aussie puppy eats everything

Question
my 4 month old Aussie eats everything. we have a very clean house but he still gets into everything. he jumps over the baby gate to the toy room and takes toys out and eats them. he loves to get into the trash and play with cans and eat any left overs. he eats hair brushes and toilet bowl brush and rips up toilet paper. eats food off of baby high chair and has started to take food out of her hands. he is mostly a clam dog for a Aussie but will go crazy one moment running and jumping on chairs . we do take him to the dog park for about 3 hours ever other day.
why is he acting this way. how can i get him to only play or eat his toys. thanks heather

Answer
He may have started this behavior due to boredom.  Many Aussies are working dogs, and not really suitable as pets unless they get a lot of exercise and mental stimulation.  Plus, chewing, eating, or shredding things is a self rewarding behavior that dogs do, either to calm themselves down, relieve boredom, or get something better to eat.  Every time the puppy is allowed to practice this behavior, he's learning that it's acceptable.  So, prevention is really crucial.  Take everything up off the floors, clear your counters, and crate the pup when you, or your children, are eating.  If the baby gate isn't high enough to keep him out, rig something that is, such as a temporary screen door with a grate.  Also, take this puppy to training class.  By this age, Aussies are usually smart enough to have learned all their commands, and if he doesn't know: sit, down, leave it, come, up, off, etc., it's not too late to teach him.  If you don't have a class nearby, there are some free lessons online at www.clickerlessons.com.  The "zoomies" you describe are usually puppy behavior that will disappear eventually, but the counter surfing and getting into things persists if you don't manage it now, so hopefully you can get into prevention mode, then start training the commands, then manage his environment while you are unable to watch him.