Training Tips for the Puppy:
The best advice I have ever given puppy owners is to get a
newspaper and roll it up very tight. Secure it with a rubber band and
leave it on the coffee table. Then, when the puppy piddles in the house,
chews up a slipper, or does anything he's not supposed to do simply take the
newspaper and bang it on the top of YOUR head very hard while repeating...
"I should have been watching my puppy!"
"I should have been watching my puppy!"
I dislike the term housebreaking, it just sounds so overbearing. You don't housebreak children you potty train them, so let's use that. Properly done, potty training your Great Dane does not have to be a hassle. Your Great Dane is a creature of habit. If they are taught where you want them to eliminate, and you control the food and water intake to regulate when they will eliminate, you will have a happy relationship relatively free of accidents.
The biggest mistake made by Great Dane owners is inconsistency. It is important that you not be impatient or inconsistent when training your Great Dane. The end result is a pet that is never fully housebroken.
So, remember the three P's - persistence, patience, and praise, and you are guaranteed success.
There are the 3 methods commonly used to potty train puppies:
Crate training can be used on both a puppy and an adult Great Dane and is probably the most effective and efficient way to housetrain your pet due to their size. No Great Dane will want to eliminate in a place they consider to be their own and therefore, unless left in their crate for too long, they will not eliminate in that crate.
Once every hour, place your Great Dane on a leash and walk them in the area where you want them to go potty. If they have not gone in five minutes, return them to their crate for another hour. After another hour goes by, the dog that did not go last time will most likely go this time.
When they do go, be sure and praise them profusely. The excitement in your voice when you are praising will help them better understand that THIS is the place you want them to go. Once that is established, they will do their best to make you happy by eliminating in the designated area.
Once you feel they understand where to go potty, you may lessen their crate time, and begin opening up their area to more than just the crate. Be sure and open up the area a little at a time so they clearly establish the larger area as "their area", increasing the desire to keep that area clean.
Eventually, you will be able to open up your entire home, but this is only after time has been spent training and proof that they understand. The times a puppy is more likely to need to eliminate are:
Make sure you pay attention to your new family member at all times when they are out of the crate so as to help them.
