Great Dane problem

Question
QUESTION: My daughter recently got a Great Dane his name is Caliber he is 14 months and we love him. However Caliber does not seem to take to my husband. My husband has never been mean to Caliber.  Whenever my husband comes in a room Caliber will sometimes back away or do a low growl at him while wagging his tail.  Caliber spends most of his time with my daughter and he seems fine with other male people.  However when it comes to me and my husband he does like him to sit near me, hug me or touch me.  Caliber will try to get between us.  What can we do to change this problem between Caliber and my husband.  Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Rita,

Where did your daughter acquire Caliber from? Is your husband doing anything invasive towards the dog? Does he try to pet him or get him to come over to him? With a dog who does not seem to take to a person you cannot force the issue, you just have to give it time. But make sure that he does get a lot of praise or a treat when he does go by your husband. Is your husband an animal person or indifferent? Any time that Caliber has an interaction with your husband, it has to be a positive interaction, this is really the only thing that will change the way your dog sees him. As far as his interaction with you and your husband, make sure that he does not get in between you. The more you allow him to do that, the more he is learning to covet you and making you HIS possession. You can also try to get your husband to walk him a few times a day if he will let him, anything to help strengthen the bond between the two of them. He needs positive association and positive reinforcement throughout this entire process. I cannot tell you what could have caused this type of behavior except that maybe your husband is trying to be too assertive over him and that is giving the dog an uneasy feeling. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Sorry for not responding to you promptly, the website did not show your question was pending answer.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My daughter got him at 10 weeks from a person in North Bay, Ontario in Nov of 2009.  We had a dog which died in September 2009(husbands dog) and we had decided to not have another dog (my husband & me) my daughter really wanted a dog and she got Caliber.  My husband wasn't mean to Caliber he just didn't come around him much at first. He does feed Caliber, play with him in the mornings and praises him, gives him treats.  But it is frustrating when my husband comes into a room and Cailber barks at him and backs up.  My husband has always had a dog since he was teenager, mostly German Shepards.  Cailber was the first Great Dane.  He does listen to Bryan (husband) when he is outside and wont listen to my daughter or me.  He will come when he is running away if Bryan calls to him.  But he cowards.  Bryan has never hit him or even attempted to he has yell when outside to get Caiber to come as to not get hit by and car on the road and he did listen.

Answer
It seems that your Great Dane puppy is a little insecure. Work on basic obedience with him and that will help him gain confidence.

It would be better if your husband did everything for Caliber so that he becomes dependent on your husband. If you want the problem to be solved he will need to basically take over Caliber's care.

Germans Shepherds have a much different personality then Great Danes. Does Caliber only act fearful or aloof towards your husband or men in general?