jack russell wont stop chewing

Question
Hi,we have a 4 month old jack Russell who is extremely destructive. He is left in the house during the day with regular visitors throughout to keep him company and also has around 5/6 toys for him to play with. Despite all of this he is destroying my home by, ripping the curtains to shreds, digging and pulling the carpet up and most recently has started to chew through my stair spindles. i have tried all of the shop bought products to stop chewing to no avail. I also tried thing suggested such as pepper. alcohol and perfume all of which my dog seems to enjoy, licks off and carries on chewing.Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Answer
Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.