I have a Great Dane puppy that is now about 10wks old. He...

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Question by DAB
Submitted on 8/4/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Great Danes Breed-FAQ
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I have a Great Dane puppy that is now about 10wks old. He has bitten both of my small girls (5 1/2 and 3yrs)and drawn the blood. I know he is just playing and I correct him on the bitting constantly but I am still concerned. Is he an aggressive Great Dane?

Answer by Sydney
Submitted on 8/21/2003
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No...I don't think it particularly means he's going to be aggressive when he's older. My Great Dane female, whose 10 months old, still does this..we call it "mouthing us"..she feels with her mouth and tastes :+) We gently bop her on the nose to let her know she's being too rough!!!

Answer by jen
Submitted on 10/29/2003
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simply watch how your girls interact with your dane. I am a vet and see many dog owners come in with the same problem in many different breeds. Nine times out of ten it is the children and lack of experience that causes a dog to "snap" at children and even owners. There are many classes that teach you and your children how to interact with dogs properly, I suggest you speak to your vet or local breeders and pet stores, and enroll immediately, for your girl's sake.

Answer by love Danes
Submitted on 11/23/2003
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One thing that helped me with the same problem. Is every time my pup bit playfully or not, I screamed as if it really hurt me. That has been a great solution. Pups never intend to hurt any one so there for you act as if it really did. So Scream and say ouch. Good luck, don't give up be patient. Your pup can turn into the best companion, and you'll not ever regret it.

Answer by debbie
Submitted on 12/2/2003
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bite him back it worked for me

Answer by DEBBIE
Submitted on 12/3/2003
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OK, if bitting him on the muzzle doesnt work and he is biting in play ,tell him no bite and walk away my female was a biter and when walking away from her didnt work i bit her back on the muzzle if you have a dominant dane i wouldnt recomend it ,unless you have experience with large dogs.is he nuetered sometimes that helps ?good luck i hope this helps as of today my female dane still tries to chew on my husband and he nibbles her ears as well.

Answer by David
Submitted on 12/18/2003
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Get a book on dog training from a bookstore. Read it till the pages are tattered and follow the directions verbatum. Work with the dog and the children daily.

Answer by Tanio
Submitted on 1/3/2004
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I had a half grown female dog when we got a very young puppy. Our dog mis-took this puppy for a chew-toy,I guess, and would constantly chew on him and make him yelp. She is too sweet to hurt a fly and I knew she was just playing and trying to make friends with him so whenever I saw her biting him I would hold him and when she came up and nipped him I popped her on the nose. I had to do this every couple minutes and hold him until she gave up on chewing him for then. After less than an hour she learned and now he's the one chasing her! Tanio

Answer by Brittney
Submitted on 1/31/2004
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If dogs bite people you need to bop them on the nose & tell them no & if he keeps on then you get a training book!

Answer by tina
Submitted on 2/13/2004
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I am thinking maybe your Dane was poorly bred. I have a male Dane and he is the gentlest dog in the world. Never tried to bite/or play rough with anyone. He tiptoes over little dogs. That is the characteristic of the breed, gentleness.

Answer by Doe
Submitted on 2/29/2004
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Great Danes are very sensitive, and need a gentle hand when training them. If you have punished the puppy by smacking his nose or mouth if he still bites he wont learn from being rough with him. Next time he bites yelp or cry out like a dog in pain would and he will realize he hurt you and stop. Doe

Answer by Ray
Submitted on 3/12/2004
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I stopped my puppy from biting by wrapping your hand around her nuzzle and giving it a squeeze and saying no bite in a firm tone. I'm on my third Dane and worked every time.

Answer by gushin56gurl
Submitted on 3/19/2004
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I think he is just mouthing or teething and doesn't no his own strength. Your right to correct him every time. It is ok to mouth you but when it advances to teeth then get up,cross your arms,don't make eye contact and ignore him for minimum 20 min. When he learns that teeth mean the end of fun and play time he wont do it anymore. If he continues biting after you ignore him it should be 20 min in the crate and increase time if neccisary.

Answer by James
Submitted on 8/21/2004
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All of my dogs went through the same thing, it was usually caused because they had sore gums due to teeth coming in. It helps to have the proper toys around for them to play with, so anytime they get alittle to excited and end up bitting to hard. Tell them NO in a firm voice and give them a toy. After a few times, they will learn that your not a chew toy and they will play with their toys. Some dogs never really grow out of it, but they learn to do it easy. Since Danes are very big dogs, they can cause alot of damage. Just be firm and patient with them and it will pay off in the end.

Answer by hipo
Submitted on 9/15/2004
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I think all the ansewrs in here are correct, considering the dogs personality, but i think the best way is to start with the most gentle methods and if it didn't work then we can take a rougher step till the dog stops bitting, if non works then the dog must have a mental problem.

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Answer by Jessie
Submitted on 11/20/2004
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I think that you need to make sure you tell your Dane that if he bites..that it isn't fun and it could hurt your children. Also watch the way your children are acting with the dog, they may be getting him excited and get him thinking that they want to play.

Answer by big
Submitted on 12/21/2004
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The crate should not be a place of punishment, but a place of comfort.

Answer by dani_beckwith@hotmail.com
Submitted on 12/22/2004
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When I have encountered this problem with my puppies, I have found that simply sticking my finger down the dogs throat far enough to get a gag reflex, or holding the tongue down with your finger is an excellant detterant. It usually only takes a couple of times before they get the picture. This worked very when taught to my toddler niece in regards to the new puppy in the family.

Answer by eltonfan03
Submitted on 6/27/2005
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If a puppy is play biting say OW and mean it as if you were really in pain and ignore the puppy for a full min. Then, reinstigate play with a toy that is appropriate for chewing. Crating a dog for bad behavior is unnecessary and will cause the dog to think he is being punished every time he has to be in the crate. Even if he is just going to the vet.

Answer by sane4dane
Submitted on 7/26/2005
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you cant train your young children to behave properly around such a dog. Get rid of the dane, or risk serious harm to your kids. Where is your common sense??? Your dane has bitten both of your toddlers!

Answer by ray
Submitted on 8/6/2005
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Put dishwasher soap on what you don't want the dog to bite. It worked for my dog :) They don't like the taste and wont do it again.

Answer by Heather
Submitted on 8/21/2005
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I have the same problem with my 8 week old female Great Dane. She bit my 2 year old son and drew blood on his cheek. I am going to use some of the advice on this page and see if it works thanks!

Answer by karen kenneally
Submitted on 9/2/2005
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great good ok

Answer by Doug
Submitted on 9/19/2005
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I would just like to point out that you should NEVER use your crate as a form of punishment. The crate is a den. It should feel like a safe place to be...not a bad place. I would say that the people bitting the mouth of a dane are on the right track, but a hand covering it is better. Think of it like a kid. Sometimes you need to give them a reminder swat.

Answer by christina
Submitted on 10/19/2005
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i think that he is being aggressive. because we have 4 great danes and they always have puppies and not one of them has bitten me or any of my family hard enough to draw blood

Answer by great_dane
Submitted on 4/27/2006
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When he bites your hands, tell him "No!", give him a toy he's allowed to chew on, then praise him. If he bites really hard, "yelping" like another dog would helps.

Answer by Audrey
Submitted on 7/15/2006
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Please help! Our almost 5 month old cockapoo puppy bit my husband today and drew blood. Chestnut has an ear infection and we are giving him his ear medication, but at the time that he bit my husband, he was trying to take a tissue away from Chestnut that he found on the floor, and that's when he bit him. I have noticed growling as well when we try to take somethin away he should not have, but this biting is new. He doesn't do that with his food, so I don't know what is going on. Any answers would be appreciated. He is sleeping at my feet as I write this and I just heard him growl in his sleep!

Answer by dave
Submitted on 7/25/2006
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Hi, i have a 10 weeks old male great dane pup. Although she is a sweet heart..she is always biting (or trying to bite) my 2 year old female lab. My lab is a dearie as always and never snaps back or growls. But im scared if this will encourage aggresiveness in the male dane. i have tried ignoring him, holding his muzzle, smacking on nose but nothing worked...any suggestions ?

Answer by jim
Submitted on 10/15/2006
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my sisters 7yr old great dane ( male ) has attacked and bitten 3 people including me, one bite put my brother in the hospital for a week.this happens only to men, and seems to be unprovolked....i think that the dog should be put down

Answer by Brno
Submitted on 10/25/2006
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My little guy was always very "bitey" as a pup, he would get wound up excessively and start jumping back and forth while biting the air toward me. He started this when he was only about 2-3 months old, this is very characteristic of great danes, it is their way of plaing. My solution was to get a hold of him, lay him on his side, gently pin him down and not allow him to thrash (specifically his head), then speak softly to him while slowly releasing my grip on him and petting him. Now he would never challange me in any situation and I never raised a hand to him. He is now 13 months and still very playful but gentle with my hand in his mouth.

Answer by pinky
Submitted on 11/4/2006
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I have a 10 week old great dane puppy,we are having trouble getting her to sleep by herself,she howls and makes horrific noises when left,and night-time is worse she really is loud and Im terrified the neighbours will complain,Ive tried the leaving her and sitting it out but she seems as though she doesnt want to give in.any suggestions please??

Answer by Hester
Submitted on 11/10/2006
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correcting your dane with a squirt bottle is the best method of correction. Your hand is for love and pets not nose bopping. they will associate the hand with hurt and not love. a squirt bottle with water - give him a mist on his neck and give appropriate command "no bite"

Answer by bbooe
Submitted on 11/25/2006
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dog whisper

Answer by supersara
Submitted on 12/28/2006
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Great Danes are big, be careful what you do because they mite bite!!!

Answer by vera
Submitted on 1/19/2007
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Great danes are not naturally aggressive. When my son was 1 year old, he used to put his fingers into my dogs' eyes (Great Dane). She, of course, did not like it, but she never hurt him in any way.