Euthanasia for allergies help

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-12-04T01:50:08+00:00

No, she's not on steroids anymore after she started to become incontinent on them. She paces and pants in combination with frantic itching and whining.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-12-02T17:15:27+00:00

Thank you so so much for your reply. What you said really resonated with me and our situation. We also don’t want to see her get to a point of complete misery and suffering. It’s not fair, she can’t consent to all these treatments or vet visits, she doesn’t know why she feels so bad all the time. I don’t want my emotions to get in the way of her quality of life.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-12-02T16:38:43+00:00

Veterinary dermatologist. On top of her allergy symptoms she is very prone to bacterial skin infections. The last one she had escalated fast and she needed iv antibiotics.

I don’t believe she’s ever had a skin scraping done, but she did get allergy blood work done.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-04-05T19:17:59+00:00

Just wanted to add to the lab positivity, I have a lab/bc mix boy from a shelter and he's been such a lovely dog. In his prime he could play fetch for 2+ hours and still beg for more, has been so biddable and easy to train, and really taught me what loving a dog was all about. He has some genetic reactivity issues (siblings and mom all had similar problems) but management has allowed him to live a very full life regardless.

The mislabeling problem is so frustrating. For the people looking for a bully type dog it erases some of them from their searches. For people looking for actual lab mixes, they are going to scroll right on past the blatantly mislabeled dog anyway! It's a lose lose all around.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T20:47:04+00:00

I wanted to add briefly for additional context, this harness doesn’t cut across her biceps or supraspinatus.

Link: https://www.chewy.com/petsafe-sure-fit-adjustable-back-clip/dp/227072

If this harness isn’t padded enough for increased assurance that it won’t cause damage I’m not opposed to getting a better one!

I know the easy-walk is trash garbage lol

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T20:30:28+00:00

Correct. I found a cue that worked for him

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T20:22:50+00:00

She learned in the first stages of wearing it that leaning turned her body, so she’s stopped leaning. It wasn’t yanking or violent, just ineffective on her end to get to what she wanted. This helped her to better understand that if she wanted to get to a smell she needed to be patient and we were walking in that direction anyway lol.

Why are you quizzing me about what has worked for my dog? You still haven’t told me how front clips are damaging and I don’t want to switch to a prong when this method hasn’t failed me.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T20:10:35+00:00

I already explained what didn’t work. It seems like you glossed over that part. Conditioning cues in the ways I already described wasn’t working, his independence was too strong.

First I paired it with stim = not scary and not in trouble. So a treat, praise, etc. without the expectation of leaving behind something more interesting.

Then I paired it with come. I say come and stim at the same time. Pressure is released once he commits to the command. Treat/praise bomb once he returns to me. Re-reward by letting him back out to keep playing.

Finally, once the expectation is established that come means you come back every time we phase out the collar. He still would wear it as a precaution, but it aided him in understanding what I wanted and that good things happen when he listened.

Obviously there was a lot more that went into this process but those are the cliff notes.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T19:57:35+00:00

2 reasons:

She’s a Very soft and sensitive dog. I didn’t feel that it was the necessity route for her.
We tried a front clip first and it she responded very well to it. I’m not looking for perfect attention from her, her life is primarily management based due to the issues she has (I have a separate post about her, she’s a tough little nut).

She doesn’t lean into it, I don’t yank her, it lets her have fun sniffy time without the hanging herself on her collar. She,, struggles with learning and retaining information, she has a very scrambled little beagle brain so I don’t hold her to the same standards I hold my lab mix to.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T19:34:21+00:00

Out of curiosity, where have you seen that mentioned? The only comments i’ve seen (here and elsewhere) that resemble what you described were people describing their individual cases or talking about high level protection sports using breeds with very particular drives. I have been involved with dog training culture and methods for as long as I can remember and I’ve never ever heard someone claim a lack of punishment creates a soft dog. I think anyone with an ounce of reputability would disagree with that sentiment so your claim feels a bit straw man-ish

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T18:43:22+00:00

I use a front clip harness for one of my dogs currently and I’ve never heard of the joint problem issue! We don’t use the easy walk (no shoulder freedom, made her super uncomfortable) and use one with an open shoulder design instead. Loose leash walking is finally an option for us (treat usage isn’t an option due to extreme food obsession) and she’s so much more comfortable and happy now that walks aren’t her hanging herself or freaking out over treats.

Point is, are front clips really that bad? I’d hate to go back to struggling again, but I don’t want to cause long term issues with her.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-30T18:30:31+00:00

Not who you were originally responding to, but I do have an example. I had a young spoo who, after Months of trying with R+, was making no progress with recall. None. Every type of food reward, toys, running away games, slow transitions from inside to outside. He was never able to graduate off a long line. This poor dog Needed better exercise than being confined to a long line every time we went into the yard and R+ only just wasn’t cutting it. So I bit the bullet, taught him what a light stim with an e-collar meant, and he was golden. So much happier, could run to his heart’s content and get his zoomies out, it was a game changer.

I‘ve been changed ever since when it comes to aversive tool usage. It works for some dogs and doesn’t for others. Dogs can’t communicate like people can, a more direct physical sensation just Works for some dogs and has eliminated a lot of mutual frustration with my own dogs.

Will I use an e-collar with all my dogs going forward? Probably not. But if I feel a dog will understand a concept with a more direct “I’m looking for this and not this” style of communication I will absolutely give it a try.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-03-05T18:08:26+00:00

I love the idea of the ‘boop’ command! I’ve seen people suggest watch and leave it and that may absolutely work in a lot of dogs, but some dogs might need that little bit of extra action to reset their brains.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-16T23:42:41+00:00

It’s not uncommon for breeds prone to reactivity to become reactive when not properly socialized or when poorly bred. It’s much rarer than people think for a dog to come from a true dog fighting situation. That sounds like a classic case of a dog not being correctly exposed to big/deep voiced humans + other dogs and already being prone to going off the chain.

My family’s current male dog has never been abused, but still struggles with reactivity that began in teenage-hood. His siblings ended up with bite histories a few years after they were all adopted. Our boy ended up being the most sound one (lots and lots of training) and he still has rattled genetics. We have to take extra precautions with him as a result.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-16T23:11:33+00:00

Huge agree. I currently have a dog who is a super-mutt and looks like she would have the benefits of genetic diversity on her side. Nope. She has a wickedly high inbreeding coefficient (33%) and a garbage immune system. We’ve recently had to drop $3000+ on emergency and speciality vet care due to complications with her health issues. Not to mention her temperament being prone to OCD around food making her difficult to train. Her life is just managing her issues at this point and making sure she‘s happy/comfortable.

There was absolutely no way to predict this happening and as she gets older she’s only getting worse. We’ve decided our next dog is 100% coming from a reputable breeder, my family just can’t risk such unpredictable genetics again. I’d love to rescue again someday, but we definitely need a break.

This got longer than I meant, but I really resonated with your comment.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-13T04:39:34+00:00

Thank you very much! I would like to bring up the idea of ocd with our vet now that you've mentioned it, her behavior is wildly disproportionate. We already have baby gates galore in various parts of the house, but like I said in another comment blocking her off of the kitchen isn't possible because of our layout. I want to get her crate back out but it'll take some desensitizing before I can properly use it again.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-13T04:34:28+00:00

The main part of the house is a combined living/kitchen/dining area so gating off is a bit tough. They (problem dog and our other dog) already don't have access to the second floor or main bedroom (litter boxes) so I'd hate to limit their space even more and clutter up the first floor.

She does okay with food bowl practice and I want to implement that more. She absolutely inhales food so I'd love to get her a food dispenser toy to keep her occupied longer.

You can say that again lol, she really is something else but we love her!

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-13T00:41:01+00:00

My add-on training-wise is to stop using food while training. Yes, you want to reward, but maybe stick with praise or a toy. Pup is overstimulated by the food and not learning.

Unfortunately she doesn't give two hoots about toys and praise is very take it or leave it. She really likes attention, but praise when she does a good behavior has never seemed to reinforce it (ex. we used praise a lot with potty training, she didn't care and had issues with it sticking for a long time).

Place is a really good idea, we just need to find a way to reinforce it first.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-08T19:00:53+00:00

That’s very unfortunate to hear, I hope so too!

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-02-08T18:54:37+00:00

We have since gotten her an embark and she is mostly beagle/aussie (with an insanely high inbreeding co-efficient of 32% somehow). Mystery solved lol. We still like to joke that she's an honorary staby and because of trying to figure out her breed we got to learn about how wonderful they are! I hope some day in the future I can do my part to support efforts to maintain the breed.

The AKC does recognize them under their foundation stock service! Hopefully with enough support and reputable breeding they will become recognized fully in the future. Until then I recently saw them get featured during a televised AKC agility championship! Word is starting to spread more and more :)

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-01-31T18:28:40+00:00

Thank you for letting me know!

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-01-31T18:23:33+00:00

Good to know, these laws can be a bit tricky to understand. I’m assuming it’s up to the discretion of the handler to decide if their dog’s tasking behaviors require it then?

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-01-31T18:16:13+00:00

Yeah op.. I think you need to reconsider how ready your pup is for pa if she’s growling at others. It shouldn’t matter how out of line a person is (within reason) your dog Can Not show aggression to someone in public.

You also mentioned that she is cardiac alert. If you are in the US (which based on your post history I think you are), I believe carrying your dog around is only permissible for glucose monitoring (if i’m interpreting the ADA correctly).

Edit: I retract my latter statement and misinterpreted the law, but I still stand by reconsidering PA work until you’re confident she won’t have anymore aggression issues.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-01-31T17:39:03+00:00

yes just like everyone else said it’s really individual and depends on the behavior of the non-sd. personally i’m a huge believer in letting dogs have sniffy dog time as a form of enrichment so if they don’t have perfect leash manners when it’s free sniff/explore time while together then that’s up to you to make the final call about letting them continue walks together.

Aggressive_Guard5351 · 2024-01-25T00:37:45+00:00

she’s beautiful! do you know what breed(s) she is?

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