10 month labrador Dog chewing/peeling off the paint of my house!

Before this she chewed part of the edges of her doghouse (plastic bought in CostCo) and a drain valve from my water heater.
Answering you questions...

[B]Does he scratch the house with his paws? [/B]
NO, it's with the front teeth, like nibbling... the dog is female

[B]Does he start doing it as soon as he is outside? [/B]
We really don't know, mainly we give her a rawhide bone to go outside and chew... so how much time passes between letting her outside and the start of her crime is unknown.

[B]Does he do it all the time when he is outside? [/B]
it's beginning to seem this way, every time she's outside and we come back we find paint peeled off or the sheet cloth inside her doghouse outside.

[B]Does he do it when you are not home? [/B]
Yes and No, she does it when we least expect her to do it. [B]Yes[/B], we have found the results of this thing she does and [B]No[/B] because my wife has caught her infranganti

[B]Does he do it when you are home but he can't get to you?[/B]
She usually whines a bit to seek out attention or sleeps on our feet, she often seeks my wife's attention, she's more tender and warm. When she approaches me she wiggles her tail upto the point in which the hip also moves along... but she approaches with her head facing down, ears pulled back.

[B]Does he do it in different spots?[/B]
Yes, she has done it in 4 spots now, too bad I can't fine her for vandalism.

[B]Does he stop when you call him to you?[/B]
Yes, and looks back licking her mouth from one side and then the other.

regarding the diet item you mention, we feed her [B]Puppy Dog Food from Kirkland[/B], bought in CostCo also. For what I've read on the internet is a good brand for the price you get it. I really don't know what to look for on dog food that might suit my pet's diet.

Some people have recommend [B]ProPlan or Science Diet [/B]which I find extremely expensive at the moment with all this economical crisis going on. A sack will cost me around 65usd and is out of our budget while the Kirkland food costs around 14usd. Big difference.....

Separation anxiety has to be evaluated.... she constantly follows my wife everywhere.... Kena (that's the dog's name) usually whines/cries at her... not to me. Like I said.... when Kena sees me come home... she'll come wiggling her tail to the point of the hip going crazy but lowers her head and pulls back the ears.

About the mix you suggested... where can I find cayenne pepper... I live in Mexico and would like to know a name to look for it on my local supermarket.

thank you so much for the time spent on this....

[B]There are some cheaper brands around that are rice based and very good. Perhaps ring a few vets and ask them about it or do some research online.[/B]
OK, we did this and it sure dissapointed me Vets trying to market their sponsor whether it was ProPlan, Eukanuba, Purina bla bla bla..... With no real arguments on why should I switch brands. I'm still stuck here....

[B]From what you said it looks as though she accepts you as her leader.[/B]
On this matter we're still working on her full attention, since I'm a loud speaker when my wife is also in the same room with us (dog and me) she decides to run to my wife instead of obeying my commands. We're reinforcing attention to me when my wife is around. This is being taken care of.

[B]How does your wife react when the dog whines? Does she get attention (negative or positive) when she cries? [/B]
It depends, if my wife is busy she ignores it, but if she's not busy... she'll start praising her with sweet remarks.

[B]Does your wife sometime close doors between her and the dog even when she is at home? Does the dog jump up to follow your wife even if she was asleep just before? [/B]
Yes, she does that a lot, the jumping... she jumps at her and not to me.

[B]Cayenne pepper is just a very strong red pepper. You could also use ground black pepper or vinegar. Anything that is not poisonous, but tastes very strong and hot.
Some pet shops also offer "Don't touch" sprays.[/B]
Since i still don't get this solution on how to mix and smear hehehe... we decided to walk out our pet a bit more and stimulate training following Victoria's Stilwell tips and tricks on her show. Basically to tire her physically and mentally.
BUUUT!!! here's the NEW thing Kena has found somehow amusing and that my wife has caught her twice. She's eating her POOP!!! :eek: Why!! is this a phase every puppy (10month old labrador) goes through... or are we missing something?:rolleyes:

you know comments are always welcome

On the food subject, we have come to see that our pet no longer eats the dog food... she will smell it and then look around and see if there is something a lot better around. After awhile, she'll start eating on a slow pace.

The paint tearing is still a major item... we will go to the grocery store buy the [B]Cayenne pepper[/B]. It is still unclear for me how to USE it.... should I just sprinkle it on the spots?... should I mix it with something else to smear it on the walls?.....
Could you please point out the correct way to employ this household solution. I've read the posts on this thread and it is still very unclear :confused:
Sorry!

About the whining, out pet whines a lot now when my wife is not around or doesn't pay attention to her for a short period of time.
I read in a letter from your staff to do a certain repetition of steps to break the routine of leaving the pet behind. We can do that,... still my wife is very "mellow" or "lovable" and would praise the dog a lot for not even doing nothing in return.

Hi there, sounds like you will have to train your dog and your wife
It's very important that she follows the steps on how to become the Alpha Dog as well. Some people find it hard having to be consistent with their dogs, but it's important for your wife to know that your dog will be much happier if she has a stable pack order and she is at the bottom of the pack. That way she knows she is taken care of and she doesn't have to whine.
Your dog will need to do something in return for being praised. Even if it is just a "sit" or a "down".
Perhaps get your wife to read through the "Alpha Dog book".

Have you tried the pepper? Any updates?
John