Learn How To Test A Great Dane Puppy From The Litter (Part 2)

When deciding on choosing a Great Dane puppy from the litter, pick one and hold the puppy in three different positions that will make her feel submissive to you and establish you as an authority figure. These are exercises that closely approximate what a mother dog might do to her pup, or what an “alpha” wolf might do to a lesser pack member. They don’t hurt, but they do put you temporarily in charge of the puppy’s movements, and her reactions will tell you something about her willingness to accept your leadership.

To begin, sit down and pick the Great Dane (we suggest sitting on the floor just in case she wriggles out of your hands). Hold her in front of your face, being sure to support her completely from beneath the rib cage; don’t hold her by the arms or shoulders, or she’ll justifiably squeal in protest. Look into her eyes and smile at her. Does she struggle, grumble and whine, or does she hang limply? A dominant puppy will fight to get free, while a submissive one won’t offer any resistance at all. (If she fights you, give her a little shake and say “Hey!” or “Ah-ah!” and see whether she calms down or only grows antsier.) A happy medium is a puppy who wriggles a bit at first but then settles down and makes eye contact with you.

Then - provided the puppy is small enough - cradle her on her back in your arms; support her head as if she were a human baby. Look into her eyes and talk pleasantly to her. Again, note whether she kicks and screams, goes limp or something in between.

Finally, place the puppy on the floor and gently roll her onto her side, into “play-dead” position. Use one hand to stroke her head and the other to keep the rest of her body in place; don’t pin her to the ground like a wrestler, but do encourage her to stay still and let you pet her. Does she struggle to get up, or does she become a rag doll under your hands? You probably know by now that what you’re looking for is something in the middle: a Great Dane puppy who may thrash around a bit at first but then lies quietly and accepts your authority.

By now you should have a pretty fair idea of how bossy or demure this Great Dane is going to be. If she’s at one extreme of the spectrum or the other, she may very well be more of a challenge to train than you want, unless you’re very experienced with dogs of her disposition. If she’s somewhere in the middle, she’ll probably turn out to be a great puppy for you.

Learn How To Test A Great Dane Puppy From The Litter (Part 1)

Many articles have been written about how to choose a Great Dane puppy that is right for you, how to determine which kind of dog breed would best suite your lifestyle, and how to welcome your new Great Dane puppy at home but very few people discuss how to test a puppy from a litter that you are viewing for selection.

First of all, play with the puppy that you are considering bringing home! Sit on the floor so that you’re a friendly, non-threatening figure, and talk to her in a sweet voice; let her come to you, climb into your lap, sniff you, get used to your presence. Use a toy or a treat to break the ice, if necessary.

Already you’ll be able to tell a few things about her personality. If she runs or slinks away and you can’t coax her to you, she’s probably going to be a shy and submissive dog who will need lots of patient training and reassurance if she’s to have a normal social life. If she’s at the other end of the spectrum and trounces you merrily while chewing on your clothes, biting at your hair and barking, she’s likely to be a dominant, brassy dog to whom you’ll need to lay down the law firmly.

Ideally, either she’ll come right to you and play gently, or she’ll start off timidly but grow accustomed to you in a minute or so. If she nips or mouths a little bit, don’t hold it against her; that’s a normal puppy behavior, and she only needs to be taught to keep her teeth to
herself. But if she’s obnoxiously overbearing, or if she bites hard, be wary.

If she’s worried about you at first, that too may be a completely normal response to this new situation. But if she’s so scared that she shakes, growls or hides, she may not be the one for you. You want her to be curious and confident; she should accept your petting, scratching and cheerful talking without biting you or cowering. Watch for a wagging tail and a head held high!

Next, get up and walk across the room, patting your leg or clap-ping your hands encouragingly as you go. If she follows willingly, that’s a great sign. If she follows so willingly that she feels the need to bite your ankles or attack your feet, that’s another indication of a dominant, demanding disposition. And if she stays put or heads in the other direction, that’s a sign of shyness or just plain lack of interest. You want her to be responsive and intrigued, not over-bearing, scared or bored.

Establishing A Healthy Relationship With Your New Great Dane Puppy

When you bring your new Great Dane puppy home, you’ll want to make him feel good while he’s lying down or on his back. Give him a little stroke or an encouraging word. But don’t overdo it. If you make the pup stay in that posture and he stays there, it teaches him a lesson both in submission and in dominance. That may seem okay. But the problem is that the dog also learns confrontation, not just with other dogs but also with people.

Great Dane dogs can be taught to be compliant without using force and confrontation. Do not shake him by the scruff of the neck and pin him to the ground, even though that’s what wolves occasionally do to establish dominance. No matter how many times you’ve been told that you are the alpha animal, the fact is that people-dog relationships are not like wolf-wolf relationships. dogs‘ teeth can inflict more damage than people’s hands, so the wise thing to do here is not to start the confrontation.

Instead, start out with a companion-animal relationship where there’s mutual respect for each other’s roles (yours is to communicate direction, his’ is to respond appropriately). Your dog will try to please you and be compliant, and you will praise him for doing so.

This is the kind of relationship you want to start as soon as you bring the Great Dane puppy home, even before you take him to puppy kindergarten or hire a trainer to get him under control. Don’t physically force your new pet to do things that he’s not ready to do. Let him get used to one room at a time. Make sure that you keep track of when he is getting overly excited. This is your cue to say to him, “Settle!” or “Outside!” The word or phrase you use is up to you.

Try to go out the same door each time for the same activity. You will need to take him outside and stand there while he sniffs around and pees or poops, and you say, “Good Boy” then go indoors and play with him in a different location, so that he gets the idea that when we go to this one spot it’s time to pee or poop, and when we go out a different door to another spot, that’s where we play.

As you start to teach your Great Dane dog good house-training techniques, you will also want to put him on a regular pattern of eating, usually three times a day at first. Occasionally, a pup will not seem too interested in eating. Besides finding out what he was eating when you acquired him, and offering him tidbits of chicken and beef from your fingers to whet his appetite, puppies like some company when they go to the food bowl. So if there is a litter-mate or a neighborhood puppy about the same age as yours who would like a dinner date, let them eat side by side a few times in the location you’ve chosen for daily feeding.

The idea is to make him comfortable and get him into a routine of regular eating, sleeping, elimination, and walking. Make sure that you don’t do unpleasant things with your hands. Don’t let your Great Dane puppy start to chew or nibble on your fingers or hands. Even if the nibbling doesn’t hurt now, it will hurt when he gets older and can lead to a bad habit that’s difficult to break. Very soon, you’ll be getting to know your new pet very well.

Empty Food Bowls: Why Does Your Great Dane Guard It As If It Were Full Of Food?

If there’s one thing that brings out Great Danes’ possessive tendencies, it’s food. Among any group of mammals, from lion prides to wolf packs, nothing affects survival as much as getting enough to eat - and eating it before someone else does. Some dogs have elevated their protective instincts to a speed sport. They hunker over their dishes and inhale the food to ensure that no one else gets a crack at it. All the while, they look around furtively for food thieves. Some get downright aggressive, giving a guttural growl if anyone gets close.

The bowl doesn’t have to be full to trigger protective feelings. In fact, lots of dogs see their bowls as their possessions. They probably imagine that food might appear there at any time. So the bowl isn’t just any possession - it’s highly prized.

It’s not just the bowl they’re protecting, but the space around it. This is due in part to what is called their denning instinct. dogs in the wild always lived in cozy, enclosed spaces called dens. A den might have been a cave or an abandoned shed. Or it could have been a hollow in the ground, surrounded by trees. Great Danes viewed their dens as their castles, and they didn’t welcome strangers coming around. So they did whatever they had to do to protect their space.

In addition, dogs like a little peace and quiet when they eat. It’s their way of making sure no one gets close enough to steal their food. They may get cranky when there’s too much activity around their food bowls, even when mealtimes are a long way off. For a dog, an empty dinner dish is just a meal waiting to happen.

Some dogs guard their dishes simply because they’re not getting enough to eat. Even though about a third of dogs in the United States are overweight, some dogs still aren’t getting all the calories they need, because their owners are overly concerned about keeping them trim. dogs who are truly ravenous won’t be on their best behavior, and they certainly won’t let their food bowls out of sight, if they can help it.

Even when a Great Dane’s stomach isn’t growling, she may protect the bowl if she has gone through lean times. This tends to be an issue for dogs who spent their early months as strays. Like children of the Depression, they remember what it’s like to be hungry, and they aren’t going to let it happen again.

Since every Great Dane needs a different number of calories, the only way to be sure that your dog is getting enough is to watch her ribs. They should be almost visible, but nicely padded. If they’re too prominent - or, conversely, if you can’t see them at all - you should make some adjustments to the amount of food that you pour into the bowl.

Great Danes In Animal Shelters

Anyone who has worked longer than two seconds at an animal shelter knows that one of the chief reasons owners drop off their unwanted pets is that they are not house-trained. shelter
personnel tend to be very world-wise and savvy, and they know that when an owner comes in and says, “We have to move,” that usually means “He poops or barks or chews or digs or whatever verb is appropriate. shelter personnel often hear phrases like, “He’s not as clean as I thought he would be, but I’m sure he would be for someone else,” or “He might have a few accidents in his new home but he’s really a sweetheart.”

All these statements mean that the dog is not housebroken and the owners who adopt should be so informed. There should be a form that is used within each shelter to decode such problems and animals that cannot be placed and that harbor such problems might simply have to be moved up on the list of animals to be euthanized.

Before you disagree, let me say that I have paid my dues in shelter work. I have seen the pain that is involved on both the human and canine end (no matter how benign the euthanization method) when a dog must be eliminated. I do not like the procedure nor the phenomenon.

It is crucial to get the Great Dane puppy house-trained quickly and effectively, and of providing proper training throughout the dog’s life. There is a large surplus of animals waiting for homes. Why place a dog that is known to be a chronic house-pooper? It just doesn’t make sense, unless the Great Dane has other appealing qualities and a potential owner who is fully aware of the problem and willing to work with it, patiently and consistently. Any other owner will sour on the Great Dane quite quickly and either return it to the shelter or just abuse it.

shelter personnel should also have on hand a variety of books, pamphlets and brochures that outline house-training procedures. Often clients will leave the shelter completely in the dark as to what to do once they get the puppy home, and will subsequently bungle the house-training process. A simple pamphlet or, better yet, a short consultation and a pamphlet at the shelter would have prevented many a returned Great Dane puppy.

Great Danes Giving Birth: What To Do When There Is Trouble

When giving birth, If your female Great Dane takes an hour or slightly longer between puppies once whelping begins or she appears to lack the adequate muscular control needed to push the puppies out, she could be suffering from inertia. Apparent inertia may be counteracted at times by a moderate amount of exercise such as walking around the yard, a glass of milk as a calcium source or a ride around the block in the car. If none of these combined methods show results within 30 minutes, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The veterinarian may determine that your matron requires a higher dose of pituitary oxytocin to that which she is already producing. The administration of a booster shot of pituitary oxytocin will help to stimulate her contractions after some of the Great Dane puppies are born.. A whelping dog’s response to the injection occurs within minutes if it is to occur at all. Some require help of a deeper professional nature. Not every female’s uterus is responsive to the presence of natural hormones or oxytocin. For those cases when natural milk, exercise and pituitary oxytocin are ineffectual, a cesarean section may be required.

Before any shots are given or invasive therapies undertaken, the veterinarian will physically examine the dog, checking for obstructions and the presence and position of a puppy in the birth canal. Occasionally a puppy stuck in the birth canal will simply require repositioning. Often the first Great Dane puppy being the largest impedes the litter’s natural arrival. Usually it is possible to reposition this puppy by digital vaginal manipulation. Sometimes an additional physical push forward on the abdomen effects a relatively normal delivery. At times this is all that is required to get the puppies on their way naturally.

Labor is hard work. dogs that have been in sustained labor over a long time period may end up being candidates for inertia. Should all other therapies fail, the matron will require surgical assistance. Some breeds, such as the brachycephalics (Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, for example), are routinely scheduled for cesarean sections for nearly every anticipated litter.

A trouble sign is a steady straining by the Great Dane, contractions with no immediately resulting puppy. Get to the phone without delay and contact your veterinarian. If all the hospital lines are busy, call the operator and say you have an emergency call that must be put through immediately!

Great Dane Dogs & Feet - What’s The Deal?

Does your Great Dane seem to be happy only when he is literally sleeping or laying around on your feet or your shoes?

There’s no getting around the fact that dogs love feet and everything associated with them.
They adore shoes and socks, and most of all, they love the smelly tootsies themselves. In fact, your feet are the part of you that your dog knows best. They’re right there on the floor with her; they’re full of the smell of you; and lots of times, they’re the only part of you that dogs are allowed to sit on.

One reason that Great Danes like feet so much is the same reason that most people steer clear of them. For such a small body part, feet pack a whole lot of scent. Each foot has about 125,000 sweat glands. That’s enough to keep plenty of smells percolating, especially when the feet are encased in socks and shoes. Great Danes draw a huge portion of their knowledge of the world from their sense of smell. And feet sure do smell!

Rich aromas aren’t the only things about feet that dogs find attractive. They also depend on them as sort of a human tether. There are some dogs who worry that their owners will get up and leave without them noticing. They don’t want their people to get very far away, so they sit on them.

Large dogs are more likely than small breeds to choose a perch. Small dogs can scramble into laps when they want to keep track of their people. Big dogs are too bulky for that kind of cuddling. Sitting on feet gives them similar feelings of closeness and reassurance. Of course, there are plenty of dogs who simply want to be near the people they like. They’re not all that desperate for attention or reassurance - they just like the closeness.

Some dogs crave foot contact more than others, and there’s not much you can do about it. Keep your leather shoes in the closet and be grateful that your dog wants to be close to you. dogs who are truly anxious about being abandoned, however, need some extra reassurance.

Try scheduling a little extra cuddle time with your pet. Great Danes who know they can depend on getting attention at certain times of the day or in certain places are less likely to demand it the rest of the time. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes each day when your dog can sit on your feet, lick your face, and generally revel in physical contact. She’ll come to depend on these regular meetings and look forward to them - and she’ll be less desperate for attention because she’ll know something good is coming.