Breed trainability
Are Great Danes easy to train?
Two questions hide inside this one. Whether a Great Dane can learn is the smaller question; many take to marker-and-reward work readily. Whether a household finds an untrained Dane easy to live with is the real question, because a pull, a jump or a lean that a puppy gets away with is rehearsed by a much larger adult. Trainable, then, not automatically easy. We answer both and name the programs that fit.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
Size changes everything
Manners that scale with the dog.
A Great Dane is a giant breed, and that shapes how we plan the training. Pulling on the leash, jumping in greeting and leaning on people are habits any dog can pick up. Carried by a giant dog, the same habits can pull a handler off balance or knock a visitor over. We do not read that as a temperament flaw. We read it as a reason to teach loose-leash walking and calm greetings while the puppy is still light enough to guide gently.
Many Danes are known for greeting by leaning their whole body into a person, and a lean from a giant adult can unbalance a visitor or a child. So we give the dog a clear alternative early: a place bed near the front door, a sit before the greeting, a pause at the threshold. A Dane puppy also has a lot of growing ahead of it, so we keep sessions short, and we would ask a vet what exercise suits a growing giant-breed puppy.
- Giant size, same habits
- Leash skills taught while small
- Leaning needs an alternative early
- Ask a vet about puppy exercise
Programs that fit
What we teach first, and which program carries it.
At home, we keep the early work to a few repeatable moments: the front door, the greeting, the first minute of the walk. Loose-leash walking starts on quiet streets with stable footing, and we add busier sidewalks once the quiet version is reliable. Calgary winters bring ice, and we treat an icy sidewalk as something to manage, with a shorter route and the leash held close, rather than a proofing stage. Sessions stay short, and every skill is taught with markers and rewards first.
Puppy Fundamentals is a three-week board and train at $2,775 plus GST covering leash manners, sit, down, place, crate comfort and socialization, with a handover lesson and one free follow-up within 60 days. On-Leash Foundations is a two-week board and train at $1,865 plus GST covering loose-leash walking, heel, place and everyday distractions. Private Training is $150 plus GST per one-hour session with a written weekly plan. The consultation is where we recommend a program, including a smaller one when it is enough.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Are Great Danes hard to train?
We would not call them hard to teach, but the consequences of a missed lesson are bigger than with a small dog. A giant dog that pulls or jumps is difficult to manage by strength alone, so we start leash and greeting manners early. The training itself is gentle, marker-based work.
Are Great Danes stubborn?
Individual Danes vary, and in our experience a slow response has many possible causes: an unclear cue, a reward that is not worth the effort, a dog that is tired or unsure. We would not label the breed stubborn on that basis. We adjust the pressure, the reward and the setting, then watch what changes.
Are Great Danes good first dogs?
They can be, for a first owner with room for a giant dog who commits to leash and greeting manners in the first months. We would go in with clear eyes, since an untrained giant dog is a lot of dog in a Calgary hallway. A consultation is the place to talk through the fit.
Can you train a Great Dane off leash?
Off-leash work builds on solid on-leash skills. Functional Off-Leash is a three-week board and train at $3,030 plus GST that works on recall around distractions and off-leash manners, with a Micro or Mini Educator remote collar included and owner education on using it properly. Whether it fits a particular Dane is a consultation question.
Keep reading
Start before the size does.
Tell us the Dane's age and what happens at the front door. Book a consultation and we will be honest about the fit.
From real owners
Rated 5.0 on Google.
Real Northline dogs