scared great dane

Question
QUESTION: I adopted a 1 year old great dane from a friend of my daughters, the owner needed to get rid of him quickly, she dropped him off here at our home and i did not get much information as to how he had been raised.  He has been in my home for over a year now, but he is still always very scared of everything.  He cowards into corners, will knock you over to get out of the way of a fear, there is not one specific thing that spooks him it is a lot of different things, movement, noise, people that he sees daily, anything.  He is very loved here and gets lots of attention but i cant seem to help him over this fear thing,  how do i help my little great dane.

ANSWER: I can only assume that this dog wasn't properly socialized, trained. Danes are very sensitive, spite their size they require a lot of snuggles and hugs, love and warm affection.

Sometimes the color genetics of a Dane can also cause, what seems to be behavioral issues. In my country, Germany, it is illegal to breed merles as it causes what they call "Dane rage". This was due to the fact that this wonderful breed showed unwanted behavior like shyness and even aggressions. I was part of a Dane rescue for a little bit and the amount of owners wanting to turn their dogs in for exactly those reasons was staggering.

With that said, can you make sure he's in good, physical condition (Have heart, stomach, bones checked). Could you get help from a local trainer/behaviorist to "Snap" him out of this behavior and to see if there may be mental neglect and abuse, if not physical abuse causing him to act the way he does?

What color is he?


Ideas:
Put him on a leash at all times. It will help you gain control and him not to bolt, flee. Instead you grab the leash, giving him a feeling of you claiming leadership, but don't overwhelm him. Act like nothing is wrong, let him take the first steps coming up to you, don't pressure him and always gear toward fun or good stuff like a new toy, food, treats, watching a movie, enjoying nice music, creating harmony.. which he most likely never experienced.

Once you may consulted a behavioral trainer see if you and he are ready to possible join a group class. The bonding process in such classes are great, the outcome is in most cases wonderful.
HOWEVER you must be certain that you can handle him in such social settings were other people and their dogs are participating.
I suggest to work with the pooch at your home first (Again, with the help of an experienced trainer. When I say experience I mean seek someone with an outstanding record and with more than 10 years of handling difficult dogs experience.

Also: Feed him from your hand! Kibble by kibble will he learn he's depending on you, kibble by kibble will he have to approach you to take it out of your hand. =0D

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

QUESTION: My great dane is black with some white spots.  He is not scard of me, or my kids just everyone else, including my husband and he is very gental with him. We dont have a problem taking him out on the leash except he pulls very hard.  We have not taken him in large populated areas because of the pulling and he is very strong.  It just seems that he is very scared all the time.

Thanks for the previous advise,  I will find someone in our area to get the expert advise you suggested.

Answer
That's wonderful to hear!!

I'm assuming he's been poorly socialized before you ever got him. Training will have him focused, feeling happy, important, confidant, balanced and calm when he's not at home. The most important part will be that the trainer teaches you how to apply all this onto him first, giving him the "You can do it!" he needs.

As a rescuer myself I come across many fosters/owners who's dogs have issues similar to yours. Without even noticing they often have this particular tone of voice, which is supposed to sound soothing, supposed to tell him there's no reason to be afraid of anything.. but unfortunately it makes it worse, it confuses the dog and he doesn't understand why the leader seems to be just as scared... if you know what I mean.

Up-beat, happy, work it, work it, work it, there's nothing wrong, good boy, excellent, YES (smile, give a thumbs up) and other behavior/tone of voice/words is what he needs.
Make sure you don't feed his fears, increase his self esteem and.. be an over-all support system.

With the help of a trainer you could achieve his turn-around quickly.


PS: One of my personal dogs, a Doberman Pinscher, acted similar when we adopted her. She's Miss Confidence now, happy, balanced and just.. great.