Giant-breed canines can be quite entertaining. It’s great to see them riding in cars and looking at the world as if they were bears. It is wonderful to see a calm and friendly Great Dane, St. Bernard or Great Pyrenees walking on a leash and greeting passers-by. It is important to note that big dogs can sometimes present a challenge for their owners.
SIZE ISSUES WITH GIANT DOG BREEDS
Their size can cause some problems for their families. Your Irish Wolfhound may walk past you while you are seated at the table, even though he is not trying to surf. To keep your hound from licking your dumplings, you could buy a taller dining room table with barstools or other management options (baby gates and mat training, crates, and tethers).
Sometimes, a large dog’s presence can cause other dogs to be scared. A 100- to 200-pound dog can intimidate smaller dogs. Fighting can occur even if the big dog isn’t trying to hurt anyone. Imagine how it would be to break up a fight between two dogs who weigh 100+ pounds.
Although many big dogs are gentle giants who get along with other dogs, it doesn’t mean that there has to be conflict. A misstep of 200 lbs of dog onto an 8-pound Pomeranian (or small child!) can cause serious injury. Broken bones and significant bruising can occur. When selecting canine and human companions for giant dogs, caretakers must be able to use common sense and manage their canine friends.
GREAT SIZE COMES GREAT REPONSIBILITY
You can adopt a dog, whether you have one already or you are considering getting one. A dog that weighs more than you, and is taller than your head, will require you to ensure your dog is well-socialized.
These dogs can cause more harm than small dogs, whether they pull their owners off their feet, knock someone over, or act out aggression. This means that their owners have a greater responsibility to ensure that their dogs are safe.
All puppies should begin socialization and training programs at 8 weeks of age. This is especially important for giant breeds. It is important that they learn good manners and polite walking before they become big enough to overwhelm you. This could take 6 to 7 months depending on their size. You must socialize them before they lunge at other dogs or play reactively with you.
The first step is? Start at 8 weeks old to get your puppy into a force-free puppy kindergarten class.
BIG DOG TRAINING BASICS
Many dogs don’t get the proper socialization or training as puppies and are forced to surrender to shelters when their aggressive, fearful and reactive behavior becomes too much for their owners. It’s unfair for the dogs, but it’s also a sad fact that shelters rarely offer to adopt large dogs with aggressive behavior. This is why you should do all that you can to socialize and train your large dog.
Giant breeds learn the exact same thing as other dogs: Behaviors that get reinforced are repeated and increased, while behaviors that aren’t reinforced go away (extinguish). It is important to remember that reinforcement does not always come from humans. Inadvertent reinforcement can be very effective in encouraging your dog to continue with undesirable behaviors.
If you leave food on the counter, and your dog eats it, it reinforces the behavior. He will do it again and again. It is important to be assiduous with your dog, especially if he can grab a thawing turkey from the counter without lifting his feet off the ground.
All dogs need to learn basic good manners. These are especially useful for large dogs.
Gentle leash walking. It is essential that you can control your giant dog. You can teach your dog good leash manners so that he can go with you everywhere, participate in different activities, and live a happy and fulfilled life. He will be left behind if you can’t keep him on the leash. You and your dog will be in trouble if you take them on outings. into trouble. (See “Polite Leash Walking,” September 20,21 for training tips. )Appropriate greeting. People don’t appreciate a large dog rushing into their faces and covering their clothes in slimy spit. Your dog will make friends happier if he sits down and comes up to you. (See September 2018: How to Teach Your Dog To Greet Nicely. )Mat training. Mat training is a useful behavior for many dogs. It’s also a great tool to manage the size of your dog. Visitors and family members can rest assured that their dog will be politely sitting on his mat while they dine and socialize. (See “Mat Training Tips,” January 2020. )Walk away. You can teach your dog this behavior by teaching him to turn 180 degrees and then move in the opposite direction. You and your dog can avoid serious accidents by teaching them to do an “emergency U turn”. Sometimes your dog may become so excited that his normal manners are unable to keep up. To help your dog move quickly away from any potential danger, “Walk Away” is a great cue. See “How to Teach Your Canine to Just Walk Away,” September 2018.
BIG DOG GROOMING ETIQUETTE
Not least, your larger pet must be comfortable with all aspects of grooming and vet visits. Animal care professionals don’t look forward to having to confront their four-legged clients. The more large the dog is, the more difficult and dangerous it can be to work together with an uncooperative or unwilling subject.
Fun games are a great way to get your dog used to ear and dental examinations and paw handling. Cooperative care is a hallmark of a good veterinarian-care provider. A good professional who isn’t forceful can help you to teach your dog valuable consent-handling techniques such as the Bucket Game. Don’t forget to teach your dog the proper muzzle training. (See “Cooperative care: Giving your dog choice and control,” February 2021 and “Dog muzzles are useful tools when you use them right,” February 2019.
Go Big!
Your big dog will face the same behavior and training problems as smaller dogs. Extra-large dogs can pose additional challenges due to their size. Therefore, it is important to teach appropriate behavior and address behavioral issues as soon as possible. You should plan to be big in your training, management and behavior plans if you have one of these large dogs, or if you are planning to adopt one.
Training big dogs – A huge responsibility
