Thief and chewing

Question
My 1 1/2 year old chocolate lab is a sock thief.  He will destroy a sock in a heartbeat. He now has become a "eat anything he can find". Anywhere from plastic, paper, money, car keys...pretty much anything that isn't nailed down. I know this is a behavior problem and can cause some major digestive problems if it is not remedied. He is a part of the family with the kids and I don't want to keep him restricted to the basement where he can't get into trouble. He gets exercised 30 minutes/day and has free roam of our fenced in back yard. He gets fed on a regular routine twice a day with treats rewarding good behavior. He is rarely left alone as my mother lives with me and she is at home with him all day. The kids play with him. He isn't starving for attention. I'm just not sure how to break him of this habit. I'm spending a fortune on socks and I don't want a sick dog because of what he ate accidentally. I'm begging for help. Yesterday, he put his nose in my purse hanging on the door knob and took my credit card out of it and chewed it. Unfortunately, I didn't check him until he had already snapped part of it off. I called for a replacement this morning. Any ideas?

Answer
This is a common, but difficult problem.  You can hope he settles down some in another year or 2.

In the mean time you can do several things.  Damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice give it an ''Ah, ah, ah!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of her toys, or, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.

When you are around you need to keep a close eye on the dog. Use closed doors or gates to keep it in the same room as you are, and perhaps as I do, a short chain fastened to the computer desk. If you catch it in the act, correct it. When you can't watch it, crate it.

Keep dirty socks in closed hampers behind closed bedroom doors.  Try to move clean ones to the bedroom too.  Make as much as you can unavailable to chew.  Some things you can spray Bitter Apple on.  A mousetrap is very effective in making a dog leave something alone. Most dogs will stay away from anywhere they were surprised by a snap. The best part is that it is not you that is correcting the dog. It works whether you are around or not. The mousetrap is very patient and is always on task as long as you reset it.

I have used mousetraps with mixed luck.  Some dogs are too smart for them.  This is a gentler method I found in a newsletter from a service dog school.  

Counter Surfing

Does your Foster Puppy counter surf; constantly checking the tables and counters for a tasty morsel that he is sure was left there just for him? If so, teach him The Can Can! For The Can Can you will need about 6 cans (empty pop cans with a few rocks or pennies inside them and a little piece of duct tape over the hole works well). Stack the cans in a pyramid on top of a piece of cardboard or paper to which you have attached a piece of string. Tie the string to the object that your Foster Puppy most desires from the counter top. It may be a dish towel or if it is food he is seeking, use a paper towel that you have used to pat down a piece of meat or maybe some meat juice. Then wait. When the object is snatched from the counter top the pyramid of cans will come crashing down, startling the thief. Your puppy will be caught in the act red pawed! You have just created a self correction! It may take several repetitions to get the point across, but soon your puppy will decide that it just isn't worth taking the chance.

If he finds a mousetrap in your purse once, he may leave it alone or become adept at taking things without setting it off.

We have had at least one young Lab in the house most of the time since 1991.  Much of the conventional advice comes from people that never had one of the more difficult dogs.