Our lab is driving us crazy!!!

Question
Labman,

We have a 20 month old chocolate lab, male, was neutered approx 2 weeks ago.  We decided to give this a try because we're running out of options and my fiance and I really don't know what else to do!

Now, we have both done some research, consulted our vet, a trainer, and others with labs and we're still scratching our heads about his behavior. About a month ago, we moved to a new place in a much nicer area, much bigger condo.  He has seemed to have handled it well up until recently...he is doing things that were never a problem in our old apartment! Things like barking every time we leave, he had broken out of a metal crate while we've been gone, and because of his destructive behavior he has to stay in his crate at night when we sleep and if we have to leave the house because we can't trust him!  If we leave him alone in the house for more than 2 minutes he's grabbing left over food off of plates, pulling food off of the kitchen counters, grabbing things off of our dining room table, and every night when we put him in his crate to sleep he whines, whimpers and barks endlessly!!! We've tried every approach that we can possibly imagine!

As far as the methods we've tried: We've tried, the nice approach, the stern approach, tapping his nose as we tell him "no" for what he has done wrong, using a designated area as time out, lure and reward with things like extra chewies, treats and kongs stuffed with different things, consulting a trainer, consulting our regular vet, researching online, and pretty much else anything you can imagine!

We're both at our wits end!! We love our lab, but it's sad that he lives in a loving comfortable home, is well cared for and in return will not listen to us and cannot even be trusted to be left alone in our house for more than 1 minute.

What else can we do? Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
This sounds like a very tough case.  You may be able to reduce his counter surfing with a mose trap.  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.

Continue to grate him when you have to leave him alone.  

It does sound like the move upset him.  The full effects of the neutering may take another couple of weeks to show.  Perhaps he is unsure of his relationship with you.  You could try what you can of these exercises meant for younger puppies.  

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.