So i have my first lab. She is a damn Chewer and Digger. Any pointers on how to get them to quit? She has chewed a rung off of my kids playset, the ignitor off the grill, shoes, ANYTHING she can find. I have been chaulking it up to being bored or seperation anxiety... I am tired of excuses and would like to assist her in behavior modification.... Ideas?

She is probably teething & bored. Make sure she has plenty of chew toys that she knows are hers and ok to chew on. You may wanna consider building a run to keep her in during the day.

great idea to build a run!

Exercise, exercise, exercise and a kennel. Mine stays in a kennel most of the time when we aren't home, she just gets into to much if I don't put her in there. Once she gets older and chills out some more I will let her roam the house while we are gone...but right now she has proven not to be responsible enough

Teach her no and keep an eye on her if possible. Make sure she has plenty of toys/exercise to keep her busy.

crate trained?

Don't give them any soft/plush toys. It encourages more chewing. I think the pet stores also sell a spray that is supposed to stop them from chewing. Don't know if it works as i have never tried it. Good Luck and be patient.

I'm guessing she's spending a good amount of time alone? The chewing happens during this time? The answer is a crate or kennel - give her toys and/or rawhide for this time period. If she's going to be a gundog, she needs to be crate trained, anyway. Besides, it teaches patience and helps the dog bond to you, via supervised & controlled outings. Obviously, if she's NOT alone, then monitor and correct behavior. They grow out of it... some sooner than others, but they DO (eventually) outgrow it. You mentioned digging... what's going on there? They dig to unearth cooler dirt to lay in, but that's ONE reason amongst many.

I agree with the above. Lots of excersise and crate. If she is young, then she does not need to be left unattended. She needs to be under your direct control or in a crate.

I try not to use NO for everything they do wrong.
Getting on furniture I use the command OFF.
I don't use DOWN because I want that command for learning lay down.
When they pick up things I don't want them to have I teach the command LEAVE IT.

I try to stick with commands that I will use in the field.
2X on the exercise and crate training.

What I always found that worked if you can't get them out to exercise because of work, is whatever you have seen them chewing on, rub a little vasaline on it, and sprinkle some cayenne pepper, once they get that cayenne pepper in their mouth they usually don't go back to it!

Your new best friends are: exercise, kennel run, crate. It will be far less expensive in the long run, and you and the dog will be happier.

Ask me how I know this !

I didn't have a kennel run with my first lab (aka "The Million Dollar Dog") but I definitely do with the second one.

BTW..love the sig line. Unfortunately, I tend to be in that other 40% of the time, most of the time !

Thanks everyone. This is great advice. She actually has 2 playmates. A 9 year old Catahoula Shepard Mix and a 12 year old Canaan. She is crate trained but i felt bad keeping her in there all day while i work. But i pulled the crate out and put her in the crate today. When she is with people she is amazing. Only when she is not in proximity of the family will she chew and dig. Believe it or not. My Canaan, being 12, acts like a 4-5 year old dog. She runs along side Belle and wrestles with her alot. The stamina is not the same. Belle (9 month old Lab) can go for unlimited amounts of time it seems. Gabbie (Canaan) has 15-20 minutes of gas in the tank. My Catahoula... she is in rough shape. Doesnt have patience.

Thanks foe the advice.

It was just a general term that I threw out there.

When I was training Miley I had to revise my commands. I think that poor dog thought her name was "NO" when she was a pup.
Crate/kennel training and lots of chew toys, we probably have close to a dozen of them plus rawhide chews.
Work your dog as often as possible if you are training the pup for hunting.
Our new pup Abbi will come in and sleep for quiet a while if I will take her out and work her retrieving until she is tired. She still seems to find things to chew on that she is not supposed to, but I think without the toys and the activity she would be a whole lot worse..