Close quarters with a growling Great Dane

From Alphonse owner...

Alphonse underwent extensive socialization and exposure to various environments in accordance with COVID regulations during his critical developmental stages. However, it seems that the information regarding this was not accurately conveyed at the end of the video. It should be noted that there were a few inessential environments, such as a grooming salon, that were not explored. This is because Great Danes, like Alphonse, do not typically require regular grooming from a professional. They can be easily bathed at home, and due to COVID restrictions, it was not deemed necessary for his essential exposure to perform tasks. On the other hand, Alphonse was thoroughly familiarized with commonly visited areas such as hospitals, grocery stores, and other hectic public spaces.
It is important to clarify that Alphonse is a legally and professionally evaluated mobility assistance service dog in the province of Ontario. He was specifically chosen by his reputable breeder for this role and was raised from a puppy with the necessary training. After the video was filmed, Alphonse was temporarily withdrawn from public access in order to reassess his temperament and behavior. This was done to ensure that he is suitable for his handler and to work on building his confidence independently.

A preliminarily greeting before transferring the leash may have helped Alphonse feel more at ease with the groomer, however it's noticed how much he relaxed after the harness was removed. It is worth noting that growling is a normal and appropriate means for a dog to express their discomfort. Regarding the harness, it was discussed and deliberate to keep it on for the purpose of capturing footage. We recognize and acknowledge the areas where mistakes were made and are continually striving to improve for the safety of all parties. Alphonse has undergone professional assessment and has been deemed fit to continue his work in the province of Ontario under the guidelines outlined in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) section 191/11.

Your concern and support is both acknowledged and appreciated!

His fave and body language at the beginning 😂😂😂😂
He is so confused and bewildered

My cousin has a great Dane n bull Maspeth mix that dog is huge omg ❤😂🎉😊

UT so good to all these puppy's n u know great Danes r very smart n j love how good to them ty Vanessa ur so wonderful ❤😂🎉😊

He's just unsure..iffy...not sure and not comfortable. The breed is very cautious and some can be just cowards. I think it's adorable in some ways just because of their sheer size ! I think she kind of portraying him to be a little aggressive. Hes just reacting like any dog would. I think he's doing great...hes scared and then you move alowly and talk in a low calm voice and it'll be fine. I've seen small dogs getting groomed that literally sit there with a muzzle on growling through the muzzle lunging and trying to bite the person grooming them and well it's just crazy!!! Ive always had male great danes and theyrve always been very well mannered ❤

I have owned Great Danes for 20 plus years and this video just shows how intuitive the breed is and how they are so in tune with not only their owners but everyone... I didn't hear the dog growl but like a few of the comments had mentioned. If you know anything about dog behavior or dog body language when a dog is uncomfortable they'll leave out a rumble he didn't viciously growl at her and bear his teeth I'm sure of it. Dogs are social animals and they are always communicating it's your job to understand what they're saying and to learn. They're obviously not going to learn English. LOL if you haven't heard a Great Dane growl call not even a little Rumble is loud and some days are more vocal than others I have a 3 year old male that growls with everything even playing some of the time. When she warmed up to the Dane and started telling him a good boy and an upbeat high-pitched voice the dog came around and was being very attentive and being very friendly with her tell was not talked anymore and then she started to go backwards and talk about but you did growl at me and he started to be nervous again. It's all in the energy we give off to our dogs I don't know too many Great Danes are just going to randomly attack you for no reason at all what are they like the bathroom or not they're not going to attack you. She's obviously fearful of large dogs many people are. But those small yappers are more prone to bite than large dogs

God bless yall

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Sooo cute!! The way he kept looking at you in the start of the video with those huge puppy dog eyes!! He was so apprehensive 😅

Don’t have enough good things to say about you ❤ I’m in complete awe!! Love all animals 🫶

It's Scooby Doo!

I love his doggy eyebrows so much!

Nice

He is soooo cutee. When he looked at you like that in the beginning, I just wanted to reach out and hug him

since at no point he made anything in the direction of harming you - he rly is just a good boy and deserved those treats^^

Oh my god is that scooby doo

This made me miss my little pony called Sheldon so much 🥲 He passes away last year. Great Danes are very special dogs. He was the goofiest overgrown lapdog ever and scared to death of water. Both him and one of our cats were equally scared of thunder, so imagine this gigantor and a cat cuddling whenever there was a thunderstorm.

I have an American Bull Dane that is 200 pounds.

Truly Scooby Doo 😂

'Unless invited, Do not approach.' I need that sign for myself.

aww, poor big baby <3

What a beautiful dog.

He may not intend to hurt you but if he was to rush past. You'd be like a leaf in Bohemian Rhapsody. Is so easy scary himself. Scare, you But I think you like your treats bigger bags next time please

That's great that he's a mobility service dog. Alphonse was really wondering what was going on. He kept his tail tucked in a lot. Maybe his growls meant "Now what?" All those calming techniques were perfect. 🥰

You are so good with the dogs, im a fan !

You are incredible with dogs!

I’m curious why owner didn’t take his work harness off.

This is a service dog?

You did an amazing job, and made the right decisions. Brilliant.

Always wanted a Dane but actually had no idea they were so timid. Similar to greyhounds. We are Doberman people.

OMG, you’re so brave. I wouldn’t stay alone in any room with him.

What a beautiful boy. You were so kind and patient with him -- your compassion as a groomer is to be commended. Thank you for sharing!

I've adopted five Danes over the years. I lost one less than a month ago. Losing two in less than a year has ripped my heart out.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

He's a gentleman, really calm compared to other large, and even medium to small sized dogs. 👌

😍😍😍😍👍

Whenever I feel anxious or low I turn on a video on this channel and enjoy watching a cute dog get washed and dried and brushed. It doesn't get much more soothing than this :-)

Service dog my arse

Alphonse’s face is like the teen who got stopped with a couple bags of weed in the car 😂

“Unless invited, do not approach” I think my invitation was lost in the mail!

Vanessa, you are so tiny next to this beast! 🤞

Great job gaining his trust.

I can smell your fear all the way here in Colorado. Ask owners for his favorite words

I was just about to go see if you’ve ever washed an SD before as I’m planning on getting one

Great Danes and cats - not 100% the same, but 95%. Water is wet and that's really, really horrible. Also, Great Danes are big, but they don't know that. I know this because I had a Great Dane and I have a cat.

My small dog won't even let anyone touch him.

I can tell Vanessa is a little scared if him.

They look scarier than they really are. I used to have two of them. They were the biggest lap dog you can have. Sadly they both passed away but I loved every minute I had with them.

😍OMG He so cute 😍