We get a lot of messages every week - many of them asking for advice on training and behavioural issues.
I have stopped answering individual e-mails because I simply cannot cope with the volume of requests we receive. I am also fed-up by the number of rude people who just turn up here, arrogantly demanding answers to training questions, like I owe it to them, and then don’t even have the courtesy to acknowledge my long, detailed responses with a simple “Thank you.”!
I am NOT a professional dog trainer, giving free advice to try and boost my business – Honey’s blog is a PERSONAL site I do in my spare time.
So from now on, we will only be answering questions from names we recognise: regular blog readers, who make the effort to follow and comment on the blog – and invest some time in us as well. All questions will be answered publicly in the ‘Ask Honey!’ blog posts – so you will need to follow the blog to see them.
DO NOT ASK A QUESTION IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – IT WILL BE IGNORED. If you have a question, see the Contact Page and read what I said above.
REMEMBER – many dog behavioural problems are far too complex to try and advise on without seeing the dog/situation in real life and no reputable dog trainer or behaviourist would just suggest “quick fixes” over the internet.
Check the list below first as your training question may have already been answered.
If you are curious about Honey’s bed, her pyjamas or her crates, please look under the ‘All About Honey‘ page in the top menu.
For all questions about Honey’s Raw Diet, please look at the ‘Raw Diet’ page – ALL the information I have has already been put on those pages, including a detailed FAQ. I cannot recommend dog food brands or devise individual raw diets for your dog. Again, I am just a pet owner sharing what works for MY dog.
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I am NOT a professional dog trainer. Any suggestions I give cannot substitute for the assessment of a professional trainer or behaviourist in “real life”, particularly if your dog has an urgent or serious behavioural problem (eg. biting, extreme phobia, aggression, etc).
I am also NOT A VET and cannot give you any advice on medical issues. Please do not waste your time and risk your dog’s health & well-being by asking me such questions – I cannot help you – you need to consult a qualified, trained professional.
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Ask Honey! #1 – My dog destroys everything when left alone! (Destruction & Separation Anxiety)
Ask Honey! # 2 - How to choose a good breeder and pick the puppy that’s right for you
Ask Honey! #3 – How much exercise should I give my puppy?
Ask Honey! # 4 – How can I help my fearful dog?
Ask Honey! #5 – Training Tips for Good Recall
Ask Honey! #6 – ‘Dominance’, Marking & OCD Behaviours
Ask Honey! #7 – How do I teach my dog to greet visitors calmly at the front door?
Ask Honey! #8 – How do I stop my dog playing so rough & get her to socialise nicely?
Ask Honey! #9 – How to stop puppy mouthing & Using corrections in training
Ask Honey! #11 – Danes & cats? Will they attack? Are 2 puppies too much?
PLUS
Honey’s blog is updated regularly with stories that often include training/behavioural info:
Teaching a dog to go to its bed
Hi Honey!
You look alot like my Fawn Dane Molly. Molly is 3.5 years old and sometimes when she nuzzles me, she likes to sort of “mouth” my nose. Why does she do this? Is she being dominant or aggressive, or is she just trying to give me Dane kisses?
Molly’s mummy
Hi honey I might be getting agreat Dane puppy but I just went through 2 lost I have 1 more dog she is wooing lonely soooo should I get the dog???
Hi Honey!
Hi Honey my name is Ashley Miller and I have a merle great dane named Maximouse. I named him that because my other dog named Maximus that past and I got another dog names him Mouse did not like just “Mouse” so I changed it to Maximouse. Okay getting to the point I got Maximouse about a year ago still going through the loss so I did not know what I was doing but I have been seeing that Maximouse is lonely being a dog do you think I should get him dig friend and would it be a girl or a boy???
Loved your site ! Can you Visit My Siberian Huskies site?
Also how did you get on magazines?
Hello Honey! My name is Yelena and i am about to bring a Great Dane puppy to our home as an addition to our family! I was wondering if you can ask your humans regarding the diet. I have done some research on SARF, BARF, and “premium” canned/kibble foods, but i am somewhat in the dark about starting BARF diet on puppies. I am currently still reading online pros/cons, etc. I am leaning towards BARF diet and in result buying the required reading material, but maybe you have some other useful tips or links? Also, a lot of available reading material are very imprecise regarding quantities and how often the additives should be added to the diet ( EX: kelp, alfalfa, etc), so, if you can tell me if the books listed in your blog explain everything in greater detail…
Well, thank you and your human very much for you time!!!
i think i have posted this in a wrong place, i didnt notice the “topics” :/
Hey Honey!! I love yer blog! I just found it and I already love it!! I love dogs!! You are a very pretty and big dog! I have a friend that has a Great Dane. It’s black.
My sister has an Australia Shepherd puppy named Pilgrim! She is the size of an ant compared to you!( not really)!! Haha
see ya!
Katelyn
hey Honey,
i have a great dane he is a puppy about half a year old and he loves to play but he loves the ladies not men. why is that. i would realy like to know i wish to own more great danes. so this year i will breed them. how does that work.
Hi
My adult greyhound goes for his first swimming lesson this Friday and it was wonderful to watch Honey’s first lesson so I now know what I am up against. I am aware each dog is different in their progress but how many lessons did Honey get before she was swimming confidently without the life jacket -- I loved the third lesson by the way -- a very happy Honey. Cheers Debs
Hi Debs -- Honey never did swim without the lifejacket in the pool as it was a requirement of that place that she wore one until she was very confident -- and we only managed to go for 4 times before we left Auckland. I guess if we kept going, we might have got to that stage. However, following these sessions, she did start swimming in the sea by herself when chasing a ball thrown out and that she did without a life-jacket -- and in much rougher waters! I don’t think it’s so many number of times -- just when a dog “clicks” and suddenly realises they can stay afloat and swim. The 3rd time you saw was the time Honey started entering voluntarily and confidently and swimming happily by herself -- I’m sure she probably could have done it without a lifejacket by then but we never bothered to try.
Good luck with your greyhound!
Hsin-Yi
Thank you -- I can’t wait -- you’ve just made me more excited -- I am really lucky that Hoss loves the water but like Honey has long legs so he can go quite deep in the shallows to play but a fortnight ago he nearly drowned when he jumped unknowingly into a puddle at Kariotahi that was more than 6 feet deep. FYI -- we have seen each other in passing -- I was taking my oversized boxer/bullmastiff X (white and red) to the NZKC Ardmore for learner agility lessons a while back until her injured knee got the better of her and I had my greyhound (also fawn & white) with me to and you’d be on your way in to the freestyle class or warming up on the field. Debs
Hello Honey,
Iam in need of your help in regards to raw diet. First of all you are a wonderful breed & so beautiful. I have a rascal well actually she is just a sweet skinny clown of a dog , a boxer called “Imara” who is 14 months old . I follow the BARF diet & buy all meat from organic & butchers . The question I have is how much to feed a highly active dog .Everywhere I read it says 3% of her current body weight she is fed a little more than that but still does not put on weight. she looks like she isn’t been fed although she is all muscles you can see her ribs & hip bones . she is healthy & is still growing & I know boxers do go through this walking skeleton stage at this time of their life when they are growing taller but a couple of kilos on her won’t hurt. Now , What should I be feeding her more of ? She is allergic to lamb as she finds that too fatty & is hard for her to assimilate same with chiken wings the rest she is fine. Any advise will be greatly appreciated .
Thanks,
Shilpa.
Hi there
This isn’t a question of any sort, more of a general speech 
. Firstly i want to say how beautiful Honey is, i love great Danes and have two of my own (one male very similar to Honey, and one female, who is a blue colour). Ive just spent a while reading everything, and watching all the videos you have (which might be a bit crazy as it is now quarter to four in the morning!) , and just thought id leave a comment saying wow! Honey and you seem so bonded, and so close, much like myself and Llew (Welsh for ‘Lion’), thats the fawn colour Dane we have (male). And im so happy to see you have such a close bond together 
I don’t like seeing owners who dont bond properly with their pet. But anyways 
i shall keep reading the blogs, and watching the clips and so on! But for now, its Goodnight from North Wales, in the UK 
Much love
Nathan, LLew, Blodyn( Welsh for ‘Flower’) and Mollie (the Border Collie)
x
Hi Honey!
My name is Jay-Dee I’m a blue great dane, I just turned 8 months today! I was wondering, where did you get your doggy bed? Mine just seems to get smaller everyday and my human doesn’t like me sleeping on her bed, I was wondering where you got the bed and how it stays so fluffy?
Your friend Jay-Dee!
Hi Jay-Dee --
Nice to meet you!
If you look under my “All About Honey” page, I have put all the blog posts about my bed there.
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
what is the relation of between honey and neuron network connection??
tq
Hi Honey and Hsin-yi,
After reading your blog for the last three years, Harry the Yorkshire Terrier, now 12 weeks has come to live with me. He cried and howled nearly all the way home, about an hour, because he was in his crate. He was so exhausted by the time we got home, he fell asleep while I cuddled him. He then howled for about 6 hours on and off while he was in his X-pen for the evening. I tried to interact with him only when he was quiet. Then he howled from 10:00 pm until about 3:00 am with 2 successful potty breaks in his litter box. This morning he was awake and watching me when I woke up at 7:00. We are having a much better day so far as he is even starting to play with his toys and spending a quiet hour at a time in his new “room” which is set up where we can usually see each other all the time. He is using his litter box which is in the X-pen with him.
I just want to tell you that I now truly appreciate all the work that you have put into training, Honey and Hsin-Yi. You are now my models about how things should be done. It sure isn’t easy! After the ruckus in the car yesterday, we are going for a short drive this afternoon (in the crate) to see how that goes because we will be spending lots of time driving in the coming weeks. Thanks again for taking the time to share your common sense love and bonding for each other and the work that goes into it so others can also learn to truly appreciate the good times together.
Hi,
I really like your cool site bighoneydog.com and want to be a text link sponsor of yours,how much does it cost if I want to sponsor your sites for 3 months?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Victoria
Hey cane I use some of ur imiges for my project I am doing it on Great Danes
Hey there Honey!
My name is Sake and I’m an 8 weeks old Wire Fox Terrier, and I was wondering if whenever my owner, Chris, is teaching me a trick we have to do the ”Switch on the Clicker”
exercise.
I know that it may sound like a stupid question, but we’re just a bit confused…
Yours Sincerely,
Chris and Sake
Hi Sake (what a cute name!) -- sorry for the delay in responding -- I’ve been really busy with a big dance contest I’ve been hosting on my blog…
No, the “switch on the clicker” is just for the first time when you’re introduced to the clicker -- it is to help you understand what a CLICK means, to give that sound value. Once you have learnt that, you don’t really need to be taught it every time you learn a new trick. However, if you’re completely new to clicker training, then we think it’s still good in the first few sessions to have a bit of “CLICK & TREAT, CLICK & TREAT” -- just to remind you what the CLICK means. But if you’ve been leaning tricks for a while, that shouldn’t be necessary anymore -- you already know what the CLICK means and most doggies start getting very excited when they see the clicker come out.
What Chris can do, though, before he starts teaching you the new trick, is to click you for a few things you already know (eg. even just a simple SIT) -- see what you offer him and click you for anything good you offer -- this sort of gets the juices flowing and your mind alert & interested and working for the clicks -- then once you’ve been clicked & rewarded for a few things you already know, he can start working on a new trick.
Hope this helps --
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
I have two great danes and a lab. I have started to convert to a raw diet. However, I cant find an example of what I should feed per day. I am feeding 3 pounds of meat a day for my 150 lb dog,,,but this is going to be very expensive,,,,has anyone got any helpful hints on how to make this a little more affordable?
If you look on the “My Raw Diet” page, you will find all the information I have put there about feeding the raw diet, including sample menus. Go and read through everything first -- you will probably find all your questions answered.
You should not be having to feed just pure meat anyway, which is very expensive and ‘unbalanced’ -- you should be feeding “raw meaty bones” which are much cheaper and often unwanted by butchers & supermarkets and contain a good mix of soft bones, meat, fat, skin, tendons, cartilage, etc. Go to the Raw Diet page and look through the links there (I have written several posts on this, including a “Raw Diet Q&A” -- the information is all there if you just look for it) -- it wil tell you what kind of “raw meaty bones” to get, where to source them and how much to feed.
As for cost, that depends very much on which country you live in and nobody can give you a set price. Raw feeding is not cheap if compared to the cheap supermarket brand kibbles but it is the same cost, if not less, when compared to feeding the premium kibbles. But as I said, you should be making your menu up from things which are essentially “off-cuts” and the parts of the animal that humans don’t eat as much (eg. chicken necks, chicken wings, chicken carcasses, lamb ribs /lamb brisket, other off-cuts + offal) -- not the pure meat (eg, mince) because that would be unhealthy anyway -- so if you’re using these sorts of things, it should not cost you too much. Honey weighs 150lb also and eats about 900g -- 1kg a day but this is not made up of just “pure meat” -- but a mixture of raw meaty bones of different types and ready-made ‘BARF’ patties. It costs us about $5 a day to feed her.
If you’re in America, you can also Google raw diet suppliers (special companies who provide food for the raw diet) who can sell you these sorts of ‘raw meaty bones’ or ready-made raw patties -- I know a lot of the big pet stores stock them in their freezers and some companies will also deliver. But we tend to get most of our menu just from the supermarket, as part of our weekly shop (the raw meaty bones portion) and get the ready-made BARF patties from the local petshop. Ideally, you should have a separate freezer as it makes it easier to stock things -- but we just share our own small freezer section in our fridge and have managed fine for years -- it just means we have to stock up more often.
You have to make the time to read through all the Raw Diet info and understand everything -- there is no quick answer for this -- once you understand the principles, it is fairly easy to make up the menu yourself, using what’s easily available to you and affordable. Feeding the Raw Diet should NOT be expensive, if you’re doing it properly.
Good luck.
Thanks for all the info. My mom is so confused, but she has been reading a lot this weekend, so maybe she is getting a handle on it. I wasn’t real sure what to do with the turkey leg she gave me. My lab-mix friend Stanley, grabbed his and ran off, but those pound puppies don’t have much for manners anyway. He even ate his egg shell,,,,yuck!!
Thanks again for all the info,,,we will be back in touch and let you know how it is going, breakfast and dinner sure have been interesting anyway
Hi Honey
My name is Tali, and I need help with my mums German Shepard getting use to a new kitten. Mums German Shepard is just over a year old and is a very excited dog. Recently I was given a kitten, who was found alive, while her family was killed by a dog. So she has had bad experience with dogs. She was only 4 weeks old at that time. She is now about 6 weeks. She doesn’t like mums dog getting to close to her which I can understand, but one thing I am trying to prevent is mums dog not giving her room to do what she wants to as he just wants to sniff her, and when ever she moves and mums dog sees this, he comes running up to her, which scares her a lot. Could you please help Honey, I just want them to be good friends.
Amazing post and keep writing like this!
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HelloW again!!.. here i already readl all your blog and i love it.. i would like to send you the pic of my new Great Dane!.. her name is Bacardi and she is just 4 weeks now… i will ave it at home when 12 weeks.. I’m very nervous!! i already bought the clicker i want to start with it as soon as possible!!…. thanks to have this blog.. makes me feel i can with a great dane¡…
Hello Honey,
I just finished reading all your questions/answers and I still have one of my own.
I have two dogs, a shih tzu and a yorkie who are both 6 years old, and I just recently introduced clicker training when I saw your videos on YouTube. Although they seem to get it, when I am not using the clicker and ask them to do something with my voice they stand there in confusion or try to do the several things I taught them before. For example, when my shih tzu (Chase) sees that I am getting a treat he automatically pounces on the floor into a down position before I can even ask and seems to associate everything I ask him with down. Another example is when I ask my yorkie (Angie) to sit or go down she’ll just stand there giving me these big eyes hoping I’ll just give her the treat. This is partially my moms fault since every time she comes home from work she’ll just get a treat and give it to them no matter what they do without even asking them to do anything. Now everything changes when I use the clicker and they understand what I am asking and will do it but once I try to introduce a new word they start sitting or going down or rolling over… It seems like it goes no where.
This is mostly our faults because we never trained them properly when they were young partially because I was only 12 and didn’t understand myself and since I recently turned 18 and am starting to understand the importance of it I’m trying to help them and train them.
The last thing I need help with is in our house we have a doggy door for them to go outside in our front yard (which is a wooden fence so they can’t really see people but they can “sense” them) and whenever my yorkie senses someone like a walker, the garbage man, or another dog, she will go barking on like crazy. I can see she has no recall and I will have to work on this but how can I keep her from barking like crazy? I understand she’s warning me but it sounds like she wants to kill the dog on the other side (due to lack of socialization… very sad).
Anyways, if you can give me some tips I will be eternally greatful. =]
Also, if anyone else has some tips if Hsin-Yi is to busy to respond which I wont be surprised if she is.
Your reader,
Brigitte
Hi Bridgette,
As you probably read, I am only answering questions on the blog now so I will have to answer your questions in a “Ask Honey” post on the blog. But as you probably know, if you’re following the blog, we are getting ready to move to Sydney soon and we will be very busy for the next couple of months moving and settling in there. So I don’t think I will be able to tackle your question until January next year, although if I get a chance, I will try to answer it before Christmas. So the best thing is for you to follow the blog and keep your eye out for the next Ask Honey post, when I will try my best to answer your questions – and hopefully some of the other readers might add their suggestions too.
Best Wishes,
Hsin-Yi
Oh, this is an add-on to what I just asked, sorry about that.
Also, Chase used to always come up and down the stairs on his own until we changed the stairs from carpet to wood. He will still go up but he wont come down and he’ll just cry until someone picks him up and brings him down. I’ve tried staying down stairs for hours ignoring his cries but he’ll just keep crying or sitting there. I think he’s scared he’ll slip down but he watches Angie do it do effortlessly (she’s fearless). I tried bringing one paw down at a time but then she stiffens up and pulls back into the crease of the step. Any advice?
Thanks for everything,
Brigitte
HI! I’m 12 and I LOVE training my dog, Pearl. The first time I saw Canine Freestyle, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with Pearl next. She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback Pitbull mix that wandered up us as a puppy when we were moving in. Pearl is VERY smart and learns unbelievably quickly. I have already taught her SO MANY tricks in the past month. Recently when I saw Honey and you on youtube and instantly fell in love with her! I am now a huge fan of you guys. Since it’s close to Christmas, a clicker is at the VERY TOP of my list
. We don’t have dog treats, and I can’t use sandwich meat, so I just use pieces of dog food for treats. Is they anything wrong with that? I work with Pearl two to three times every day (I’m homeschooled). She enjoys it so much. Should I not work with her that much? When she gets a little tired I stop. Just yesterday I watched your video on how to choreograph a routine, the one with twinkle twinkle little star as your example. I decided to take that song and make my own routine to it as my very first canine freestyle routine. Pearl learned it perfectly the first day of practice. My two little sister adore honey too. They would go crazy if she actually responded! Canine freestyle is all new to me and I’m still trying to get the hang of it. Other than twinkle twinkle little star, I can’t find any music. I have one artist that has a few song that I like, but I’m not sure if they are exactly perfect for Pearl. Do you know any artist that have music good for canine freestyle? Well, that’s it. I’m sorry it’s so long. Good luck packing and moving! 
Thanks,
AveryGirlandPearlyDog
This is an add-on question to my last post up there^. Do you have a certain type of clicker you like best that I could ask my parents for?
Hi Honey! My name is Pearl. I just logged onto the laptop while mommy went upstaires. Mommy read your blog to me, and you seem like a very nice doggy! It must be very hard to move while it’s Christmas. My family has all our decorations up! When we got them out of the never ending closet, they smelled weird, but now I’ve gotten used to it. Me and Black Jack, the other dog in our family, have our own stocking that we share! The fire in the fireplace is so cozy, I love sleeping next to. Well, earlier this week, mommy found a place in our area where they give you and your human agility trial lessons! Mommy sent them an email asking for more information. I now you’ve had practice. Do you have any tips? Is it fun? How hard is it? Oh! I have to go, mommy’s back and wants the laptop.
Merry Christmas,
Pearl
Hey! We had Christmas early this morning, and I got a clicker! It’s not a box clicker, nor an Iclick. I looks like an Iclick and it’s all black. Can’t you train a cat with a clicker? I have a cat, she’s a breed called Ragdoll cats. They are super sweet, they play fetch, and they even come to the door when the doorbell rings to see who it is! Today I’m going to get some ingredients and make gluten free dog treats for Pearl and Jack. I’ll use the money my grandparents gave me since my mom won’t let me use hers. We don’t spoil our dogs and make them fat with big treat and cakes all the time. This is going to be their first homemade treat. My mom will only let me make them because it’s Christmas. Do you ever make Honey treats?
Happy Holidays,
AveryGirlandPearlyDog