Great Dane Owners Only: Bringing home my puppy. What should I know?

Question

OK, guys. I need help from all the other dane-owners out there! (Or is it people owned by danes?) We're bringing home our pup in less than a week, and I want to know what I'm in for!

We've had other dogs before- all mutts. In fact, we have 2 now. An aussie mix, and a wolf/rottie/malamute. We've had them from puppies, so I'm used to the whole 'puppy thing'. This is going to be our first dog w/papers.

SO! Any particular "Dane Antics" I should be on the lookout for? Yes, his ears are going to be cropped (Please don't lecture-I've heard it before) so is there anything I need to know that's dane-specific there?

Thanks for the help!!

Answer 1

If you crop his ears you will need to learn how to tape them correctly, how to watch for infections and be very diligent in taping. Be aware it can take a year or more before they stand and on occassion there are Danes whose ears never stand since the cartilage is never strong enough to support erect ears.
NEVER EVER EVER feed your Dane puppy puppy food of ANY kind This includes large breed puppy (Danes are giant breed NOT large breed and the calcium & protein levels in large breed puppy is WAY toHIGH!!!!).Stay away from low quality foods such as Pedigree, IAMS/Eukanuba, Science Diet..these are very inappropriate foods for a Dane (any dog really, they lack good quality ingredients and contain too much cheap fillers & by products) Make sure the food you feed is of good quality and doesn't have a protein level higher then 24%. This is extremely important since too high a protein level can cause some very serious growth issues.
Allow your puppy to play but no forced exercise until he is at least 12 months old (jogging, biking, hiking, etc).
If possible don't get his rabies vacciantion done until he is at least 6 months old..Dane puppies are noted to have bad reactions to rabies vacciantions done earlier.
Steer away from foods with corn, wheat, soy & beet pulp in it.These aren't very nutritious for any dog and they can cause excess gas in Danes which you want to avoid in any breed prone to bloat.
Make sure to sign up for obedience classes as soon as you can. very important for any dog, but particularly so for a breed as big as a Dane.Pay careful attention to proper socialization.
Only buy a puppy from parents who have OFA and/or PennHip certifications on hips, CERF/PRA on eyes and normal thyroid. Look for lines who have health, temperament and longevity behind them.
Danes are NOT outside dogs. They need to be inside with their families. They don't do well in extreme heat or cold.
Danes are very intelligent, highly trainable and very people oriented.They love to sleep on the couch (and there is no problem with this IF they aren't of a dominant nature and you don't mind a dog sleeping/sitting on furniture).
I've owned, show & trained Great Danes for years.They have all been house dogs (as they should be) and they all have been allowed on the furniture, unless I or another human wishes to sit there and then they must move. Hubby and I currently have two Danes sleeping with us at night. One of my current Danes is a certified therapy dog and she also has her first obedience title and her first rally title. All of my Danes have had their AKC Canine Good Citizen award. Past Danes have had Best of Breed Awards in conformation, obedience titles,etc. I have a puppy that is coming into conformation within a few months and will also go for his cgc and obedience/rally titles and will test eventually for therapy dog certification. All of my Danes have been in parades, demos, gone camping, been used as demo dogs in obedience classes, etc.

Answer 2

Make sure you buy good quality puppy food for "large Breeds" they grow very quick and can have bone problems from either too much or not enough of proper nutrition. As someone said before already about if you dont want them on the couch ect..then enforce the behavior straight away..a lap "puppy" soon becomes a Shetland pony trying to sit in your lap for a cuddle. Enjoy your Dane they are really great. They are unfortunately shorter lived than most breeds so love it while its here. They are a lot of fun and great companions.

Answer 3

Well Great Danes are one heck of a big dog. I have a Dane and a Shepherd. As puppies they require a really good brand of dog food such as Nutro, Science diet puppy origional or ProPlan. Feed him alot of food in portions. So three times a day....morning,afternoon and night......try to aim for 4-5 hours apart. They take time to grow into their bones, and when you feed them soak their food in luke warm water for about 20 minutes (helps prevent bloat)....when he gets to be a year old soak it for 10 minutes. When mine was a puppy i fed him 3/4 of a cup each serving until he was 6 months...then it was 1-1/2 cups twice daily. Make sure he gets decent excersize when he is a puppy....not too much you don't want to puch there muscles...when they are older they need more exercise....Good Luck and Enjoy you new pup

Answer 4

*sigh* Okay, I won't say anything about the ears, but be prepared, it is a major surgery and they need a lot of time to heal. I think some were already mentioned. Keep their food elevated, mix in water, do not feed them anything but dog food/milkbones or other treats. Do not let them jump, they can and will flip their stomachs (I know two of mine died that way). Tails become weapons and can hit children in the face and men in a sensitive area. They have a very short life span. Some lasted about 10, while others only saw 8 years. They are excellent indoor/apartment dogs. They are watch, not guard dogs---they will talk alot, but they also hide like big babies. They LOVE any furniture you own and will believe it is theirs to use. One of my dogs chewed a whole through a wall, another chewed the arms off of a chair. They are real sweet hearts! Good with almost everyone, including children. Unless they decide something upsets them about people in particular--one of mine hated redheads, another barked at anyone with glasses, and unfortunately, another didn't like people of a certain race. Good luck, you have chosen one of the best breeds!

Answer 5

Scoring Your Dog Food *Please note that the following is for entertainment purposes only and has not been researched by DAN and may not be a "true" grading of food. If you have any questions regarding the food you are feeding your dog consult your veternarian. This is a very interesting way to check out the quality of the dog food that you are feeding. It's interesting, because sometimes paying more, does not get you more and vice versa. The scores are rather interesting. How to grade your dog's food: (Some brand reviews already calculated here) Start with a grade of 100: 1.For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points 2.For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3.If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4.For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5.If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6.If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7.If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8.If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9.If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10.If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11.If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12.If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13.If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14.If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15.If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1.If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2.If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3.If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4.If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5.If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6.If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7.If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points 8.If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9.If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10.If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11.If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12.For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point 13.If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14.If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point 94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 = F Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you. Brand Dog Food scores: •Authority Harvest Baked: 116 A+ •Bil-Jac Select: 68 F •Canidae: 112 A+ •Chicken Soup Senior: 115 A+ •Diamond Maintenance: 64 F •Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice: 92 B •Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula: 99 A •Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium: 122 A+ •Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato: 106 A+ •Foundations: 106 A+ •Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold: 93 D •Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium: 73 D •Innova Dog: 114 A+ •Innova Evo: 114 A+ •Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables: 110 A+ •Nutrisource Lamb and Rice: 87 B •Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy: 87 B •Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice: 23 F •ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley: 103 A+ •Purina Beneful: 17 F •Purina Dog: 62 F •Purina Come-n-Get It: 16 F •Royal Canin Bulldog: 100 A+ •Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult: 106 A+ •Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice: 97 A •Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+: 63 F •Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies: 69 F •Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken: 110 A+ •Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold: 97 A

Answer 6

My mother has two great Danes from "Danes in Distress"
She has a great heart to rescue these as thier life span is only 7-9 years. She rescued one that was 5 years and only had a few years of love and life with him.

Her one dog, Kira, always puts her nose right in your face and gently "sniffs you" She is so funny, lanky black dane who looks like a cartoon character.
Kira is dominant

Clyde, is a harlequin rescue, afraid of everything but very sweet and very very submissive.


They have thier own futon to sleep on! and they can reach anything off the counter!

-Melissa is absolutely right, watch out for bloat in fact I have heard that adding water to thier food will help with prevention. Also, elevate thier food.

-Never leave your dog outside all the time! It only causes major problems (unless you live in the country)
Danes are generally very soft, sweet dogs so dont worry too muach about having them in your house

Answer 7

Don't feed them a lot at once they can get bloat very easy. They shouldn't be ruff housed as they will be almost as big as you and they DON'T KNOW THEIR SIZE. You need to make sure they don't exerice too much as a puppy they grow very quickly and its not good for them. They need puppy food good quality for 1-1 1/2 yrs of age. GOOD LUCK !

Answer 8

Never let it on the furniture. If you do, it will be hard to get it to stop when it gets too big. It will have that whole big couch all to itself. You need a big yard if its going to be outside most of the time or all of the time. I would suggest keeping it outside at all times because when they get happy, they wag their tail and knock stuff off of the coffee table. When you are cooking and eating, they will jump up on the counters and the table and take your food away from you. Should definately be an outside dog.