Category: Rescue

What is Backyard Breeding?
Is there a difference between backyard breeding and front yard breeding?

Don’t most breeders raise puppies in their backyard?

What could possibly be wrong with breeding dogs in a home environment?

Is it backyard breeding if the breeder seems friendly and the puppies are clean?

What if a dog chooses to have her puppies in the backyard instead of inside? Is that the problem?

Isn’t backyard breeding BETTER than a puppy mill? I’d rather know my puppy came from a home and yard than a kennel!

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

The good news is that none of those things have anything to do with breeding dogs in a backyard.

There is nothing wrong with a breeder raising puppies in their home environment, or for you as a Great Dane owner to want a ‘pet’, not a ‘show dog’.

Backyard Breeding is really just the term dog people have made up to describe people who are breeding random, low quality dogs ‘in their backyard’ to make cash.

These breeders aren’t necessarily interested in the health, structure, or temperament of the puppies they are creating, but they sure know how to get you to spend your money with them!

WHY IS BACKYARD BREEDING BAD?

Backyard breeders are often pairing two dogs for breeding that really should not be bred. They may have websites, ‘nice’ photos and even a nice home and clean puppies; however, they may still be unethical.

A Great Dane is not a Great Dane is not a Great Dane. AKC papers, Euro build and ‘neat colors’ are NOT enough to justify breeding two dogs together.

Backyard breeders, even the ‘nice’ friendly ones, are directly responsible for the number of dogs needing rescue, and for the ongoing health and temperament problems we see in Great Danes.

SIGNS OF A BACKYARD BREEDER
- They will have no records of proper health testing or only did some of the testing (ask for Full OFA tests with certificate & CHIC# to verify at www.ofa.org, or similar standard in other Countries
- They may market dogs primarily using buzz words such as ‘papered’, ‘designer colors’, ‘healthy’, or ‘Euro %’.
- They may send puppies home to buyers prior to 8 weeks of age.
- They will not have a lifetime return guarantee.
- They will not have buyers sign contracts.
- They will will not care if a buyer chooses to breed their dog.
- They may encourage buyers to purchase two puppies at the same time.
- They may advertise on marketplace or Craigslist, post repeated sales in local groups and may have a hard time selling puppies.
- They won’t be willing to show the parents, or the parents will be unkempt, heavy, untrained, or aggressive.
- The puppies may be timid, round, hunched, dirty, bug-eyed, and may look sick or weak.
- The breeders home and/or whelping area will be below standard, dirty, and may lack appropriate enrichment for the dogs and puppies.
Every time you support a backyard breeder, you support the creation of the exact types of dogs that strain our system of shelters and rescues. The rescues are here because of these dogs, and the unfortunate truth is that the backyard breeders do not care.

Oh be serious. ANY dog can end up in rescue, even one from an ‘Ethical’ breeder, so don’t blame this on the ‘backyard breeders’… right?

WRONG.

Ethical breeders care very much about structure, health and temperament.

They actively work to produce puppies that are unlikely to suffer from genetically related health problems such as hip dysplasia, bloat and entropion that cost owners heartache and money.

They aren’t creating white double merle dogs that end up in rescue when they cannot find somebody who wants a snappy, under-socialized 4 month old deaf puppy with no eyes.

They closely follow the written standard, and ask for feedback from their peers so that the dogs they breed look and act like healthy, robust, calm, loving Great Danes with strong features and beautiful structure..

They are picky about buyers and educate them well, because they know that the wrong home could mean a dog ends up being neglected, dumped, or used for backyard breeding.

They want the puppies they sell to have outstanding temperaments, so they are much less likely to end up in rescue because they became ‘too aggressive’, bit a child, or couldn’t be handled by the average pet owner.

Most of all, ethical breeders have a LIFETIME return guarantee. They support buyers with education and will take any dog back during its life for any reason.

Ethical breeders are NOT the reason that so many dogs are in rescue. Backyard breeders are. Still don’t believe us? Look at any rescue. Are any of those adoptable dogs from a breeder that would take the dog back themselves, give it vet care and help it find a home?

RUFFLED FEATHERS?

We understand that a post like this may ruffle some feathers.

Perhaps you have a dog that came from what you now realize was a ‘backyard breeder’, and a post like this can feel like an attack (especially if your backyard bred Great Dane is a loved family pet, as mine is). For that, we apologize.

We believe all Great Danes deserve love and a fantastic home, including the ‘imperfect’ ones, and especially the ones that need our help.

You got lucky with one of the special ones; but that’s not the point of this post.

Perhaps you are a breeder, and don’t like that we are calling you out. We don’t apologize for that. You will not change our minds. We do not respect that you skip OFA health testing, or that you are breeding dogs that barely look like Great Danes, or that the puppies you create have roached backs, entropion, and timid personalities.

We don’t respect that you throw around terms like ‘papered’ and ‘health tested’ just to make a buck. We also don’t respect your defensiveness towards improving your program and operating ethically. Try us, but be warned. We are pretty fed up with backyard breeders and know all the ‘lines’.

Our hope is that every owner with a loved family dog from a backyard breeder, every owner whose backyard bred dog died painfully at a young age, and every owner who is interested in purchasing a Great Dane will read this article and help us stop the cycle moving forward.

These dogs are too big to be given anything other than the chance at incredible health and wellness. Stop funding backyard breeders. Start holding breeders to a HIGHER standard. Our dogs deserve it!
December 11, 2020
We Think Your Great Dane is Awesome

We spend an awful lot of time here talking about bad breeders and dogs that have problems with their health and temperament.

If you have an ‘imperfect’ Great Dane, an underdog, a dog that is a ‘pet’ not a ‘showdog’ or is a Dane from a backyard breeder this can sometimes feel like an attack.

But it’s not about your dog! We LOVE your dog. We actually think your Great Dane is awesome.

We believe all Great Danes deserve the most loving home possible, even the ones that aren’t ‘perfect show dogs’, and we celebrate the people that love their Danes no matter where they are from.

ADVOCACY

As lovers of Great Danes and of the breed, we should all be advocates.

Advocacy means educating people and making it socially unacceptable to breed untested, poorly structured dogs for profit.

We love our imperfect Great Danes, but that doesn’t mean we have to love the places and breeders that they have come from.

Rescues are full because so many breeders have a habit of creating anxious, unhealthy dogs and not caring at all where they ever end up.

We believe Danes deserve better than this!

MEET MATILDA

Matilda is my own personal heart dog. She is actually the reason I became so heavily involved in advocacy for Great Danes! She is an amazing, strong girl with an unfortunate, preventable past.

Matilda was born in Oklahoma to a breeder that planned to keep her as a bitch/dam.

At 3 months of age she was hit by a car and her right leg was shattered. This breeder took her to a veterinarian’s office (yay!), but didn’t officially surrender her and didn’t come back to pay for her care (not yay!).

Matilda lived in a cage for 10 days with a shattered leg, all because her backyard breeder didn’t care.

She was finally released to rescue by the city, and the rescue veterinarian amputated her leg and spayed her when she was just 4 months old. How I ended up with this amazing dog is another story, but let’s just say that I think she’s pretty dang perfect.

Matilda is the ultimate underdog.

Her unethical breeder cost the rescue thousands of dollars in veterinary care and boarding, and cost sweet Matilda an easy, normal life on 4 legs. If she had taken care of this the day it happened, Matilda’s leg could have been saved. Instead, she was forced to suffer and wait while her backyard breeder failed to ‘get it together’.

This is not ok. Backyard breeding is not ok. Breeding dogs and then dumping them on rescue like this when they will fail to be ‘profitable’ is not ok.

When we purchase dogs from backyard breeders, we support the exact kind of operations that result in dogs like Matilda having to suffer. She’s lucky, she landed with a good rescue who placed her here with me, and she’s living the best life she possibly can.

WE ALL JUST WANT A PET

Not many people actually need or want a show dog. Most of us really do just want a pet!

It’s so important that we celebrate every single Great Dane, no matter where they came from or what they look like.

But that does not mean we should continue to financially support the kinds of breeders who do not care about this breed the way that we do.

Supporting ethical breeders isn’t about all Danes being show-dogs, it’s about all Great Danes being given the best chance possible at health, structure and wellness.

We support Great Dane rescue and ethical breeders.

There is absolutely room for both. But it’s up to us as advocates for the breed to make sure that breeders aren’t contributing to the rescue problem.

Make it socially unacceptable to breed poorly structured, untested dogs for profit.

READ MORE:

Is My Great Dane Being Aggressive or Playing?

December 4, 2020
The Rescue Won’t Adopt to Me: Reasons for Denying Pet Adoption
Adopting a pet is wonderful, but sometimes applications get declined. If your dog rescue won’t adopt a dog to you, this post should help.

Rescues carefully review applicants to ensure the best match for pets, and while the process isn’t perfect it is part of the process. Ethical rescues focus on finding the right fit for a lasting and happy relationship. However, there are many times when rescue adoption requirements are excessively stringent, too.

Both of us have fostered or have had Danes from rescue situations; we know well the challenges that rescue and rescue dogs often face.

Common Reasons That a Rescue Won’t Adopt Out

If you are looking to adopt a Great Dane from a rescue, you may find that it’s not easy! Dog rescues often have strict requirements for adopters. Some of them are fair, some put a wrench in getting the pet adopted out.

While it’s important for rescues to be diligent about what applications they approve, it’s equally important that they don’t deny an animal a good home because they don’t like the training method used or type of fencing.

Here are some common reasons rescues decline adoption applications:
- The applicant doesn’t have giant breed experience
- Their fencing doesn’t meet the specifications
- Young children live in the house
- The applicant is not willing to crate-train
- The rescue doesn’t allow electric fences, E-Collars, or Prong Collars
- There are no verifiable veterinary records, or the records are negative
- Veterinary records show the applicant has not kept their other pets up to date on vaccines or flea/tick prevention
- Other pets in the house are not spayed or neutered
- It’s clear that the applicant has a history of abusing or surrendering animals
Must-Have a Fenced Yard

This is a common rescue restriction and perhaps the most frustrating.

Many people looking to adopt a Great Dane have an electric fence or several acres.

Several acres sound amazing for a dog, and it is, but not if the dog (who may already have a history of running as a stray) decides to run, and run, and run some more. Especially in a new home lacking a relationship and routine with the new owner.

That’s understandable, however, some rescues will not adopt dogs to families that use an electric boundary fence. Given how many pets need wonderful homes, this is one place we do wish they would be a little more understanding.

An electric fence is a good solution in many cases. For dogs that DO jump physical fences, it’s practically necessary.

Small Children in the Home

Giant breed dogs can be wonderful with children, but they can also be afraid of them, knock them over, or play too rough.

The last thing a rescue wants is a Dane returned to them because he jumped and knocked over a 4-year-old!

Unfortunately, many people also do not properly teach their children how to interact with dogs.

The dog may tolerate being sat on, poked, and teased for a short while. However, when they reach the end of their fuse and growl, nip, or bite the dog ends up in rescue again, only this time with a bite history.

If you have young children, consider first if a giant breed dog is the best choice for your home. If you are committed to it and to adopting, be upfront and honest with the rescue!

Tell them what you know, how you plan to manage the environment, how you plan to train the dog, and how you teach your children to interact with the dog.

Unwilling to Crate Train

Crate training is not cruel. Great Danes can grow to love their crates because it becomes their quiet, safe place. Not only that, a crate-trained Dane cannot eat something dangerous or destroy the couch (and be returned to the rescue as a result).

If you are resistant to crate training, why?

It doesn’t matter how much you think you know about training, or how well-trained your last dog was, attending a training class with your new rescue Dane is a valuable opportunity to bond.

We recommend everybody take training classes, especially rescue dogs! Classes are fun, can help you become a better dog owner and trainer, and teach your dog to focus on you despite distractions.

Veterinary References

If you don’t have a history of taking care of your dogs, Great Dane rescues are going to be cautious about placing a dog in your home.

Their goal is to STOP abuse and neglect. They want to see that you have taken great care of your past dogs.

If you are new to owning a dog, find a vet and show the rescue that you’ve already spoken with them and begun a relationship.

Vaccines & Preventatives

Great Dane rescues spend a TON of money treating heartworms in the dogs that come into their care.

It’s expensive and heartbreaking (literally). They don’t want to place dogs in homes that don’t take those things seriously.

In areas of the Country where heartworms are particularly bad, many rescues require that your existing and past dogs have been kept up to date on preventatives. A veterinary reference can go a long way here!

If you are unsure about using veterinary prevention, we wrote on this topic to clear up your concerns.

Existing Pets Must Be Spayed/Neutered

We are big believers in waiting to spay and neuter Great Danes until their growth plates are closed (age 2+), so we understand how frustrating this particular restriction can be.

However, too many people breed dogs for fun and money, and this is one way they make sure they never send a Great Dane to an irresponsible breeder’s home.

If you have no intention of breeding and have a solid reference from your veterinarian, it may be worth sharing that.

No History of Abuse

This one seems obvious, but it needs to be said. If you’ve surrendered a Great Dane before for nearly any reason, you are going to have a very difficult time adopting.

Be Patient

If a rescue won’t place a dog with you, that doesn’t mean that you should run out and purchase a dog from the first breeder you find on Craigslist.

Unethical breeders are the reason why so many Danes end up needing rescue in the first place, so make sure you aren’t contributing to the problem.

Ethical breeders are also going to be exceptionally picky about buyers but may have fewer restrictions about spaying/neutering, fencing, and children.

Sometimes it helps to volunteer for the rescue and sign up as a foster! They are more likely to place dogs with owners that they know well.

If you have giant breed or Dane experience, you KNOW all of this and they know it won’t likely be the reason you return a dog to them. If you want to adopt but have never had a giant breed, try these things:

1. Volunteer with the rescue to help out at adoption events, take photos, write bios, etc.

2. Write a short essay about what you’ve learned about giant breed dogs. Share what you know and prove to them that you have fully researched this! Tell them WHY you are interested in Great Danes, adoption and living with a giant breed dog.

Are you ready to adopt a Great Dane?
November 25, 2020
Rehoming a Dog: Safely Rehome Your Great Dane with these 8 Tips
We don’t judge here. Rehoming a dog is a thoughtful and responsible decision that requires careful consideration and dedication. It’s an act that comes with a lot of emotions, negative opinions, and fear.

While it may be a challenging choice, various circumstances such as changes in living situations, health concerns, or unforeseen life events may necessitate finding a new loving home for a Great Dane. We recognize that making this choice is often a responsible and selfless act that prioritizes the best interests of the pet, creating an opportunity for them to thrive in an environment better suited to their needs.

If you’ve found this blog post, it may be because you are thinking about rehoming your Great Dane.

There are legitimate reasons to need or want to do this; our goal here is not to judge but to help! If you are looking to find a new home for your Great Dane or are considering surrendering your Great Dane to a rescue, read on for ideas and need-to-know information.

Rehoming a Dog & Negative Opinions

Rehoming a dog can make you feel guilty. People want to make you feel as if you are doing something wrong, or that you are a bad person. Don’t let them.

If you have carefully considered the decision to rehome your dog, you should not feel guilty or bad about the choice. We have found that this choice often benefits the pet, as they will be in an environment more suited for them.

There is one exception to this, however. If you are rehoming a previously loved senior dog to make room for a puppy, you should feel guilty. That is never ok.

But if you are moving, struggling to have enough time or resources for your pet, or have a medical condition that requires your home to be free of pets, read on. We’re going to show you how to make this move responsibly.

1 – Check With The Original Breeder or Rescue

Sometimes the most simple solution is the one many tend to forget.

Depending on where your Great Dane originally came from, you need to check with your breeder or your rescue first! Most rescues and breeders require that the pet is returned to them if you feel at any time that you cannot care for it.

Ethical breeders will always have a lifetime return guarantee. They never want to see a dog of theirs end up in rescue at any age and will take the dog or help you find an appropriate home.

If your breeder or rescue is unethical and will not act in the best interest of your pet, we support you in finding alternatives.

2 – Be Honest About Training Problems

One of the most common reasons people rehome their pets is because of training issues.

It’s not unusual for people to say that they are at their “wit’s end” and can no longer deal with the pooping, peeing, barking, lunging, biting, or destruction.

If you need to rehome your Great Dane because of issues with training and socialization, be honest with the people who will be taking your dog.

While this can make it harder to find a suitable home that understands these issues, your transparency will ensure that your pet ends up in the type of home willing to work with it.

The rescue can provide training resources, the breeder will want to know, and a new home will be much more likely to keep the dog if they know what they are getting.

It may be easier to find a new home for your Great Dane if you gloss over the fact that he tends to bolt out doors, mark furniture, and nip children, but these things are extremely important for the new owners to be aware of.

If training issues are the reason that you need to rehome your Great Dane, that is ok.

Great Danes are not always the right fit for people, and poor breeding practices have led to many dogs with serious temperament problems.

It’s okay to acknowledge that you cannot help your dog or may not be the right home. We do however encourage you to consider first working with a highly qualified trainer.

Sometimes it is just a matter of making tiny changes to your routine and training communications!

3 – Special Considerations for Rehoming Aggressive Dogs

Aggression and bites are serious. A bite can be anything from a little nip to a full-on attack with puncture wounds or intent to kill.

Most aggression is based on fear. Some common and preventable examples are a Dane that bites a child who tried to sit on him, or a Dane that bites another dog over a toy or bone (resource guarding).

Some aggression and bites are based on problems with neurology, training, or even physical health.

Great Danes are NOT supposed to be aggressive in any way, so this is a serious fault of temperament (poor breeding practices), genetics, health, and environment (training & socialization).

Be very honest with the breeder or rescue about this. What led to the bite? How severe was it?

For many dogs, especially in areas with crowded municipal shelters, a bite history can be a death sentence (even if the bite resulted from an unfair event). If your Great Dane has bitten or shown aggressive tendencies, find a 501c3 rescue instead of surrendering to the shelter.

Most rescues will not take aggressive Great Danes, but some are insured and equipped to do so. Call around.

If your Dane is from a breeder, let them know about the aggression you’ve seen. Quality breeders don’t want to see aggression showing up in their lines and will want to address it.

For some particularly aggressive dogs, behavioral euthanasia is a compassionate choice. Read more about this HERE. This practice comes with heartbreak, but in many situations, it’s far more humane than sending an aggressive dog to spend its last days in fear at a shelter or being bounced around from home to home.

6. Peer to Peer Dog Rehoming

After you’ve checked with your breeder and/or rescue, you may be looking to rehome your dog in a direct peer-to-peer situation.

Finding the right home for your Great Dane can help you feel better about the process of rehoming, but watch out! There are some pitfalls that you want to avoid.

Some people won’t have your Dane’s best interest at heart.

Think the same way that a dog rescue does and be choosy and thorough.

We’ve included some guidelines and best practices below to consider when rehoming your Dane to another person.

Ask for References

When you find somebody interested in taking your pet, ask them for references! Call their veterinarian, too, and make sure that they’ve been keeping their pets healthy and up to date.

Don’t Rehome to Breeders. Instead, Spay & Neuter!

Unless you are rehoming a Champion show dog, you are likely rehoming a dog that should never be bred.

Backyard breeders will look for rehoming posts of intact dogs (not spayed or neutered) so they can buy them for cheap or free and use them in their breeding program. All this does is perpetuate the poor temperaments and health issues that put so many dogs into rescue in the first place.

Even if you are having to move and need to rehome a well-behaved, healthy, and wonderful family dog your dog should NOT be bred.

Do NOT rehome your dog to somebody that would breed him or her!

We know of a very ‘popular’ backyard breeder in Missouri who runs a same-named rescue on the side. His ‘rescue’ uses rehomed dogs for breeding. This is an unacceptable practice and extremely shady to boot.

If you are rehoming peer-to-peer, spay or neuter your dog in advance OR require that they sign a spay/neuter contract where they agree to complete the procedure within a certain time frame.

Charge a Rehoming Fee

This isn’t about making money on your dog.
It’s about making sure you rehome your dog to somebody serious.

When a purebred dog is listed for ‘free’, lots of window shoppers (and backyard breeders) come along. Those are not often good homes for your dog.

If you are uncomfortable collecting this fee, ask the new owners to donate to your local Great Dane Rescue. Verify the donation with the rescue before placing your dog.

This fee is NOT about recouping costs you incurred while caring for the dog (training, surgery, transportation, breeder fees, registration fees, etc.). All of those are a loss.

At a minimum, we recommend charging a $500 fee when rehoming your Great Dane.

Be Picky About the New Owners

Be choosy about the new owners, even if that means turning people down. We know you may be desperate to give your dog up, but it’s much more ethical to find the right home in the process.

Be thoughtful about the type of home that would be a good fit for your dog.

Is your dog good with children?
Does your dog need somebody who is home a lot?
Does your dog need somebody with training experience and a tall fence?

ASK QUESTIONS! The right home will be willing to answer and prove themselves.

Require a Rehoming Contract

We recommend at minimum a simple contract that protects both parties. In the contract, cover at least the following;
- Names & addresses.
- Description of the dog, including color, height & weight, AKC registration, age, and breeder information.
- Information on if the dog has been spayed or neutered and had a gastropexy done.
- Spay or neuter requirements
- No breeding allowed
- Information on where the dog must go if the new owner cannot keep it (will you take it back? Do you want them to surrender to a rescue?
- An outline of communication expectations. Do you want updates and photos? How often?
For the new owners, make sure that you also include:
- Previous veterinarian information & records (including vaccines).
- Microchip # and transfer information.
- Food, so the dog can transition better instead of switching foods immediately.
If you have a pregnant Great Dane that you cannot keep or don’t know how to help, we highly recommend speaking with a Great Dane rescue. Many are willing to work with you to find homes for the puppies and make sure they are well cared for.

We believe there is a time and a place to rehome Great Danes.

We encourage people not to judge each other; sometimes rehoming a dog to a more appropriate home and owner is the best thing for it.
November 25, 2020
Fostering Great Danes: Find a Great Dane Rescue
Many people are afraid to commit to fostering dogs because they fear not being able to emotionally let the dog go to a new home.

We will be honest, that can be both tough and incredibly fulfilling.

FIND A GREAT DANE RESCUE

Great Danes need you. The rescues need you. As long as there is a need for rescue, there will be a need for fosters.

Dogs end up needing rescue for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people move, lose their jobs or develop health problems that make them unable to care for their dog. For these people, rescue is a valuable resource.

Other times owners find themselves overwhelmed by their Great Dane or unable to care for their behavioral or medical needs. Occasionally, a Great Dane or puppies are severely neglected, injured, dumped by a breeder or owner, or found as strays; these are often the most heartbreaking cases.

Reasons for Denying Pet Adoption
Rehoming a Great Dane

Whether we like it or not, the Great Dane rescues are often overwhelmed with surrender and intake requests from private owners, good samaritans and dog shelters. They cannot do this work without having places to send the dogs. That is where you come in!

Photo by Paparazzi Ratzfatzzi on Pexels.com

WHAT FOSTERING LOOKS LIKE

A large majority of Great Dane rescues take care of all expenses related to fostering, including veterinary care, food and medications. They may even provide bedding, a crate and a leash and collar!

You may need to pick up the dog and transport it to your home, to the veterinarian, to the trainer and to meet potential adopters. Alternatively, a volunteer may do this for you.

Most Great Dane rescues will want to know if the dog isn’t working out in the home, and will want your honest assessment of behavior and temperament.

You will take the dog home with you and have a contracted obligation to care for it. The rescue will give you this information in advance and may require you to medicate, feed a specific diet, report problems and provide a certain amount of enrichment and exercise each day.

You may need to care for the dogs medical and post-surgical needs including giving medications or insulin injections, helping the dog gain or lose weight, and providing appropriate post-op care following spay/neuter or other surgeries.

This work is important and can be incredibly fulfilling!

FIRST CHOICE TO ADOPT

Most rescues give the foster home the first chance to adopt the dog, even puppies! Fostering is one of the best ways to adopt a new Great Dane because you’ll get to trial them in your home and find the one that you cannot let go of.

A lot of people will successfully foster and rehome several dogs, and then one special dog will land in their home that they just cannot imagine sending to anybody else.

This is called ‘foster-fail’ and it’s one of the most beautiful parts of being active in the Great Dane rescue community!

If you choose to adopt your foster dog, you’ll have to pay the adoption fee. At that point you accept all responsibility for the dog (medical care, expenses, food, etc.) and instead of being a foster, you’ll be a rescue dog owner!

BEHAVIORAL CONSIDERATIONS

Some Great Danes in rescue come with behavior, training and temperament problems. Be honest with the rescue about what you are able and willing to deal with!

You will very likely need to give the dog time to decompress (3-12 weeks), and you will need to set new boundaries from day one (this includes revisiting potty training 101 and constant supervision to avoid marking, barking, guarding, destruction and fence jumping until you get to know the dog).

5 Leash Training Tips
Puppy Training: 5 Mistakes in Training
What is Balanced Training?
Respect Training Tips: How to Train Your Puppy Great Dane
Is My Great Dane Being Aggressive?

As a Great Dane foster, it’s helpful to have a good, modern understanding of canine behavior and body language. We will be sharing more resources on this soon!

Not all Great Danes like other dogs, some don’t love people, others are timid and fearful and some have training issues. They are like humans and come with their own preferences. Be open to these differences and understand how to work with them.

The rescue will likely have at least one dog trainer and behaviorist that they trust with whom you can work closely.

INTERESTED IN FOSTERING?

Most rescues have a few basic requirements, but may be flexible:
- Fenced yard
- Giant breed experience
- References
- Home often
- Willing to crate train
- No young children
- Existing dogs are well cared for and up to date on vaccines and medications
Even if you submit an application, you can always decline to foster a dog if the opportunity comes up and the timing isn’t right. We encourage you to submit now!

Photo by Stefano Parisi on Pexels.com

Want to support rescues but aren’t currently able to foster or adopt? 501c3 rescues value your direct donations. Many are connected with Amazon Smile. Every dollar counts!
November 25, 2020