Big dog tips

[EeewDavid]

We got our first family dog in March. He’s just under a year and is a lurcher/retriever cross.

Huge boy, powerful. Lovely nature.

I am still finding it overwhelming.

Can owners of large breeds give me your best tips to make life with a big, boisterous hound that little bit more manageable?!

Ps we love him. This is not a regretful post
:)

Tips as in what specifically? How many in your family? How old are your children if you have any? Did you get your dog as a puppy or a rescue or something else? Is there a particular thing you’re struggling with?

Sorry just read he is under a year. Dogs absolutely thrive off routine, they pick it up really quickly as in who feeds them and what time and when they go for a walk etc. what are you finding overwhelming?

He can be destructive.

Can be jumpy and hurts us because he’s so big/strong.

The mess and smell 🙈

He’s a rescue. But he was only three months old when he came to us.

He’s so lovely. I just didn’t anticipate how hard it would be with a big dog (I knew it would be hard). It’s took a bit of a toll on my mental health tbh.

We’re fully committed so any tips on any aspect will help.

He does have a routine. Two walks, two meals, sleeps really well at night…

Kids are junior school age. Very confident with him :)

I’m by no means an expert - but have had dogs all my life from being tiny well the first dog came before me haha.

Sounds like all is good with the routine! With big dogs you have to be strict cause of the jumping etc as they can hurt you without even meaning to!

I did some classes with mine when younger and it can really help, but not always. With one of mine we did every level and I was smug - my next dog refused to cooperate and eventually we were told it was pointless continuing oops.

https://www.royalkennelclub.com/your-dog/dog-training/good-citizen-dog-scheme/taking-part-in-the-good-citizen-dog-training-scheme/

Thats the link to the training we did.

Also remember they are puppies until 2 years old - has been neutered? Can sometimes help.

have you ever had dogs before ?

The mess and smell as in toilet training? One thing I learnt quite late on is puppy pads just prolong the problem. They’re great initially but you’re teaching your dog to go on the pad and then trying to change it to outside. Keep puppy pads for emergencies but if you can take him out every 30 mins or an hour and use whatever command you use to have a wee or poo. When he does it praise him massively and give a treat. Telling a dog off has been proven not to work but praise and positivity when doing something you want works

Thanks for the link and advice :)

We haven’t had dogs before. Well I did as a child.

The reason we got his particular breed was because he was a rescue but also a pup with no history and we knew his breed mix is of two family friendly dogs :)

He loves tug of war but my arm is currently sprained because of it 🙈

We’ll get him neutered at 18 months+ on the advice of the vet.

Re nails, best to clip ourselves or take him to vet/groomer?

Routine and consistency. Everyone in your family needs to follow the same rules.

Basics such as ensuring he sits before he’s fed. That he sits before being let out the door - either to toilet in the garden or to go for a walk. They need to learn that barging out the way is bad manners.

I found the general idea of “four paws on the floor” a good one. Discourage jumping up and barging - not a good look with a giant breed dog.

As soon as you can, after getting them used to verbal instructions, start introducing hand signals for the very basics at least - sit, down, stay, come, go on then (ie you can have your dinner/treat now etc). I had a couple of sessions with a behaviourist and this was a godsend. Dogs really respond to tone and, if you’re having a bad day, your tone can change with instructions. Hand signals, for basic requests, never change - they are consistent (as long as everyone adopts the same signals). Really handy when out and about, bump into people you know and can just give a simple signal to your dog to sit etc.

The main thing, again, is repetition and consistency. Plus ensuring that everyone in the house is on board with what is needed. Dogs need to feel secure in a routine, it takes the pressure off of them. That being said, don’t succumb to any of the “be the alpha” rubbish you might find online.

Also consider puzzle toys designed for dogs - brain stimulation is just as important as walks for them.

And get to know your breed - they’ll all have different motivations and needs, you need to tap into what breed traits are to get the most out of them.

Yep agree with all of this! You’ve articulated it much better than I did haha

So we only do reward and praise. He’s toilet trained :)

To be fair there’s not really much mess from him and the smell is just him generally. Everything stinks of dog. Am I just destined to wash all soft furnishings every few days ?! 🙈😁

Depends on his personality - my dog bites her own nails so I never have to!

Dogs also work on a pack mentality and there will be one person in your family they will listen to more than anyone else - is that something you’ve noticed?

definitely do some training classes it will help you understand how dogs think as well. Knowledge is power!

And he’s a baby until he’s two - I noticed a massive change in mine after that age. She’s a much smaller breed but she used to hang off my parents dogs under chin and be absolutely mental and then after two she’s much more chilled. So it will change over time too

Sounds like you’re smashing it tbh!!

There are dog smell sprays you can get - febreze do one for sofas etc.

But you may not notice it as time goes on - or you learn to live with it! Part and parcel of being a dog owner. They’re worth it though 😊

Ps I started puppy classes which came highly recommended but I gave up after a few weeks. He was too big and strong to be in a hall with lots of other dogs and I was red hot, stressed and miserable.

Decided to train him myself. He’s good at basic commands. And recall except when he gets another dog in his sights (he loves other dogs) so we’re working on that!

I’m definitely the one he listens to most but my kids/husband are his buddies!

Yeah they don’t suit everyone! As I said one of dogs smashed it the other got politely kicked out haha.

Maybe you’re what he sees as ‘alpha’ then - honestly it sounds like you’re doing all the right things

We’re probably doing better than we think. And it’s just a bit of a shock to the system 😮

I know rescue is infinitely better but I do admit to a tiny bit of envy re my pals who bought small designer breeds ie cavapoos and everything just looks so much easier to manage! 😂

This too shall pass… It gets easier as time goes along.
I cried quite a lot the first year of having my big fluffy rescue mutt so you are not alone. Now my attitude is that he’s still a knobend but he’s our knobend.
Neutering at 18 months helped ours to calm down or maybe it was just age but it seemed to help
We also got asked to leave an indoor training class but had some 1:1 lessons and then found an outdoor class that was better.
Definitely practice commands just for short sessions every day and I do agree with making them sit and wait to go out and for food. We no longer have to ask ours for this he just does it.
Routine is very helpful for ours. He likes things to happen the same way they usually do and he gets a bit stressed out of his routine and home environment so I have learnt not to take him to places that stress him. He will sadly never be a pub dog.
He still embarrasses me fairly often- barking at motorbikes and trying to chase cats and squirrels being probably the worst things but we have got to know one another’s foibles.
The advantage of a big dog is that you don’t fall over them underfoot and I think they tend to be less whiny and clingy because they don’t get picked up I guess. Big dogs are often better trained because they can’t get away with stuff a small dog can. I always put mine on the lead whenever a person or dog is approaching just in case but far more often people with small dogs let them just run up to us and many will jump up at me. If my dog did that someone might get hurt so I take steps to avoid it ever happening. I like that mine is a rugged kind of guy who doesn’t need expensive grooming or clothing and will always be up for a long walk in any weather because that’s what I am like. Horses for courses.
Also he is very handsome, unique and frequently admired out on walks. He’s a bit of a change from your cockapoo, spaniel, lab that everyone has around here.
Stick with it. It will get easier.

This thread is sorely missing pictures of said dogs!

In my experience you’ve made the right choice, I think big dogs are so much easier than small ones. Training sounds like it’s going well, he’s only young so it will take time. Make sure you get all the family involved too. It’s no good trying to reinforce positive behaviour if everyone else is doing the opposite. If you can clip nails on your own it’s better in the long run but you have to be led by the dog. One of mine coped fine, I got the vet to do the others as they were thick and black so I could never spot the quick as easy. Regular bathing will help with the smell. You can also buy spray (almost like a dry shampoo) that really helped one of our. Try not to give the jumping any attention. As in completely ignore the dog ever time he jumps. Every single person has to do this for it to be effective though.

Use online training videos such as McCann to hp
with the training.

Have one-to-one training sessions. May be more costly, but a few of those can work wonders.

Find a secure dog field for recall training etc.

Use kong toys lickimats etc to help reduce boredom.

Don’t forget the 3x3x3 rule for dogs settling into a new home. It takes a while for them to settle.

On walks, allow a lot of sniffing. It uses up more energy than the actual walking.

Dogs are hard work and frustrating. I cried a lot when we got our dog, a purported easy breed.

Remember, comparison is the thief of joy. That cute, easy cocker may have just ripped his bed to shreds.

( and where’s the picture?)

Giant dog owner here (75kg Leonberger). You’ve had some great behavioural tips above. Re: managing his smell…Are you letting the dog sit on the sofas etc, is he allowed upstairs? You mention that your soft furnishings smell? I’m afraid the easiest answer for this is not to allow him onto the family’s chairs. Mine isn’t and he’s not allowed upstairs either. So that’s 60% less of the house that needs a daily dog hair hoover ;-) not being allowed to do everything the humans do also establishes his placement in the ‘pack’ I.e your family.

Leonberger’s are like retrievers in that they shed hair all of the time..and that means if dead coat is trapped and not removed it will smell. Do you brush him every day? If smell is an issue after brushing, you need to establish a routine with either a groomer or a DIY situation at home. Mine goes to a professional groomer every 4-6 weeks depending on the season (it’s 4 weeks at this time of thd year) and he has a wash/blow dry and his feet and nails trimmed. It’s not cheap (£60 a time) but it does keep the smell down. If you are going DIY, then definitely invest in a dog blaster (like a mega hair dryer) and use that after a rainy walk/bath. Mine knows he can’t come into the house unless his feet are wiped (a routine we established from the start) and this saves time on cleaning up the house. Your kids need to learn this is what you do with him too. We keep a basket of clean dog towels next to the front door which we rotate and at this time of year are in constant use (Leonberger’s like to do the hokey cokey- they’re In, out,in out all of the bloody time) and go on a quick wash each night.

You’ve got a dog which is 50% sight hound so recall when he spots something is going to be an issue. Why not come over to the doghouse board on here to get some specific advice on training sighthounds?

It’s hard when they go through the adolescent stage so you have got my sympathy. It does pass though.

Nosework, tracking, mantrailing, hoopers, agility, steeplechase, barn hunts, flyball...
Start an activity that your dog enjoys. It really makes all the difference. Dogs need a 'job'. Using their natural instincts will calm and satisfy their needs far more than a walk round the block.
My dog has a number of activities, we joke, more than the kids had.

This is exactly why I asked! Such great advice. A lot of which I know but am
not doing… yet!!

Thank you all so much.

75kg eek! Leonburgers are gorgeous 💙

Mine is 35kg at 11 months. He’s very lanky! Maybe a little more growing to do.

Said big lad 💙

Also, he’s a year. A teenager. He will mellow with age.

I agree with poster above. . Once you get comfortable with recall, then do gun dog training, agility etc. It’s help to train my dog a lot and sharpen my bond with him.

Thank you for the lovely photo.

Solidarity! I could have written your post, except mine is a 37kg rescue lab. I’m doing weekly classes and have had a couple of 1-2-1 sessions with a trainer but he’s still very bouncy. He’s 20 months so still a teen I think. He’s having the snip next month so that might help. Bitter apple is good to stop him chewing cables! Love him so much though!

@Netaporter - great advice. I miss my Leonberger 🥲