Exercise and dog issues.

Chewing up shoes.
Tearing up furniture.
Chasing their tails.
Excessive licking, jumping, barking.
These are all signs of a bored dog.
We usually take them for granted, or think they are cute (like the tail chasing issue), However, these are NOT normal behaviors for a dog.
A wolf, which is the predecessor of our house dogs, do not do these things.
They do not chase their tails, or excessive lick each other. They don't bark all day long.
Why?
Well, there could be many reasons, but one of the most common is lack of exercise. We, as pet owners, need to take our dogs out for a nice, long, stimulating walk.
Stimulating?
Yes. Mentally stimulating. We have to give them a job, which is to follow us. If they are concentrating on that, their brains are getting a work out, as well as their body. People usually say they don't understand, since they let their dogs out into the yard to run around.
A yard is nothing more then a big kennel with no roof. There is no sense of migration in a yard, and this is of the utmost important to your dog. Cooped up at home all day with nothing to do, a dog will FIND something to do.... like tear up your curtains.
Why not? What else is there to do?
Give your dogs some exercise, make them work and think, and watch that neurotic dog come back to it's senses.

The Doggy Guru.
Helping you, help your dog.