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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is dog mixed with? Currently experiencing something very similar and it is starting to stress and overwhelm everyone in house. [/quote]

OP got the puppy at 6 months and it is now 1 year.  I don't know what chews/eats everything means.  Some socks? Newspaper?  We have a 4 month old lab puppy who still gets into stuff SOMETIMES but clearly distinguishes OBJECTS GIVEN to him from those found.  Retrieves and drops.  When rowdy puppy wild I walk away and don't play. He walks into his crate for some naps and at bedtime.  He does need cuddle time and is now happily chewing a bone on the sofa next to DD.  He is easier at 4 months in the house than a relatives 3.5 year rescue pitbull.  [/quote]

There are even well trained dogs who never lose the chew-everything inclination.  People just learn how to set the dog up for success by not leaving things around that the dog can destroy and/or wearing the dog out in other ways to minimize the chewing habit.

I think that the new trend is for people to say "hire a trainer" whenever someone has a dog who is incompatible with his/her family.  Yes, training is good.  And a good trainer can really help with undesirable behaviors.  But dogs have personalities, too.  They aren't automatons that some trainer will magically program to be the perfect pet for you.

The training helps compensate for certain personality issues, but some dogs have personalities that some human personalities will NEVER fit right with.  And as much as you can train a dog and a human, teach them how to effectively communicate, learn how to establish some sense of order, routine, et cetera, you can't completely change a dog's personality.  You can only help the dog to be the best he/she can be.

I think that this current emphasis on "any dog can be trained" really denies the reality that dogs are individuals, too.  And sure, any dog can be trained, but not all dogs can be trained TO BE WHO YOU WANT THEM TO BE.

You have to be able to discern whether training will be enough or if the issue is that the dog is just not the right dog for you.  For example, an active dog can't be trained to be a not active dog.  You can only train to discipline and learn how to exercise the dog so that his/her active nature doesn't devolve into a neuroses.  So if you don't want an active dog, no trainer in the world is going to solve your issue.  The best thing is to find the dog a new home and try to find a less active, perhaps older, dog.

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Except that the OP doesn't have a dog.  She has a puppy who is displaying perfectly normal and very likely temporary behavior. [/quote]

It's a lab.  A large lab will stay very active for a good few years.  The behavior the OP does not like will only be temporary if you consider 5 years temporary.

If it were a different kind of puppy, perhaps.  But while I agree the behavior is normal, i don't think it is temporary enough for OP.  That is why I suggested OP get an older dog for her family.  Most dogs I have known, especially playful breeds, stay pretty energetic until around 4 years old, maybe 5.

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