"My 4 yr dog chews stuff when left loose in the house. How do I stop him?"

I have to crate him, but I am not gone all day.  When I am gone, I have a neighbor who let my dogs out.

  I understand how you feel about leaving him in there all day.  Is there anyone who can let him out for a while if you have a fenced-in yard, or take him for a walk?  

 My dog loves his crate, and often goes in there to lie down on his own when the door is open.  He does not even have a blanket or anything in there because he will chew and swallow anything I put in there. Yet, he still likes to go in there. Your dog most likely will not swallow things like that and could have a nice comfy pad in there.

If I were you, I would check your local pet-sitting services and crate him.  I notice in my telphone book most pet-sitting services advertise dog-walking.  That way you should get someone reliable, as they would need to have references.

Crating is good for a dog to get used to, in case he needs to be boarded. I am sorry I never crated my other two, although they are fine in the house and never misbehave.  It's always good to have them used to a crate, and they feel it is their own private space to relax.

Good luck.  I hope I helped you some.

Hopefully he doesn’t chew AND swallow the stuff he destroys.  It can get caught in his gut, and that surgery or worse...

Now, when my Lab hit 5-6 months, he began chewing everything, chairs, shoes, etc.  We took two weeks, but broke him by:

#1 -  give him plenty of toys to chew on.  If you supply him with proper and fun toys, they are more attractive to him then pillows!

#2 - play with him, with these toys.  when he bites or gets rough, and the chew toy is in front of him, he’ll learn that THAT is his chew toy, not your shoes.

#3 - (most important, at least to me) - when your home and he chews on anything he shouldn’t, get a dog chew toy or raw hide bone and PUT IT IN HIS MOUTH.  He’ll learn and say to  himself, "hey, when i chew, this is in my mouth, that must be what I should do." 

I trained my lab like this, and when it was play time and he wanted to ’bite’ and get a little rough with me, i just gave him a rawhide bone and he chomped on that for a bit.  It’s not only healthy for his teeth, it exercises him too.  On rainy days, when we couldn’t go outside and play, the chewing on his toys helped get his extra energy out!  Often, chewing is a result of being bored or not enough exercise.  Hope this helps.

Your dog may be chewing things up out of boredom, but it also sounds like your dog is acting out of frustration and prey drive. These kind of behaviors are challenging to most owners, so you have to look at why your dog is doing this to help find solutions for him that also work for you.

First, crating your dog is not cruel. Most adult dogs sleep most of the day when their owners are away at work, and a crate is really just an extension of a dogs natural den. A crate also helps preserve your sanity by restricting the ability of the dog to destroy your home. Freedom is proportionate to your dog's level of self control, which he is not doing a very good job at. If your dog normally lives indoors, a large crate or ex-pen would be a good solution to help solve your problem. If your climate is moderate, an outdoor kennel might also be a solution that you can explore.

Also, you want to make sure that your dog has plenty of chew toys of his own to play with. Many dogs chew all of their life, as it provides recreation, stress relief, and satisfies their natural urge to chew. It also helps keep their teeth clean. Using interactive toys that keep his mind occupied may also help. A frozen, stuffed Kong toy will keep some dogs occupied for hours, and they even make Kong toy dispensers that will pop them out automatically at intervals that you set.

However, the best method of redirecting all of this penned up energy in your dog is through training and exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog. :o)

Taking him through an obedience class or two will exercise his mind, help him learn some self control, and the exercise will help him with the boredom and frustration. Corgis are very smart dogs that need mental stimulation, and regular training helps satisfy this need. It doesn't take much of your time once you get going, 15-20 minutes a day is usually sufficient. Corgis are also herding dogs, and herding is an excellent way for your dog to utilize his natural instincts, and burn off a ton of energy. If you are interested in putting him into herding, you may want to look into local training facilities in your area to see what they have to offer. A long walk in the evenings and/or a rousing game of fetch in the backyard is another good way to burn off excess energy.

Good luck to you and your furry friend!

I know it sounds extreme and obviously this won't work for everything, but my mom painted habanero juice on the legs of all the wooden furniture in the house to keep her dog from chewing on it and it worked wonders.  Not a toothmark on any of it.  I don't see this working on the books, but perhaps the knick-knacks?

I'm allergic to habaneros, and it doesn't bother me, so it really does dry clear and won't bother you unless you try to taste the item...