Training

We Began Our Training Program Over 12 Years Ago When We First Met A Family Looking For A Dog That Would Be Past The Puppy Age And Understand Some Basic Obedience And Leash Walking. We Never Thought Doing Such A Small Gesture For A Family In Need Would Turn Out To Be Something Many Other Families Were Looking For.

Training

Our training practice begins early with our pups using Von Falconer’s Way, getting the pups adjusted to new sounds and responding to people. The Rule of 7’s goes a long way toward prepping the pups for the world ahead and helping them adapt to new environments, which is crucial to the early stages of development.

The real learning begins at 7 weeks with leash introduction and crate training. Crate training is a vital tool in helping young pups control their bladder and work through separation anxiety—this is especially important for our Great Danepuppies. Leash training at a young age begins with letting the pups feel the weight of the leash and simply follow us around. To encourage the pups to walk on the correct side and keep moving, we use treats, often pieces of kibble or chicken. After a few days, we begin to hold the leash and guide the pups.

Obedience

Obedience begins with coming to a whistle. Pups are taught that a whistle, kiss, or snap is a sound that means food. Pavlov proved a correlation between action and reaction, and we prepare our pups to learn such a vital command when they first start eating food. We use the combined whistle and name to call a pup with “Come” and reward them with a yummy treat once the pup has reached us.

Most of the basics—Sit, Down, and Stay—are learned over the first 2 weeks. We utilize the pups’ natural behaviors and instincts to teach them each position. We go one step further with our trained pups by teaching them fun tricks to make training more versatile and enjoyable. These tricks are a mixture of High 5, Sit Up, Dance, Roll Over, and Crawl. Not all pups master every trick, but we do incorporate them into the training practice. It becomes a routine that we teach each family adding a trained dog to their home.

Over the years, our training program has grown to include Started Level, Fully Trained, and Young Adults. We send each trained Great Dane home with a cheat sheet that covers the commands and hand signals, a training DVD, and, if purchased at the Fully Trained level or higher, a free training collar.

Training Levels

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