WOW!

He's wonderful. How tall is he when he stands up like that?

There used to be a friend of my Mum's that walked his Great Dane and his Scottie past our yard (they looked so funny together). I used to be wary of the Scottie, but loved the Dane, he was soooooooo gentle. I think I was 6 or 7 at the time, and he towered over me, have a picture somewhere of me sitting on our gates (when they were lovely wooden gates), with the Dane giving me a kiss. He had put his paws either side of me on the gate. Will have to try and find it and maybe post!

Well, Jon is 6' 1" tall and Willis looks him straight in the eyes :smt005

He can be very intimidating. No-one can come in without being invited, and even then he is untrusting - they are usually OK unless they make a wrong move He stands his ground aswell - he's no wuss.

The Dane I knew was like that too, he hated my dad (heehee), but I guess that being little I wasn't a threat. He bit the neighbours dog though, when it ran up behind me, was protective of me even though I wasn't his (though I did see him a lot)!

Is Willis more protective around your daughter than you?

Willis will let any child in, no problem...but adults - no no no! He loves all children and was the star of the show when I took him into Molls school to do a talk on Danes - but adults coming to the house are NOT ALLOWED without Willis' approval!

I would say he is equally protective of his family - and that includes any visiting kids, yep.

The worst incident was one of Jon's friends who came in whilst Willis was in the garden, and went upstairs to do some work in Jon's office. In wandered Willis and upstairs he went - huge wuff's later and lots of screaming we found Willis pinning blokie up the wall barking which frankly, is enough to make anyone stay put - he doesn't have to do anything else. Willis was most upset he hadn't been introduced before the bloke decided to go upstairs in his house!

Whoops! Did the friend ever come back?!!

haven't seen him since....

Chloe, what do you think about Willis giving cuddles like that Star loves it and a lot of people have said I should stop it as she is trying to dominate us She cuddles into your neck and just stands like that with her paws wrapped around your neck.

I could not do without my cuddles and I dont think she is trying to be dominant over us.

Ahh, the old "dominance" theory (pet hate!)

I personally disagree with the concept that dogs are sneakily trying to be dominant over humans. And I disagree with the "alpha" concept too. I think that behavior commonly attributed to dominance is often behavior that has gone incorrected as a puppy. My dogs eat when I feed them - more often before us, walk through doors when they want to (although they are not allowed to shove past), jump up when invited (he was taught to jump up gently) and we have no problems with any aggression at all.

Hi Chloe,

What do you mean when you say that you disagree with the alpha concept?

Dogs don't sneakily try to be dominant over people, it is very clear to them what they are trying to achieve, even if if might not be so clear to the owner!

Most dogs will test you frequently, the consequences of how these incidents are handled depends largely on the breed of dog. ie. a lab with a lovely sweet nature that sleeps on its' owners bed, is much less likely to pose a problem than a Presa or a Rottie when you ask it to get off and it doesn't feel like moving right now, thanks very much! Not saying that Rotts and Presas don't have sweet natures, they do, but they are generally much more dominant breeds than Labs.

You say, "I think that behavior commonly attributed to dominance is often behavior that has gone incorrected as a puppy" this is true in a sense. Pups that have not been raised correctly and have got away with whatever they choose will not magically do as they are told when they are adults. Some dogs who have not received guidance and discipline from their owners, will decide that the owner should listen to the dog on all matters; dog bullies person into feeding it, when to pet it, when to play with it etc... (This bullying does not have to be through aggression.) A dog that gets what it wants when it wants will believe itself to be top-dog, or the alpha of the pack. This isn't some crack pot theory, but a fact!

You told of Willis holding someone at bay because he had been surprised by an unknown person. He was showing dominant behaviour towards the stranger, that person had walked into Willis' territory and he wasn't happy about it. He barked to alert the rest of the pack, ie. you. What do you think would've happened if the stranger had acted in an aggressive manner? I don't think the dog would have submitted, it was his territory and he believed himself to be higher ranking than a stranger and would have felt quite within his rights to respond with aggression.

You have obviously stated very clearly to Willis where he ranks in your pack, I'm guessing through obedience work. It would only be with a very dominant dog, who was always testing you, that you would have to enforce all the rules all the time to prevent the dog from thinking that it had the upper hand. Most dogs are quite happy to rank below all the people in the family, and just because you have one of those lovely ones, does not mean that other dogs are not potentially dangerous if you don't enforce everything all the time.

Carole, you know your dog best, if you don't think she is trying to be dominant then you can be almost certain she isn't. It'd be pretty obvious if she was, may growl or try and stare you out. But I expect she always has a smile on her face!

Hi Lizzy,

I dont think she is challenging us she does not growl or stare you out. She just loves cuddles and boxers love using their front paws, hence being called boxers. We have the word "enough" and she stops whatever she is doing and sits and gives a paw and waits for you to tell her what to do.

Lost count of how many left hooks I have had though