Training a 9 month old female

Question
QUESTION: Hello there! We adopted a new 9 month old female named willow. Her previous owners left her in a crate for up to 18 hours a day so needless to say she doesn't know a lot of commands. Is it ok to use the crate and are there any rules for training an older dog. Also we have an English mastiff the same age and they love each other but play way too rough in the house. What is thebest way to train them to be calm indoors? Thanks so much.

ANSWER: It would be great to get her out for socialization since it seems she may have not had the opportunity for it at a younger age. Keep in mind that she is not a dog, she is still a puppy...and they are puppies until 24 months of age. These breeds develop mentally slower then smaller breeds, which may seem backwards, but that is just the way it is. She obviously does not associate a crate with being a positive thing I assume because of her previous owners stupidity however, I would keep the crate open when you are home so that she has the opportunity to go in there on her own, and I would make is EXTRA comfortable in there for her, like buying a nice crate insert that has the foam so she has a soft place to lay. I would suggest randomly leaving treats at the back of the kennel so that she beings to see the crate as a positive and not the other way around. When she does go into the crate at times that you maybe leaving, make sure you are never forcing her into the crate and that the experience is a good one for her...

As far as playing too rough indoors, it may be a sign that they are not receiving enough exercise in general. You may want to just ensure that there is enough time before you want them to settle down for the night to give them the opportunity to play beforehand. If they still do not settle down after adequate exercise, if you tell them to settle down and they do not, I would separate them for a few minutes and then let them back out. If they continue rough behavior after you have told them to settle down, repeat the exercise. This may take a few tries, but they will learn  that if they do not listen, they get separated and put away...

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

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

QUESTION: We have been leaving her crate open and full of fun stuff so good maybe I am doing the right thing. We always make it sound fun to go into the crate also. But onto the exercise issue how much is ok for the big dogs bc I know that too much is too hard on their joints. I don't have a fence so we only let them out under supervision and her on her leash bcshe gets the zoomies and tries to run down the driveway. Thanks again!

Answer
Yes, it sounds like what you are doing is just right! What we mean by limiting the amount of exercise for large breeds is that you do not want to do anything hard on their joints. Normal walks, even if you go for a mile or two are ok...

All you want to do at a young age for these breeds is avoid things like agility, and running next to a bike...this is hard on their joints because they have to jump and put a lot of pressure on their bones...

Another thing that you have to be careful with is making sure you allow enough time after eating to not cause bloat(gastric torsion) which is VERY prominent in both Mastiffs and Great Danes. Also wait about 15-20 minutes after long walks to exercise before giving them water, that can also cause bloat as well...

I would suggest that you maybe find a fenced in field, or tennis court, take the dogs and let them run around...this is controlled exercise because once their are tired, they will stop running on their own, whereas taking them for a bike ride, you are pushing them to their limits when you want to stop riding...You can also take them to the dog park, just be careful because although people are not supposed to bring aggressive dogs there, they still do...If that does happen, make sure that you call the state warden, or whoever is responsible for overlooking the dog parks and report an incident and if you can get the persons license plate.

There is no reason for someone to be bringing an unsafe dog to a park that is supposed to be utilized for socialization and exercise and just plain fun, so keep that in mind if that is what you decide to do...

Let us know how it goes, I personally love to get updates!