Looking For Something Active To Do With Your Great Dane? Try Roller Blading Or Biking

Roller blading is a great way to exercise your Great Dane. Roller blading is a little more challenging when practicing the street commands, since you may not be able to stop with the same precision at a curb as you would when walking or jogging. Before trying to roller blade with your dog, make sure he can automatically stop and sit at streets for you.

Use the principles of street identification when roller blading - slow your dog down twenty feet before an intersection and give the heel command to bring him back to your side. Roller blading with your dog also takes a little more skill in leash handling since you are moving at a faster clip.

Your dog may have trouble adjusting to you on skates. The sound of the skates and your movement will be a little different. Take it slow with him and work on familiar sidewalks at first. But just like running, it may be easier to practice with your dog in a park or in an empty parking lot where you don’t have to worry about stopping at street corners.

Biking With Your Great Dane

Biking is more challenging than running with your Great Dane dog since there is more of a distance between you and your dog, and with that distance you will have a little less control. Biking can also be more difficult since you need to bike on the sidewalk with your dog and not on the street. Many cities have laws prohibiting riding a bike on the sidewalk.

It’s probably easier to just pack your bike and dog in the car and head to a park instead. In the park, you won’t have to worry about car traffic. If you go to the park during off-peak hours, you will have less competition for space with other bikers, skaters and runners. I prefer biking with my dogs at night in the park. I place reflectors on their harnesses as a safety measure.

Since you will want to keep your dog close to your side, you can purchase commercial devices that will keep your dog attached to your bike. Such devices can attach to your dog’s harness and have enough give for your dog to maneuver around obstacles. The disadvantage to these devices is that you can’t see what is happening with your dog, since they attach to the back wheel of your bike.

Biking your Great Dane for extended periods of time on asphalt or concrete is hard on your dog’s skeletal system. Never overdo it. Also inspect your dog’s pads from time to time for wear and tear. Make sure the weather isn’t too severe when biking or running your dog. Stop for plenty of water along the way.

Living In The Suburbs With Your Great Dane

The suburbs may be the best of dog worlds, but its environment poses its own special set of problems. While suburban Great Danes are usually not as restricted, regulated, isolated, and controlled as those in the cities, the very lifting of these restrictions provides a set of pressures for the suburban dog owner.

When suburbs do have leash laws, residents do not always obey them. In general, enforcement of leash laws is lax in the suburbs. The law may include a stipulation that the dog must be leashed or “under the owner’s direct control.” Having a dog under one’s “direct control” is, of course, an ambiguous phrase. What it means in practice is that the dog is allowed to run free but eventually returns home. This is enough “control” for some owners.

Free-roving dogs often form packs or bite, a growing problem in many suburbs and villages. This is forcing suburbs to adopt city-type leash laws and implement zoning restrictions that penalize all dog owners. At least in cities, most stray dogs are picked up promptly and impounded. As a result, city dog owners tend to keep their dogs supervised, since they stand a very real chance of losing them if they don’t.

Regardless of the environment, the only complete solution to free-roving is somehow to contain the dog on one’s own property when it is not on a leash. The best and most humane way is to bring the dog into the house where it belongs regardless of the owner’s interpretations to the contrary. Assuming the dog is indoors at least fifty percent of the time and is obedience-trained to come when called, there will be little or no problem of its going off its own property. When there is a problem, secondary backup solutions are to fence in the yard or to chain the dog, an unhappy alternative.

Some suburbanites persist in believing the myth that their environment is “country” enough to allow their pet to go where it pleases. (Unfortunately, even a country environment does not allow that.) The suburbs are not the country, and even if they were, that is no excuse for letting a dog run wild.

Many a suburban dog owner experiencing house-soiling, chewing, digging, or free-roving has considered actually moving out to the country, in order to have their dogs roam free. However, that would not help. dog owners cannot do without having complete control over their dog. A dog will come when it is kept close by, oriented to the inside of the house, and formally practiced in coming when called. Most dogs who are running free in the open become less and less inclined to listen when called and become too relaxed when it comes to obedience. Instead, keep your dog inside, and either accompany it under supervision or leash it for defecation and exercise. If you want it to run free, take it to a park or large field and personally watch the Great Dane.

Leptospirosis Disease And Great Danes

Leptospirosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be transmitted from dogs to people. Usually a Great Dane catches it from contact with infected urine. Because puppies and male dogs are less discreet in their urinating habits than are adult females, they have a much higher rate of infection.

Signs of illness appear in five to fifteen days. In the early stage of the disease the dog will run a fever accompanied by listlessness, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, severe diarrhea, and vomiting.

Leptospirosis can affect many systems, but the primary signs are associated with the kidneys. The dog may move slowly with a hunched gait due to pain in the kidney area. She may also
show signs of jaundice - the eyes, gums, and tongue may have a yellowish cast, which indicates a liver problem.

You must seek professional treatment. Your veterinarian will probably give your Great Dane the antibiotic streptomycin. In severe cases he or she will recommend hospitalization. If your dog convalesces at home, good hygiene is essential to avoid catching the disease yourself. Wash your hands after touching the dog, and keep her out of the rooms in
which you eat.

Learn Your Great Dane Puppy’s Temperament When It Comes To Walking On The Street

Walking your Great Dane on the street may seem like a nice stroll for you, but if your Great Dane puppy is not used to it life can be very stressful for the little guy. Knowing your puppy’s temperament will help you prepare for his reaction to different noises and situations on the street. Here’s how some of the different temperaments react on the street:

1. A hyper Great Dane puppy is going to focus quickly on different distractions but not for long periods of time. Use a strong motivator to your advantage to keep him at your side.

2. An aggressive or bold puppy is very focused and usually moves straight ahead when walking. You want to be careful with a strong-headed and confident puppy - such pups can get territorial and possessive. You need to be aware of this type of possessive behavior developing. You can curb this behavior by placing him in a sit or down position at safety zones on the street when another puppy or dog approaches.

3. A happy-go-lucky puppy is happy to be at your side, and he will tend to pull from side to side. You need to anticipate his quick move of wanting to pull or jump up on people as a greeting.

4. A shy Great Dane puppy may feel less sure of himself and will hold back if something frightens him. Be sensitive if he seems frightened. Place him in a safety zone to reassure him. This will give you distance between you and the distraction.

You don’t want your puppy to have a negative experience from any new environment. By working in a positive manner with his temperament, he will respond more calmly and with self confidence to new environments.

Also be aware of your puppy’s body language. It can get him in trouble with other dogs without you or your puppy knowing why. For example, if your puppy walks with a puffed-out chest, he may convey a cockiness that will receive a growl or a snap by another dog who sees your puppy as a threat to his territory. Or if your puppy is stalking low to the ground, you may think, “Gee, isn’t this cute,” but if your puppy approaches a territorial dog in this manner, the dog may read your stalking Great Dane as a challenge to his territory and snap at him. If this is your pup’s nature, then it is even more important to move him aside to a safety zone, place him in the Sit position, and wait for the other dog to pass.

Learn Why Great Danes Are Attracted To Vertical Objects When Roaming The Outdoors

When people and Great Danes go for walks, it’s almost as though they’re on completely different trips. We see all the same things we saw the day before - the same trees, the same mailboxes, the same fire hydrants. However, our dogs are “seeing” with the nose. The scents he encounters are changing all the time.

A tree by the sidewalk, for example, contains hundreds of scents humans don’t know exist. But dogs recognize them as clearly as we see the branches and the leaves. They’re especially attuned to the smells of other dogs. A quick sniff tells them who’s been there before them, how big and dominant they were, whether they were male or female, even if they were in good health. A tree, for example, might as well be a signed guest book!

The reason vertical objects such as telephone poles and fire hydrants have so much appeal is that they provide a canvas for Great Danes to project their social aspirations. In their world, size makes a difference. Bigger dogs can “claim” more territory than smaller ones. The thinking seems to be, The higher I urinate, the bigger other dogs will think I am. Some dogs go so far as to choose the highest tree on a hill, and then try to mark the highest spot on that tree.

Some Great Danes are so determined to get their marks up high that they get downright athletic. Some raise their legs over their heads in order to An essential part of this golden retriever’s routine is checking out who’s been visiting his district. It makes his daily patrol around his territory more interesting. achieve more upward trajectory. Others back up to trees with their hind ends in the air. Some even stand on their front legs in order to get extra height. Their efforts don’t go unnoticed by other dogs. Even dogs who don’t leave a mark of their own usually want to stop and investigate who’s been around.

For Great Danes who have been neutered, hydrants and other vertical objects are mainly an opportunity to share some gossip - their mating instinct isn’t very strong. dogs who are intact, however, have a very practical reason for aiming high. Big dogs tend to be the most dominant, and dominant dogs are more attractive to the opposite sex. For males, hitting a high spot on a tree is an opportunity to announce their availability as well as their status. For females, sniffing the different levels gives them a variety of mates to choose from.

Learn The 4 States Of A Female Great Dane’s Reproductive Cycle

The age at which Great Danes reach sexual maturity depends to a large extent on their breed. Small breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. In general, male Great Dane puppies become fertile after six months of age and reach full fertility by twelve to fifteen months. Healthy stud dogs may remain sexually active and fertile up to eight to ten years old or older. Adult males are able to mate at any time. Females experience their first estrus (also known as season and heat) sometime after six months of age, although a wide variation occurs, with eighteen months not uncommon in some larger breeds. Estrus recurs at intervals of six to seven months on the average, depending on the breed and individual, until late in life. During the estrus period, the female is fertile and will accept the male.

The reproductive cycle of the female Great Dane is divided into four stages:

1. Proestrus: This is the time when males are attracted to females. A bloody vaginal discharge is observed, as well as distinct swelling of the external genitalia. Proestrus lasts approximately nine days; the female, however, will not allow mating at this stage.

2. Estrus: Estrus also lasts approximately nine days. During this phase, females will allow males to mount. Ovulation usually occurs in the first forty-eight hours; however, this is extremely variable. Fertilization can take place during estrus if she is inseminated by a fertile dog.

3. Diestrus: The third stage, lasting sixty to ninety days, occurs when the reproductive tract is under the control of progesterone. This happens whether or not the female becomes pregnant. False pregnancy, a condition in which the dog shows all the symptoms of being pregnant although she has not conceived, is occasionally seen during diestrus.

4. Anestrus: This is the period following diestrus when no sexual activity takes place. It lasts for three to four months.

There are many schools of thought regarding when to begin breeding a female Great Dane. It is customary, however, not to breed at the first heat to avoid imposing the stress of pregnancy and lactation on a young, growing animal. Another common practice is to avoid breeding a dog on consecutive heats, to allow sufficient time for recuperation between pregnancies. If breeding on the first heat or on consecutive heats occurs, extra attention and care are mandatory to reduce the risk of potential problems. Ask your veterinarian for advice on this subject.

Learn How To Train Your Great Dane Not To Cross Streets Or Driveways Without You

Would you like to train your Great Dane puppy to automatically stop at the street without any verbal cue from you? This can be done by you starting to walk five feet from the street with your dog heeling at your side. As you walk toward the street, give no indication that you are going to stop. What you want to happen is for your dog to automatically stop and sit, since she recognizes this as a street even though you continue to walk past the curb and out on the street. When you do stop, both of your feet are on the street though your puppy is sitting at the curb.

You need to give yourself some leash room because you are increasing your speed as you move into the street - so you’re adding a little more distance between you and your Great Dane. You are adding more leash because you don’t want to inadvertently jerk your dog onto the street. If your dog follows you onto the street, turn around and pop the leash and say, “No! Back! Street!” Your hands should be over her right ear where all the pops take place. Later you can control her if she starts to enter the street by quickly turning around and saying “Back-Street Sit!” Practice this on as many street corners as possible. As your dog begins to identify streets on her own, you will notice that she will stop at driveways as well.

Next as you take your training further, you will step even further out into the street - a full car width away from the curb. Also at this level, you can drop the leash from your hands; however, make sure the leash is just in front of your feet so that you can quickly step on it just in case your puppy decides to bolt across the street. You can use a ten-foot leash for this level - with a longer lead you can more easily step on it if your pup starts to run away.

You want your puppy to get used to the idea that you are standing even further into the street and that she can’t join you unless you give the command to bring her to your side and sit. If she follows you onto the street, don’t panic or react with fear by screaming at her. This is a new exercise and her instinct will be to stay at your side. Stay calm. Turn this mistake into a positive training session. Direct her back to the curb while you say “Back” as you initiate your movement backward with your left foot while your left hand chops the leash toward your waist. When her front paws hit the curb, say “Street,” and when her hind legs hit the curb say “Sit.”

Once your puppy is safely back on the curb, then step back out onto the street a full car width away from the curb. Because this exercise adds distance from your pup, she will increase her focus on you. This is what you want - to be seen as the leader of your pack on the street.

This exercise is not only good for Great Dane dogs, but for owners as well. Many owners are nervous being in the street with their dog, so they tend to rush across the street. But rushing across the street sends a bad message to your Great Dane. She is learning that it’s okay to blindly rush across the street. And if she does it with you, she will do it on her own someday if she gets loose from you.