What to do with this young lady?

[abstibus]

My rescue bitch, which I've had since February, is still being quite a trial. She was supposed to be a Lab/collie, but I think she is Lab/hound, maybe lurcher.
She is a complete escape artist - in spite of having a huge well-fenced garden to run and play in and the company of two other dogs, as well as toys and bones, etc., she has somehow found an escape route which we can't identify and manages to get on to the road.
She is also very destructive - bedding, no matter how many times it's replaced, furniture, wallpaper, books, garden hose - you get the picture. Her latest party piece was to pull the Calor gas regulator off the wall and eat the tubing, so no cooking until that's fixed. She just loves ripping things up.
We reckon she is about 18 months old - will this behaviour ever stop?
Thanks for any advice, encouragement, training tips.

[lankeela]

If she is getting onto a road then you need to take drastic action before she is killed or kills someone else. Make a fenced in run for her, a smaller section that you can fence completely. Although its nice to have free run of the large garden, if she is getting out then its dangerous for her and others. Make sure you stay out with her if she is loose, and if necessary get a long tie out chain with a runner on it so she can move around but not get away on her own. You can get them with a swivel on one end so she doesn't get caught up.
Unfortunately some dogs never get out of this habit, particularly if she has hound in her. Try doing some training, getting her to come when called and lie down on command. Anything to get her attention and keep her wanting to be near you. Lots of titbits and fuss, and hopefully she will not feel the need to wander.

[blackcat77]

What about getting her used to a crate for when you have to leave her by herself so then she is not shredding things when you are not there. The behaviour will stop in time, I'm sure, but it is going to be very hard work for you! I've had lots of labradors over the years and they can be some of the most destructive dogs around, but usually by the time they were two, they had settled down. (Is this why she was in a rescue home to start with?) But, as Lankeela says, you must find out where she is getting out and put a stop to that. Good luck, and I hope that you have lots of good times with her.

[LoftyLottie]

Some vetinerary practices have dedicated vets/vet nurses that deal with behavioural problems and also run classes.

Although I don't usually like dog training classes (for various reasons), it might well be worth while seeing if one is being held in your area.

All is not lost. She is still a young dog, but she needs a firm hand and needs to know who is boss.