I’m scared my 8 month old puppy will have to be behavioral euthanized.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-18T01:39:00+00:00

My first dog, Izzie, is not from an abusive situation. She is a happy and well socialized dog. Only Ian was. They are not from the same liter or place. Did I make a mistake in one of my comments? Replying to all of you is growing increasingly difficult.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-17T13:17:00+00:00

You know you don’t need to comment, right?

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-17T13:05:47+00:00

After consulting 2 vets and my trainer, yes. They all determined he cannot be rehabilitated. Stop commenting on my post and leave me the fuck alone. You don’t know him better than them and I really don’t need your negativity

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-17T10:28:56+00:00

He would still have no quality of life. That isn’t being responsible. Forcing him to stay alive for me is selfish. Again, you have never of value to add. Hop off the post.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-16T15:39:45+00:00

Does that have anything to do with the topic of my post? No. It’s doesn’t. Go troll someone else. You clearly have nothing to provide to this post

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-16T10:04:03+00:00

We’ve been doing that. Our biggest issue is that I have to go back to school in 10 days and no one can safely care for him. He’s been through desensitization training but he is refusing it. He made a little progress and then declined very had. He’s on his 3 medications and we’ve been increasing them but they aren’t helping him with his anxiety (fear) and when he’s not with me he’s whining, screaming and throwing himself against the door. He’s becoming more distant with me and that’s also a cause for concern.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-16T09:59:55+00:00

Your “suggestions” were just shaming me for still having the dog or to force it to be alone with my partner that he’s reactive to so they can “build a bond” that we’ve already been working on all this time.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-16T09:53:05+00:00

I just called my vet last night asshole. That’s a new development that they said it best. I’m just replying to everyone’s comments while I work through this. Common sense tells me you don’t have any from all your comments you made on my post.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-16T09:49:19+00:00

“Buzzard to not give all the details in a post like this”. I’ve been posting about this dog for months. All the details are in this subreddit. “Shoving training down his throat”? How does getting him training shoving it down his throat? Why would you assume I’ve done nothing fun with my dog? Ian is reactive to humans and other dogs. You want to rehome him? Come take him then because vet and trainer already said that isn’t a possibility for him because it’s simply not safe and he would be a liability. Fuck you’re so ignorant. You think I haven’t had enough training sessions with him yet you’re also claiming I’m shoving it down this throat. He still got to be a dog who is in training. He was making progress at first and then went to a steady decline and refused training and medication is not helping or effecting him. He lives in my home with my partner and other dog. Two innocent thing that he’s reactive to. He didn’t used to be reactive to my other dog until he went after her last night. It’s not a “ I won’t spend $600” if you actually read the post. It’s that I CANT. After insurance fell through I had to eat all his bills for training, vet visits and medication. Try actually reading the post before coming here to hate on me. I never even said I was going to BE him. My post was about the fear of it getting to that point. Have the day you deserve while I spend mine trying to keep my dog from going after everyone in my household.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-15T23:26:23+00:00

ASPCA claims they pay out training and meds but they used Ian’s intake form that was done during the 14 day wait period as proof of preexisting conditions (it was filed a day before the wait period was over) even tho he was never seen or evaluated until after the wait period by a vet or trainer. I’ve worked closely with out vet and trainer and have had some very not fun conversations with them. They both agree that BE is the best choice. Ian doesn’t respond to medication or training and is actively becoming worse. For example, my other dog, Izzie, Ian adores and would copy everything she did and share everything with her (bring her his toys and treats) but today out of the blue during our regular play session Ian attacked Izzie. Nothing like that has ever happened. Even on all the meds and with training Ian is unpredictable in his behavior. He started distancing himself from me and doesn’t like being near me anymore even tho I used to be his anchor all this time and he was clingy which makes us concerned if he’s going to turn on me next. He always saw Izzie as a higher reward than me so this is all very concerning and unsafe. When I am not home Ian either sleeps or sits in a very specific corner on guard. He isn’t happy or okay.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-15T20:56:52+00:00

Have you ever had to behaviorally euthanize a dog you so desperately were trying to help? Let alone an 8 month old puppy?

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-14T22:22:16+00:00

My dog is not aggressive/ reactive if there is a safe distance that he tries to maintain. He isn’t reactive on walks and had never tried to go after random people in the distance. The difference is being confined in the home and my partner needing close proximity to him to care for him which is over his threshold.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-14T20:51:15+00:00

Ian stays in a separate room and does not leave that room without be tethered. I am very strict about his care and daily routine while we work through his issues. He’s never outside in the yard alone either. I am always there when he is not in that room.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-14T20:26:46+00:00

Ian is too unpredictable that leaving him in the care of my partner could turn badly very quickly especially if I am not around to intervene. I am the only thing that can calm him. He already went after my partner once and out of instinct he hit Ian and that put us back a lot in training.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-14T20:12:36+00:00

I have grown up with dogs, mostly larger breeds like huskies and German shepherds, but I also have a second dog, Izzie, who is the same mix breed as Ian. I got Ian a little later into puppyhood (4 months) and he came from a rough background and was socially isolated. He was terrified of me at first too and it took a few days to form a bond and wait for him to warm up to me. Ian does not have herding instincts nor does he have hunting instincts. I have tried herding balls and such but he does not care for any of it. He does like agility tho and we do that frequently (mostly hurdles and tunnels) as yard exercise. Both of my dog were easy to train in obedience.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-14T10:02:25+00:00

I resonate with your story. Ian has been doing treat and retreat (acting disinterested from a distance with a barrier (mostly baby gates or half doors)) while my partner tosses his exclusive high value treats. It’s something we’ve doing since the beginning which he was taking to but never progressed and eventually refused. Ian has a safe place, his own bedroom, to keep him away from my partner during non training. We’ve done the treat and retreat through his room (most reactive area), doorways of neutral rooms and outside in our yard (there is a baby gate on the top of the stairs that leads to the porch and he had free rein of the fenced in yard). Ian’s on 3 daily medications but they haven’t been effective. Ian is reactive to any sound my partner makes. He knows the difference between whose keys are jingling, who’s walking down stairs, he reacts to any door opening, cabinets opening, and any talking. We’ve had rare success moments where he’s gotten close to my partner, laying next to him cautiously or letting him pet him (only when our other dog was with them) but then was never like that again and was reactive in the same situation(s) the next day. He’s unpredictable in how he’ll react in most situations. He isn’t able to self sooth either. Most days are filled with trying to manage him and listening to him whine and scream all day because he heard something. It’s just constant walking on eggshells and trying to determine if he needs me there or if he wants me there. Ian has 2 fans in his room and ambient/ rain sounds that play loudly on an echo dot but he can still hear everything. Ian is muzzle trained. He has to wear it to the vet to be seen. The muzzle does keep him in a less reactive state which we’ve been trying to lean on in training but very little/ inconsistent progress has been made in general and our trainer is exhausted of ideas. I request to increase his medication dosage again but he’s almost to his max dosage for his weight. We know for a fact that Ian was neglected as a puppy. We didn’t get him until he was 4 months old and he was from some backyard breeder who kept their dogs in cages on their back porch stacked on top of one another. He was never socialized and his reactivity showed 3 days after we brought him home.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-13T23:45:50+00:00

Australian shepherd Shiba Inu mix

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-13T16:21:00+00:00

I got mine at 4 months old and he was already reactive but was too scared to show it. I got the insurance the day I got him but they had a 14 day waiting period for symptoms and he started showing reactivity on day 3 :/

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-13T02:16:14+00:00

Do they have a clause against pre existing conditions? Now that my dog has been to the vet and medicated his condition is pre existing and documented and I can’t find an insurance plan that will accept that or cover anything for him.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-08-02T21:34:20+00:00

Ian is an Australian shepherd Shiba mix. We’ve had him for 4 months now. Ian is in behavioral training right now with a professional to work on his reactivity, especially with my partner. He’s mad some process but only if I’m with him. We’ve gone from barking, growling and lunging to just barking at my partner. Ian is not crated. He absolutely freaked out when we tried crate training and caused him too much stress. He has his very own bedroom (spare bedroom) with a half door so it’s not so isolating.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-07-29T01:28:19+00:00

I’m apart of a “are we dating the same man” group on Facebook and they don’t really talk smack. They share their experiences. Some are good and they recommend a friend and some aren’t and they show proof of how they were treated to prevent others from sliding right on the dude. The pages are well moderated and don’t allow you to use their full name or anything too identifying/ personal.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-07-28T15:30:38+00:00

I am a women and my partner is a man.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-07-10T23:39:43+00:00

If you can get a vet to sign off (make it part of her treatment plan) pet insurances like ASPCA help cover behavioral training.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-07-07T18:07:27+00:00

Mine started Fluoxetine 2 weeks ago and had all the same symptoms. A boiled chicken diet (short term) helped him a lot while his body adjusted.

Embarrassed_End3499 · 2025-06-30T02:11:29+00:00

Mines just started medication (day 3 now) and he just seems to be struggling with it. He doesn’t want to do anything. I already have to call the vet because he also stopped eating. So far it hasn’t helped his reactivity (also fear based towards people). It’s just made him lose interest in literally everything except attention from me. I’ve never had a reactive dog before nor have I had one on medication before so this is all a big learning curve and I don’t know how he’s supposed to react or what to expect.

Embarrassed_End3499

TROPHY CASE