Training Great Danes is crucial to the well being of these giant, powerful dogs.
Please......especially with Great Danes, it's so important to start early with socialization, early as 3 months old. Trust us, you don't want a Great Dane dog that is out of control and troublesome.
From the very start, let your Dane meet lots of other dogs, people, kids, animals and everything else!
Socialization will instill a confidence, calmness and assurance that your Great Dane will carry through the rest of its life:)
Owning an untrained Great Dane is a serious liability. You won't be able to walk an untrained Dane, he will walk you! A Great Dane is a large intimidating animal, it's sheer size and stature alone is enough to scare even other dog lovers. Surely you can see why training Great Danes is so important.
There are eight easy steps you can take that have nothing to do with training! These "house rules" will help assure you are not someday faced with a dog behavior problem and will definately get your Dane off on the right foot, "paw":)
Respect for its human companions is crucial to the well being of your Dane. The need to bond with humans is already instilled in the breed, with minimal training your Dane will achieve it's full potential as a magnificent companion animal.
Begin with Great Dane puppy training and start early, your Dane will be much easier to handle while small and manageable. Begin training your baby Dane as soon as she has settled in at her new home.
Next, anywhere from three to 6-months old, move on to the next level. Great Dane training by correction reinforcement works wonderful. Or, go with a reward and positive style like dog clicker training.
Training methods have become quite a controversial subject, however, a modified correction method is my choice for training Great Danes, as well as, other large powerful dogs. With the proper Great Dane collars and leash technique, quick results are common.
As mentioned, many other dog trainers favor positive reinforcement methods! This is a personal choice and both training styles have their pros & cons.
Don't worry, training Great Danes is not difficult compared to other dog breeds. Great Danes by nature are loving caring animals that want nothing more than to please their owners, they're pretty smart and will catch-on quickly.
However, if you own a mature Great Dane or a dog with a behavior problem that was not properly socialized, you have more of a challenge.
Dog behavior may interest you
Certain traits, habits and behaviors are "built-in" to your new puppy. These traits are part instinct and part learned by a dog from the time it is whelped, through the time it is weaned.
All dog behavior is based on action and response. For instance, a nursing mother may nip the back of a pup's neck if it's too rough while feeding. Mother quickly corrects the pup whose behavior is causing problems within the litter. We can mimic the mothers "nip to the neck" with a prong collar, interesting.
A mother dog will continue to correct the pup the same way every time it gets rough. The correction is timely and consistent every time. With repetition and consistency, the suckling pup soon learns the feeding rules.
"The dog soon learns the expected response by consistent, timely, repetitive corrections."
This simple example is the basis for most methods of training Great Danes. When we want our dogs to act a specific way or perform a trick, we give them a command. We give the command and expect a certain reaction, if the dog fails, we correct it. The dog soon learns the expected response by consistent, timely, repetitive corrections. Usually, a dog with a behavior or other problem can be taught the proper response with this technique.
Dog Pack Behavior
By nature, dogs are pack animals and live as a social group. Every member of the pack knows its place amongst the others. Remember, you, your family, and your dog are also a pack. If you are the only trainer you will most likely be viewed as Alpha of the pack.
Teaching your dog to respect all members of your family is very important. Although a Dane by nature will live within your pack, training Great Danes they are at the bottom of the pack's pecking order is so important. It's good practice to alternate dog feeding between family members, this will help the dog to respect everyone in your pack and avoid a dog with a behavior problem like aggression.
Phew, that said, please take it with a spoonful of salt as not all information here applies to Great Danes. We have known many Danes that with minimal, and I mean minimal training, have thrived among families with no problems whatsoever.
On to training
"With proper socialization and training, big Bruiser has learned the expected response and will lie down to play with his tiny Chihuahua friend."
Training Great Danes is not as hard as you think. Whatever method you choose it's important to begin with simple, clear, one-word commands. Consistency is key to success when training any dog.
Most will agree that the five important basic training commands are:
Recall or come
Down
Sit
Stay
Heel
I may have moved the list around a bit, this just shows their importance to me when training Great Danes.
Why do I consider recall the base command? Easy, you may have a different opinion but for me...
The command is given, within a few moments, my dog is here, focused on me, ready to sit, stay, down, or whatever else we are working on. Also, a solid recall can get your puppy out of trouble in an unexpected situation, like a sudden bolt after that cat across the street.
Of course a command like down will also work, while down is a basic command, a down to a dog in "prey" mode, that is "out" and moving away is quite an advanced command to teach.
However you categorize the list, please remember, any time your dog comes to you when you recall them, always give big love and praise for a prompt return!
A treat is always nice once in a while too:)
Enforce the "house rules" with basic puppy training early on, your Dane may never need anything more! For a Great Dane or dog that behaves pretty well but still rough around the edges, reward/clicker training may be perfect. For training Great Danes that are stubborn, or have developed bad habits, obedience/correction training is highly recommended.
Who wants an out of control Giant dog with a behavior problem and bad attitude, I surely don't. Training Great Danes can be easy and fun, it's a win-win situation.
With your patience and consistent, timely, repetitive training, you will have a well-behaved, obedient, awesome, GIGANTIC companion.
Have a question about training Great Danes? Send us a note, or drop by our growing Great Dane forum for help from our community of friendly Dane guardians.
Good luck with your dog-training adventures:)
Jeff & Bruiser
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Training Great Danes is not as hard as you think. Whatever method you choose it's important to begin with simple, clear, one-word commands. Consistency is key to success when training any dog.
