We have a BEAUTIFUL fawn Great Dane who needs a home. His name is Jake, he’s 3 years old, PERFECTLY trained, no health problems, travels like no dog I’ve ever seen (and I have pictures to prove it!) and no behavioral problems with one exception, that exception being the reason we have to find him a new family.
The only behavioral problem he has is that he is a tad unpredictable with smaller children. In the past five months, he has snapped at our nieces and nephews 5 times, and this last time was way too close to my niece’s face. We are the second owners to own him, and the last owners had 5 children and we think he was abused by the dad and associates abuse with children.
The thing is, he is the ideal dog outside of his unpredictability with small children. The sad thing is, 95% of the time, he’s totally kid friendly. In fact, the same niece he snapped at just days before was playing with him for several hours and he was loving it. We can’t take the risk, though, and need to find him a family with no children and preferably no visiting children.
He rarely barks… we probably hear him bark about twice a month. He walks/heels beautifully, stopping the split second you stop… in fact, he leads just like a horse on a halter. He is trained to stay out of the kitchen when we’re cooking, and even when we’re not cooking, when entering the kitchen, he puts his head down, rushes through, and then continues what he was doing. He doesn’t beg, and in fact, one time my husband tried to get him to eat a piece of chicken that fell on the floor and he wouldn’t. He loves a walk a day, but doesn’t require more exercise than that. Great Danes make perfect house dogs if your house is big enough. Our house is just under 2000 sq. feet and he fits perfectly. He is kind to strangers and loves just lounging with his human family. During the summer, we have campfires quite a bit in our yard (and cookouts) and he just lounges in the grass nearby, not disturbing anyone. My husband and I work from home and he stays with us all day and loves it, but he doesn’t mind having to stay on his big cushion in our good sized laundry room if we have to be gone all day, as long as he has his water dish and an open window.
We are completely in love with Jake and are only willing to consider a person/family who can give him the love, discipline, exercise and cuddle time he deserves. We are also only willing to give him to a person/family with NO small children, and a contract will be signed at the time of his transfer saying that you are responsible for anything that happens should you choose to bring him around small children. By small I mean about 6 years or under.
If you are interested in finding out more information, please post on here and we’ll get in touch. I’ll be posting pictures as soon as I can figure out how.
Replies
I am sorry you have such a painful delimma! God bless you for doing your best to find the right placement for your beloved dog. Have you tried doing a search for "Great Dane Rescue"? Also, I wonder if the American Kennel Club or a breeders association in your area might be of help. He sounds like a wonderful companion, I'm sure you will find him a good home, I would offer but have a large male lab. (We used to put him behind a child gate when visitors with tiny children came but I know that is not the answer for everyone.)
Have you seen the program The Dog Whisperer? Ceasar Milan really seems compassionate and may be able to help you either with the behavior or finding a home. It is on the history channel or you can do a search, he has a blog I think too. Hope this helps, Mary
Oooh I do hope u find him a home - we had the same problem with our dane - nearly 3 yrs old - had from pup -wonderful character/friendliness - but when out off lead and a dark coloured dog hove into view -ooh she changed - a dominant bitch who could not be ignored - over sized for her age too - which did not help when people with little dogs saw her coming and tensed up and pulled their "little offerings" onto a tight lead!
She was a beautiful blue harlequin dane and i managed to rehome through the dane rescue society, Really it was our fault in having her when we still out working part of the day - theylove company. It was one of the saddest days for me, parting with Hollie - but it wasn't fair to the dog and we were not prepared to take the risk with someone else - the society, to me, are a much better way of rehoming - people know what to expect!
Good luck with your dilemma.
Jan
Your problem stems from the dog trying to find his place within your home, not from any will to hurt children. I strongly urge you to take a little more time with your dog before just getting rid of it. If you are this poor creatures second home already, then he just needs some patience and proper training. I suggest that you get in touch with your local Animal Protection Agency, or Vet who can direct you to a training facility that will help you. It sounds like you have a beautiful dog with just a little self confidence issue. Your dog is nipping at the children because he does not understand that this is an unacceptable behavior. He is simply trying to dominate them and maintain his place in your family. He just feels threatened by the kids. If you wish, I can give you some exercises that you can do with him to help a bit, but I strongly suggest that you have a professional help you with it. A great Dane is a lot of dog to try to handle without proper training anyway.
The problem does not stem from anything of the sort. Like I said, my husband works from home and I don't work, and we both spend all day with him, so as far as you suggesting that we spend a little more time with him before just getting rid of him, I would not assume anything if I were you. He is with us 24/7 with the exception of going to church. Heck... he even rides along to the grocery store and post office. He also has plenty of play time with kids in our home, or I should say HAD plenty until the recent snip/minor attack on my niece who was, by the way, across the room minding her own business when he fell into a daze and was staring at her for a good minute or two before he pounced. I thought he was interested in what she was doing... when all was said and done, his unexpected leap on her resembled something you'd see on the discovery channel. He doesn't feel threatened by kids who play with him and walk him and feed him and love him, and most certainly do not get more attention than he does. It is not a usual thing... completely unpredictable.
As far as you saying that he is nipping at children because he doesn't know it is unacceptable behavior, you are completely wrong. In fact, the second he did it, before I even had a second to jump up, he ran as fast as he could into the corner of the laundry room and stood there shaking. When I went to him a minute later, he ducked from my hand, and we have never hit him, so account for that with all your knowledge. Someone in the past has. Not only that, but he obviously knew he did something wrong. Second of all, you act as though he snips at children all the time. He's with kids 5 to 6 times a week, all day, and has snapped 5 times in 5 months. Once at a stranger's child in the park...
I do not wish for you to give me any exercises of any sort regarding the behavior of my most otherwise perfectly behaved, completely loved and esteemed and confident dog.
By the way, again regarding your comment about me spending more time with my dog before getting rid of him... (because you know how much time I spend with him?) anyway... I have a friend right now who is attending a four year college that she drove to in a brand new car, both paid for 18 years ago in full by the owner of a dog that bit her when she was 1 year old. I don't need to be the one writing that check, and I certainly wouldn't want to be the one responsible for the scar across her face or reconstructed lips.
One more thing. You don't know how much training the dog has or hasn't been through. Jake HAS been through proper training, and probably has better manners than most children these days. He bows when needing to go out, trots perfectly at your side while walking, sits, stays (for unbelievable amounts of time, even if you run inside for something and he's sitting in the yard), lies down with a simple point of the finger, no commanding needed, shakes, and to top it all off, is a perfect companion dog in every way, helping my husband who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Your last statement was irrelevant in this situation, and even more so, he isn't the first big dog my husband or I have ever owned, so I'm fully aware that he is a lot of dog to handle, whether or not he is trained to your standards.
Now, if anyone who actually understands dogs (not just likes to put on that they do because they just got finished watching the latest episode of the dog whisperer), please keep an eye out for a good home with no kids. Thank you.
Wow.
At the risk of becoming the object of another tirade - I might suggest that your last post might not be helpful in finding a loving home for your beloved dog (who no doubt deserves one).
Have you tried http://www.petfinder.org? You can post a picture of your dog there with verbiage regarding her behavioral issues in order to find her a home without children. They also have a wealth of information regarding pet care and shelters/rescue groups. Also, I haven't looked for this specifically but Yahoo seems to have a lot of "groups" you can join - there is probably a group for dogs, great danes, rehoming, behavioral correction, etc. I'd be very surprised if you couldn't find at least one group that could help you either with finding another home for your baby or giving you more (and more helpful) information.
If it's any help to you at all - I had a dog that nipped at my niece once. Prior to that I'd had people over for Thanksgiving and one of the couples had a little boy who actually rode my dog (yes, I know - shame on me for not watching them closer but I was trying to cook dinner and thought his parents would be watching). The dog was fine with the little boy (go figure) but nipped at the little girls face because she'd tripped on his tail (no, she didn't fall on the dog but she didn't like her tail being messed with). Because I don't have children and because I don't have children over that often, my solution was just to separate them. The kids weren't allowed to play with the dog and the dog was put in another room or outside during the duration of their visit - the dog was a German Shepherd/Lab mix and large so it wasn't easy to lock her up away from the activity in the house but it was the only solution I could find where I could keep her and still have my family over.
Please go easy on the people here - this is, after all, a sewing forum. I hope you find a good home for your furry one. It sounds like he'd make a great companion for someone. Let us know how it turns out, ok?
JT
Thank you Jatman, your comments are much appreciated.
Thank you! Your advice on the groups and such is much appreciated! I'm going to start hunting/surfing today.
As far as my last post not helping me find a home and you being at risk of another tirade, frankly, I wouldn't give my dog to the person, or anyone like her, that that particular post was addressed to. I need someone down to earth who can clearly see what's going on. Your suggestions were real and kind and I thank you for them.
I wish we could just lock him in a room when kids were over, but that's too often, but that's cool that you found a solution that let you keep yours. :)
I will definitely let you know how it turns out.
Thanks!
Thank You, Jatman, for your support of others here on the forum! Mary
Gee Libby, in re-reading my post, it may have come off as being a little harsh, and I apologize for that. However in regards to your corresponding message, I am glad you have been able to so eloquently stick your head right up your own ####. I have been working for fifteen years now training rescue dogs for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and how dare you just go off on someone that you do not even know. My post was meant to be a helpful suggestion that may allow you to keep you dog and not put it through any further emotional damage. On second thought, however, I hope that you find a lovely home for your dog.
It's notoriously difficult to convey tone and emphasis through the written word. Libby is upset over the situation, you are trying to help - feelings are running high. I can relate to you both; some years ago we rescued a Dane (our 3rd) from a very abusive situation. Long, sad story. Sarah cowered and trembled for the rest of her life. She developed such separation anxiety, that I literally couldn't/wouldn't leave her.
Isn't it great that we can sew to soothe our souls?
Good wishes to you both.
Katina
Katina,
I liked your words very much. Thank you for sharing in this discussion. I agree with you about 'sew to soothe our souls'. CherryPops.
Thanks, CherryPops
Share some more of your projects with us - you making anything special for the Oz winter?
Katina
I hope you are able to come to the best decision on what is best for your family and your dog. This is not an easy choice to make. ( i have a jack russel terrier). I love my dog!
All the best,
CherryPops, Australia
Thank you! You're right that it's not an easy choice! My husband is so upset that he doesn't want another dog for a long time, if at all.
My cousin just bought a Jack Russel Terrier. Her first dog (of 15 or so years) just passed away and was also a JRT. She said she'll never be able to have any other breed... she was so in love with that dog that when he wasn't at her side or on her lap, she looked off balance, lol. I'm sure you know the feeling. :)
good luck in your search,I'll keep you in my thoughts. mother to 4 alaskan malamutes.
regards,
wombat
Cool, Wishbone dog. I loved watching Wishbone on television. I have a black and tan rat terrier, a chow mix, and a golden retriever mix.
LOL....Me tooo! Wishbone was great. I also have a range of storybooks for Thomas "jack russell pet detective". doggie adventures. it's fun.
CherryPops
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