I have a 13 month old male Great Dane. He has the sweetest temperament. We had an incident New Years Eve morning that he went after another dog, dragging me down the hill. Luckily neither dog was injured. Although we had walked about 2.5 miles daily for the last 4 months without a problem, I realized I couldn't control him if he really wanted to go after something. Prior to this incident he would lay down on the trail when a dog approached in hopes that they would stop and visit. He was training me with that cute move. Now I only walk shorter distances and always in the company of my husband or 17 year old son. There have been no other issues, but I am always on guard.
I bought the pack structure video and today am starting him with the first part - isolation. It is killing me not to have him next to me, but I'm trying to stay strong. His crate sits at the bottom of the stairs in the living room. I am going to try this for 3 days before moving on to having him on the leash in the house.
We have been feeding him after we eat, not letting him go through doors before us, he has never been on the furniture....
I would like to get other people's input that have tried this and if the out come was what you had hoped for....

I don´t have a dog nearly the size of a great dane but I walk my dog aggressive doberman with a prong. She will obey when the dog is at a distance but when a stray runs up to us, there is no way I could hold her behind me with one hand to run the other dog off if she wanted to bolt if she wasn´t wearing one. Honestly, at least for us it is godsent (even though I know that I created the problem myself or at least failed to handle it right way from the beginning)

I have somewhat of a different problem. My gs is very very dog
friendly. When walking I too use a prong. We are always charged
by neighborhood hounds. My solution - I put Luna in a sit followed by a leave it command. I stand my ground and wait till the dogs leave a somewhat Cesar Milan approach then continue walking, so far this has worked great for me.

Starting from the basics as you are doing can never hurt. Taking the steps you are says you are a responsible dog owner who is willing to learn and do the right things. I will also add that prong and electric collars are important training tools. I do not use them as a cop out to substitute for real training. Do a search on Leerburg and read all of Ed's materials on fitting and using a prong collar. I will also urge you to think about getting an e-collar and Ed's e-collar video to train bomb-proof behaviors--like random down and recall. Finding a good local trainer to help you use the e-collar in addition to the video would be ideal. Be sure the trainer does not use "avoidance" tactics with the ecollar (Ed explains the difference.)

You are a very large dog there, and control is essential. Today, I would get a prong collar and start using it as you get your training underway. Keep asking here--lots of people with tons of experience.

I totally agree with Linda. The leadership gestures you're doing will likely help. NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) is a great method for establishing a proper relationship with the dog too.

13 months old is prime butt-head age--he's testing his limits in ways that are completely normal. Your perfectly well-behaved puppy all of a sudden un-learns everything. I've been there. Just keep up what you're doing. It works, and the butt-head stage passes.

And a prong collar WILL give you more control. I recommend it.

I want to thank you all for your input. It is nice to know I am not facing this alone. We are using a prong collar. It was too loose when our "incident" occurred. It has been tightened since then. We are putting off an e-collar right now in hopes that the pack structure training with additional obedience will give me the comfort level to walk with him alone again.

Gaby,
You're going to do great. I just want to reiterate that the e-collar can be one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. In fact, as Ed says, in training with it can be more humane than using a prong since results are often quicker and lasting

In the wrong hands any training tool can be misused and be abusive. But done properly, an e-collar can speed up training exponentially, tightening the bond with your dog, and keeping things completely under your control. The e-collar is very misunderstood--given the potential for misuse and the stories therein, we all know why. It's too bad, because it really can be amazingly humane and helpful.

I agree with everyone regarding the prong and ecollar. I just want to add that I think these tools are going to be vital for you considering the sheer size and strength of the dog.

VERY smart move to bring back-ups with you on walks! Maybe a second long drag line would be handy in case he bolts and pops the leash out of your hand. Just a thought... Then one of your helpers could grab it.

I would suggest that you also use a dominant dog collar with your prong, just in case it should fail. I have had one do so a couple of times & was glad that I had it on to prevent what could have been a big problem. Especially for a dog with any type of aggression issues.

I've got a 2yr.old Dane and at about 14mos. started showing aggression to other dogs. Seems to have come out of the blue as his temperament seemed to be lovely - of course it's possible that I wasn't reading him correctly as well - he's our first Dane - we've had dogs all our lives - currently a Newf and a Lab pup - we've raised Labs and Goldens for Canine Companions for Independence for the last 15yrs. - but alas, a Dane is NOT a Lab or Newf. It is becuase of him that I became part of this board and Cindy's excellent help in suggesting I try the e collar and it has been the greatest! I am forever grateful - he still does not care for other dogs - but it has given me the confidence to walk him off lead in our woods and with a new trainer who advocates use of the e collar - we have resumed obedience classes. I would surely give the e collar a try!!!