training a great dane puppy?
I am thinking about getting a great dane puppy, he is 4 months old. I want to train him as well as I can when he is young, everything from general obedience, to taking walks, and being housetrained. I'm also worried that since it is a boy he will lift his leg and pee in the house? How can I prevent this?
I heard that if a male dog is neutered before a certain age this will prevent them from lifting their leg when they are urinating.. true? If so what age?
Thanks.
Training your puppy well when he is young is very important, especially for great danes since during part of their growth spurt they can grow a pound a day! (It may be fun to keep a growth chart like you would with a child and mark how tall he weekly. It is pretty amazing how much a dane grows.)
For all of the basic obedience things and for proper socialization, you should look into signing your puppy up for a puppy class. This will help him to learn how to play appropriately with other dogs and how to interact appropriately with strangers. They will also go through basic obedience (come, sit, down, leave it, etc.), and will answer any questions you may have with general puppy problems like chewing, separation anxiety, house training, etc. It is money well spent!
As for lifting his leg, it is important for you to keep on top of the house training. Have him in his crate when you aren’t home or when he isn’t being supervised. Take him out frequently and reward him for going to the bathroom outside. Dogs lift their legs to mark as much territory as possible, and you definitely don’t want this inside with a dane. With only one dog in the house your dog probably won’t mark his territory. Males usually don’t start marking until they are at least 6 months, and usually more like a year old. Some vets will neuter earlier and neutering does often help, but it won’t solve the problem or completely prevent it without training. With a large breed dog, you usually want to hold off as long as possible with neutering (as long as you don’t have any aggression, marking, or territory problems) so that you can allow their joints the proper amount of time to grow. Most vets neuter around 6 months of age. If you feel you can handle your great dane longer I would recommend waiting until he is 8 months to a year of age before neutering to give his joints the time they need to grow. If you see any problems starting though, take him to get neutered and hopefully that, combined with consistency in training, will help.
Good luck!
by neutering him it will help with the lifting leg thing. Most vets suggest that the dog be neutered at about 6 months. Some vets will do it sooner. you Probable should see what your vet suggests on what age is best. But definitely have him fixed before he is a year old. The older the dog the longer it will take him to break the habit. Also with the training thing. If you stay with it and be consistent. You will have yourself a wonderful companion.
males mark territory ,mostly if you have a female that is not fixed.puppies have small bladders and need to go out every 2 hours,make sure you say things like ready to pee pee and go to the door,so he picks up on out the door to potty,they do carry some sprays that keep them from going on furniture
Maybe take a puppy class. From experience dont let dog get away with things when hes little because he will grow and continue to do this thing still. Make sure you leash train before your dog is 100lbs it becomes a lot harder then. Best luck!!!