are great danes good family dogs? I know they are large....if you have owned one or know someone who has...can you give me some pros and cons about the breed..are they active? good with kids? easy to train?
2007-05-12 18:43:49 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
also do they shed a lot?
2007-05-12 18:46:54 · update #1
I've owned them for over 25 years. They are very intelligent dogs. They are easy to train. They are usually good family dogs and get along well with kids and other animals. As adults they are usually calm and quiet..not in the least clumsy. They love being with people. They are NOT outdoor dogs.
Great care has to be taken when buying one as there are many irresponsible breeders out there. A Dane needs to be carefully bred and parents need to have been health tested. They also need to have been bred for temperament as well as breed standard. All dogs and puppies need to be well socialized and well trained. It is important that training begins early since these dogs grow to be a giant breed (not large breed).
Danes fed a good quality food aren't huge eaters...my own Danes only eat 4 cups of dry Canidae plus 1 can of wet Canidae per day..
Heartworm prevention & flea meds are more expensive for a dog this size as is spay/neuter.
A wellbred Dane will live a longer healthier life then those bred irresponsibly. The average life span is 10 years but it's not unusual for them to live into their teens.
It needs ot be taken into consideration that the minimum height of a female Dane is 28" and a male is 30" most get considerably taller then this.
If you are interested in the breed I recommend the book
The Great Dane Model of Nobility by Jill Swedlow. This is an awesome book written by an extremely knowledgable Dane person.
2007-05-13 03:15:25 · answer #1 · answered by Great Dane Lover 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If bred well.. yeah they are awesome dogs. Protective, intelligent, kindly, gentle, dignified, smart. They are perfectly fine with sleeping on the couch and being lazy loungers, but they like to be active and play... just don't expect a Dane to be as active as a Collie or something, right? They are really good family dogs too, and because they are smart, they are pretty easy to train, compared to others anyway. But the problem is, if not fed natural diets, the usual life span of a Dane is about 8-10 years... short, and emergencies and vaccinations cost way more than say a vaccination for a Chihuahua, because it uses way more, and they are just overall bigger dogs, harder to work with.
They are awesome with kids, but please please please DO socialize the dog as much as you can, I mean, dogs aren't born with being socialized, right? If socialized, a Dane could grow into the best dog ever... not only that, but make you laugh just being who they are.. honest.
2007-05-13 03:21:30 · answer #2 · answered by clouds 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Great Danes are wonderful family dogs and aren't over active at all. In fact, they actually do well in apartments provided they are walked daily. They do great with kids and become quite protective of them. Danes are extremely tolerant of anything kids do and are not known for knocking them around as they are quite mellow. They are relatively easy to train as they are eager to please and quite intelligent.
They Shed a normal amount, not excessive, and can be minimized with regular brushing.
My neighbor has a Dane and they also have a swimming pool and if their daughter wants to swim they have to make sure he is in the house or he will drag her out of the pool thinking she is drowning. He's adorable with her.
Go get one!
2007-05-13 02:06:24 · answer #3 · answered by Shanna 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I love Great Danes they are wonderful dogs. They are good family dogs and love to get on the couch, they think they are lab dogs. They are clowns. A very dear friend of mine bred them and showed them. The only bad thing is that they don't live that long and start having health problem around 4 years of age. Not all of course, but you wanted the cons. This is why my Friend no longer breeds them. After the death of his last on he went with a smaller breed.
2007-05-13 01:52:59 · answer #4 · answered by SureKat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Great Danes think they are kids, they also think they are Lil lap dogs. I don't have kids, But I can tell you they get jealous of new people. they want your attention all the time and when you leave you need to make sure you put him/her out or they will get into trouble why you are gone even if it is for 10 min........ They don't understand why you leave them behind...
2007-05-13 01:58:43 · answer #5 · answered by twyla1971 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
GD's are fantastic with people, not known to many people but they can be quite dominant towards other dogs in the house, don't shed excessively but their tail can clear a table in one fell swoop! Not the easiest dogs to train but not that difficult by any means, we have one that comes to agility and she has a whale of a time!
2007-05-13 02:00:32 · answer #6 · answered by bcrcollie 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
my sis had 1 and she was active and clumbsy..... she was not mean at all but my nephew was scared of lady due to her size. she was 9 months old and when she would stand on her back legs she stood up to 6 ft 5 in. oh and lady was not that bright of a dog but that don't mean that all great danes are not bright.
2007-05-13 01:50:54 · answer #7 · answered by kelly k 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
my best friend's neighbor has a great dane and she is super mellow. she domes up to about my waist, and I'm 5'5". Her dog is so sweet, and is well trained. They adopted her at two years old a few years ago and doesn't really react to their smaller hyper dog.
2007-05-13 02:51:54 · answer #8 · answered by Kelly 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋