Great Dane Puppy?

Question

I am getting a great dane puppy at the end of the month, and i was wondering if there was anybody that could give me some advice on the breed. If you know of a "dane" group, i would love to know it. Or really good websites. I have done some research, but would like to talk to ppl that have already experianced this. Thanks

Answer 1

Don't let it sleep in your bed because it will grow really big and push you out. Get it a set of dishes that sit high or that sit in a stand so it can digest is food properly.

Answer 2

I have a great dane. She is now 8. At age 7 she was diagnosed with colon cancer, the masses were removed and she is thriving !! They actually gave her 6 months to live. She is gaining weight and living her life to the fullest. Many state they do not live past 6 or 7 , she is proof that this is not always the case. I have an 8 year old and a 4 year who just adore her. She is very very gentle to the children and protects them. They are great friends.
Great danes are very very large breeds therefore require a big budget, they eat ALOT more food.
Danes also need alot of exercise. They only thing that I found to be a drawback, is that she does not know her size, she thinks shes a tiny dog.
We also go through alot of "missing" dinners. She can take whatever she wants right off the counter.
Its a bread to think about, but since you have already done your research it sounds like you and your new friend will be A OK together !!! Good luck !!

Answer 3

Diet is key to a healthy Dane. He should be fed only Large Breed Puppy Chow or adult dog food. The protein level should NOT be over 23%. A higher protein level results in a faster growth. Too much weight on growing bones can cause lots of problems later. Start reading dog food labels now. The first ingredient should be meat, not corn for a healthy dog.

Answer 4

Join the Great Dane Room on MSN Groups. There is a library of important information, and many friendly experienced people available to answer questions. Also lots of photos of Danes and stories about them.

Congratulations on doing your homework, that is the mark of a good dog owner.

Answer 5

As with ANY puppy, he's going to need a LOT of attention. I highly reccomend crate training as they're big dogs and can be a little destructive whether purposely, or just by swingin that big tale too far. I fostered a great dane for my rescue and although he was the nicest dog, he was the most destructive just because of his size. Make sure you try house breaking him asap as any dog will be stubborn if you wait too long. And a trick I use with my dogs when they're not behaving is a water sprayer. Just a typical spray bottle with water in it. If they do something bad, you say "No!" and spray them once. Eventually they will learn not to do it unless they want to be sprayed....Of course, there are always those dogs who LIKE the water shooter..

Answer 6

Lucky you!! We adopted a Dane from a shelter 6 years ago,he was a puppy and abused! We had a lab previous to him, and our Dane is the best dog in the world! Yes, he is large and when happy the swing tail hurts, but he is great with kids, he has grown up with my 13yr. son. I think they are very smart, he brings his leash when ready to walk, bowl if its empty, and protects "his boy"He does love his crate, we did close the door when he was younger, because he did alot of exploring when we werent home, and now we leave the door open, but he does like his space still, and will go lay in there.Drooling is
one of their traits, but nothing a good wipe with a paper towel cant cure! Good luck to you!

Answer 7

My family owns a 2 year old Harlequin, he is a handful!

I'll let others give you links, I'll just give you some advice.

- Don't use force to control him as a puppy, he will most likely grow to be stronger than you.

- Don't overfeed him as a puppy to try to get a larger dog. Size is determined mostly by genetics and overfeeding him will make him grow faster, not taller, which will overstress his bones.

- Glucosamine supplement

- Give him a good pillow to sleep on or he WILL develop elbow swelling. When he does DO NOT have surgery on his elbow, get one of those leg harnesses, that will make it go away.

- Don't be surprised when he sits on your lap or on a couch, their rear legs are too long and they have a hard time sitting on the ground like other breeds.

- Neuter him!!!!

- And last but not least, DON'T CLIP HIS EARS, their "look" will match their personality a lot better if you don't, plus you'll save the troubles of missclipped ears. At the most use a bandage around his ears if they seem to stick out too much.

Oh, and I will give you only one link that has plenty of information:

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/

Take good care of your puppy!

Ignacio

Answer 8

Danes are awesome dogs. They are peacekeepers - if other dogs are fighting, Danes think it is their job to get in the middle and break it up. They are smart and loyal and if you treat them with love and kindness are very gentle and affectionate dogs. They do slobber a LOT, so be prepared for that.

Many people crop the ears and dock the tails of these beautiful dogs. There is no good health reason to do this. It is purely cosmetic, and it is painful to the dog, so please respect the animal's natural beauty and leave its ears and tail intact.

Answer 9

They drool ALOT!!! there life expectancy is cut short due to the largness of the breed. They could be agressive, just like any other dog, but remember there HUGE. There drool is nasty, its wraps around there head when there excited. Id get a smaller dog, danes need alot of attention. He can just grab whatever food he wants right off the counter so you have to watch that alot now, he cant beeating scraps all the time right? Good luck there a pain in the butt.

Answer 10

First of all congrats on your new puppy!!, I believe that the worst thing about this breed is that, unfortunately, they don't live very long compared to other dog breeds specially the toys or miniatures (I had the luck of having one for 13 years but that is attipical) but don't let this discourage you, they are very well worth it. They are extremly loving and loyal. They tend to be very clumpsy, specially when growing up, they grow so fast they don't get a chance to get used to their size and strength before they out grow it. But after that is overwith (about 2 years) they become as active or unactive as you get them used to (mine was a big couch potatoe like me). As to recomendations, precisely because of their size and strength they need to be VERY well trained or they will become unmanagable, START EARLY, go to puppy training clasess or if you can afford, a personal dog trainer. They also have special giant dog dietary needs (again specialy while growing up) so please take him to his first vet exam quick (also will need a few sets of puppy shots) be sure to ask about nutrition and breed predisposition deseases like hip displasia, arthritis, gastric dialated volvulus (or GDV for short, this is a big one), dilated cardiomyopathy and panosteitis. Remeber to spay or neuter at 6 months and consider wether you want his/her ears cropped or not (it is elective, some think it is cruel but believe me they get over it very quickly). Remeber to always do your research, knowledge is very important to avoid making mistakes in the future and follow your vets advise (don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need, that is what they are there for). Good luck with everything! By the way my favorites are the harlequins (have had 5 of them) and probably will never own another breed of dog. Here are a couple of links you might find helpful!!