eating paper

Question
Hi,
My 4 year old lab eats ALL paper but only when we are out of the house (he knows not to do it when we are here).  He has recently moved on to eating books (and two jewelery boxes without the necklaces) and will now take them off the coffee table.  Because the behavious only happens when we aren't home is their a solution?

Answer
The solution is remove all paper objects and paraphernalia that the dog can reach.  The better solution would be to confine the dog to the kitchen with a soft bed, water and safe toys.  You may inadvertently have rewarded this dog (by paying attention to him, even negative attention can be a reward) for "stealing" these objects.  Attempting to "correct" him when you arrive home (if you're doing that) is worsening the problem.  If this is a sign of anxiety (which is likely), showing anger escalates the dog's anxiety.