Big Paws Only Dog Forums

this afternoon is proving to be a good one.  i think maybe he is so tired, he can't really do his normal stuff.  it only took me n my hubby about 10 minutes to get him in the back of the truck, and he didn't pee in it today, only had gas horribly, is it normal for danes to get gass when they're upset?  i know my akita has scent gland problems that cause him to smell horrible when they get stopped up, do danes get this a lot too?  surprisingly enough, when i got home, he didn't jump out the door the second i opened it and almost hang himself like he usually does (i have to tie him to the cargo clips in the back of my explorer so he won't hurt himself).  i was truly amazed.  this morning when we put him in the truck it took about 20 minutes, the neighbors were all having a good time watching the struggle, for sure!  also got to clean without vacuuming with no problems, when he usually flips out horribly over dusting spray.  i think he is just getting really tired though.  my hubby can't bring him out on a leash yet, it doesn't matter how tight i put the collar, he always rears back and either flips onto his back and starts thrashing, or slips out and he doesn't know what to do, but definitely won't go to brandon.  he's doing better on the way from the door to the truck though, he freaks when i open the truck door and he does his typical eyes roll in the back of his head, and he may slip out his collar, but just stands there for me.  i'm considering getting a martingale (is that the name) collar, like they use on greyhounds, kind  of like a cloth choker, i don't know if that will make him more upset if it tightens though.  the breeder i got him from had no idea what she was doing, i could tell.  he was so skinny when i got him he had sores on every joint on his body, his knuckles, vertebrae, hips, shoulders, and even his tail bone, and one above his eye and another on his ear, from laying on the ground.  he looked really mangy, but we found out it was just sores from being skinny and laying down.  about a week after i got him, i put him outside and something scared him and he impaled himself on a tree branch, it was really nasty.  we didn't know if he'd make it, because it was about 3 inches deep and 2 to 2 1/2 fingers wide.  the only thing that saved him was the fact that it went along his ribs, not through.  the people must have known they were doing a bad job, i got him for only $75, but paid an extra $25 for them to hold him a day, and then the next week his sister was sold for $150.  i wish there was a way for the local law enforcement to make it mandatory for breeders to bring their puppies for check-ups at least every 3 weeks, or something!  it would have kept him from ending up like this, but hopefully his siblings got good homes, too.

don't know if this will help, but here is a pic of my akita / chow who weighs 75lbs.

thanks for all of your replies!  this morning i tried to go about as usual, and just ignore him, but it didn't work.  i grabbed the vacuum and across the room he went, trying to climb the window and pulling the curtains/blinds down.  after that i put him outside, and he sat at the furthest corner of the yard (we have just under an acre) watching the house, and when i was done it took 10 minutes of calling him to get him back in the house.  i guess the main reason it confuses me is b/c my akita (came from same type of sitation, just not skinny) is the complete opposite, and it literally takes pulling him off the ground to make him move b/c he's so mellow and lazy.  sarnewfie, they were kept outside, he was infested with fleas so bad i didn't want to touch him until after he had a good bath, we're still working on that problem as he gave them to all my other dogs.  my hubby and i think the man of the family we got him from hit him, because my hubby can't do anything to him without him flipping out.  diesel is usually ok with females touching him, but males his eyes roll back in his head and he starts jumping around the second a guy touches him.  today i'm going to try to get the vacuum to run in a different room with the door shut, so he can hear it but not see it.  maybe that will work.  maybe i should try hiring a dog  behaviorist to come to my house?  does anyone have any thoughts on that, or tried it?  thanks!

i agree with everyone on the one person she doesn't like, my dog likes everyone, with only one or two people, and i trust him.  the cat thing, i went through.  i started by putting him on a leash and holding a treat, telling him wait when he'd go to grab it, and also closing my hand when he did.  when he learned this, i would toss the treat, and when he'd go for it i'd pull his leash and tell him "leave it," and work up  eventually to where i'd get him excited, throw something, and say leave it.  when he gets treats down, try toys, then go to petsmart, and walk down the treat isle and use it, and just tug the leash when he goes to get something.  make sure you praise him when he does leave it, no matter what!  praise / treats is what life is all about.  this works wonders too when you're around other dogs (once they learn "leave it") now i have him trained to "leave it" and he automatically does "look" and looks at me, and away from whatever he was going after, whether its dogs, food, people, or anything else.  worked wonders for me, i can have him off leash with chihuahua's now and when they bark he looks at me automatically.

i have a question for all of you.  i've had big dogs for years, but i recently rescued my first great dane, who started out knee high (could pick him up with one hand and carry forever with no probs) and in 2 1/2 months is now waist high (almost 6 months old now).  i got him from a "breeder" in tennessee, who kept him outside, in a pen, and told me he had "never left the property" which is now causing tremendous problems as you can imagine.  he is very scared... of everything.  garbage cans, the tv, when you spray a cleaner, the vaccum, etc.  he has destroyed all my furniture from running, even though i have tried with all i have to hold him still.  he is still horribly underweight (wish i had pics, hope to soon, i lost my cam. charger) but has crushed my coffee table, eaten the door frames and pillows, etc from running, which has forced me to crate him whenever i leave the room to take a shower, or clean.  i've even had my hubby try to hold him with me and it just makes things worst.  it takes ATLEAST two people to load him into a car, and it's nearly impossible to get him to leave our home.  to get him to go on a walk, i have to bring my other 2 large breeds, which i don't mind, but i don't want him to be so dependent that he can't go anywhere by himself (because of vet visits, etc).  he urinates, and deficates every time something new happens, and even though i've tried to get him around new things, it just isn't happening.  he flips out so bad i'm scared he will break a leg, as he has already jumped off of our 8 ft deck to get away when we dropped a bag of charcoal, and limped for days. recently our neighbors even mentioned that they hear him screaming when they're coming DOWN the road, not even at our house yet, if i'm gone.  does anyone have any suggestions, and do any of you know of the aromatherapy plug ins work for dogs with anxiety problems?  thanks!

gorgeous!  she looks a lot like my akita, axle!  very sweet pictures!  (my pic of axle is when he was 1, now 3)

my akita, akita chow mix, and GD are all like that, just not so fussy over their nails.  my hubby's pits are complete opposite, they just don't care.  maybe it's just because some dogs are a little more rotten than others?