Great Danes are great dogs indeed. If you own a Great Dane and would like to take him out on a leash for a walk, training him to heel will help keep both of you safe and assist you in keeping your sanity with a giant breed. Everyone you pass along your walks is going to be drawn to your beautiful, tall Great Dane. This means his attention is going to be on just about everything except for you. Keeping his behavior in check and training him to heel when you walk together will help to keep him safe and also keep from pulling you along using the leash to drag you behind him. Train your Great Dane to heel so you can enjoy quality walks together. Leash manners for all dogs are important, however, it is most important for dogs larger than their owners!
Having your Great Dane heel while you walk together using a leash and harness will take some time and practice. When scheduling your training sessions to teach your Great Dane to heel, try to make them as distraction-free as possible. Over time, you will work up to adding distractions into your walks and your training sessions so your Great Dane is challenged, but in the beginning, try to train in quiet areas where only you have your Great Dane’s attention. The younger you train your Great Dane to heel, the easier it will be. However, you can train an older, stronger Great Dane to heel as well with the right rewards and lots of repetition. The biggest task for you both will be committing to this daily training giving it time to sink in.
There are few ways to train your Great Dane to heel. You're going to need all the right tools to train this giant breed to walk next to you using his leash manners. A harness is always great to have for a large breed dog. You will also need a leash long enough and strong enough to handle your Great Dane. Don't forget lots of high-value treat such as cheese, beef jerky, or even hot dogs during your training sessions. Your big guy will work for even a tiny morsel of food, so these do not need to be huge treats.
What do I do when Amber is off lead and she starts jumping and nipping me in excitement? I have tried different methods and not all work.
Hello Emily, If you are somewhere that it's safe to do so, I would keep a long drag leash on her so that you can better gain control back when pup isn't listening. You may also need to use a remote training collar, like a vibration collar to interrupt pup when they are disobeying, after working on commands like Out and Leave It, then rewarding pup for obedience in times of excitement. Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Jumping: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-australian-shepherds-to-not-jump Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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