spiteful dog

Question
i have read a lot and even hired a trainer. my dog is S-P-I-T-E-F-U-L! she is 7 months old, a balck lab mix.
I fired the trainer after he said dogs are not spiteful.
my dog can hold herself when we are home, and even if we sleep late on weekends,(over 10 hrs). i tried crating and i almost had to give her away because she would cry,throw her poop out of the cage and be covered in urine every day. id come home form work and have to bathe her, clean my carpet and the cage. if i put the cage on plastic, she would drag it in and eat it.
so i tried our spare bedroom and we we pads. it was working but now she is eating text books, and, cd's, my computer speakers (things she never tried to eat before). i leave her with a basket of toys and a treat. we dont leave food or water because we dont want to increase the chance of her having to go. we leave the fan and ac on so her is not hot. she is not alone for more than five hours. eats a full meal at 8:30 (because that is when i get home, and gets plenty of water and walking the rest of the day.
i am going crazy. she is destroying my home. please help.

Answer
Perhaps she has failed to read the books that say dogs aren't spiteful.  Maybe she just gets mad enough to ....  I see many similar questions.  It sounds to me like the dog is doing it deliberately to protest being left in the crate.  That is at odds with the conventional wisdom.  As top dog, you have the right to confine her by herself as needed.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/

Here are some other ways to show her you are top dog:

''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.  Also see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

I would go back to the crate.  Until she accepts you as top dog and your right to leave her alone, she will make as big of a mess as she can wherever you leave her.  The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy.  Very few houses even have a safe room.  How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing else?  Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else.  In addition to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have intestinal  blockage from the pieces.  I had a friend that left her female Lab in a "safe" room.  It ate a hole in the floor covering.  The safe rooms fail to give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving itself.

If you have a room with a hard surface floor, put the crate there.  If not, a couple sheets of cheap paneling?  Put a rack in the crate.  They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use something the puppy can't pull in and chew.  The rack mostly eliminates the problems of urinating in the crate and reduces problems with bowel movements.  When she sees you easily coping with her protests, she may give up.  

I sometimes suggest a private trainer knowing full well some of them are incompetent idiots.  See  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/07/19/s1b_...