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I dont sell Kongs

Good - don't bother - my friends great dane chews thru every kong product ever made on a regular basis. Indestructable?? I think not!

Just because the dog acts submissive when you go out and find he has done something does not mean he knows he did something wrong. Dogs are not furry people. They pretty much live in the present and don't carry around guilt for things they did 5 minutes ago. I agree with everyone else, he needs more exercise. I bike with my lab/boxer mix anywhere from 2 to 3 miles with a backpack or 4 to 6 without and then if he is squirrley in the evening, we go again. He is very high energy and needs lots of attention and exercise.

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The problem is he knows better than to do it when I am out there, and he knows when I go out and look at something when he has destroyed it that he shouldnt of done it because he instantly lays on his back in a submissive postion.

No, he most likely doesn't "know". If he does really know this (which I HIGHLY doubt at his age and given your description of him) then you have not established the right bond and/or authority with him. Most likely, in his mind, he "knows" he is only allowed to do it when you're not there. He also knows at this point, that you often come out into the back yard and look mad for no apparent reason. If you have not reached the dog within 1 to 2 seconds of an infraction (particularly at this age) then ANY correction (verbal or otherwise) does more harm than good. The dog will not make the connection between the undesired behavior and the correction which means he thinks you're being mean for no reason which damages the relationship.

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I have been told that he will outgrow this but im not optimistic because he is 1 year old now and has only got worse.

Lots of people have destructive, poorly behaved adult dogs so don't count on it if you don't provide proper guidance.

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But the destructive behavior is not from boredom or lack of exercise, he gets lots of exercise...

Maybe you're right. Here's a good way to tell. Play fetch or tug, or whatnot until the dog is so exhausted he can hardly walk. Then leave him alone for 15 minutes and come back to see what he has chewed up. My guess is that he has not chewed anything up because he's spent the last 15 minutes recovering. Some dogs will take hours to recover. Some take days (that's not good). But your dog may have a very high energy level so in that case, he just needs more exercise than a normal dog would. Many Labs are total couch potatoes. Many still have incredible drive and energy to work though.

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I have bought lots of knuckle bones chew toys for him which he uses when we are outside but when we are not I think he just wants to destroy stuff for attention <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

This might be possible, but likely only a piece of the puzzle and not the single reason for the behavior.

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Could it be genitic?

It most likely is genetic. Most working dogs are bred to have the energy and drives for a particular type of work. Labs, believe it or not, are a type of working dog. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Your dog most likely just has more energy than a typical house pet so you need to handle him a little differently. Specifically, you need to get the dog enough exercise. You may be exercising him more than most dog owners, but it's obviously not enough to make him remain calm. If you can, watch a few episodes of "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Milan.

And most importantly, you're the owner. You're supposed to be in control so when problems happen, it's your fault. Don't take that the wrong way. Just do yourself a favor and get him a crate or kennel to stay in when you're not there to supervise. Most likely, as he gets older, the dog will need the kennel/crate less as he matures, but until then, there's no good reason for a dog this age, with these tendencies, to have unsupervised free time.

Sorry for the long post. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

And I thought my dog was big destructor. If you decide to get him kenneled and put a doghouse in there, make sure you put metal or aluminum in the corners and on the door entry. He will probably chew the corners. My GSD almost destroyed his doghouse chewing all the corners so I had to build a new one and did put the metal corners that are used on drywalls in houses. So far he has not been able to chew any part of the doghouse.
Also my new doghouse I did build without shingles since he had already chewed half of them in the old one.

It’s funny my GSD used to act guilty too when I would go to get him in his kennel after he had done more damage to the doghouse. Sometimes I really wonder if dogs indeed can think. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I had a dog the same way. He was a Doberman/Rott mix and he seemed like he never got enough exercise. In fact at one house were we rented... he tore up the whole back yard sprinkler system one day home alone all day. He also chewed a hole the size of a large truck tire in my bedroom floor when he was about 6 months old. He dug motes around his dog houses looking for mice and rats. He basically tore up everything! He did get a little better as he got old... but he was always distructive. I had to set up a hot wired fence once to keep him from digging or breaking out. That worked. he also chewed up dog houses. Sad to say I lost him a couple of years ago, and then I found Ed's site and learned about dog crates and kennels... Kane my current dog isnt destructive. (except him digging out of his new kennel (that I have to "Kane proof")

The kennel will be your best friend but yes expect some damage in there... with chewing and digging. You may need a heavey duty chain link or galvanized fencing, as some dogs can tear up chain link (I dont have that problem) And for me the problem is digging so Im going to line the edges with paver stones (for now, but would eventually like to lay stones all over inside. They can cause calluses, but some dogs get them regardless if they lay on a patio or driveway. You can do a section brick or stones and a section grass, but for me I dont want to go through laying grass if hes going to tear it up. But thats just me.

Good luck!

To the person who rated me.
Why don't you just reply if you have something against me. Don't chicken out on me know.

What are u talking about I didn't know there was even ratings lol.

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To the person who rated me.
Why don't you just reply if you have something against me. Don't chicken out on me know.

I'm jealous of your rating - I wish I had 5 stars - what are you complaining about? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> More stars = good.