I really need help from people who HAVE Great Danes or people who know about them!!?

Question

Ok.........we need guard dogs & were thinking of Great Danes. I want to know answers to the following: are they good guard dogs?, are they good w/ kids?, will they turn on you?, how tall are they really?, are they nice?, and any other good advice you might be able to tell me.... thanks!

Answer 1

Great Danes make wonderful guard dogs...if you train them right, they will only attack on your command or if they sense you or a family member is in danger.
They are wonderful with children as they are kinda like gentle giants too.
No they will not turn on you...they have very large heads which permit for brain growth (dobermans with small heads are known to turn on their masters when their brains push on the walls of the skull...yes, I am serious)
They are really big dogs, but do vary in height...mine at 1 year could put his paws on my shoulders and look me in the eye...I am 5'4"
Yes they are very smart, well mannered dogs if raised in a loving environment...they are super nice and love kids....their tail is the only issue if they are an "inside" dog...(mine was) as they tend to knock things over...lol. Anyways, yes...they are nice dogs...wonderful actually.
Give them lots of love, start teaching them early and they will love you, protect you and will obey you with voice or hand signals depending on how you train them.
If you are looking for a good guard dog along with being child friendly and a part of the family...a Great Dane is the way to go.
Only downside...they are so large as they age they usually get arthritis and do not have real long life spans.
They are

Answer 2

Danes are NOT guard dogs and should never be trained as such. Their size is deterant enough. Yes, a well bred, well socialized, well trained Dane is good with kids. NO!!!! a Dane will not turn on you. A well bred, well socialized, well trained Dane is very nice. A Dane can be anywhere from 28" to 39" tall.
Females are usually a bit smaller then males.The minimum height for females is 28" the minimum for males is 30".

Danes live an average of 10 years but can live into theri teens. They are very people oriented dogs. They like living in the house, being with family and being couch potatoes.They need good quality food with a protein level of not more then 24%.
I suggest you get the book The Great Dane, Model of Nobility by Jill Swedlow. It is the best Dane book out there, written by a very knowledgable Dane person. There is a lot of wonderful info in it.

Answer 3

I have had Danes. They are GREAT dogs...but the ones I have had would only be a good guard dog because they were so BIG! They ARE intimidating ... but, as with pretty well any dog, they 'react' in proportion to how they have been trained. One I had was a Harlequin....big black and white guy. He was REALLY good with kids....they could crawl all over him...poke him in his ears...nose/mouth/whatever...and if he'd had enough he'd just get up and leave....which nobody could prevent since he was 140lbs. They are not known for being good guard dogs...but I imagine they can be trained to do this. ... I really don't know anything about that end of it. They are truly 'gentle giants'. You really should know that they are not that 'long lived'...most vets will tell you they last about 9-10 years...with luck. The Harlequin I had was BIG....he could put his paws on my shoulders...and when he stood beside me his back was at my belt...and I am 6' 3".

Answer 4

I have a Great Dane that IS a guard dog. He wasn't trained to be one, that's just his disposition.The problem is that he hates children. He seems to have absolutely no tolerance for anything smaller than he is and he's 34" tall and about 155 pounds. Tries to attack them if he sees them. But, then, he hates all strangers, too.

I have had one that bit me, so I guess that they can turn on you. But I had only had him a few days when he bit me. I sent him to a trainer that had raised a guarding Great Dane, and he bit him, too. The trainer brought him back to me in a muzzle. That same dog, before he went to the trainer would lie down in front of the TV and let kids use him for a pillow. (Go figure.)

The breed standards are 28 inches and up for females and 30 inches and up for males. That is measured at what is called the withers (like horses: at the topline just behind the neck, like top of the shoulders). "The male shall not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32 inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height. The female shall not be less than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 30 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height."

I have a 5 year old 32" female, a 4 year old 34" male and a 35" male puppy (under 2 years old. They are considered puppies until two years old, but, can continue to grow even after that age.)

Answer 5

There great dogs!! i love them. All the ones that ive seen are maybe 3.5 feet. Yes there good with kids. No they will not turn on you if u treat them properly. But make sure where u get them u know of the family lines and they are properly bred because inbreeding could cause behavior issues. They would make good guard dogs they arent necessarily mean dogs, contrary to what other people say, but like all dogs if there owner is threatened in any way they will attack. But Great Danes can get very bad hip displasia (how ever u spell that). I once met one a little over 1 yr. that was such a baby (it was even a hospital therapy dog) but the owner was saying how he had horrible joint problems. But they are the sweetest big teddy bears ever! I love them!

Answer 6

Great Danes are FANTASTIC dogs, for guarding, and with kids usually ten and above. They can get pretty large (almost four feet tall!), So having children that are too small around them is not good, for they can step on them. As for guard dogs, dogs that are good for things like that, trainable like Great Danes, and possibly friendly with the kids, Boxers work good, and some kinds of mixes that involve rottwielers, boxers, and friendly dogs like labs. Hope i've been a help.

Eric.

Answer 7

Great Dane are wonderful dogs, I have had two of them. But, due to short life spans I lost both at the age of 7.

You would be better off getting a sturdier breed. Great Danes have predispositions for several physical faults. They aren't agile and quick as some of the breeds chosen for aggression training.

They do make great family dogs, rather big for small children.
The average height is about 35 in. and higher for males.
They are sweet hearts.
Their temperament depends on their breeding and pecking order of the litter.

I love Great Danes, they look so regal and proud.
I had a JJ (Just Jimmy) and a Boxcar

Answer 8

Great Danes are NOT good guard dogs, hehehe... they are big loveable cuddle bugs. They may lick an intruder to death.

If you want a guard dog but you have kids, I would suggest a Victorian Bulldog, a Weimaraner, or a Great Pyrenees. These dogs are gentle with their family and most other people, but will be protective if they feel in the slightest bit threatened.

Answer 9

I have a Great Dane, and she is the biggest baby. Great danes are great at guarding if all you want is someone to bark when someone comes to the door - they are not trained protection dogs, no dog is by nature. They are great with kids but be careful, their sheer size may cause them to accidentally hurt the kids if they are young.

Answer 10

I had to Danes growing up, and would not recommend them as guard dogs. Unfortunately, because the breed is so popular, they can be overbred which can make them act funny. They are good dogs with older kids because they don't know their own size and may hurt a smaller child. I would recommend German Shepards instead...I had two of them growing up and they were the best dogs ever.