We have a springer spaniel that's about a year and she has an issue with chewing things up. She's an outdoor dog and is only allowed in for a little while when someone can watch her. She loves plastic and if you tell her no she goes right back to it the second you have your back turned.
She's even gone so far as to tear the plastic dealer plate off a vehicle and shred it. 
We give her the chew bones but she goes through them so fast we just can't give her enough without going broke, she can tear through one in just a few minutes.
My MIL just about got slapped the other day because she told me it's my fault because I'm not outside disiplining her all day. I'm thinking it's nice to know that the woman has volunteered to cook meals, clean my house, run errands and watch my 4 year old all day every day so I can do this.
The dog isn't mine, it's the kids, and my FIL wanted us to keep it so he can have a hunting dog but he couldn't take it because his dog won't tolerate others.
I'm wondering if anyone has any practical solutions that aren't going to take my whole day (I'm also in North Dakota so it's still cold here).
The dog seems smart but she's terribly stubborn so telling her no hasn't been working. We're in the country so she has the run of the yard.
We've tried giving her stuffed animals but she tears right through them too, in the spring it's going to take me a week to clean up her mess.
we got our dog from a shelter and the first week she chewed up our couch, yeah try to explain that to your husband , she also chewed on our cabinet. she is a small dog, we also have a lab, she is about 2 years old now. we buy her the huge bones for large dogs, and thank goodness she grew out of it. she also got spanked. which she does not like at all. so she learned pretty quick. good luck. has she/he been fixed. sometimes that can tame their temperment.
OK This is the one thing I do not give my dog--Anything stuffed/fuzzy or anything that resembles real things like a toy shaped like a shoe. Dogs chew because they are bored.
My dog ate about $300.00 in shoes when she was younger. Now it is pencils every once in a while.
The best bones are the pressed ones. I get them from Target for 3 @$2.99. they last a very long time. For things I do not want the dog to go near I sprinkle it with pepper. For digging I did the same thing. Fill the hole and top with pepper. She stopped digging within days.
All dogs chew. Most chew when they're bored & do not know what is ok for them to chew on. My sofas, floors, clothes and numerous kids toys have been eaten by my foster dogs because they didn't know any better when they first came to live with me. If your dog is primarily an outdoor dog (which I do not agree with in any situation), most likely she does not know how to behave when she comes in the house. If she lived inside full time, it would be much easier for you to teach her what she can and can't chew on. She is also an adolescent, and just like humans, dogs will test you to see what they can get away with. Be firm without resorting to physically harming her. I like to use a squirt bottle when I catch one of mine in the act of doing something they're not supposed to be doing. One or two squirts between the eyes & a loud "no" is usually enough. Or you can hold her by the scruff of the neck & gently shake, saying "no". Whenever you catch her in the act, always take away the thing she is chewing and replace it with something she is allowed to chew - like a Nylabone or big, solid marrow bone. Praise her when she chews one of her toys. We can't have stuffies or most rubber chew toys because our guys shred them within minutes, so we have to go with what works. We have a lot of giant size nylabones that last forever.
She is not going to learn until you take the time to teach her, and that can't happen unless she is allowed in the house. I know what it's like to have young kids and dogs in the house at the same time, and they all take time and patience. Get a crate for when she can't be watched and then you don't have to worry about something getting eaten. Also, and you probably won't like to hear this, as the adult in the house, the dog is yours. A dog should never be brought into the home "for the kids" or thinking that the kids will take care of it, because they're kids and they don't understand what kind of responsibility that entails. If your FIL wants a hunting dog, he can get one & not dump things in your lap that you don't want. That shouldn't be your problem.
If you can take her to a basic obedience class that will also help. I know I may sound harsh at some points, but working in rescue and seeing the neglect and abuse and so many good dogs killed in shelters because of their owners makes this a very sore subject for me.
-Lisa
Try spraying tabascco on the areas or things she is chewing on. One of my shelties liked to chew wood trimming on the stairs and the baseboards when he was a pup and tabassco worked like a charm, cause he didn't like the taste or the hot sensation it put in his mouth. There is also another product that is called bitter apple that I heard works well also. You can get it at pets mart or a place like that.
We also have a chewer. She chews out of spite when Daddy doesn't let her sit by him. If I am baking and she locked in the back room, she will chew my shoes. If Daddy spends time with the kids, she chews the kids' shoes.
What works for us is pig ears. It takes her a long time (2-3 hours) to chew one, so 2-3 get her through the night. Tennis balls work for a while. The best, though, is to let her lay at our feet in the evenings. When she gets the loving she wants, she behaves much better.
Perhaps figuring out exactly why she is chewing will help. Ours is a misfit, and was pawned off a few times before we got her. She needs to feel secure, or her passive-aggressive tendencies come out.
What works for us is pig ears. It takes her a long time (2-3 hours) to chew one, so 2-3 get her through the night. Tennis balls work for a while. The best, though, is to let her lay at our feet in the evenings. When she gets the loving she wants, she behaves much better.
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I was told and have read that pigs ears are very bad for dogs. I was told that they are very sharp and hard to digest. They can cut into stomach lining and cause problems. I can see why because my dog used to eat them in chunks swallowed whole. I just saw something on Animal Planet where a dog ate a two pound bag of them.
I was told and have read that pigs ears are very bad for dogs. I was told that they are very sharp and hard to digest. They can cut into stomach lining and cause problems.
Owie. I never heard that problem, but my vet is not a fan of anything made from or with pork products. He has seen a lot of dogs develop pancreas problems, and when pork products are removed from the diet the dogs bloodwork/enzyme levels return to normal. My guys LOVE pig ears but we haven't given them any in a few years - partly because of my vet's warning, and partly because they're so fatty.
Zmama, have you tried a marrow bone stuffed with peanut butter & rice? Or just peanut butter? If you stuff it with rice you can freeze it & it'll keep them occupied for a good while. 2-3 hours for one pig ear?? You must have a very small dog 
Pig ears don't last more than 5 minutes in my house!
-Lisa
Try spraying tabascco on the areas or things she is chewing on. One of my shelties liked to chew wood trimming on the stairs and the baseboards when he was a pup and tabassco worked like a charm, cause he didn't like the taste or the hot sensation it put in his mouth. There is also another product that is called bitter apple that I heard works well also. You can get it at pets mart or a place like that.
I agree with the tobasco sauce. I had a golden that chewed the kitchen cabinets and the wood banister one day while I was out (she was 1 year old at the time and I guess was bored while I was gone) I put tobasco sauce on the cabinets (the corners) and on the banister. Problem solved. She never chewed anything she wasn't supposed to again. (although some more stubborn dogs might need more exposure-smile). Be sure to reapply it every couple of days or if it gets washed off.
Years later when I was moving out of that house, I found the bottle and showed it to her, she took on sniff, her eyes got really big and she backed out of the room and didn't want to have anything to do with me until I put it away again.
To give your dog something they can chew on, you can also try nylabones. They last a long time with our goldens, even one we had that had jaws of steel (he would eat the "velvet" nylabones, the ones that are edible but should last a while, like they were cookies. We ususally get the wolf size. Also good are the hard Gallileo bones. They seem to not be able to destroy them either.
I also agree that keeping them in the house when they can be supervised is a good plan. Keep the dog penned into the kitchen or laundry room (be sure to puppy proof it by removing all tempting objects and chemicals first) and then gradually let the dog have more space as they behave. If they misbehave, take away some space. I've raised 4 dogs with this technique and they all are now well behaved adults. I've never crated them, just kept them confined to a small area with a gate if I'm not home to keep an eye on them.
Good luck to you! It takes a lot of patience, but it's easier to correct it now then when the dog is older and it's ingrained in them!
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If you can take her to a basic obedience class that will also help. I know I may sound harsh at some points, but working in rescue and seeing the neglect and abuse and so many good dogs killed in shelters because of their owners makes this a very sore subject for me.
-Lisa
This is all very good advice. There are a lot of dogs getting put down due to owners not taking the responsibility to discipline (with a firm but loving hand) their dogs. My dog Maverick was almost one of those, he was on death row because nobody had taken the time to discipline him. I've had him a year and a half and he is now a happy, confident, loving, well behaved dog. He doesn't get into things he shouldn't and he wants to please us. He's not the unsure, undiciplined, hyper, counter-surfing, thing stealing dog he used to be. He still runs and hides when I raise my voice or become upset (even if it's not anger) because someone had abused him in the past but he will probably always do that. Just recently, he will come out of that hiding when I call to him in a loving voice. He is this way now because I've never hit him (and I suspect he hides because someone used to yell at him and then beat him) or any of the other dogs I've owned, but I've shown him what is acceptable, what isn't and he knows where he stands. He is all the more confident and sure of himself for it.
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