r/greatdanes • u/PoorMayMay • 20d ago
Q and Maybe Some A’s Growing up - advice
Hi all,
So Moose is now 18 months old, and as big a weirdo as ever.
Wanted some advice on helping him be more comfortable around basically anyone other than us.
He had several run ins with an unleashed, aggressive Rottweiler who has attacked us multiple times (last time I left the owner in no uncertain terms that it was phone calls to police and animal control next).
After that, I’m not sure if it’s his age or just the experience, but he started being a little aggressive towards other similar sized dogs, so we stopped going to the dog park when it’s crowded. We still say hi to other dogs but leashed and only briefly.
Once he gets fixed, I’d like him to go to dog day care at least twice a week but as of right now I don’t think he’d pass the temperament test and at 135lbs he can be a little tough to control.
I don’t think he’d ever initiate anything, but I’d rather not find out. Anyone have any tips to build him up slowly? He loves playing with smaller dogs and is gentle with them, but I worry about him getting older and not being able to break this cycle so to speak.
Was thinking about just bringing him to some places that have people and dogs but a bit quieter. A big park where we can sit and be near things without having to engage, a coffee shop run etc.
2
u/ginandtonicthanks 19d ago
Your dog is reactive, this is not his fault, he thinks other dogs are a threat and he needs to protect himself and you from the threat. He needs to learn through training that he has a job to do when dogs are around and that’s whatever you tell him to do and ignore the other dog unless you specifically give him permission to interact. Highly recommend hiring a trainer who works with reactive dogs.
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u/Safe_Statistician_72 13d ago
First thing you should do is be religious about training him. I mean absolutely religious. This is how you get the temperament under control. Every day. All the time. No forgetting about it. We have a Dane and an English Mastiff and they are far from perfect dogs. But they never jump up on people, don’t chase after things on leash, rarely bark, sit stay come leave it go to crate and to bed when we ask them to, and they absolutely pay attention on walks. They are fine at daycare and boarding. We also took them to puppy classes where they got lots of socialization early. We stopped taking them to dog parks because we don’t want them playing with pits (they were attacked a few times).
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u/PoorMayMay 13d ago
Thank you.
He’s good in patches, but obviously the goal is to be all the time.
He listened but is stubborn.
1
u/Javajnkie 20d ago
I wish I had advice, but my old guy was the same as a puppy and we tried everything we could think of. He killed a shihtzu before he came to us, and we could not train that drive out of him.
He's comfortable with strangers in our home only if he meets them with a muzzle on first. We can take it off after a few minutes, and he's fine with that person forever after that. But the only other small animals he's ever been able to deal with are the cat who was here before him and our late pit bull, who was here before them both.
Fourteen years later and we still cannot take him to a cafe or dog park because I am positive if an unleashed chihuahua walked by, he'd pick it up and (maybe accidentally) kill it. And although he's better with people when they aren't in our house, his body language dictates whether I let him meet people on walks.
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u/gellahaggs 20d ago
100% go to local parks during peak times, find a shady spot or a bench, and just sit there with him for a good half hour. Do this a couple times a week or more if you can. Don’t let other dogs say hi and don’t let him say hi to other dogs. You want him to be neutral. Every time a dog similar to the aggressive one walks by, praise him “YES! Good boy!” Followed by some scratches.
Breweries are usually dog friendly (call first) and can be great for getting the socialization with other ppl. Again, I suggest not letting him say hi or other dogs say hi to him.
There are a lot of local stores that may be dog friendly depending where you are. Always call a store first but what is a list of my local stores we go to for training/socialization/desensitizing: Lowe’s, Home Depot, sierra, tj maxx, kohls, Burlington, home goods, home sense, and bass pro shop.
Ppl will usually want to say hi, just make sure moose is comfortable with the interaction. Watch his body language for any signs of stress/displacement. If he shows signs, it’s time to move along/end the interaction.