own,it's probably not enjoyable to him...
My sons Jack Russel,was left alone 8 hours a day since she was little in a small condo,she destroyed a coffee-table,comforter,shoes,jeans(sloppy son!)carpet,wallpaper,kitchendoor knobs, even pulled off the base-boards on the floor until my son arranged to come home for lunch and take her out for a run every day.
Now at 4yrs,she's still a feisty little thing,but much less destructive and eagerly waits for lunchtime,when either a friendly neighbor or my son takes her out.

[amaruq]

Oh yes I forgot about boredom. I think thats the biggest danger to any pet and easily fixed.