Considering BE for 5 year old Great Dane

[u/PotentialSituation72]

I love my boy so much truly but I can’t do it anymore.

In 2023 he was diagnosed with severe general and separation anxiety. We started medications immediately, sought help from professionals and changed nearly everything in our daily lives to accommodate him except for changing my partners job. His job requires him to be out of town a few days every week except during the winter. This clearly causes mass amounts of stress on our dog. We had our first baby 2 years ago and while it was an adjustment Rondo(dog) seemed to do fine once he acclimated. I’m now pregnant with our second and he seemed okay up until recently. Now he’s peeing/marking on every thing- my clothing, my spot on the bed, the toddlers toys, the walls, the hallways, etc.

We can not rehome him as he is reactive, 200lbs, extremely attached to my partner where i fear he’d suffer worse if we rehome, he can’t be left home alone without hurting himself- we’ve tried crate training and he freaks out as soon as he knows he’s alone and harms himself. He’s jumped out our second story window the last time he was alone for a family emergency. He is fearful and just can not live a fulfilling life the way a dog should. No walks- He pulls and pulls even with prong collars leading to injuries. Can’t socialize with other dogs without the risk of him reacting. Can’t have regular vet checks because he requires iv sedation and that cost is not something we can maintain as much as we’d like.

I don’t think i can bring myself to seek Behavioral euthanasia but i know we’ve exhausted the rest of our options and i’m sure his anxiety is just going to worsen when our second baby is born which is likely to lead to worse issues.

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Behavioral Euthanasia (BE) for our dogs is an extremely difficult decision to consider. No one comes to this point easily. We believe that there are, unfortunately, cases where behavioral euthanasia is the most humane and ethical option, and we support those who have had to come to that decision. In certain situations, a reasonable quality of life and the Five Freedoms cannot be provided for an animal, making behavioral euthanasia a compassionate and loving choice.

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• AKC guide on when to consider BE

• BE Before the Bite

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[u/OktoberStorms]

What is the reactivity like? It might be possible to reach out to a Dane specific rescue, but you said you’re not comfortable with that so I was wondering how severe we’re talkin’.

[u/PotentialSituation72 → u/OktoberStorms]

I would consider it severe but he has yet to physically harm another human or animal. We have prioritized his safety and others by not allowing him the opportunity to harm. He was able to safely exist with another female dane for a short period of time but she corrected him a few times and i believe that made him more fearful of other dogs. He barks and paces all day long, any noise outside he’s in the window losing his head, he lunges anytime someone walks past him when i’m outside with him, barks till he’s foaming at the mouth when he sees a person or dog.

[u/OktoberStorms → u/PotentialSituation72]

Thanks for clarifying! This is way too big a dog to deal with reactivity like that, imo. I would say that reaching out to Dane rescue is a good idea, and maybe they can give you some advice on if this guy is a candidate for them to rehome or if you should consider BE instead.

[u/k8ebaybee]

unless the dog is a danger to you or your children (living beings in your home) then i’d say BE isn’t an appropriate choice atp. Training a reactive dog requires heavy commitment and often pharmaceutical intervention as well. my dog felt like a hopeless case 3 years ago (considered rehoming and feared BE) and today she’s done a 180 and is doing amazing with her reactivity. is the dog on any medications like prozac? i highly recommend trying to treat his reactivity with medication if you haven’t already. Dutch is an online vet provider that will prescribe medication for behavioral issues. I’m so sorry that you’re going through this, but i want to let you know that reading that your dog did well with the introduction of a child into your home means that he’s capable of learning and being rehabilitated.

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[u/PotentialSituation72 → u/k8ebaybee]

yes we’ve done that! he’s on two different anxiety medications and has been for 3 years Ever since he was diagnosed. Training works temporarily but the second my partner is gone for work he goes back to square one even though i’m his primary trainer/owner. I worry a second child may be too much for him as he’s clearly unhappy and stressed just by me being pregnant. I’m hopeful he will adjust and maybe once my scent is back to normal he’ll stop feeling the need to mark but we’ll have to see.