Neither the lab/retriever mix I got as a teen nor the lab and german shepherd I lived with in college ever chewed anything plastic. Leave food out? Absolutely, it's gone. Stuffed animals intended for dogs? Lacy would love them to pieces, sometimes in less than an hour, so she couldn't have them without supervision. But plastic? Not the inevitability you're presenting it as.
I love dogs and wouldn't be willing to rehome them, but if they're not trained and that was supposed to be your job I understand her being frustrated. A nine year old is still very much a puppy-in-training, mistakes will be made kind of age as well. Do the dogs get enough exercise? I don't mean putting them in the yard or taking them around the block, I mean long walks/runs, fetch, etc. That's the most common source of misbehaviour I've observed in other people's dogs.
Her giving you the silent treatment is a whole other problem, though. That woukd be a dealbreaker for me regardless of the initial issue.
Neither the lab/retriever mix I got as a teen nor the lab and german shepherd I lived with in college ever chewed anything plastic. Leave food out? Absolutely, it's gone. Stuffed animals intended for dogs? Lacy would love them to pieces, sometimes in less than an hour, so she couldn't have them without supervision. But plastic? Not the inevitability you're presenting it as.
I love dogs and wouldn't be willing to rehome them, but if they're not trained and that was supposed to be your job I understand her being frustrated. A nine year old is still very much a puppy-in-training, mistakes will be made kind of age as well. Do the dogs get enough exercise? I don't mean putting them in the yard or taking them around the block, I mean long walks/runs, fetch, etc. That's the most common source of misbehaviour I've observed in other people's dogs.
Her giving you the silent treatment is a whole other problem, though. That woukd be a dealbreaker for me regardless of the initial issue.
Then you're doing all you can and should do. The ball is in his court. Don't push, and try and moderate your expectations just in case.
How long have u been together? I just learned there yall have more right co habiting 2 yrs, then 5 yrs can get 50/50.