Behavioral Euthanasia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never. I would find someone who can help the dog even if that wasn't me.

There are so many non-dangerous dogs in need of homes. Dogs that could be happy normal pets. When you pass an "unfixable" dog on, whether that dog is a biter or just a stress ball that can't function as a pet, you are taking up a place that could go to a more adoptable animal while keeping a miserable dog in its misery. It's unkind and selfish to do that.

This. A dog with pre-existing problems isn't going to get better by being rehomed. They'll get worse first as they experience separation anxiety, the loss of all that's familiar to them, depression at losing their "pack"... If they survive that without being irreparably dysfunctional, they'll need to compete with blank-slate puppies and dogs with fewer issues and hope to catch the eye of a potential new adopter/owner. And then, that new person needs to have the skills and resources to not only deal with the rehoming issues/trauma, but whatever bad behavior(s) the dog had in the first place. Long odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

Clearly you have never been in that situation....are you vet? Do you deal with anxious fearful dogs on a daily basis? Well I am and I have. The veterinary behaviorists are amazing!! I have seen dogs go from incredibly fearful to able to be handled. They need to have a combination of medication and training.....just like in people. Some primary care docs are well-versed in this. Some are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

They’re veterinarians who do very competitive multi-year internships and residencies. They study animal behavior and are highly skilled. It’s also not more expensive than a regular vet visit. A couple hundred for a consult. And yeah, I’d spend a couple hundred before deciding whether to kill my dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a vet been consulted and has the dog been through extensive training or worked with a behavioralist?

You’d be surprised at what some people consider behavioral issues when they’re lack of training easily repaired by proper training.

I think the whole behaviorist blah blah is a little precious and ridiculous. No one should need to spend thousands on an aggressive dog to prove anything.

But I’ll agree with you that I’ve seen ridiculous posts in dog forums from dumb owners who don’t understand dog behaviors. Eg, ‘My new puppy is biting me when we play. What’s wrong with her?’

Most people don’t want to put down their dogs. And most dogs showing aggression aren’t doing it from the get go. When dogs exhibit aggression as a new behavior (i.e. a behavioral change), there is a physical pain component like 70-80% of the time.

For people who would like to avoid putting their dog down, getting a behaviorist evaluation is a pretty easy step. You can see if there is a pain component and you can try anxiety meds if recommended. The behaviorist will also do a danger assessment and make recommendations accordingly. And don’t be fooled, they often recommend behavioral euthanasia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

They’re veterinarians who do very competitive multi-year internships and residencies. They study animal behavior and are highly skilled. It’s also not more expensive than a regular vet visit. A couple hundred for a consult. And yeah, I’d spend a couple hundred before deciding whether to kill my dog.

Bro, there is ONE near me, and by "near me" I mean a 2+ hour drive away. If you're going to call this a mandatory step, it has to be accessible to people. I'm not putting a crazy dog in a car for two hours to spend several hundred dollars to ask a stranger why it bites at my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a vet been consulted and has the dog been through extensive training or worked with a behavioralist?

You’d be surprised at what some people consider behavioral issues when they’re lack of training easily repaired by proper training.

I think the whole behaviorist blah blah is a little precious and ridiculous. No one should need to spend thousands on an aggressive dog to prove anything.

But I’ll agree with you that I’ve seen ridiculous posts in dog forums from dumb owners who don’t understand dog behaviors. Eg, ‘My new puppy is biting me when we play. What’s wrong with her?’

Most people don’t want to put down their dogs. And most dogs showing aggression aren’t doing it from the get go. When dogs exhibit aggression as a new behavior (i.e. a behavioral change), there is a physical pain component like 70-80% of the time.

For people who would like to avoid putting their dog down, getting a behaviorist evaluation is a pretty easy step. You can see if there is a pain component and you can try anxiety meds if recommended. The behaviorist will also do a danger assessment and make recommendations accordingly. And don’t be fooled, they often recommend behavioral euthanasia.

Walk us through it. I used https://avsab.org/directory/ and https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp and couldn't find anyone near enough to me to be a viable option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

They’re veterinarians who do very competitive multi-year internships and residencies. They study animal behavior and are highly skilled. It’s also not more expensive than a regular vet visit. A couple hundred for a consult. And yeah, I’d spend a couple hundred before deciding whether to kill my dog.

Bro, there is ONE near me, and by "near me" I mean a 2+ hour drive away. If you're going to call this a mandatory step, it has to be accessible to people. I'm not putting a crazy dog in a car for two hours to spend several hundred dollars to ask a stranger why it bites at my kids.

The largest behaviorist practice in the DMV dos virtual visits. But also an hour drive to the behaviorist to decide whether to put your dog down is fine. Kennel them in the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a vet been consulted and has the dog been through extensive training or worked with a behavioralist?

You’d be surprised at what some people consider behavioral issues when they’re lack of training easily repaired by proper training.

I think the whole behaviorist blah blah is a little precious and ridiculous. No one should need to spend thousands on an aggressive dog to prove anything.

But I’ll agree with you that I’ve seen ridiculous posts in dog forums from dumb owners who don’t understand dog behaviors. Eg, ‘My new puppy is biting me when we play. What’s wrong with her?’

Most people don’t want to put down their dogs. And most dogs showing aggression aren’t doing it from the get go. When dogs exhibit aggression as a new behavior (i.e. a behavioral change), there is a physical pain component like 70-80% of the time.

For people who would like to avoid putting their dog down, getting a behaviorist evaluation is a pretty easy step. You can see if there is a pain component and you can try anxiety meds if recommended. The behaviorist will also do a danger assessment and make recommendations accordingly. And don’t be fooled, they often recommend behavioral euthanasia.

Walk us through it. I used https://avsab.org/directory/ and https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp and couldn't find anyone near enough to me to be a viable option.

Virtual consult…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a vet been consulted and has the dog been through extensive training or worked with a behavioralist?

You’d be surprised at what some people consider behavioral issues when they’re lack of training easily repaired by proper training.

I think the whole behaviorist blah blah is a little precious and ridiculous. No one should need to spend thousands on an aggressive dog to prove anything.

But I’ll agree with you that I’ve seen ridiculous posts in dog forums from dumb owners who don’t understand dog behaviors. Eg, ‘My new puppy is biting me when we play. What’s wrong with her?’

Most people don’t want to put down their dogs. And most dogs showing aggression aren’t doing it from the get go. When dogs exhibit aggression as a new behavior (i.e. a behavioral change), there is a physical pain component like 70-80% of the time.

For people who would like to avoid putting their dog down, getting a behaviorist evaluation is a pretty easy step. You can see if there is a pain component and you can try anxiety meds if recommended. The behaviorist will also do a danger assessment and make recommendations accordingly. And don’t be fooled, they often recommend behavioral euthanasia.

Walk us through it. I used https://avsab.org/directory/ and https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp and couldn't find anyone near enough to me to be a viable option.

Virtual consult…

scam alert!!! Some vet who has never seen or interacted with your animal is going to give you meaningful advice via zoom? What a cashgrab!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a vet been consulted and has the dog been through extensive training or worked with a behavioralist?

You’d be surprised at what some people consider behavioral issues when they’re lack of training easily repaired by proper training.

I think the whole behaviorist blah blah is a little precious and ridiculous. No one should need to spend thousands on an aggressive dog to prove anything.

But I’ll agree with you that I’ve seen ridiculous posts in dog forums from dumb owners who don’t understand dog behaviors. Eg, ‘My new puppy is biting me when we play. What’s wrong with her?’

Most people don’t want to put down their dogs. And most dogs showing aggression aren’t doing it from the get go. When dogs exhibit aggression as a new behavior (i.e. a behavioral change), there is a physical pain component like 70-80% of the time.

For people who would like to avoid putting their dog down, getting a behaviorist evaluation is a pretty easy step. You can see if there is a pain component and you can try anxiety meds if recommended. The behaviorist will also do a danger assessment and make recommendations accordingly. And don’t be fooled, they often recommend behavioral euthanasia.

This all sounds like it could be handled by a vet visit to me. And yes, obviously a dog who was previously calm suddenly being aggressive would make anyone with half a brain consider a pain component. You act like you’re providing some earth shattering revelations here. You’re not. No one needs a board certified behavioral vet for anything you’ve described here. Stop trying to exaggerate and catastrophize everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only if in consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. I had an otherwise very friendly dog who randomly started attacking my other dogs at age 8. He had never shown a single aggressive tendency before. Took him to the behaviorist and got him treated for pain and put some other stuff in place to reduce his stress level. Zero additional incidents 4.5 years later.

Oh please

Yeah "board-certified behaviorist" is giving "reiki healer" energy. It's just a new way to make money. If you have money to spend on that, well, it's your money. But don't act like it's an "only if" because it's very much not.

They’re veterinarians who do very competitive multi-year internships and residencies. They study animal behavior and are highly skilled. It’s also not more expensive than a regular vet visit. A couple hundred for a consult. And yeah, I’d spend a couple hundred before deciding whether to kill my dog.

Go to a regular vet.

[Anonymous]

Bit of a tangent - I dropped my middle school kid at a new friend’s house so the mom could take the kids to a movie. The mom had to hold her dog back from attacking us. It was a snarling crazy dog - trying to protect the family from us. We are dog people, but this was nuts. Who keeps a dog like that with children? This is a dog I would euthanize. I can’t let my kid hang out at their house. She might actually get bitten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bit of a tangent - I dropped my middle school kid at a new friend’s house so the mom could take the kids to a movie. The mom had to hold her dog back from attacking us. It was a snarling crazy dog - trying to protect the family from us. We are dog people, but this was nuts. Who keeps a dog like that with children? This is a dog I would euthanize. I can’t let my kid hang out at their house. She might actually get bitten.

It's actually a job a lot of dogs were breed for - protect their family, doesn't make the dog crazy. That dog owners on the other hand are questionable, they should just keep the dog away from the entrance if they expect visitors.
I have dog like that - it's trying to protect the door, barking, snarling and lunging. I just crate him when people coming over (and he just lay down there quietly). Then let him out when people are inside already, and he perfectly fine around them. But I supervise him, and crate immediately if he becomes overwhelmed/scared. I honestly don't see a need to euthanize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bit of a tangent - I dropped my middle school kid at a new friend’s house so the mom could take the kids to a movie. The mom had to hold her dog back from attacking us. It was a snarling crazy dog - trying to protect the family from us. We are dog people, but this was nuts. Who keeps a dog like that with children? This is a dog I would euthanize. I can’t let my kid hang out at their house. She might actually get bitten.

It's actually a job a lot of dogs were breed for - protect their family, doesn't make the dog crazy. That dog owners on the other hand are questionable, they should just keep the dog away from the entrance if they expect visitors.
I have dog like that - it's trying to protect the door, barking, snarling and lunging. I just crate him when people coming over (and he just lay down there quietly). Then let him out when people are inside already, and he perfectly fine around them. But I supervise him, and crate immediately if he becomes overwhelmed/scared. I honestly don't see a need to euthanize.

I appreciate the explanation. Sounds like you handle your dog well. I have a little dog who is quiet except for watchdog type barking when new people come in the house. Although, she really just wants attention and would let new people pet her if they were interested. She would have to be completely senile to bite someone. So, seeing a dog who would bite me given the chance was way out outside my expectations.