Q: My husband and I found a Great Dane in the country. He had been in fights with other dogs and his ears were chewed up badly. He had no collar and he was starving. He apparently had been let go by someone who could not take care of him, because he came right up to my husband like he was family. He also knew some of the commands like, sit, shake, and was housetrained. We did not put an ad in the paper, but we never saw a lost dog ad either, so he is now our loveable king of the couch. We took him to the veteriarian, and got his rabies shot as that is all we could afford. The veterinarian said he is definitely purebred and is about 1 year old. We left him overnight to get one of his ears sewed up, and for the longest time his ear would not stop bleeding through the stitches. It finally healed, but now the other ear has a small place that won't stop bleeding when he shakes his head.

However, I have a bigger concern, we live in a neighborhood with lots of big mean dogs. Every morning I take him walking before the sun comes up, because when he sees another dog he goes crazy, even if it's a puppy. His hair stands up all the way down his back, his growl sounds deadly, and he will start trying to bite me when I pull him back. When I first started walking him I only used a regular collar and he was so strong he could pull me where he was heading. Then I heard about the prong collar, which helped but it doesn't seem to phase him when he sees another dog.

I realize his actions are mostly from fear, because he will back up when he barks most of the time. Do you have any suggestions on how to settle him down, or get him used to other dogs? Also will it help if I take him to the veterinarian and get him fixed? I don't really want to because he guards me when my husband is gone on trips. I don't have the money for dog obedience class. Could you give me some advice? His name is Ricky, and he is solid black with a tiny white spot on his chest, and behind his two front paws. He is so loveable and gentle around the house, I welcome any suggestions. Thank you.

A: This kind of dog is a big expense and a big responsibility. Dog obedience class is going to be very important in getting him able to tolerate being around other dogs. He needs to be in a safe situation where the other dogs will not jump on him and where the instructor can help you and him learn. It takes a lot of technical dog-training skill to handle a dog of this size who is freaking out.

You can usually find an affordable obedience class through your local obedience club (they are listed by state on the AKC website at http://www.akc.org) or perhaps a local animal welfare group will have an inexpensive class. One reason animal welfare groups sponsor classes is that some dogs will not survive in their homes without training. I fear this is going to happen with your dog too if you can't get that help. If he hurts someone else's dog -- and a person could so easily get between the two dogs and be hurt too -- your bills are going to be huge. And one serious bite to you is going to cost a hunk of money with the doctor too.

He needs to be neutered and it should be done now. It's very important to do it by the time the dog is about a year of age. Considering the problem he has it's quite urgent. I also would not risk leaving a dog without his other shots, including parvo and distemper. He could die so fast if he caught those things -- things a simple vaccination would prevent.

The ear bleeding when he shakes his head is probably going to need surgical repair. This happens because of the tremendous force when a Great Dane shakes the head and flops the ears like that. It usually won't heal on its own, because the dog keeps shaking it. It may also be a sign that his ears are itching due to fleas, ear infection, or ear mites.

If all of this expense is too much, you may need to consider contacting Great Dane rescue to help find this dog a new home. There is a national contact for Great Dane rescue listed at http://www.akc.org. You should probably also pursue looking for his former owner. I really fear you're going to get hurt, or the dog is, or someone else is, unless you can do a lot of things pretty quickly. It's not an inexpensive type of dog to own by far. I hope things work out.