I HAD AN EMAIL.....
Good afternoon, my name is David XXXXXX. I am a Veteran who served 13 year in the Navy as a Navy Corpsman. Unfortunately, I got hurt and had surgerieson my right knee, ankle and some lower back problems. I was inspired by what you do with Great Danes and than Lilly came into my life. Lilly is my Great Dane, she just turned 5 months on Sept 23 (I have attached some pictures of Lilly). Lilly is so sweet, loving and just plan amazing. We started puppy training classes but that is where we ran into some problems. HELP! PLEASE. Lilly listens very good but she will not sit or stay, no matter how many times we practice. She will come when called but that is about it. When we are in class all she wants to do is lay there and not work. Can you please give me any suggestions on what to do. Thank you for your time.
Very Respectfully,
David
**************
LOOKING FOR AN OPINION FROM ME? ... YOU GET IT...
REGARDING A YOUNG DANE IN A PUPPY CLASS ...
COUPLE THINGS ---- I AM ASSUMING YOU ARE IN A TYPICAL DOG TRIANING BIT OF WALKING AROUND IN CIRCLES WITH A GROUP OF "NORMAL " DOGS. ----EVERY DOG OWNER IN THE WORLD WILL TELL YOU THIEIR DOG IS THE BEST AND OFTEN THEIR BREED IS THE VERY BRIGHTEST - THEY WOULD HAVE NO OTHER...I USUALLY DECIDE IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE DOG IS THINKING AND THEREFORE DEVELOPED AN UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR M INDS..
TO SOME DEGREEE I AM NO DIFFERENT... EXCEPT I HAVE OWNED/BRED/HANDLED/TRAINED PROBABLY HUNDREDS OF DOGS IN THE PROCESS OF RUNNING "ANIMALEPISODES" FOR YEARS-- PROVIDING ANINMALS FOR THE MEDIA INDUSTRY...AND THEN I OWNED A DANE...
THEIR WHOLE THOUGHT PROCESS IS DIFFERENT... IF YOU TRAIN A GOLDEN TO PICK UP IT'S LEASH AND GIVE IT TO YOU , IT WILL DO IT,. AND OFF YOU GO FOR A WALK.. A DANE WILL HEAR THE WORD LEASH-- AND THINK---"IF I PICK UP THAT THING WE WILL GO ON A FORCED MARCH AND I WOULD MUCH RATHER STAY ON THE COUCH NEAR THE KITCHEN TO SEE IF ANY FOOD FALLS ON THE FLOOR" - IF YOU DEMAND.. THEY CAN BE CONVINCED....THEY "SPEAK" BODY LANGUAGE REALLY WELL-- AND YOU WILL HAVE TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE SAYING.---- MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE OF THEIR SIZE, BUT THEY WILL GIVE YOU AN OPINION OF ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU SAY OR DO.
YELLOW TENNIS BALLS???IN THE 300 DANES I HAVE TRAINED IN THE PAST 15 YEARS... NOT ONE WILL RETRIEVE REPEATEDLY... THEIR THOUGHT SEEMS TO BE "IF SHE THREW IT OVER THERE, SHE MUST WANT IT AWAY FROM HER....SO THE LAST THING I SHOULD DO IS TAKE IT BACK TO HER." I WOULD BE AFRAID TO TEACH A DANE TO RETRIEVE A THROWN OBJECT.... --- BECAUSE IF THEY DECIDE YOU THROW THINGS AND WANT THEM BACK, YOU WOUL D THEN GET EVERYTHING IN YOUR LAP THAT YOU'D THROWN AT THE SCRAPBASKET. I DID MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TEACHING A DOG TO OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR--- BIG MISTAKE .
THEY USE INFORMATION WITHOUT WAITING FOR A "COMMAND". I ONCE TAUGHT A DOG TO OPEN A CAR DOOR FROM THE INSIDE... NEVER REALIZING I COULD NEVER AGAIN GO INTO A SUPERMARKET WITHOUT THE LOUDSPEAKER ANNOUNCINC SOME EMERGENCY AS 180 POUND "BROWNIE" TERRIFIED EVERYONE BY WALKING THE AISLES LOOKING FOR ME... HE JUST USED WHAT HE'D BEEN TAUGHT.
ASSUMING YOUR PUP IS A TYPICAL DANE-- THERE IS PROBABLY A HUGE INSECURITY FACTOR-- AND THE "SIT STAY "EXERCISE IS OFTEN "WHY DID HE GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME , I NEED TO GO WITH HIM" OR "WHY IS HE LEAVING ME WITH ALL THESE CREEPS I DON'T UNDERSTAND " -- AND THERE IS NOT ALOT WRONG WITH THAT...-- IF SHE IS RUNNING AWAY TO PLAY WITH OTHERS, THAT IS A DIFFERENT STORY...- BUT MOST JUST WANT THE SECURITY OF BEING WITH YOU.... WHICH MAKES THEM SUPER SERVICE DOGS.....
MANY DANES WILL ALSO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE STICK HANDS OUT IN FRONT OF THEIR NOSES... LOOKING AT THAT FROM THE DOG'S POINT OF VIEW..... THAT USUALLY MEANS THE PERSON IS BENDING DOWN, LOOKING AT THE DOG IN THE EYES AND WALKING TOWARD THEM. THAT IS ABOUT THE MOST AGGRESSIVE THING TO DO WITH ANY DOG. THAT IS HOW ATTACK DOGS ARE TRAINED... OR AT LEAST THAT IS HOW I GOT A DOG TO GROWL AND SNAP IN FRONT OF MANY CAMERAS FOR THE MOVIES... IT REALLY ANNOYS ME TO SEE SOME MOTHER CAREFULLY TEACH HER KID TO DO THAT.... DOGS DO NOT "SHAKE" AND OUTSTRETCED HAND IN FRIENDSHIP-- THEY WOULD RATHER BE INTRODUCED BY BUTT SNIFFING. -- UNFORTUNATELY UNACCEPTABLE IN HUMANS.
TEH "NORMAL " DOG TRAINER WHO WENT TO DOG TRAINING SCHOOL, LEARNED THE TERM "FEAR BITER" AND CERTAINLY THAT CAN BE A SITUATION.... WHEN YOU HAVE A YOUNG DANE-- JUST DON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO DO THAT HAND OFFERING....... BECAUSE IF THE DANE PUP GROWLS... OR EVEN GRUMBLES, AND THE PERSON BACKS AWAY..... YOU HAVE THEN TAUGHT THE DOG TO GROWL. REMEMBER-- THEY USE WHAT THEY ARE TAUGHT.
THE BEST DEMO OF THAT CONCEPT IS THE POOR POSTMAN WHO'S JOB IT IS TO GO TO SOMEONE'S DOOR-- SIMPLY PUT THE MAIL IN THE BOX AND GO AWAY... NOW FROM A DOGS POINT OF VIEW--"HERE HE COMES IF I BARK LOUDLY ENOUGH, HE WILL TURN AROUND AND LEAVE"
TO SOME DOGS WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND MECHANICAL THINGS, THE FORWARD /BACKWARD MOVENENT OF VACUUM CLEANER IS ANOTHER BITE AND CHASE EXERCISE.
THE "BODY LANGUAGE " OF BEING ABLE TO CAUSE ANOTHER PERSON OR THING TO REVEARSE DIRECTION IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT BODY ACTION IN THE DOG WORLD... YOU SEE IT OFTEN WHEN 2 DOGS ON LEASHES GET PULLED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER--- IT SOMETIMES CAUSES FRANTIC ATTACK BARKING..... I SUSPECT THAT IS WHY IN A CAR WINDOW YOU CAN HAVE IT START... " I CHASED THEM AWAY" IS A BIG TROPHY IN THE DOG WORLD.
IN MY OPINION....... IT IS FAR MORE CRITIDCAL FOR YOUR PUP TO LEARN "LEAVE IT" " FORGET IT" OR "KNOCK IT OFF" THAN IT IS TO LEARN TO SIT. JUST AS IT IS CUTE TO HAVE YOUR PUP JUMP UP AND PUT HIS PAWS ON YOU... BUT IT IS NOT CUTE WHEN SHE WEIGHS 160 POUNDS AND HER FEET ARE ON YOUR HEAD.... I ALSO NEVER PLAY TUG OF WAR WITH THEM... IF IT IS IN THEIR MOUTHS AND I TQKE HOLD... I EXPECT THEM TO RELEASE IT... I MAY INSPECT AND GIVE IT BACK.. BUT I WANT NO ARGUEMENT ABOUT WHO IS IN COMMAND.
"WAIT" IS ANOTHER BIGGIE.... WAIT MEANS STOP MOVING AND I WILL TELLL YOU WHEN TO CONTINUE WHAT YOU ARE THINKIN G OF DOING...
LIKE...... I AM GOING TO HOLD THIS DISH AND PUT IT DOWN QUIETLY-- I WILL THEN TELL YOU WHEN TO DEVOUR IT.
SO PLAN AHEAD. THEY ARE NOT STUIPD.... AND THEY DO GET BIG....
**********
THE OTHER STATEMENT IN YOUR EMAIL /"SHE JUST WANT S TO LIE THERE AND NOT WORK..." ... PLEASE DO LIFT HER LIP AND SEE IF HER GUMS ARE BRIGHT PINK ( MEANING SHE IS NOT HAVING A HEART ATTACK)---- I HAVE SEEN MANY A YOUNG DANE FIGURE OUT THAT BY LYING DOWN, PEOPLE STOP DOING A BUNCH OF CONFUSING THINGS-- " I DON'T LIKE WALKING ON SLIPPERY WAXED FLOORS... OR GETTING TOO CLOSE TO A BUNCH OF DOGS I DON'T TRUST--- OR WALKING IN CIRCLES WHICH MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND... AT LEAST YET... SO GIVE ME TIME TO TRY AND TRAIN YOU TO DO WHAT I WOULD PREFER...... OTHERWISE EXPLAIN IT TO ME WHILE ALL THESE NON DANE OWNERS LAUGH AND MAKE HORSE JOKES...."
******
SO MY ADVICE ON GOING TO A TRAINING CLASS...? ONLY IF THE TRAINER HAS OWNED DANES-- I HAVE SEEN SO MANY TRY AND MAKE A DANE INTO A GOLDEN RETRIEVER... THEY JUST AREN'T-- I WOULD SUGGEST YOU INSIST ON BASIC BEHAVIOR, KEEP THE DOG WITH YOU AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND EVENTUALLY THEY DECIDE THEY ARE SAFE IF THEY ARE WITH YOU... AND THAT IS FAR BETTER THAN SITTING IN A ROW....
IF YOU LIVE ANWHERE NEAR US , I WOULD BE HAPPY TO LOOK IT OVER IF YOU CALL AND SCHEDULE AND WARN US YOU ARE BRINGING ANOTHER DOG ON THE PROPERTY--
*****
AND I HAVE PUT YOU ON THE DAILY DOGGIE LIST -- SOMETIMES IT IS DREADFUL JUNK-- BUT SOMETIMES IT IS NOT TOO BAD...AND YOU MAY KNOW ----OFF OUR WEB... EXPLORE HAS 5 LIVE CAMERAS 24/7/365 SO YOU CAN SEE WHTEVER WE ARE DOING WITH 50 OR SO DANES...
