Great Dane Behavior

Question
I have an 18 month old Great Dane Puppy, Boris, he is male, who has a tendency to show aggression. We relocated shortly after purchasing him, and we live in a severely cold environment, as a result he has had less than desirable socialization. We are military and since my husband has deployed he has been challenging me on several issues, for instance, being on the sofa, getting in the bed, coming when called etc etc. In addition when he is outside if I play with him he starts lunging and nipping at me, he has not REALLY bitten me, but it does worry me, I have 2 elementary school children.
The dog has not been neutered, we had no intention of breeding, but there was a considerable battle of wills with my husband, which I finally won. this is scheduled for Friday, and my husband will return in 2 weeks. I know that the dog has not had adequate attention due to recent deployment and move, but he is in the home with us and we love him very much. what can I do to nip these issues in the bud. I want him to recognize me as the boss, not him.
Any information will be appreciated. I am not opposed to private training. We have adequate space for him. This is not our first experience with x large dogs, but it is our first puppy since the children have been born and therefore our schedule is not as lax and open for the will of the dog.  

Answer
Jennifer,

You are taking the right crucial step by getting him neutered, because of his age and the fact that he is in the peak of sexual maturity, he is also vying for the alpha role position in your house hold which dogs often do when the male figure in the house is gone and back at different times during the year. It seems to be a very common in household that are military because there is a certain amount of inconsistency in the home due to one member of the family deploying and being gone for certain periods of time. Unfortunately that is just how the world works and it is something that is not in our control. We went through a similar situation as my husband is in the military as well, he got back from his second tour in Iraq in April and our dogs didn't really pay attention or listen to him because he had been gone for an extended period of time.

He really needs to be exercised on a more consistent basis, two walks a dog for 20 minutes should suffice some of his pent up energy, and decrease and aggression he has.

To eliminate any other kind of aggression, I would immediately discontinue allowing him onto any furniture at all...not getting up on beds, nor couches ect...You can buy him a dog bed, one for your living area where you spend time with your family and one for your bedroom, this is where he sleeps and is allowed to relax, and also teach your children that when he is laying in those areas, they are not to infringe on his space as well.

Because he is such a large dog, allowing him to have a spot on your bed or sofa puts him in a position where he feels that he is equal to you in the pack order, so this may not continue or is aggression will only get worse. He is becoming more and more dominant and this will only continue if he is not subdued immediately. I also encourage you to use a crate and teach him that if he does not listen to you when you do tell him to get off something that you do not want him to be on, he is put into the crate or gated away into another room for time out. This can be a very repetitive process but he will eventually get it.

Taking him to an obedience class never hurts and can only benefit him in the end. I would suggest that you do some research and find a Behaviorist that would be able to help you work out his quirks. If you would like to send me a private message with your contact information I can also be available by phone to discuss any concerns that you may have.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Remember that the most important thing is EXERCISE then affection!

Good Luck on his neuter Friday