Cannon is a wonderful brindle Great Dane mix. He has a soft face like a lab, so we're guessing that is the second half of the equation. He used to be the office dog and has had training from a professional trainer.   Cannon was adopted from us a year ago.  Then, the last weekend of May, one of our former volunteers was at the Orange County SPCA and saw this dog who looked so familiar.  She came closer and he got up, wagging his tail.  Janet looked in his eyes and thought to herself, "I know this dog!"  He was certainly looking at her like he knew her!  Then she saw the name ~ Cannon!  Oh my word!  It was our Cannon!  He had been surrendered by his owner because of allergies and an upcoming move.  Janet called Judy and she sent Amanda down to the SPCA.  There was some confusion because the microchip number didn't match (the SPCA had also chipped him) and he was quite a bit thinner, but it soon became clear that this was our boy!  I just got off the phone with Amanda.  She is headed back to our Adoption Center with Cannon sitting next to her in the van.  He remembers her and seems so pleased with himself.  He should be ~ that was  a close call!

Everyone at Pet Rescue By Judy loves Cannon.  He is a great dog, a bit stubborn so he needs a family that knows dogs and how to establish leadership. He knows his commands and will obey if he knows you're in charge.   He is a fun guy too, who loves to run and will be happy to join you in whatever adventure you are embarked on.  A fenced in yard that he can wear himself out in would be a joy! With that, he will be a fantastic member of the pack  Please, won't you give Cannon a chance?

 

12/04/09 Foster Update:  Cannon and I just came back from a walk. He's gotten to be amazing at walking on the leash, I can give him plenty of slack and he still stays right next to, or behind me, which is exactly where your dog is supposed to be when you walk him. However, he doesn't walk that well for everyone. He will only walk that way for a calm-assertive person who assumes the role of pack leader. Now I used to hear the term "pack leader" a lot but I never really understood what it meant until I heard it described this way: think of someone you know whether it be your father, grandma, boss, anyone who you really respect and is an authority figure. Then think about how they earned that respect with you. It wasn't through yelling or screaming at you, was it? But they didn't let you get away with stuff either. They set rules and boundaries and expected you to follow them or have consequences. And they had a way of letting you know what their expectations were and because you respected them so much you wanted to do what they asked. That's what you have to do and be for your dog(s), and that is exactly what Cannon needs. And that's the kind of person who will be able to take him for walks and have him walk right next to them. And more importantly that's the kind of person who will be able to keep him from returning to his aggressive state of mind. Right now I'd say he's about 60% over his aggression. I'm now almost entirely comfortable letting him loose in our house with our three other dogs, without his muzzle on, however, I do still keep an eye on him just in case. Over the week of Thanksgiving we watched our friend's Golden Retriever and Cannon met him with his muzzle on, just in case. He did go to bite him but when I corrected him he instantly backed down. After that they were mostly ok together, I was even able to take them for a walk together, with Cannon muzzled as a precaution. He still has trouble meeting new dogs nicely but that just means that I have to spend extra time working in that particular area with him.
     

He really is an amazing dog, and incredibly intelligent. This has been a long road helping him back to the way he used to, and the way he's supposed to be, but it's encouraging to see that he's making so much progress.

11/17/09 Foster Update:  I have some great news on Cannon. I'm very pleased to tell you that he's been making some tremendous progress in the area of his dog aggression. As you can see in the picture he is calmly laying less than a foot from Buster (the white dog in the foreground). Up till recently Cannon has been very aggressive towards him, so having them calmly together was amazing. What I'm working on now is helping him to maintain that state of mind, so that when he sees another dog he will go into a relaxed state as apposed to a nervous, aggressive state. As he gets better and more consistent I will keep upping the difficulty by taking him out in public to pet stores and other high energy stressful environments. Though he hasn't shown any aggression in the past day he can still be unpredictable and I don't yet trust him enough to leave him around the dogs without supervision. However, I have no doubt that with a little more work he can become the balanced sweet wonderful Cannon that we all remember.

 

10/24/09 Foster Update:

I'm still working with Cannon daily to help him over his dog aggression. He's making progress, but he's just not consistent. 

Yesterday, however, he gave me great cause to have hope for him. I was taking him for his regular walk when one of my neighbors opened their front door and their dog escaped. It was a little dog but anyone who owns a little dog (I do) knows that they can be some of the most precocious breeds. Anyway this little 5lb dog comes running after Cannon growling and snapping. I quickly gave Cannon the command 'leave it' to which he promptly behaved. Knowing that I wanted him to ignore the dog he refused to even look at it. All the while it was barking and snapping at him, he's kept his eyes focused in the opposite direction or at me for assurance that he was doing good. Finally the dog left and we continued our walk. I was so proud of Cannon because a month ago if that had happened he would have acted very differently, and that little dog would have thought twice before going after any other 100lb dog again.

 

09/11/09 Foster Update:

Cannon had another training session today. He still needs a couple more months of training before he's ready to be adopted. He's doing fine with people though some men still make him nervous. His big issue is his attitude towards other dogs. I am determined to work with him to resolve that before he is adopted out. Whoever adopts him MUST be a strong confident pack leader because if you are not he will resort back to his old ways. Cannon is a great dog, he's just had a traumatic past.

 

08/28/09 Foster Update:
Cannon had his first training session yesterday and made improvements by leaps and bounds. Though there is still work to be done I was impressed by the amount of improvement he made. He is now mostly fine around my two female dogs but we're still working on his behavior towards my male dog. Walking him on the leash is definitely improving, though he still takes a fancy to squirrels he doesn't drag me across the street to chase them anymore.

08/27/09 Foster Update:
Well it seems that our Cannon has developed some bad habits in his time away and he seems to fancy himself the alpha in any and all situations. He has NOT been playing well with others. As a result, he will be undergoing traning to work on these issues and to make sure he understands that he is not the leader of the pack. Stay tuned for updates on his progress. Fundamentally, he's a great dog and we hope that with some work, his behavior will improve by leaps and bounds.

03/09/08 Foster Update:
He is a wonderful dog. We went for a long walk when we got home, and within an hour back in the house he was politely following me around, watching me in the kitchen, and wanting to be near me... just so long as a cat wasn't to be seen through the baby gate. With more leash training and "cat" training he would be on his way to being the perfect dog. I was surprised that with his size he can move around the townhome without destruction. He didn't bother with anything on the counter since he can reach it (not even while I was cooking) and didn't knock anything over in the house. He liked the tennis ball he found from the previous dog... although 'fetch' doesn't seem to be a game he gets into. "

*** According to dogbreedinfo.com, the history of Great Danes go way back. Incised on some Greek money dating back to 36 B.C. is the image of a dog very similar to the Great Dane of today. The Great Dane is known as the "Apollo of all dogs." In 407 A.D. German Gaul and part of Italy and Spain were invaded by an Asiatic people (the Alans) who brought with them powerful mastiff-like dogs. In Germany especially, where these magnificent animals capable of overcoming bears and wild boars were much admired, a process of selective breeding was begun. The dogs were crossed with Irish Greyhounds, and the issue was the beautiful, large, thin, agile dog known today as the Great Dane. Despite the fact that they are called Danes in English, these dogs have nothing to do with Denmark. The Great Dane is a gentle giant. Dignified, kind, sweet and affectionate, it is playful and patient with children. It loves everyone and needs to be around people. The Great Dane does not bark much and only becomes aggressive when the circumstances require it. A steady dog, responsible and dependable. Brave and loyal, it is a good watchdog. They need plenty of exercise - at least a good walk a day. The expected life-span is about 10 years, although some live 12-13.