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  1. #1
    Puppy
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    they are chewing EVERYTHING what is causing this and how do I stop it?

    Please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong place. I have 2 sister (same litter) Black Labs. Loretta (inside dog) and Patsy (outside dog). They were born May 24th 2013. We got them from a friend when they were 8 weeks old and Until recently they were the only 4 legged family members. About 2 weeks ago we rescued a 5 or 6 month old kitten. Before kitten we had absolutely no problems out of Loretta. We could leave her in the house for 5 hours and she would do awesome. Shortly after we got kitten we had to go to the store and a few other places and was gone for maybe 3 hours. We came home to a demolished house. It had litterally looked like a tornado had gone thru the house. Loretta had chewed up every thing from a phone book to stuffed animals to what ever she could get a hold of including dvd's. Now we can't even go to bed and wake up the next morning without waking up to a mess. We had a similar problem like this and we started giving them clean milk gallons to chew on and then it stopped. She has never done this before we got the kitten. Is the cat the reason she has started chewing everything? How do I stop her from doing this? I have a friend who is going to give me a kennel so we can put her in that at night and when we leave. However I am not a fan of kennels and would much rather be able to let her run the house. I am stumped as to how to get her out of this cycle and to some how make her understand that the cat is not going any where and that they have to deal with each other. All 4 legged family members get the same amount of attention so it is not like we are favoring the cat over the dogs. Any ideas, advice, would be very welcomed. thank you.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Are you keeping kitten separate from Loretta? I'd be nervous about leaving a kitten alone with a dog, but that's just me. Since you don't like kennels, what about a baby gate? Can you block off sections and maybe keep Loretta in the kitchen or a hallway? Also, I'm curious...why is one sister inside and the other outside? Maybe she's trying to get to her sister to play???

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    She's 18 months which can be a difficult stage. I think the kitten is a coincidence. You may be humanizing your dog and thinking too hard, when really, she's just bored or has extra energy to burn along with going through a phase.

    What kind of exercise -- physical and mental -- does she receive?

    Why do you keep the other dog outside?

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  5. #4
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Not sure why the dogs are being treated differently. Dogs do best with crate training and if they can't be supervised, it's OK to crate them when you aren't home. Labs also CHEW a lot. I really believe that they get bored mentally if they can't release stress by chewing. Be it raw bones, Kongs, nylabones, rawhides, antlers, whatever your choice, but they need something. And if they don't get enough exercise and mental stimulation, they will eat what's in front of them...couches, drywall, cushions. Don't give them plastic bottles.

    For all the folks that don't like crates, you need to understand that dogs are den animals. You teach them that their crate is their space. My dogs love their crates and its the safest place for them when you can't supervise.

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  7. #5
    Senior Dog
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    Exactly as above!! Dogs are den animals and therefore a crate becomes a retreat for them and a safe place when you are not able to supervise them.

    Why one inside and one outside? Labs need to be close to their humans and be part of their human families life.

    Why did you take on 2 lab puppies? I can't imagine any respected breeder doing this. Many people here have a lot of experience and knowledge with labs and would never take 2 lab pups at the same time.


    Good luck....there are many threads here that will have useful info for you.

  8. #6
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    How did you introduce the kitten to Loretta? Is she afraid of the kitten? Where is the kitten at night and when you are away?

    Myself, I do favour the one who was here first by speaking to, feeding, petting, playing with that one first. However in my case the first one has always been the cat and I think this might work better to teach a dog it's second place in the rank (or fourth in my house). It also might just make me feel better and do nothing for the critters, I can't tell.

    Clean milk gallons? Plastic ones that would have sharp edges once chewed up a bit? Waxed cardboard ones that might be swallowed? Either way, sounds like not a good idea to me.

    I'm not a fan of crates either, not for prolonged periods of time. What about a pen or a safe room?

    Me too, why is one dog outside and the other inside?

  9. #7
    Best Friend Retriever emma_Dad's Avatar
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    I'm curious as why one dog is inside and one outside? doesn't really seem fair.

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  11. #8
    Senior Dog
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    get a crate , crate train and bring the sibling in.

    probably lack of exercise and being bored. and is the dog ingesting the plastic from the container? not good if she is.

  12. #9
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Why on earth is one dog OUTSIDE?? please consider rehoming her to a home she can be part of the family or bringing her in.

    Dogs thrive with training, boundaries and exercise. I'd say you were VERY LUCKY to have no issues with destruction until now. Crate train and keep the dog safe (and the kittens!). Make sure she has boundaries, structure and daily training. Mixed with lots of physical exercise (running and playing daily, labs are an energetic breed)

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  14. #10
    Real Retriever
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    I am no expert trainer but I feel most times labs start destroying stuff is excess energy and boredom. IF there is too much energy in that little package, and no supervision, they WILL find something fun to do. And once the first item is destroyed, they feed off that action. "That was really fun! What's NEXT!?"

    My black gal was almost two before I trusted her enough to keep her in the bedroom instead of her enclosure while I was gone. She slept in there with me with the DOOR CLOSED at night. At 3, she still does not have my trust to be left alone with the run of the house while I am gone. But.. I am gaining confidence and have started leaving the bedroom door OPEN at night now.

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