Great Dane puppy training question?
My Great Dane puppy Thor is 4 months old. Very healthy, happy and for the most part as well behaved as you can reasonably expect a baby to be.
He is growing fast and is now tall enough to stick his head in the trash can. He has started digging through the trash and tearing it up.
I try to keep an eye on him, but it is impossible to watch him every second. He is crate trained, so he does not wander around the house at night or when I am not home.
I have bought a can of stuff that is supposed to be a harmless dog repellant and sprayed it all over the outside of the trash can, including the lid. It does not seem to bother him or slow him down at all.
He is otherwise a sweet natured and well behaved puppy. I am training him to sit and stay and walk on a leash, those I can do with treats and praise. I understand how to teach what I want him to do; however I am at a loss when it comes to teaching him what I do not want him to do.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I went through a similar time with my Dane pup back in ’88. He got tall enough to rest his head on the kitchen table and anything near any edge of the table became his chew toys, including wallets and prescription glasses.
One thing I will advise anyone with a super hard-head garbage dog is to put the trash totally out of reach, like under the kitchen sink in the cupboard. If you need to put a little hook latch on the cabinet doors, then do what you have to do. I have seen normally sane people really lose it when a dog repeatedly strews the trash around the house and it is not fair to the animal to reprimand and punish when you are that angry! This is a very hard habit to break. Whenever my pups were younger, if I ever caught them with their head in the overturned trash can, I would pick up that can and slam it to the floor repeatedly saying in a stern voice NO TRASH! NO TRASH, all the while banging that can on the floor until they thought the devil was inside there as they watched in disbelief while learning to walk backwards. A few episodes like that could do the trick except that he has gotten away with it maybe too many times by this point.
What I have done with my current dogs is to put the trash up on a box so the top is above their noses. It has worked now for 3 years, ever since they were pups and they are large breeds. Since your dog is already past the stage where you could raise the can above his nose, this may not work for him. The reason I say this is that he is now used to the sound of the can crashing over so the shock of the noise it may make from a higher perch or the extra difficulty he may have convincing the can to fall for him may not phase him.
Although if you absolutely do not want the trash under the sink, and he figures out he can still dump the trash from a perch, the last resort is to buy one of those Rubbermaid type outdoor plastic cans that come with the black handles that lift up and lock the top on. You will have to keep that thing latched at ALL times and maybe keep a small ‘pre-trash’ can on the counter and use that as you prepare dinner, then dump the entire thing in the large can then re-lock the can.
He has to learn that whatever trick he tries, the can will not give up it’s it’s treats, even when he slams it to the floor and roughs it up.
One other last resort that wasn’t widely available when my Dane was a pup; you can buy an indoor use electronic training collar system that will give him a zap when ever he gets too close to the can. It’s about the same as the shock you get from a carpet to a light switch, you can easily zap yourself to see that it is bearable, it’s just unpleasant enough that you don’t want to do it again. Same thought goes through the dog’s head and he learns to stop messing around in the trash can area. You can run a search for canine electronic training collars and find retailers that way. Also hardware and super pet stores carry them but they may be more costly.
I think if my luck ran out and one of my dogs started raiding the trash can then I would not hesitate to get the electronic trainer collar. It’s like having eyes in the back of your head or like a little puppy babysitter.
My great dane ate an entire pizza that I had just taken out of the oven. It was cooling on top of the stove! Anytime he gets close to the trash can, distract him by saying hey in a strong monotone voice. You have to be very consistent which is where most people fail at discipline. Make sure you research stomach flipping as danes are susceptible to it.
A firm "No!" everytime he does this. He will learn soon that you are not pleased with his action and stop.
Try sprinkling black peper on the area or better yet move it so he can’t get to it
Joanie has some good ideas. The problem with the electronic zap collar is you have to be there to see him doing it (to know when to push the zap button on the controller). It’s difficult, because if he sneaks in even one successful raid, he loses the lesson.
My 5 month old dane pup just found out the lid to the dog food bin doesn’t have a latch. I caught him in there the other day and decided to go out and get a different can with a latch. If he eats too much he can bloat, and it’s just not worth the risk.
You could try one of those "scat mats" on the floor around the trashcan. This way whenever he steps on the mat he gets the zap whether you’re around or not. I don’t like the trash under the sink, but it’s a decent last resort I guess. I think the dog should respect your rules, not you find ways to avoid his bad behaviour.
My pup ate the handle off a nice basket I keep the dog toys in next to the couch. I took cayanne red pepper, made it into a thick paste and smothered the handle as soon as I realized he was nibbling. It turned out to be seasoning. Now my basket is handle-less.
For counter surfing, you can try to pile some tin pie-plates, cupcake trays, etc in a pile on the counter, kind of sticking over the edge (with a treat on top). When he jumps up to get the yummy treat, the pile crashes down and scares the daylights out of him (he won’t get hurt if it’s all lightweight, just noisy). If he gets the treat when it falls, well, it’s not on the counter anymore, he’s eating off the floor.
Good luck!