I've got a seven month old pup that is tearing the house apart. She is a bundle of love and joy, just wants to either play or sleep, and always ready to go with me, especially on trips.

But, she just loves paper and will tear into it in a heart beat. She doesn't bother furniture, other then to move the stuff around, she likes to arrange the rooms to her taste.

And she does like shoes, especially when I'm not giving her enough attention. She'll just get one of mine and eat it in front of me.

Anyone have some advice / stories they can share with me on thier chewing experiences?

Hi! What kind of dog is she?
My answer is that she's bored. That's a possibility. My dog will chew what she's not supposed to if she gets too bored. Knowing what breed she is, or is a mix of (if she's mixed) can help you to get even better answers.

-Trinity

Awww... Makes me want a puppy again.

She's just being a puppy !
Mine used to shred the hell out of the TV guides and magazines - It looked like it snowed in my house she ripped soooo much. Then she graduated to the bottom of the vertical blinds in the living room ! And of course the occasional light cord or speaker wire...

We kept her in her crate when we weren't home until she was about a year and a half old. It was just to risky to leave her sooner than that.
(We came home for lunch, so it was only 4 hour stretches at a time)

Just try to make sure to give her a few things that are OK to chew on (toys, bones etc) and make sure when you catch her in the act of chewing something she isn't supposed to, you say NO and give her a chewable toy...

I destinctly remember, when I would come home to a disaster, wishing she was older and would just lay around and not chew on things... Now that she IS older I wish she were a puppy again !

Enjoy your puppy ! It's just like with kids "they grow up to fast"

Thanks Trinity,

She's a mix, mostly Golden Retriever with some sheppard and lab. A real jumper, can get on top of the kitchen table or counter tops (which I yell at her for). Tried to take a whole corn beef off the counter once, caught that one just in time.

She is all puppy, plays hard, then out like a light. And always ready to go.

I live alone with a two-year-old golden non-retriever who also does this, so you are not alone. I asked about it at 'obedience' class (a misnomer if ever there was one) and the instructor said, "Well, that's gundogs."

He knows he shouldn't do it, and doesn't when I am there, but if I leave the room for a moment he's liable to have something, preferably food or something that smells of food. He has plenty of his own things to chew. I think he just wants the novelty, or to see if he can get away with it.

Shoes he will have too, but not to destroy, rather for the fun of making me pin him into a corner to get them back.

About all you can do is to keep vulnerable things out of reach as much a possible and keep telling her off when you catch her at it. It's no use ten seconds later - then you're punishing her for being present at a mess on the floor, which makes no sense to her. With luck and perseverance the problem will tail off, but not overnight. Good luck!

Hi, Brat! You're welcome. Part Lab, you say...That tells me something. Labs LOVE to tear up stuff. I know this from personal experience. She won't outgrow it too soon if there's enough Lab in her. Mine tears up her bedding, toys, and things she's not supposed to tear up. My Lab's father still does it, and he's 3 or 4 years old. They are, however, sweet and loving dogs. Golden Retrievers are, too. But, hopefully, it is a normal puppy phase, and she'll outgrow it. You have a very sweet dog, no matter what she does. Just be sure to keep away harmful things that could seriously hurt her...
Enjoy your puppy!

-Trinity