Dear Gulping: This may seem very obvious, but the quickest way to stop your pup from eating all of your clothes is to put her in a crate. By securing her away from the action, you can go about your business without worrying about her. It appears she is swallowing items or going after items that are filled with your scent, and usually plenty of it since she is after your dirty laundry.

When I have young pups in the house I literally have to baby-proof the home. I put everything above their reach, including putting a lock on my closet which contains my laundry hamper. I’ve had older Schipperke dogs swallow pantyhose, which fortunately she passed whole, but this material especially can cause a dangerous situation if there is an intestinal blockage.

When she is loose in the house keep her under strict supervision and provide her with toys that are “okay” for teething. Keep these toys in a box. Teach her to take only from the box. Bring her to the box, teach a word like “take it” and then place a toy in her mouth, praise her and then give her a treat. If you do catch her with some clothing, say a quick “oops” to get her attention and replace that item with a good toy from the box. Don’t chase her for the clothing item if she runs away, because that will teach her a game that you don’t want to play. If you go to the toy box on a daily basis and repeat this routine, soon she’ll get idea that, toys are good and laundry stinks! 

Dear Lisa: I have four dogs, one six-year-old English Setter and three two-year and under English Cockers. They have a fenced backyard and a dog door to access it whenever they please. They are content as long as I am in the house, or out in the backyard working. If they hear me in the front yard, they go bananas, digging frantically to get out, but when they get out, they don’t come to me, they take a “freedom” run and don’t come back for hours and hours. I can allow one of them in the front with me off lead while I work, no problem, except the others in the back begin the frantic digging. As individuals they are civilized and obedient, but as a pack, they hear the “call of the wild.” – Wild about Wilderness

Dear Wild: I see a few things going on here. First it appears your dogs are in need of a job to do that coincides with what they were bred for. The fact that the dogs take off for hours indicates they may need more exercise and the ability to practice what their genetic heritage dictates, i.e. small game hunting and flushing.

If hunting isn’t your bag, try to engage your dogs in some sort of outdoor activities likes hiking, walking, or playtime. The more you expend their energy the less like they will be to do it themselves in the form of destructive digging or dangerous unsupervised romps through the woods.

Secondly, they may be developing separation anxiety or missing their master since they try to be with you at all times. They may feel they are not getting enough individual attention. Perhaps, since you have a pack of dogs, giving each dog that individual attention, both in front of the other dogs and alone, will give them what they may be craving.

Set up an exercise, training and playtime routine for all four dogs, and then rotate the schedule so the same dog isn’t always first. And finally, you may want to separate the older dog from all the youngsters for a while, or split up the pack into two groups as the older dog may be teaching the younger ones all the “tricks of the trade’ and how to work their master to their best advantage!   

Lisa Peterson, a long-time breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds, is the Director of Club Communications at the American Kennel Club. Contact her at ask@lisa-peterson.com  or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.