Great Dane Puppy Training

Great Dane Puppy Training should begin the moment you bring your Great Dane puppy home. Early training is especailly important for puppies that will grow up to be big dogs. By the time they reach 6 or 8 months of age, large-breed puppies are too strong for most people to handle easily. Also, Great Dane Puppies learn almost efforlessly if training begins while their are very young. Breeders and experienced dog owners often have little problem with biting or other behavior problems because the corrections come naturally and effective right from the start. The good thing about Great Danes is, they want so much to please you they will happily let you be pack leader. But, you must step up to the role.

It is not uncommon to start Great Dane Puppy Training at 5 weeks of age. If you start at this age by the time the puppy is 7 or 8 weeks old they should know the commands sit, stand, down, and stay. By the time they are 5 months old, they are capable of doing a half-hour down-stay and a 10-minute sit-stay.

While the Great Dane puppy was with his mother, his mother was the pack leader. Every Great Dane puppy needs someone to look up to. The social order of dogs is such that every dog must have a leader or be a leader. If you don’t step up to the plate and take over the role of pack leader (or mother) the Great Dane puppy will eventually appoint himself to the job (which you do not want).

All dogs need a leader, and it is important that you establish yourself as the boss eary in your Great Dane's life. If your Great Dane puppy recognized your authority, he will be more obedient, more secure, and easier to get along with. You can communicate to your puppy that you are the leader in a number of different ways.

Being the leader means being first. Teach your puppy to wait for you to go through doorways before he is allowed to enter or exit a room. You can do this by keeping him on a leash and going through a door first, with him following behind you. If he tries to rush ahead of you, use the leash to bring him back. Put him in a sit-stay, walk through the door yourself, and then invite him to follow. Reard him when he obeys.

During Great Dane Puppy training paying attention to you is one of the first things your puppys needs to learns. Your puppy must first learn to focus on you when he is asked to, too enable him to learn commands and tricks. Teach him that making eye contact is good by asking him to look at you and then giving him a treat when he looks at your face or makes eye contact. Repeat this exercise until he automatically looks at your eyes, instead of the people walking by or the treat behind your back, when you are interacting.

Your Great Dane puppy will see you as the leader if you are one who determines when he plays and eats. Schedule playtime for your puppy and be the one to initiate it. Feed your puppy his daily meals yourself, and use treats in training to help him see you as the source of his food.

Teaching a puppy to sit on command requires minimal effort while reaping huge benefits.

Before beginning your Great Dane Puppy training session have your Great Dane puppies favorite treats handy, in tiny pieces. Keep sessions short, 5 to 10 minutes four to five times a day and end on a happy note.

1. Start with your puppy facing you. Place a treat in your open palm, fingers pointing up, using your thumb to hold on to and cover the treat.
2. Place your open palm on the Dane puppy’s nose so it smells the goodie.
3. Slowly lift your hand up over the top of its head to lure the Dane puppy’s nose due north.
4. Keep your palm on the Dane puppy’s nose. Removing and whipping your hand back quickly usually results in the Dane puppy not sitting, or prompts it to get up.
5. Done correctly, the Dane puppy’s body follows its head, causing its rump to tuck under into a nice little sit.
6. The second the Dane puppy’s rear touches the ground, click or verbally mark the behavior saying “Sit!” and immediately reward with praise and the treat.
7. Work this in five minute sets, four to five times a day for a couple of days. Once the Dane puppy understands the sought-after behavior, raise your palm slightly off its nose.
8. On the third day, follow the same procedure as your first practice, put place the treat in your other hand for the second repetition. Lure the Dane puppy into a sit with the hand not holding the treat, mark as before, then give the puppy the treat from your other hand.
9. Randomly vary luring with the treat above the Great Dane puppy’s head while holding it in your other hand, until the Great Dane puppy readily performs with or without the treat used directly as a lure.
10. Always maintain a consistent hand motion as you gradually begin raising your hand farther from its nose. This motion will become your hand signal for sit.
11. As your Dane puppy becomes proficient, praise readily, but gradually reduce the number of times it receives a treat for performing the cue. Never completely eliminate treating your Great Dane for responding correctly, because anticipation of an occasional reward keeps your dog keen.