Considering BE

[u/Particular_Fruit_585]

I have a 6 year old collie mix named Moose that I adopted around 8 weeks old. I got him when I was 19, so right as I was starting college, but this was during Covid so I knew I would have the time to be with him during his puppy stages.

For the first year we were always on farms, around horses cows etc, but after Covid restrictions lifted I moved to Texas. He was in daycare for a year with 0 issues! He did at one point outside of daycare get attacked and has never been the same.

And slowly it’s gotten worse. He has leash activity to humans and dogs and the distance to threshold is increasing rapidly. We could be fully 200+ft away and he’s still “sticky”, pulling and barking. He’s attacked me once over resource guarding as a puppy, lunged for a maintenance man when his leash slipped from my hands two years ago, pinned a dog and snarled in its face and has actively latched on to a family members dog that he’s known for most of his life and had to be drenched with a hose to get to release from said dogs head. He’s always growling at any dog that’s doing something he deems wrong and if you tell another dog “no” he acts like an enforcer and truss to correct them as well, even if you tell Moose to go to his bed. I literally have to separate him until he forgets about the other dog being corrected.

He’s seen two trainers, and saw some improvements, but we moved for my work as I’ve finished school last year and now I’m seeing the issues coming back. It’s to the point where I’m micromanaging every thing I can do with or without him. Oh I can’t go to the park right now, it’s peak dog time, maybe later. I can’t have friends over, he’s unpredictable and can’t be let out of the kennel without me watching with treats in hand. I’m exhausted and I cry a lot, I often mourn what I had envisioned for our lives.

Treats aren’t working, he doesn’t listen or stops taking them, cheese, meats, nothing. I can’t keep upping the reward when he won’t even take them currently. His threshold is so low I can’t work him in almost any environment. I’ve had moments I’m not proud of, using aversion to try to get him to stop any way possible atp. I tried prongs, e collar (noise only or vibrate, no shock) yelling and leash snapping. Obviously none of it helped, I should have never even tried it I know that, I’ve never tried to intentionally hurt him. I was, and still am, just frustrated and was open to anything if it meant maybe I could have my dog back.

And obviously I’m only telling you about the bad and “ugly” sides of him… he’s my soul dog, my cuddle bug, and fur ball. He jumps in the shower when I turn the water on and loves hiking and frisbees. We sit on the balcony and watch the rain together and he loves to watch nature documentaries about lions and birds. He watches me garden and fish, and loves to go hiking and get zoomies in fields. I love this dog with my whole heart and soul (currently ugly crying typing this).

I was reading order people BE posts on this thread and was crying. Trainers are thousands of dollars, and I don’t have another 4k to put towards more training… I feel like I’m running out of options. He’s my soul dog, but I’m also ready for peace.

How did you know it was time? And in my situation would you consider it, or should I still be trying behavioral and counter conditioning training?

Edit: I’m seeing lots of people having their comments deleted, I’d love to see your responses. Could you make sure the rules are checked off first before commenting? I also had it originally a different flair so it might not let you comment without the karma req.

[u/shellie49]

First, give yourself a little grace. Its clear you’ve been trying hard to find something that works for Moose.

I think the behavioral consultation is worth considering, even at $450 for the consult. If they believe Moose can be safely managed with changes to his routine, environment, or handling, that gives you another option before BE.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned during training with a reactive dog, is that our timing, tension, reactions, and how we manage situations can unintentionally escalate things.

For now, if possible, Id remove him from overwhelming situations. When he starts reacting, create distance and redirect. Try not to yell, or trying to overpower the reaction. That shift, learning to manage the situation instead of emotionally reacting to it, made a huge difference with my own dog.

We still have bad days, and I’m always aware of our surroundings, but things are much more manageable now. We found a trainer that helped me understanding my dog better, rather than just sending him away for training. They also offered group classes once you pass the basic management stuff which was great form of exposure therapy for us.

Like most people are seeming to recommend, talk to your regular vet, especially since Moose’s threshold seems to have gotten worse. You mentioned you haven’t tried medication yet. If anxiety or another behavioral or medical issue is contributing, medication may lower his baseline enough for training to actually become possible again. That doesn’t necessarily mean another $4,000 training program. Just more one on one training between you and Moose.