How to get dog to stop chewing/eating everything?

[momof2boys]

I got my dog about a year ago, he was supposed to be around 6 months when I got him. I brought him to the vet and they estimated he was around 7 weeks when I got him. He's now over a year old and still chews/eats everything! He can't be trusted alone for a minute. He eats everything...furniture, rugs, blankets, my front deck, toys, shoes. I do try to keep everything out of reach but have two young boys and a husband...also he's REALLY tall so he can reach the counter without even stretching. He can't have a bed or blanket in his crate b/c he eats it. He goes to day care two days a week, and I bring him to work with me two days a week (I work at a vets office). While I never leave him alone my husband doesn't seem to get the concept that you can't leave him alone for a minute so he gets into things when i'm not home. (He does go in a crate when no one is home). I've gotten to the point I rarely leave the dog alone with my husband b/c I know he won't be in the crate and he won't be watched like a hawk. Its worse then having a baby b/c I can't ever trust him.
Yesterday at work a coworker told me my dog ate a sheet. I told them he couldn't have because I didnt' give him a sheet in his cage, knowing he would eat it. Turns out he grabbed the edge of a sheet from another dogs cage and pulled it into his cage and ate it. Now we watch to see if he'll obstruct. ...

But its driving me nuts. He has toys, though most he destroys within an hour. Daycare tires him out for about 12 hours after going so that time period he is good. Though even daycare has told me he has chewed on their walls etc. So even when surrounded with 15 dogs to play with he's eating walls!? I'm going to get him the galileo nylabone that the daycare says he loves and hasn't destroyed. Any other suggestions? Otherwise he's a great dog, but he is driving me nuts! I'm so sick of everything I own having chew marks and giant gaping holes! I have even considered getting him a basket muzzle for when he's home with my husband or I just need a break from the constant watching. But I know he'll hate it and feel bad.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or have a chewer they reformed? I was hoping he'd outgrow it but he's over a year and is showing no signs of improvement.

[straymo]

Oh boy. It doesn't sound like regular chewing things, it sounds obsessive. Have you talked to your vet about medications. He may have impulse control or anxiety or any number of reasons for doing this. Yes he is still a puppy and will still get into things he shouldn't (which can be dangerous), but your description sounds more out of control than normal.

What breed is he? You said he is tall, but you also said you thought he was 6 months when you got him and he was 7 weeks. That's a big difference.

I would consider meds to see if you can break the obsession.

[momof2boys]

Our guess is he is a great pyrenees/great dane. We were told by the shelter mastiff mix, and I LOVE mastiffs and their personalities, which is why I adopted him. I wanted a mastiff but wanted to do a rescue so thought this was a good compromise. I'm not gonna lie...if the shelter had told me great dane mix I wouldn't have taken him, its just never been a breed i've connected to. But he's here so we need to deal with the issues! Otherwise he's a good dog, thank god he is good with my kids! He's energetic, but the daycare helps keep that energy under control.

Yes, I was shocked when the vet said he was so young...he had been found wandering the streets in Tennessee with his brother so there wasn't much history. I have occasional contact with the person who has his brother, I found her on facebook through the rescue site. His brother is just as destructive...maybe more so b/c they don't crate him. I don't know how they still have a house!

I haven't talked to the vet about meds b/c I thought it was just a puppy thing. But we are getting past the point that I can continue to blame it on puppy hood. I will talk to them...they know how bad he is, they have seen it first hand and know when he's at work with me he can't have blankets, towels, can't be left alone etc. His size helps that he is able to pass things he eats, I don't know how we haven't had a foreign body surgery yet! He has a gut of steel as well, never gets sick! He was a blood donor for a dog who was dying and needed a transfusion and the anesthesia upset his stomach, but other then that he has never been sick.

Thanks for the ideas, I will talk to the doctors at work to see at what point they recommend trying medication.

[sparrowgreen]

I would second the suggestion to talk to your vet about meds. Good luck, I know that has to be frustrating to deal with and I feel bad for your poor boy :-(.