peeing and chewing

Question
i just got a 9 month old lab from a family that kept him in a create
for a large majority of the time.  i was reluctant to use the create
however he is chewing everything(couches, pillows, remote controls, even
molding on the wall), and peeing.  i have another dog(shepherd/rot mix)
about 3 yrs old who never had any of these problems. so i have started
putting the lab in the create(and leave the other one out) when i leave
which has solved some of the problem however he is still peeing when i
am home.  i take him out first thing in the morning, last thing before
bed and a few time in between.  no mistakes in the create for 8-9 hours
but he will pee in house an hour after i have taken him out! how do i
stop this?  are potty pads an option?


Answer
crates are an excellent tool for housebreaking, so please continue to use it.   The #1 thing to remember when housebreaking a dog is that you must completely eliminate all opportunities for accidents.  This usually means keeping the dog crated whenever you can not supervise them.   If they are still having accidents in front of you, then you should go one step further and keep a leash on the dog in the house.  If they start to squat, you give the leash a gentle tug and go immediately outside.  Of course, LOTS and LOTS of praise for going in the right place.   I know this is a pain to do this, but with hard work and persistence, the dog will learn to only go outside.  If you can stick to this for about 3 weeks, you should see a marked improvement.

In my opinion, potty pads/paper only reinforce going in the house because basically you are telling them it is ok.  Stick to outside - you'll be better off in the long run.

As far as the chewing, try some bitter apple spray.