With that in mind, I know that when working with an aggressive dog, I have to answer a few questions…, ‘What was the goal of their aggression?’. That’s it. Because the risk of clots due to elevated hormones is much higher around the heat, allow for 2 months after the … A big softie with a heart of gold and a love for playing and exploring- the Labradane is a great family pet. Don’t tolerate or induce dominance and aggression. In our Danes, of course, we're dealing with the Merle gene. For example a very dominant dog who wants to be in charge may try to state their position over another dog who’s more submissive. it could be anything from dominance, to "hearding" (ive known many a dane who decide when children are put to bed they should stay there and will lead a child back to thier bed in this way) but given his age, id say its a basic dominance move...a short firm and loud AHAH or OW or simple NO followed by crossing of the arms and completly ignoring him. Or, if you have a puppy I invite you to give my Puppy Coach training program a try instead! All my danes try to get my attention in some similar way. This one dog (well, bitch, actually) picked up on everything I ever tried to teach her as fast as I could show her what I wanted. The Merle gene is dominant. Instead because breeding stock has been selected for color alone--not for health or temperament. These "middle quality of appearance" Danes are the ones with entropian, mange (demodectic and/or sarcoptic), the ones that break with kennel cough after they've been through a shelter. I have a sister who is deathly afraid of birds. This practice is known as Designer Dog breeding, which results in a … One key factor to remember is that these dogs grow very quickly from puppy to adult. Legal liabilities. I trained brody to submit on command. Usually there’s a couple of seconds of grizzle or an air snap, and it’s all over. There's one unfortunate truth that Great Dane lovers must come to grips with -- this giant breed doesn't have a long lifespan. Both dogs were deaf. Analogy: I play soccer. All that said, I would *love* to see the GDCA speak out against Harlequin to Harlequin breeding--because this is the only breeding of "showable" colors in Danes that can or will produce Whites. If you think you’ve discovered the cause of your dog’s aggression and would like help getting your dog to calm down and look to you for direction when he becomes anxious or upset, I want you to check out my program called The Dog Calming Code. While some people think that leaning is a display of dominance, I haven’t found that to be the case with Great Danes. They've got a tendency to have some health and/or temperament issues, but NOT because they're white. Aggression To be able to always point to what happened that caused a dog to react with fear-based aggression is impossible. Danes don't fully mature until about the age of 3, but while a smaller dog is middle-aged at 10, that's very old age in the Dane. What I hate especially is people who want to claim that Merles themselves are unhealthy (simply NOT TRUE--and this rumor persists almost exclusively among Dane-people, NOT in any of the other breeds with Merle in the gene pool), and that these same people who say such things about Merles, seem to somehow think that Harlequins are different. Keeping Great Dane Dogs Healthy: 4 Issues to Watch Out For. And for good reason, as this designer dog breed combines the best traits of his mom and dad. Two copies of the Merle gene completely (or, almost completely) wipe out ALL color. The Great Dane may be targeted for "banning" in certain areas, or refusal of homeowner insurance policies. All Great Dane found here are from AKC-Registered parents. Our belief is as a community we can all learn from our combined. Despite its intimidating size, the Great Dane is extraordinarily gentle and gets … This program has helped me train over 37,000 dogs–many of which have had various types of aggression issues. Livvy will come up and root under my arm and fling it up so I will pet her. Dog Training Job And last but not least it’s important to point out that this sort of fear-based aggression can arise for absolutely no reason. It’s just like people…there are some very dominant small people (Napoleon wasn’t a big fella! And that’s what this is about…understanding dog-dog aggression. Bloat is the most recurrent Great Dane Disease and a big trouble for Great Danes. I say this because many dog owners who adopted their dogs late and have aggression issues seem to think that it must be related to abuse that they know nothing about. Great Danes require certain nutrients more than the other. Dog Appreciation: 5 Things to Thank Your Dog For This Thanksgiving, Rescue Dog Series Part 4: 5 Methods for Helping Your Rescue Dog Overcome Anxiety. Their hearing is fine. Dogs are not as lucky and canine bloat can become life threatening quickly. Great Dane puppies, like all large and giant breed dogs, require special nutrition to prevent them from growing too quickly. So, I believe that breedings should be planned so as to avoid producing White Danes. Now generally speaking, so long as the dominant dog gets their own way they’ll be happy. No health issues associated with whiteness and Pyrs. The Great Dane Lovers Training Course not only deals with issues like aggression, barking, and lack of socialization, but also includes step-by-step solutions for ALL the other common problems faced by Great Dane owners - like jumping, chewing, digging up your garden, etc. You can see the range of effect of these genes in the variation in color of Goldens--from almost a mahogany red through a pale cream. So why does it happen? Training Aggressive Dogs: Understanding Dominant and Fearful Aggression, aggression in both fearful dogs and dominant dogs, check out my program called The Dog Calming Code. Over the years, I’ve worked with thousands of unruly and aggressive dogs who were hostile to other dogs. Dominant Aggression Generally speaking, leaning is not an issue. I’m not the captain; my mate is. Dog Training Academy all about Great Danes Discussion Forum. What to do about dull coats and skin problems in great danes On a recent visit to my vet, I asked if there were something I could do to help, and the vet … RE: Signs of dominant behavior. Firstly, it’s possible, but unlikely, that a bad experience in the past is the cause of the issue. But I also don't see the White Danes as being any less robust and healthy overall as any other color of Dane (the pigment-related deafness aside). So, if your loyal companion feels you’re in harm’s way, this aggressive fear-based behavior can come out of nowhere to protect you. So many dog breeds have health concerns – some minor, some major. In order to get rid of this aggression, your dog has to understand that you are in charge and in control of what’s going on. If we can answer those questions then we get a better understand of where a dog is coming from and then form an approach that will help them start to relax and overcome their aggression. The only reported problem associated with the dilute black (D locus recessive) allele that produces the blue Dane is Color Mutant Alopecia (CMA). While many … Related terms: systolic heart failure, Primary Idiopathic Myocardial Failure (PIMF), Dilative cardiomyopathy, Primary idiopathic myocardial failure, DCMOutline: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is disease of the heart muscle in which the heart becomes thin walled and dilated. And from these experiences, I’ve learned that size, breed, color, etc., tend to have nothing to do with why a dog is aggressive. And so often that hierarchy is established with no aggression at all. In our Danes, of course, we're dealing with the Merle gene. Any type of fearful aggression should be taken seriously. Find Great Dane Puppies and Breeders in your area and helpful Great Dane information. Dogs instinctually have a structure or hierarchy. A Harlequin to Harlequin breeding, of course. The Labradane brings the loyal, gentle nature of the Labrador Retriever together with the noble yet protective traits of a Great … Thus, either of these genes can cause a dog to have deafness and/or vision problems if they are so white as to be "white on the inside, too." A generally fearful dog who finds that little bit of confidence for a few seconds may charge and run 100 meters to get to get to another dog. Now, there was never any incident in which either of my sisters had a bad experience with birds or spiders…they simply have irrational phobias. Done! The "washes out red/brown" gene also affects only fur, nothing else. Interesting to note that "merling" affects ONLY areas that would "normally" be black. In vision, it's variable in effect--sometimes merling will produce an perfectly sighted, but blue (rather than brown) eye. Didn't have much training time for a few days, and then she got adopted. When a Great Dane decides to mount, there can be some real drama! Smart political reporting and analysis, including data points, interesting national trends, short updates and more from the NBC News political unit. On the flip side, if he knows you’re in charge, he can relax and trust that you will do any sizing up that needs to be done. Those that look like "all Dane, but a crappy Dane at that" tend to be the ones that exhibit immune system problems. So let’s take a look at what fear based aggression actually means and what may have caused it! This series ranges from producing a solidly-colored dog (as in "no white" not as in "all one color"--almost all Dobermans are solidly colored black and tan, no white, for example) to the Mantle pattern, Piebald or Particolor pattern, through the extreme white pattern, which will leave the colored areas, if any, on the ear area, and the rump region. This is a genetic no-no that can create severely life-limiting or fatal health issues for the puppy. (The Harle gene then makes color an "all or none" proposition--if the individual fur is going to be gray instead of black, the Harle gene prevents it from being colored at all.) Easygoing Giant. Firstly, it’s possible, but unlikely, that a bad experience in the past is the cause of the issue. An excellent Great Dane food must have high-quality protein and fat. Well, the vast majority of fear aggression is triggered when a dog feels there is a threat of harm to themselves or one of their loved ones be it a puppy or human–and yes that could be you, the owner. We may never know…. The Great Dane is a well-known easygoing giant breed that many around the world adore, but a variation of the breed that is particularly eye-catching is the merle Great Dane!. The easiest way to get rid of aggression in both fearful dogs and dominant dogs is to remove them from the role of decision maker or pack leader. Less confident dogs like this that are fearful will snap, bite or bark only if another dog or person gets too close. Many great dane owners struggle with skin and coat issues. Dogs are great at eating two types of foods: dog food and table scraps; Great Danes are no different. ... What I did for two reasons, one my Girlfriend isnt the best at being dominant, and also for more control over the situation. My other sister fears spiders. The average Great Dane life span falls between 7 and 10 years, and the breed can experience some predisposed genetic conditions. There is a saying that there is only love and fear and with fear based aggression this is certainly true! Become a Dog Trainer This condition occurs when the canine eats too fast or overindulge itself in eating. They’ll do anything to avoid you…they turn their heads and move away and try to avoid eye contact. Extreme white spotting is recessive. This is rarely the cause of aggression. Both "can't produce black" gene and the "washed out red/brown" genes are recessive. The "can't produce black" gene affects ONLY fur, not nose leather, eye rims, skin. As far as immune systems go--with the dozens of dogs I've fostered over the years, I've seen no more immune system problems in the white Danes than in the general population. And some dogs take this hierarchy more seriously than other dogs. Think about it, with dominance-based aggression, if your dog thinks he’s in charge, he’s going to be checking up on all the other dogs with far more attitude. The Schipperke is very dominant, often dominant aggressive, the Boston Terrier is feisty and independent, and the Poodle often has separation anxiety and vocal problems. On further questioning they confirm that for the first few months during which they had their dog the dog was fine socialising and playing happily. Great Danes of this pattern can come in many different colors and all look unique from one another. When humans overeat or eat too fast, we may become bloated and gassy. Will keep innocent puppy behavior and actions from leading to bad habits, or a dog behavior problem that can be dangerous with an adult giant breed and difficult to correct! Now the good thing about this type of aggression is that it often doesn’t result in injury between the dogs. Aggression that is due to dominance can be a particularly difficult trait to extinguish and requires a great deal of time and consistency. Extreme white spotting is recessive. • TYPICAL PROBLEMS: Dalmatians can be dog and people aggressive, and need vast amounts of exercise. The result of a Harlequin x Harlequin breeding is 7 lethal : 5 undesirable : 4 Harlequin. One encounter that sticks in my memory is a Great Dane Border Collie cross, who weighed close to 80 kg and was so aggressive that when I brought him out of the car on a double leash my dogs hid in the bushes on the far side of the park. They also have the "can't make black pigment" genes, as well as genes that "wash out" the red/brown pigment. Both dogs were beautiful Great Danes, and both were healthy as healthy can be. When a dog thinks they are in charge, he feels there are certain things he has to do–one of them is go check out the other dogs and decide who’s dominate and who’s submissive. A dog doesn’t have to be abused or fear their owner in danger to suddenly experience fear-based aggression. Allergy Locations on the Great Dane. Aggression to establish dominance is completely different than fear-based aggression. Period. There is no need to puff out the chest and go and check out all the other dogs. It’s the same with a dog. Our friends the Merle Australian Shepherds are not the only dogs who are an intersection of two different lethal semi-dominant alleles; Harlequin Great Danes share this problematic status as both the merle gene and the harlequin gene are lethal in the homozygous state.. On the flip side, some fearful dogs are not confident at all. On a tanpoint dog (Doberman-colored), the black areas are merled, while the tan areas remain normally and fully pigments (I've got photos of a mixed-breed dog this pattern, if anyone's interested, although perusing Aussie sites online will show the same pattern, usually with addition of the white-paws-tail-tip-neck-chest. White Dobermans are white because they are partial albinos. And since your precious pooch depends on you for nutrients, make sure their protein and fats come from healthy, natural, reliable, and ideally possible sourced ingredients. First of all, "white" dogs can be white for a variety of reasons. It’s when both dogs stand their ground that it can get slightly gnarly. Both dogs were white. Merle Great Dane Temperament. ), and there are lots of very submissive larger people. As a final, somewhat-related, comment....I've only fostered ONE Great Dane that learned as fast as a Doberman (Dobes are SMART--too smart, in many cases, but overall Dobes are the smartest dogs I've worked with [and no, Danes are NOT the stupidest--I own a Bloodhound!]) If I tried to go into all of those problems, we’d be here for days. Christmas Puppies: Are You Truly Ready for the Responsibility of a Dog? Coats can become dull and thin, and some great danes are constantly scratching or biting at their skin. The White Shepherds have been selected to be as pale as possible--white. His goal is to continue to share his unique approach to dog training with like-minded people who wish to make a difference in the world of dogs. The truth is, your own actions may be the cause of your dog’s behavior problems. Sometimes deeper structure are affected, the pupils look a bit strange, and there is some visual impairment. So, if your dog is aggressive to other dogs when you walk them but they’ll walk and play happily at the dog park when other people take your dog, this is likely to be what’s going on. The merle pattern can provide an absolutely beautiful coat to an already well-built and stunning breed. When she was returned to Rescue over 6 months later, she STILL could speak on command for me, with no hesitation or confusion. Yet, there are certain cases when the litter would assuredly be a brown or Chocolate Great Dane. So, other than the deafness and possible vision issues (which are both "lack of pigment on the inside" problems), I don't see the White Danes being any less (or more) healthy than "normally colored" Danes from the same "level" of breeding stock. Sandy Suarez's Danes are another example--clearly not too far removed from really nice stock, beautiful heads, conformation, and no immune system issues AT ALL. 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