What does a stiff-legged face-off look like in Danes?

How can I tell if a Dane is protecting me?

Are there benefits to walking aggressive dogs separately? What does ‘Nothing in Life is Free’ training involve?

How do you teach a ‘watch me’ cue to Danes?

Should I permanently keep my dogs in separate rooms?

Here are the answers to your questions based on the provided sources:

What a Stiff-Legged Face-Off Looks Like. In a stiff-legged face-off, a dog will adopt a rigid posture and carry their tail unnaturally high to make themselves appear larger and more intimidating. You may also notice their tail wagging, but it is typically a stiff wag that lacks the relaxed “butt wag” associated with a happy, friendly dog.

Identifying if Your Dog is Protecting You. If your dog is positioning itself between you and other dogs to keep them away, it is actually resource guarding you. Rather than acting out of a noble protective instinct, your dog is treating you like a highly-valued bone. This behavior is a common warning sign of social tension and interdog aggression in the home.

Benefits of Walking Aggressive Dogs Separately. There are significant benefits to walking reactive or aggressive dogs separately. Taking a problem dog on an individual walk allows you to give them your full attention and concentrate entirely on helping them through their issues. Furthermore, walking aggressive and victimized dogs together on a leash is highly discouraged because the leash traps the anxious victim dog, forcing them to remain close to the aggressor without the ability to flee.

‘Nothing in Life is Free’ (NILIF) Training. The sources strongly recommend using NILIF training—along with basic obedience and clicker training—to establish leadership and help manage same-sex dog pairings. However, the provided sources do not detail the specific steps or philosophy of NILIF training.

Teaching the ‘Watch Me’ Cue The sources advise practicing the “watch me” cue regularly; keeping your dogs highly responsive to you makes it easier to redirect their attention if playtime gets too rough or interactions start to heat up. However, the sources do not provide instructions for initially teaching this cue to your dogs.

Feeding Dogs in Separate Rooms Permanently. You do not necessarily have to feed your dogs in separate rooms permanently, as it depends entirely on how safely they can eat together.

• When to separate: If dinnertime is chaotic or your dogs cannot eat comfortably without tension, guarding, or scuffling, you should separate them in different rooms or crates for meals.

• When to keep them together: If your dogs are safe together but just tend to “bowl-hop” to steal each other’s food, you can manage them in the same room. You can space their bowls several feet apart, or train them to go to a designated “dessert” area (like the back door) immediately after they finish their kibble by rewarding them with a high-value treat. This teaches them that walking away from their housemate’s bowl is more rewarding than stealing.