Training your Great Dane puppy

Does this bouncing little dog with oversized paws need puppy training?

You bet he does, your giant pawed pup will soon be out of control if left untrained. Enforcing some simple "house rules" now, will help to avoid a future dog behavior problem!

It all starts here. What you do now, the first few days, is crucial to puppy training success and will fortify the character of your adult dog.

Puppy training - The very first day

Congratulations, a new puppy, what a joy!

Remember, your puppy is still yearning for its littermates, puppy training may be scary, he may be frightened, scared and lonely. Take a day or two to simply spend time with him, let him sniff, explore, and simply check-out his new surroundings.

Introduce him to all of your family members, pets, and creatures within your home.

More than likely, the exhausted confused pup will fall asleep in your arms, tired from the new excitement.

Now that your Great Dane puppy has slept and rested, it's time to introduce a brand new den.

This den, actually a crate for Great Danes, will soon become a favorite place for your puppy to sleep, rest and retreat for safety and comfort.

The crate will also help you immensely with puppy house breaking and potty training.

Try to get him familiar with the puppy crate during the day! Leave the door open, throw toys and treats inside, coax him in, give him great praises and a treat when he goes inside.

When he's pooped out from play and napping during the day, put him in the crate, always in the crate for napping and sleeping.

By training your puppy that his crate is a safe place to rest, sleep, and relax, he will go there often, even when you and family are up and about. Let the kids know to leave him alone while he's in the crate, that's his safe place.

Crate Tip:

• Crate size should be just big enough for the dog to lie down, stand up and turn around. Since a Great Dane puppy grows so fast, you'll be buying allot of puppy crates! Save some money and purchase a larger crate, you can section it off as required, this will save you money in the long run:)

Settling In

What comes next may be difficult, your Great Dane puppy now needs to adjust to new surroundings away from its mom, brothers and sisters. What usually happens next will be the most difficult for you and your family.

I must warn you, the first few nights with your new dog can be trying. Most all puppies in a new environment are going to whine and make noise well into the night and early morning.

Being confused, afraid, with no mommy to cuddle I can't blame them. Since you took the time training your puppy to accept its new den, things should get better soon.

If your dog whines at night and it probably will, you should ignore it. Don't give in to the antics, this will only teach the dog that making a ruckus will get your attention.

Be sure to keep the same routine every day, especially before bedtime. This is very important, have your evening playtime, bedtime drink (not to much water), bathroom break, then off to bed, puppy crate time.

If the noise starts, ignore it, I'm serious, we already know the dog's needs are met so be strong and ignore it.

Sometimes a small radio or wind-up clock near the crate can calm the nervous dog. This can be frustrating so it's good practice to begin crating your Great Dane puppy away from your bedrooms. Persistence is key, most dogs will soon see their puppy crate as a safe retreat and resting place.

Tips for settling in:

• A blanket or toy from the pup's original home, similar food that it was eating back with mommy, a small radio or wind-up clock near the crate and companionship with other family dogs may help the young dog calm down.

After the first few nights, the young Great Dane puppy should remain quit in its crate, any nighttime noise after that is probably a call for the bathroom. Once the dog's crate becomes his bed and "his" place within your home, the crate is going to be key to potty training your puppy.

Wonderful, your Great Dane puppy is now comfortable within your home, absolutely loves his new den and is ready for puppy house breaking.

A baby Dane can cause serious household damage, you should always have your eye on him when he's out and about within the home. Always enforce the house rules and keep a watchful eye!

If you can't catch and correct the dog in the act of bad behavior, don't bother. Your close watch is key, when you catch him in the act, this exact moment is the time for a stern "No" and redirection.

Be sure to have lots of chewy toys around. If you catch your pup chewing on a shoe or furniture, use your stern "No" and give him his toys, give him lots of kind praises when he starts chewing his toys. Your Great Dane puppy will soon learn what he should and shouldn't do.

Don't let the pup jump up on you or mouth you, this will become a problem as it gets bigger, and it will faster than you think. Correct and redirect your puppy whenever you catch him misbehaving, praise and reward him once he obeys.

Remember, a puppy is only being itself, it does not mean to misbehave and actually doesn't even know how to misbehave. It's up to you from the very start to teach the pup proper behavior.

Things to remember

Puppy training begins the moment your new dog comes home. What you do starting now, at this exact moment will play a critical role in your dog's character as it matures and grows.

Keep a schedule and routine with feeding, playtime, and puppy crate time, just like a human baby, schedule and structure are important.

At this point, your Great Dane puppy is on his way to becoming a well-behaved, well-mannered dog citizen.

As your Great Dane puppy matures, you may be faced with new problems or behavior issues. We have published informative articles on Great Dane training using correction reinforcement, as well as, dog clicker training, reward and positive reinforcement methods that are helpful for a growing dog.

For now, stick with the basics, at least for the first month or so. We wish you all the best, your Great Dane puppy is blessed to have found such a loving home.

Enjoy him:)

Jeff & Bruiser

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