I'm not laughing at, I'm laughing with you!
What I've tried, with some success, is punishing the BAD ITEM that got torn up. Just go ballistic on that bad carpet, yell, scream, slap it. The dog will look at you likeyour about to kill them, but then tell Zero how much you love him, pet him, rub him; Then go off on the carpet again.
This way, you are not punishing the dog, he doesn't connect his behavior anyway, but he does associate "Bad Things" with the carpet!
I've tried this a few time, and I believe it works. Tyr for yourself.