We had the same problem with our 2 huskies and one of our neighbours was a real pain, kept ringing me at work to come home and see to them even though we had a dog walker and my mum come round to the house, neighbours eh!!!
We ended up taking them to Doggy Day Care , some kennels over here in the UK have started taking dogs during the day for working couples, an idea from the states and Canada I believe so it may be worth him looking into that.
Our 2 love it and we know they have care and attention all day so we dont have to worry about them although we will be trying to get them out of it when we move to Canada as although we have found them somewhere its not cheap everyday!!

Dogs experiencing separation anxiety will chew wood to help with their boredom and fear. The dog needs to be crated as others have said and while he will make noise for a while he will get accustomed to it. He/she should be crated on occasion while you are in the house so he/she understands it is not punishment and they are going to get out again. Stanley Coren, who has written many books on dogs, maintains that they can be trained out of the separation problem.
As far as chewing table legs and other wooden items get Bitter Apple from the pet store. Spray it on anything chewable at the dog's mouth level and they will not chew. As the name implies it is bitter and dogs do not enjoy it. It doesn't leave any marks on anything it's sprayed on to, including cloth.

It must do. Does Charlie eat at the same time?

I've had three dogs that would sit and lick it off whatever surface I sprayed it on. (Result? Their chew toys were soaked in it and they would spend hours sucking the toys instead)

Be careful not to leave any shoes or handbangs laying around...dogs love to chew wood and leather.

pmsl!! hooked on anti nail bite stuff!! only you Butch!!

Yep we were told this. tried it and it just encouraged em even more, we then bought a plug in DMP device which was supposed to have calming pheromones, they proceeded to eat that as well

Regarding the crates ours use them all the time now although we haven't crated them and gone out but they are quite good now they are nearly 2 years old.
It does help if you feed them in the crate sometimes and give them treats in there, they have to feel its a place where good things happen otherwise they won't take to it.

My daschund is 4 now, and we tried every trick in the book when he was younger to get him to take to the crate.

He has no issues being alone, and doesn't damage so he just roams the house when nobody is home. I video taped him a few times, and when he is alone he sleeps, and seems fine, bring out the crate and he runs to the bed and hides.

I think at some point he was abused or something involving a crate due to the way he acts when he even sees one.

Apparently not.................... See below

(I know this is a VERY long post but I had the same experience and felt utter dispair so hope some of this will be helpful.)

Having lost my gorgeous doggie to cancer this year, the OPs post brought back many memories of him as a pup... and I recognise the behaviour.

My boy was a nightmare when I first had him. He was a rescue dog so hadnt had the best start in life. Two dog trainers, a police dog trainer and several prescriptions of valium later (for the dog not me although I was close to needing it) he still remained a complete lunatic. Even the snip did nothing to calm him. He ate my kitchen, the back door, got a taste for bitter apples and even chewed the doggie 'Stay Off' spray can. I gave up buying miracle cures... they didnt work and were a waste of money.

My conclusion and how I coped and ended up with a wonderful obedient and amazing best friend:

He's a dog. He has to be given time to learn. Like babies they dont know everything first off and it takes a lot of patience.

Expect some damage unless you monitor the rooms he's allowed in. If its an open plan house... just make sure you have pet damage included in your insurance. Get into the habit of closing doors behind you. You have to change your behaviour too... dont leave food out that he can reach (my dog was seen running down our garden with a string of sausages when my husband turned his back to light the oven). Remove breakables from wagging tales. In the same way you would make a house child safe, you really have to make your home doggie safe.

Lots of exercise... he is probably very intelligent and needs lots of stimulation and will enjoy walkies and training exercises. The latter can be a big help to you too - and its a bonding exercise and enables your son to assume head of pack.
For instance if you have stairs and dont want him upstairs, spend 15 minutes a day training him to stay at the bottom whilst you go upstairs. It will take a bit of running up and down (good for the thighs) to start with but as long as you have some little treats (and you may need a few so make sure they are small or you'll end up with a weight problem too!!) he should learn pretty quickly.

Socialise him... when someone comes to the door allow him to greet them, trying at the same time to get him to sit and not jump up. Dont push down on the spine though to make him sit - it can cause real damage. Your best to put your hand on his thigh/rump and gentle pull him toward you with the command. Train him to sit with a hand signal too.. very handy if they go deaf in later life or you need to command him silently.

My dog hated the crate... REALLY hated it. It was better to put him in the garden to cool down after 5 minutes of craziness when he'd been running around the living room like the wall of death. Can your son build an outdoor run perhaps? He may never like the crate and you may be better to establish 'his' area in your sons and your own home. Can you lock him in the kitchen or a decent size room where he can have his bed, water, toys and perhaps a hard chew to keep him occupied. He will most probably sleep when you're out. He needs to know his boundaries. If you must use a crate leave the door open when you are all in the room... nonchalantly put treats in there so he goes in himself. Leave the door open if he does go in and lie down so he feels safe. It might be you cant use the crate though... especially if it is causing him distress. If he has structure and routine he'll gradually know when daddy is going out and that its nap time, and when daddy gets home its walkies etc etc. I'm no expert but I dont agree with crates... dogs are pack animals and want to be with the pack. They want to go where you go etc. That's just my opinion of course. If people want a pet out of sight out of mind...get a cat! It never worked for my dog... just made him very stressed and anxious... and then he was uncontrollable for a while so I stopped using it and he settled much more quickly in the room.

His behaviour could also be him trying to establish himself in the pack. Its important he knows who the pack leader is within the family. In our family it was most definitely my husband. There are lots of tips like feeding them after you've eaten, not looking at them when you first get home etc... I've tried them all and they broke my heart and they didnt work anyway... but just like children they will grow out of it.

Unfortunately any age of dog can cause havoc..... that is the joy of having a dog.. and hardwood floors are susceptible at any age due to the claws.

Patience, determination, a bit of discipline, following the rules, structure and routine are whats needed....and thats just you! The dog will respond. He wants to respond. He wants to please you. It can be very confusing (again like a child) if different houses have different rules.

You will never give him as much love and friendship as he will give you.

Just keep at it and I promise all the acts of devastation, peeing up your CD player and digital tv stack, eating the new carpet, mud stains when you've just cleaned and every other prank and mishap will all cause a giggle later on xx

What a fantastic post!!!!

I've had a few dogs and they've all loved their crates -( Scotty dog, collie cross and border terrier). They would/will go into them wagging their tails when commanded, "Go to your house!"

However, they can never be a place of punishment, only sancturary, safety and reward.

I trained them by not locking the door at first, and by feeding them in the crate as DBD has suggested.

Crates seem to replicate the dens that wild dogs will dig, and though they seem confining to us, they offer offer security and peace of mind to dogs. And even though pack animals, they will den down by themselves.

Good luck. It takes time to build trust with an intelligent dog.

Excellent post.

Put an old article of your clothing in the crate as part of the dog's bedding. It will have your scent on it and is therefore supposed to be comforting to the dog.

You could also try the chew toys which contain treats. I've never used them but it's supposed to be a good way of keeping your dog occupied when you're gone.

As others have said...make the crate a fun/safe place where your dog feels secure. Never send or put him/her into his crate for being naughty.

IMO it's much safer for the dog to be crated...one of my dobermans died because she chewed and swallowed part of a mat by the door.

We crated our German Shepherd as a pup and she soon settled in it. We left it open when we was in and she would go in and out of it at her own pace and many times went in there to sleep and to the best of our knowledge was fine when we went out. this picture was taken just after we arrived here in Canada and the box was one we used for our smallest dog and she claimed this as hers within hours of arriving

Get him a girlfriend.