1 yr old mixed breed

Question
QUESTION: We have a 1 yr old mixed breed she has been with us since 7 wks. As a puppy we were able to leave her in our kitchen with the door close whenever we left her alone as she got older she would escape or destroy any thing in her way. We started putting her on the leash but no matter how tight we make the collar she gets out of it. She is never left alone for more than 2 hrs at a time because there are 5 of us living here and our schedules differ so that someone is usually here with her even when we are home and  tie her she    
gets off. She also jumps on furniture and steals food if left alone for 5 minutes. She knows this is wrong because she goes low to the ground and her ears go down everytime we catch her. When we are with her she listens well and would never attempt any of these thins while we are watching. We are at wits end because when we do have to leave her and she gets loose she always destroys something. She is a sneak , it has been suggested to u s to put her outside when we leave but weather does`t always permit and we are afraid she will get out of the yard somehow she is like an escape artist. we are losing our patience please help. And how do we keep her from being a sneak and stealing food she has food and fresh water out all day for herself. And she also knows not to go on the furniture she was better as a baby. Why is she so sneaky?

ANSWER: Dogs are NOT sneaky, they're just dogs.  As such, they are opportunistic - it's what helped them to survive in the wild.  The reason she backs out of her collar is that she is either being dragged, or she's scared and doesn't want to go forward.  You are better off using a harness when you walk her.  Try the Easy Walk Harness that is made by Premier - you can get one at any Petco, Petsmart, etc.
Stealing is a habit that starts because the humans left food or something the dog wanted (they can smell it ten feet away LOL) and the dog got it.  It's a self-rewarding behavior and will continue if you don't get better about managing her environment.  She doesn't "know this is wrong".  All she knows is that sometimes when you come home you are upset.  The "guilty look" is an appeasement signal to try to get you to stop looking so threatening.  If she destroys things, it's probably for one of the following reasons: she is anxious (which, if she is being chastised or you are coming in angry when you see that she has trashed something, is understandable), or it could be that she is just in her second chewing stage.  How old is she?  This is common with dogs in the 8-15 month old age group.  Some Labs and Lab mixes commonly chew well past that age.  It's not destructiveness, they have to do it to set the adult teeth into their jawbones properly.  Other dogs chew out of boredom.  Are you enriching her environment with training, interactive toys (Kong, Buster Cube), or sufficient exercise?
Have you thought about crate training her?  This has the added benefit of providing her with a safe haven to which she can retire if things in the house get chaotic, or if you need to travel with her, you have an automatic portable den.  Here's are some links on crate training: http://www.wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/1crate.php
It sounds as though this dog either went to a traditional puppy class, or you didn't take her to one.  It also sounds like someone let her go from her litter too early - the ideal time is at 8 weeks, not 7, and some states even have laws that prevent breeders from separating pups too early and selling them.  The reason is that pups learn valuable lessons about bite inhibition and social activity from the dam and littermates.  In any case, I would say that your dog could benefit from some additional training, not only for this problem, but because life with any dog gets easier the more the dog understands what the humans expect, and the more the humans know about dog behavior.  Also, she will be less bored if you are incorporating training into your daily life with her.  You can find a clicker trainer here: www.clickerteachers.net, or a dog-friendly trainer here: www.trulydogfriendly.com.  Good luck.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I meant to say that my dog gets off the collar when we tie her in the house. we leash her to the base of the kitchen table with 15 feet of leash near by her food and water she is left with several chew toys and a suprise snack or two in her bowl. to keep her occupied like I said she is never left for any period longer than 2 hours someone is always here with her. But no matter what we do she gets loose. She pulls down gates, we have pocket doors on our rooms and she opens them If she can`t get passed them she chews at the door or floor.She has already chewed half of my kitchen floor. And I believe she seems to know not to act this way because it is never done when we are at home in fact she is not confined at all at night she sleeps in my or my sons bedroom and never has been a problem at night at all. She is fully house broken so that is never an issue I just don`t know what to do with her when I have to leave her alone anymore. By the way she is a 1 yr old mixed breed about 35 - 40 lbs We have no problems with her mouthing or biting she does jump on people but is learning. she is an escape artist should we use a choke collar the one we use has a buckle and as it is I make it as tight as breathing will allow but she still get s it off somehow i always find the empty collar and leash and her in a different room with something destroyed

Answer
It is far safer to crate train her, than to put her in any kind of choke collar - she could choke to death!  Many dogs have.  Never leave a dog tied with a choke collar - in fact, I don't even recommend them for training, as many dogs incur injuries to the larynx when the collars are used incorrectly.  
I suspect that she doesn't behave badly when you are there because she has no reason to.  If you're there, she isn't anxious or bored, most probably.  If you want to continue to believe that she knows this is wrong, I can't do anything about it, but I can say, unequivocally, that you are wrong.  Dogs do not think that way.  The fact that she doesn't misbehave at night is irrelevant.  There are still people there, even if they are sleeping, and it's probably comforting to her.  
My guess is that she has the beginnings of a separation anxiety problem, if she is chewing at the doors or flooring - it might be in an attempt to find a family member.  Read Patricia McConnell's book, "I'll Be Home Soon".  It might help if that's the issue.  
If you insist on tying her, try using a harness, such as a nylon tracking harness (J & J Dog Supply).