HELP THIS DOG IS OUT OF CONTROl!!?

Question

We have a two year old fixed male Great dane and he's 153 pounds. he's a nightmare to live with and i do admit
we didn't train him much as a puppy accept house training. well here's the problem she::
* He pee's all over the floor when he's excited.
* When someone comes up to pet him or comes in my house he jumps up on them and KNOCKS THEM OVER
* he barks constantly
* when walking him on a leash he jumps at me,bites my hand,bites the leash and pulls me all over the place
* he chews on furniture and doors even when im right in the room ( he's ruined so much furniture and doors i can't
even count)
* he scratches my walls and leaves scratch marks all over my walls (which are really deep scratch marks)
* he broke three televisions by jumping up at them and knocking them over
* he knows how to open the cabinets and fridge so he eats EVERYTHING in the cabinets and fridge
* he tries to go after other dogs and cars when we take him on his walks

* when i walk him he jumps on me and knocks me on the ground all the time i've broken my wrist three times,my ankle twice
and my arm twice and i have no idea how many times i sprained my arms,wrists,fingers,ankles and knees from just
walking him and having him jump on me.
* He broke my front window twice by jumping THREW IT
* his paw went threw my wall (literally) a few times and i have holes in my wall
* he chews my carpet up
* he eats everything remotes,shoes,tapes,books and everything else
* he jumps up on the bed or couch with me and i can't push him off because he's so strong
* she eats stuff off the table,takes food right out of my hand (and bites my hand along with the food)


PLEASE HELP ME THIS DOG IS REALLY OUT OF CONTROL!!!! im going crazy!!! WHAT CAN I DO?? im going to break down
soon. SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE!!

i know it's my fault he turned out like this but i need help NOW!

I WILL NOT GET RID OF HIM

Im sorry but im 5'6'' and 120 pound FEMALE!

Answer 1

It doesn't sound like he is a bully or particularly tough, he sounds like he is fearful, bored, nervous, does not have enough exercise and doesn't know how to behave. He needs to be managed and not left to his own devices.

Some of the damage is caused because he is simply young, boisterous and big.

A general obedience class won't do much for you because he needs to be managed every hour of everyday. To get it jump started, you could look into private training especially as manipulating such a large dog can be difficult.

Place child proof locks on the refrigerator and the cabinets. Close the door to the bedroom. Keep him on a collar and leash inside the house so you have more control. Some trainers will use a 1 foot long leash that the dog wears all the time.

Walk him until he is tired to drain all that energy. Look for some places with hills, walk him at night when there are few distractions. Pop his collar when he pulls and give him praise and treats when he stops.

You can get a long leash and find a big field where he can run a bit. He needs several hours, not a few 20 minute potty breaks walking outside. If he begins to calm down at home then you know you are on the right track.

If he is really dog aggressive (as opposed to just being excited and trying to go meet other dogs) then I doubt you can leave him at any reputable day care. It is better to exercise him yourself, teach him some manners and get him to walk on leash past other dogs without reacting. Then you can find other well behaved adult dogs for him to meet and walk with.

Put breakables away in closets or storage until this is under control. Put TVs on wall mounts. Consider Soft Paws for dogs to help with the clawing problem.

You can look for a giant sized, very strong metal crate since baby gates probably won't do much. Otherwise, you may have to confine him to a smaller room while you are gone.

He needs chews and toys and a toy box to keep them in. He can have access to these at any time to relieve boredom and stress but he can't have anything else in his mouth including you. Tell him off, stop moving, turn your back to him and ignore him.

Does he sit on command at all? If so, you can teach him to sit and stay by getting him to sit, telling him to say with your hand in front of his face and them feeding him treats (as he is sitting) with the other hand. This is a good reinforcement of the stay command.

Once he can do this, he can learn all kinds of other good manners including sitting and staying to go outside, get a treat, get a meal, get a pet, get attention of any sort including greeting people. Practice going to the door and sitting and staying and then add in the door being opened slightly, a door knock, a door bell ring and other people coming inside. At each stage, make sure he is sitting and staying.

If you are determined to manage how your dog behaves then he will pick up on your new attitude. It isn't magic though and you need to consistently get him off the furniture, make him get off putting his mouth on anything that isn't his, make him walk past other dogs without reacting, ignore cars, etc.

Answer 2

CALL THE DOG WHISPIER, watch the show it will give you alot of good hints that you might try......seriously start on one issue at a time. Start off cratting him when your not around to keep a close eye on him or when your out of the house. Get him big chew bones or toys to chew on and whenever he starts chewing on something he shouldnt swap it with the chew toy, play with he might be like a disobedient child wanting attention. The barking, try this, get an empty soda can and put rocks or pennies in and tape the hole up and whenever he starts barking tell him SHHHH real loud and shake the can ONCE, if that doesnt stop him do it again. The noice will startle him and hopefully he will stop. Use the can only for disapline, when company comes over have your can ready before you open the door tell him to get back, sit and shake the can once if he doesnt obey, open the door and shake the can ONCE if he gets up to towards your guest or just put him in his crate....you must invest into a crate, i know it will be big and costly but its better than him destroying your walls and doors, big dogs are costly. The peeing, take him outside often and tell him to go potty or pee using 1 word consitantly with so he knows what you want him to do. Make him sleep in his crate with his favorite blanky so he acciates the crate as his bed, safe space and not a bad place for displine only. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise by walking him or playing with him outside, get a choke color just for training him not to pull talk to the people at the pet store they will recommend one, take. Good luck and I hope I didnt throw too much information out at you and hope some of the info is helpful. Remember he is just a big baby and need attention and displine. Make him an enjoyable member of your family.

Answer 3

There are two key things here:

1) Training. Ok, like everyone else here I see that it is obvious that you need training help ASAP. I would recommend starting with private training but would encourage you to also do a class to get your dog working around other dogs and people. Visit www.ccpdt.org and find a trainer in your area that come come out and get you fitted with a better walking device, such as head collar or an Easy Walk harnass.

2) Energy level. One of the biggest issues most people have with Great Danes is that they are still pups when they are full grown. You have to find ways to burn that energy, because you can't train out energy, but burning his energy will make training easier. I would look into a qualifed dog daycare with a staff that can handle his walking issues. A good trainer should be able to make recomendations here.

A comment on the peeing issue... when a dog is an "excited pee-er" he doesn't know he's peeing... the key is finding his triggers (with most dogs it's when they are greeting) and working to keep the dog low key.

Answer 4

I've had Danes for 22+ years, Danes are too big of a breed to let get out of control. This boy needs obedience. Do buy a chain style choke collar, the 26 inch size is best in a medium sized link, not the large link, and it needs to be high on his neck when you work with him up behind his ears on his neck. Also do NOT use a flexilead and only use a 2-4 foot lead. The more length you give him he'll use it as leverage to pull you, and this is how injuries occur. Harnesses do not work eitherm they use them with leverage as well and will pull so hard they'll lift up their front end to pull you. He will need to go to obedience classes ASAP, they may recommend regular nylon collar, but use both on him as the nylon colars can break and they also use it to pull, so if he does this then you can place the chain link collar up to the top of his neck(it's not cruel it shows YOU are in charge NOT him)! Try looking at Petsmart stores they have classes, and or look in your phone directory for animal behaviorist to help work with you or have them recommend an obedience class.
This is the only way to get control of him, and do it ASAP so no one gets hurt. This is how I train all my danes.
Check out resources on line like www.ginnie.com
www.gdca.org , www.akc.org they may have some recommendations on those links for your situation as well.
Best Wishes
http://www.geocities.com/northstardanes

Answer 5

I find this very sad. You took on what you knew was going to be a very large dog, yet you provided no discipline, no boundries, no leadership, no control, no protection.....nothing!
I think you should copy and paste your question to a GD breed specialist, or even good breeder, and seek all the 1-2-1 advice you can. We can all say somethings on here, but you need someone to MEET you both to address all of your issues properly. As much as you say you will not get rid of him,you MUST realise he (or is it she) is NOT being provided with a safe, secure, or stable life, and perhaps, just perhaps, someone else could provide your big-baby with what (s)he actually needs to excel.
There is nothing in your list that describes anything other than 'normal' behaviour, which, when addressed as a pup, is VERY simple to nip in the bud....but, a Dane at 2 is the equivalent of a smaller breed at, say, 8/9, so you are facing an uphill battle to help your dog.
I hope you DO seek help, as, right now, your Dane has the weight of the world, and the PACK, on his (or her) shoulders, and that simply isn't fair.

Answer 6

WOW. You do need help. Call a professional trainer, NOW! People on this forum can give you tips, but there is no substitute for a trainer and obedience class. Sounds like you need obedience class, but also some one-on-one sessions to address the issues you have.

Since your dog is so huge, you need to find a training tool to help you take control of your dog. I have found a gentle leader head collar to be very effective at controlling big, strong dogs. They cannot pull when wearing one because the collar forces them to look at you when they pull. A trainer can help you fit this type of collar and learn how to use it.

For chewing, have you tried bitter apple spray? It makes things taste horrible so the dog learns not to chew it.

You need a trainer though because this dog has a lot of issues and I don't think you can deal with them on your own.

Answer 7

Wow, my sympathies - he certainly does sound like a handful. No consolation but GD's can be very destructive if not trained well on how to behave. As others have said, he has too many issues and I wholeheartedly agree with the advice about getting a professional dog trainer to help. However first things first. Smaller dogs can be crated. A large dog like this - well, good luck finding a crate to fit him (and then get him into it). Your best bet would be to put up a small dog run and use that as your crate. Depending on climate this can be outdoors or in a basement. When you are not home he goes in the "crate". This will instantly eliminate his destructiveness when you are not there. In the crate he will have a variety of toys to play with that will be changed out daily (keep a basket with different toys and rotate so that he has different toys for each day of the week).

Invest in a "gentle leader" or choke collar type of leash. If using a choke coller, make sure you learn how to put it on correctly as having it backwards can injure him. When walking, keep him on a very short leash. His nose should be level with your leg. To accomplish this the leash will be short and almost vertical up from your dog. To begin with, there will be a lot of tension on the leash but as he becomes better trained he will learn to relax and then the leash will have some slack. Hold the leash with one hand and with the other, put your palm flat in front of his nose and tell him "heel". Use the same tone of voice every time you give this command and he will eventually learn to respond just to the voice command without the hand or vice versa. Start walking and continue to tell him to "heel" with voice and hand whenever he tries to pull ahead. Praise him after he has done this successfully for a few seconds, then gradually increase the amount of time he needs to obey before he gets a treat. Every few yards, stop and tell him to "sit". Once again, reward when he responds.

This is just the beginning of training but it is what he craves - for you to take control and be the pack leader. He is out of control because he doesn't have anyone to check his behavior and its driving him nuts (trust me - he is unhappier than you are with the current situation). He WANTS you to be his leader - it is very important that you understand that.

If he is crated, he will need a release of energy. Find games you can play in the backyard that allow him to run off a lot of energy and keep training sessions short so that he doesn't burn out. Inside, give him activities to keep him occupied so that he isn't destructive right in front of you. A large rawhide chew can keep him busy. Try a kong with peanut butter in it. Or one of those hoofs that is filled with yummy filler and they have to really work to get it out of the tip. Good luck and do try professional training. They will teach you how to train your dog as well as help him learn the lessons.

Answer 8

I am so sorry for you and I really hope you get a good answer as I have the same problem with my Afghan Pup! I've tried everything I can think of I have read and studied numerous techniques to no avail,so if someone out there can help you perhaps I can get help also...Good Luck...Squeak

Answer 9

I hope this is a lesson to everyone that you must know how to handle dogs before you own one especially one so darn HUGE!! It will be another expense, but you need a good trainer who is specifically good at handling large breed dogs. You will need to pay attention to what they teach you because they won't give you a trained dog back, you need to work HARD on everything they give you. Do it now. I think you have a lot of patience since you put up with this for so long (and through so many injuries) so give him another chance with a professional and see what happens. Best of luck to you.

Answer 10

You found yourself in a mess that is stronger than you and almost the same size, It doesn't seem like you have much as a trainer so I would say go to a pro and get him trained it might cost a pretty penny but think about how much you would save on food, TV, walls ......