Great Danes?

Question

Are great danes good with kids because i would like to get one because my wife doesnt like to stay home by her self and i want a good dog that is kid freindly but still protective

Answer 1

They are awsome dogs! I grew up with one as a 'nanny'. She was my protector, and my 'mother'. We got her as a puppy, and raised her ourselves and she grew up knowing me. I used her as a pillow and more than once she saved me. She yanked me out of the way of a biting rattle snake, and saved me from some guy that tried to stab me while I was walking with her. One time I fell down when I was little and busted my knees up and couldn't walk back to the house, and she dragged me back to the house by my pants, and gave me a pillow to lay on. Great danes are great dogs, I love them! they are very protective and loyal to their familys. They aren't very good with other dogs, as our great dane attacked our collie mix several times and really tried to kill her, but the collie was snappy at kids and i think she snapped at me, and jewels(the great dane) just reacted to protect me. Get one as long as you don't have anyother dogs. Other great danes are fine tho, they love eachother.

Answer 2

Great Danes are most usually good with kids IF bred right, trained right, socialized right. They are great dogs but not for everyone. They do NOT need special training to get along well with kids, just proper socialization from breeder to owner.
Also there is no reason for a Dane (or any dog) to run and jump on people and knock them over, that is just a sign of a poorly trained dog with no manners.

I highly recommend that you get the book "The Great Dane Model of Nobility" by Jill Swedlow and do tons of research on them and meet a few before you decide.

They are wonderful dogs but they are NOT for everyone.

Danes do not need a lot of space or a lot of exercise.They are very content to be couch potatoes. They are great as country or city dogs. They get along very well with other pets and livestock.
Well bred Danes from responsible breeders are not at hight risk for any health issues including hip ...just be very careful not to buy from an irresponsible breeder because you can end up with a lot of issues including temperament & health.

Answer 3

I got an english mastiff for the some reasons and they are AWESOME with kids, plus huge with a very intimidating bark. they can be protective, but are not aggresive. check into them. danes ane awesome too, don't know much about them though. mastiffs are shorter by a bit but weigh a bunch more. do good research before getting any giant breed though. if you buy from bad lines they could have hip/thyroid/eye problems etc. just know a BIG dog costs more, short term and long run. the better breeders may cost more initially, but will be better as far as major concerns go. I still have never left the vet for under 100 bucks. even for basic shots. just know that going in. if that's not a problem for you, then good luck! big dogs rock.

Answer 4

A dog must be trained to be gentle with children and yet be an effective guard dog. large does not make a dog naturally protective .Do your homework on this,talk to a vet get a book at the library.etc I founded what has become the largest dog rescue group in my large city.I have had so many pets! Life span of a Dane is seven to eight years at most.Larger the dog the shorter the span.The best guard dog I ever had was a Chow Chow.She came to me grown, as a rescue ,my baby was two years old!Every one thought I was crazy!She was wonderful. All animals are as different as we are.If you get a dog have it trained

Answer 5

My husband travels and so he got me a Great Dane!! It is such a great addition to the nights when he is gone. He is 9 months old and weighs 130 pounds and still growing! If you do get one, make your rules and stick to them!! We weren't going to let him on the furniture but then when he was little my husband decided that it was sad that he was always on the floor now our $1000 couch is trash!! When he was too short to jump on the couch and had to climb, he tore it all up. Make sure to get LOTS of toys and pig ears so it does not get bored. My dog would scare away an intruder... he some times scares friends and they will call me to let them in. He would never hurt a known person. Great Danes are great but expensive! They need lots of room to run and my dog digs!!! When it rains, he gets very muddy! Have a towel by the door! Just make sure that you do your research. AKC has lots of great information about them. Also, he is great with my little kitten. He plays very rough with my husband, less rough with me, even less rough with the cocker, and is very gentle with the kitten. He only plays as rough as the kitten wants to. He is great with my little cousins. Hope that was helpful. If a big dog is what you want, I think a Great Dane would be great but he is quite a bit of work.

Answer 6

It depends on how big your children are. A very good friend of mine has a very sweet Dane, named Apollo. The problem with this pup, is that he has no clue how big he is. He will come running up to you to say "Hi!" and will knock you completely over. He also likes to sit on everyone's laps. We have a hard time moving him once he sits. I can see how he could hurt a child without even trying! Danes also have hip and joint issues. If a child climbs on tp them, it is very possible that they can hurt the dog.

I would look into something like a Rottie, Shepherd, or Lab. These are all very good dogs with children and they would protect you house well. I grew up with many shepherd and labs and had a few wonderful rotties when my children were younger.

Good luck to you!

Answer 7

Danes are OK with kids, but if you have small children be careful a Dane is very large at 6months to a year old but still have the heart of a puppy. you might want to check on a boxer a bit smaller and very protective of their family if threatened.(a high energy breed though)

Answer 8

For the most part they are great with kids. They are big and I have heard of problems from that but normally they are not aggressive unless raised in a bad environment or from a bad breed line of aggression. If your wife doesn't want to be home alone though she should be the one picking out a dog to keep her company.

Answer 9

any dog you put the time and training into can be a great family pet and protector. i would reccomend researching any breed that appeals to you. keep in mind that danes have a very short lifespan compared to other dogs, and the vet and food cost can be rather high. just make sure you research th e breed and know what type of family they fit best into. my suggestion to you would be to visit your local shelter, there are many great dogs there that fit your description. good luck.

Answer 10

most are great with kids, but not for protection. many danes don't have the disposition for guard dog training. i have two danes, and if someone broke into my house, they would just be like, "oh, if you pet me i'll show you where the good china is!" on the other hand, my 18 month old niece poked thunder in the eye the other day, and he just sat there, happy he was getting attention. the only thing you want to be careful of with kids and a well trained dane is the sheer size difference. those tails can hurt, and will knock a small child down. every large and giant breed dog needs to be well trained more so than a smaller dog- bad things can happen if a dog over 100 pounds jumps up on you or is aggressive. even then, accidents can happen. thunder gave my friend a black eye just by hitting him in the face with his tail! poor joey said he was going to tell people he was in a bar fight to save face - he was too embarrassed to say that he was hit by a dog's tail, even though thunder weighs 220 lbs. other things to watch out for is getting your feet stepped on, and going up and down stairs... it seems like all danes have an innate need to be the first one either up or down the stairs, even if they don't really want to go! big dogs have such human personalities, more so than smaller breeds. you can almost tell exactly what they're thinking. i grew up with danes, and have only had one that was aggressive - he survived horrific abuse before i rescued him, and had to be taken to guard dog school so he'd know when to be aggressive and when not to be. it is just not safe to have a dog that large who periodically tries to kill people. he did go through the bedroom window once when someone was trying to break in, but he also would try to bite anyone who got too close to me, including my mom. again, he was the only dane i've had that was aggressive to people, and i've had 23 in my life, between growing up with my folks, as my own pets, and fostering them for rescue. not all danes are good with other animals. thunder has issues with unaltered (not neutered) male dogs, and breaking up a fight between two danes can be dangerous. sabrina is very protective of kids, but more in a concerned parent way than a don't hurt them way. she always wants to know where the kids are, and if one starts crying she'll run between the child and the parent until they go see what's wrong. she acts the same way with other dogs... if two dogs are fighting, she'll come and get me. i'm not trying to scare you off the breed at all, as they are, as far as i'm concerned, the best damn dogs ever, i just want you to know exactly what you're getting into. i also recommend, if you have small children, to get an adult dane who has been temperance tested with kids. puppies get into lots of trouble, and big puppies get into big trouble. one of my mom's danes was a chewer as a puppy, and she came home one day to find the dining room table leg almost chewed completly through. having a big dog is a big responsibility. please make sure you have considered all the facts before you make a decision. many dogs come through our rescue because people get this cute puppy, and then don't train it. once it gets to be full grown, they realize they can't control it, and get rid of it. it's really a sad fate for a beautiful breed. good luck with your search, and i hope you decide that a dane is right for you and yours.