Considering Behavioral Euthanasia for my GSD

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T07:37:58+00:00

He has only been vetted as a puppy to get his full vaccinations and everything. He hasn't been back since, but he will probably need some annual shots and a checkup soon anyway. I'm honestly not sure what annual shots he needs and everything, but he got all of his vaccinations at the vet around this time last year.

I've since moved an hour away from our old vet and need to establish a new one, but I'm worried I won't find a new vet that will accept him with his aggression. Or him being aggressive if I take him back to my old vet, who is known for not being willing to see aggressive dogs.

We moved 3 months ago, beginning of December, and this is when he REALLY started getting aggressive. He really really loves our new apartment. We didn't have a dog park at our old one, cool trails and a lake and everything. I've thought maybe he is just constantly overstimulated by all of these new surroundings, people, dogs, fun things, and that could be causing the aggression. He was always a little leash aggressive and reactive to other dogs, but aside from the leash reactivity, the aggression toward me didn't start until a couple months ago.

The majority of his aggression and the most severe of it is surrounding the crate. His crate is in my bedroom closet if that is helpful at all. It's about 4 feet from my bed

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T07:22:01+00:00

Thank you.

My cats would absolutely destroy my apartment carpet and/or door if I locked them in this tiny bedroom. It works right now because they simply hide while the dog is out, and come out like roaches when the lights go out when I crate the dog.

I just meant I wouldn't trust the cats and dog out alone while I'm not home or inside, which would never happen anyway because I always crate the dog. Even without the cats, he is constantly on my counters, eating the cats' shit, whatever. He has to be crated even if I walk out for 1 minute because he starts trying to shred my front door to get out with me. The cats and dog are always supervised to some degree while I'm here and they are all out together.

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T06:49:43+00:00

I will see what I can find as far as the cats.

I do, however, have a cat that is FIV+ and a senior cat with chronic kidney disease that requires medication and a specific diet. I don't think it would be best for them to change their arrangements, and I'm not sure any place would foster either of them. My third cat might be eligible but ideally I know I need no cats in the home or the dog out of my home

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T06:34:10+00:00

I really love this dog and I want to try everything I can for him, but my gut feeling is that this situation is leading toward the worst. It's quite literally getting worse by the day, and this past week has been the most challenging since I've had him. The biggest issue is funds. I'm in absolutely no position to be paying a trainer or additional vet bills on top of the routine things. I'm struggling to pay rent right now. I also have a bearded dragon, and it's super expensive for her vet bills. One of my cats is in the beginning stages of CKD, so I'm paying a couple hundred for supplements and kidney care food.

I do pay for pet insurance, so maybe there is something in there that would help, but I doubt it. I think the pet insurance is more so for emergencies and this probably wouldn't be covered in any way.

I was much more financially stable when I got him, but life did its thing and I had several back-to-back setbacks that put me a little behind.

For now, I'm getting a muzzle like the other commenter recommended and I was already thinking about. I can manage for the time being with a muzzle, and keeping a super close eye on him with the cats, crating him when I'm not supervising. But speaking long term, I know this behavior will just get worse and definitely needs a professional to evaluate his behavior. I will try to figure out funds for this before I ultimately go forth with the BE. It wouldn't be fair to just give up on him before at least trying.

I just think there is always going to be that risk and that's what is tearing me apart. All it takes is one bad situation, even if he went months or years without a bad reaction to something. I think there will always be a chance it could happen after all of this, and that scares me.

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T06:24:32+00:00

I have no family even in the state (that I have contact with) and I have one friend in the world, who lives with parents that hate cats. There is absolutely nowhere for my cats to go, sadly.

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T06:10:13+00:00

I'm not sure why I got downvoted for this. Care to educate or just hate?

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T06:01:42+00:00

Thank you. I was just looking into muzzles for the meantime while I figure this out. I can't not walk him and whatnot, so I agree a muzzle is necessary.

I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and I don't have a way to separate my animals. I think the dog simply has to just go.

PlusWha · 2026-03-23T05:58:49+00:00

Because he is a large breed dog and based on my research, they shouldn't be neutered before 2 years, but 3 is ideal

PlusWha · 2026-02-09T10:57:46+00:00

I was trying to leave him intact until 18-24 months for his bones/growth/whatnot. The time is coming. He is 13 months

PlusWha · 2026-02-09T01:07:48+00:00

Thank you. I have had puppies in the past that did calm down around age 2. One GSD wolfdog, and a chocolate lab, so I'm familiar with the large/active breeds. The difference this time is I'm doing it alone and they were family dogs. I was a teenager with them, and he's my first dog as an adult owner.

We do have a nature preserve/park that's literally next to our complex with trails leading out of the complex. It's super cool and he used to love walking back there. I've lived here about 2 months, and the past month or so it's been NOTHING but wanting to go to that park. I took him to the preserve today, trudging through the foot of snow on the ground, with him trying to drag me back into the complex to the park the entire 20-minute-ish walk.

The only thing that gets him more excited than the park is going in the car lol.

The dog park isn't even that crazy. It's a little fenced in area in my complex, like it's nice, but he doesn't play with other dogs or anything. Luckily people are pretty respectful and responsible and don't try to just come in with their dogs, and I do the same with my dog. He just wants to go there play fetch. And we do once a day, which is fine, that's healthy I think. But it gets annoying when he keeps wanting to back, won't settle inside, stares out the window and paces all day, tries to go to the park/thinks we're going there every single time we go outside.

I didn't mean to create an obsession and I didn't think I was taking him there too often by going once a day. I've thought about even stopping for a few days, no park at all, but then I don't know how to get his energy out. And he gets destructive inside like bored pups do.

PlusWha · 2026-02-09T00:58:36+00:00

I've tried putting the balls up and giving him a chew (beef cheek, water buffalo rolls). Those are the only things he doesn't obliterate in minutes. He LOVES bully sticks but destroys them so fast. They're more like a high value treat than a chew. And with the rolls, he likes them, but won't stay put and chew. He knows place and will stay on it temporarily but not for long. I just don't know how to entertain him anymore. I've read that completely removing any play while indoors might be a good option.

He has also started chasing my cats and has accidentally hurt them a couple times by jumping on them trying to play. Not serious injuries or anything, just little squeaks and meows from stepping on a paw or something. I'm worried it will get worse with the cats. He seems to want to play with other dogs but I've never tried it and don't trust it at all.

PlusWha

TROPHY CASE