It sounds like a trip to obedience school couldn’t hurt. Until you resolve the problem, it might be wise to remove things she can damage from her ability to access them without supervision. There are also products commercially available (bitter apple, bitter lime) that work (but only to a point) and even these are intended to be useful in addition to adequate supervision.

She sounds like she is bored and trying to come up with some form of entertainment. She has been successful because no one stopped her in the middle of doing the damage (after is too late, she will have NO IDEA what you are upset about). Chew toys aren’t going to solve it, but they do make some interesting brain-teaser toys for dogs (that also require supervision) but redirect the dog’s energy.

How much time does she spend in the yard? Sounds like she’s bored & trying to get inside.

Bitter Apple Spray and a few things that are okay to chew on!

Bitter Apple Spray

It seems like it works for a lot of other neighbors’ dogs, but for ours, it just becomes more attracted to what is sprayed. :\ Therefore, be advised that it may not work for specific dogs.

There is a toy that you can put a treat in. The dog has to struggle a bit to get the treat out. It keeps them busy. Snausages anyone?

@NanciDru Welcome to Fluther. I think you are thinking of the Kong toys. I have one for our dal and put peanut butter in it. Works pretty well.

Treat balls are great, too!

P.S. – If you freeze the peanut butter kong it increases the entertainment value!

Besides the Kong toy, which is great, I also have a big round ball with dimples like a golf ball that has a hole in it.

I put Radars morning nibble in it and it keeps him busy for a long time.

She may need more exercise. One of my dogs use to chew on everything too and he still gets into stuff every now and then but he’s not nearly as bad as before. We got him a ton of chew toys, kong toys with treats, and we walk him as often as we possibly can. We also corrected him whenever we caught him in the act and then gave him one of his toys so he understood what was acceptable and what was not. I have to tell you though, you’re going to have to be persistent… this will not be an easy fix.. take it from someone who knows your pain.. just have patience with her and she’ll eventually understand what you are telling her. Good luck!

Exercise and kibble-stuffed hollow chewtoys. Try to give your dog most of it’s daily food in those chewtoys, and don’t feed them much early in the day. Wild dogs spend the vast majority of their lives looking for food, satisfying that urge every morning robs your dog of the drive for the rest of the day and can cause anxious boredom. They’re animals, they have to feel purpose. Don’t let that purpose become pissing you off for attention. Kong chewtoys are good.

I want to add that no amount of “discipline” short of abuse is going to stop a dog from following through on basic urges. You have to give desirable alternatives along with punishment (punishment being acts that change behavior, not just yelling and swatting.) It’s disgusting how most people raise their dogs, don’t listen too much to anyone (even “qualified” dog trainers) who tell you to hurt or scare your dog into obedience. It’s about trust, not fear.

I suggest watching this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOW0IKO_zfM

I feed raw meaty bones, get beef neck bones from your supermarket or butcher, it is natural and keeps their teeth clean. My 12 year old akita has beautiful teeth and other than when I occasionally brush them, has had nothing done to them his entire life.

At 1.5 years the dog is just entering teen age. It needs so much exercise to wear it out, a tired dog is a good dog. Watch Cesar Milan. That is his mantra and it is a good one.

If I am training a rottweiler I don’t care if it fears me or respects me or trusts me as long as it obeys me. The pound is full of dogs who didn’t learn to obey. If I am training a chihuahua obedience is not as important unless it runs out in front of a car. Again I don’t care why it obeys as long as it does and doesn’t run in front of the car when I scream come or drop or whatever command will return the dog to safety.

I can sympathize. Our dog chews up a lot – the patio table cover, my computer charging cable, my daughter’s wooden toys, etc. All we could do was tell her “NO” when we caught her and praise her for playing with/chewing on the right things – even if she was destroying them. I still catch her with a crayon or tshirt every once in a while, but it is significantly better than a few months ago.

Try to give her something to keep her busy all of the time. The Kong is a great idea. Just fyi, I had to get the extra-strong black Kong because my dog can reduce any toy I give her to a pile of rubber rubble in less than a day. Nylabones are also good because they are virtually indestructible.

@rooeytoo That’s a **great video** – thanks. I need to read some more by Ian Dunbar. Such good info! Like him, I don’t buy into that whole alpha dog thing – I know my dog considers me as the one from whom all blessings flow, and that’s enough. He sits to get treats, or petting, etc. Everything he gets requires an action on his part that I want. It’s done so much to create a calm dog! He was an emaciated rescue when I adopted him and he was absolutely manic (a chi/fox terrier mix) at first, I really thought a few times I’d made a mistake. So exercise was the biggest thing I could do at first to calm him down.

Why would a dog want to come to us if we’re screaming his name and yelling? I wouldn’t want to do it either. He’s so dead on in this video. I never use Radar’s name unless it’s a good thing, so he wants to come to me when I call him. :)

Great video, thanks so much for sharing!!!

@netgrrl – you have me mixed up with someone else, I believe in the Koehler method of dog training which is not in favor by casual trainers or academics but is still used when a dog who obeys is a necessity such as police and military applications. I believe that the soft methods used today on hard dogs is one of the contributing factors to the ever increasing number of dogs surrendered to rescue. They are impossible to live with because they are alpha. Most people do not want to wait until a dog is 10 and too old to misbehave for it to become a member of the family, use the Kohler and accomplish the whole training in a fraction of the time and then just enjoy your dog. Also Cesar Milan, he is a sensible trainer and his methods work.

@netgrrl Here’s his most popular book.

That is a great book! I also like:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553380397/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1273614918&sr=8-1

@rooeytoo Sorry for the mixup. I like Cesar Milan’s concepts of calm, assertive & exercise, but we differ on his alpha dog theories – mostly because if the books by Temple Grandin I’ve read.
@zophu Thanks! I read just about every dog boo that comes out.

@loser I have Don’t Shoot the Dog – Karen Pryor is great.

@netgrrl – I didn’t realize Temple Ghandin spoke about dogs, thought she dealt with livestock.
I have been training dogs for a long time and I can tell you I like to be the alpha especially when I am dealing with an akita or a rott or a bouv or any dog that weighs more than I do!!! I sure don’t want them thinking we are equals!

@rooeytoo I just finished her book titled Animals Make Us Human. She has an interesting view on currently accepted wisdom re: wolf packs & alpha packs.

@netgrrl – I keep meaning to get it but haven’t come across it yet. Maybe not in Australia because of copyright, will have to check.

Cheers