What do you think about Great Danes?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a couple Great Danes. What is your take on this large breed and what pointers could you give me about raising these gentle giants?

Answer 1

they are really big dogs

Answer 2

Great Danes are WONDERFUL dogs, but they do take some 'special care' if you get them. First, you MUST provide them with good SOFT bedding ... they'll sleep ANYWHERE but are prone to getting 'bald spots' from sleeping on floors or concrete. It doesn't have to be 'really thick and soft' but should be at least 6" thick and fairly 'firm' but not hard'. The second thing to know is that a Dane eats differently than most other large dogs ... they need far more 'bone-meal' and calcium in their diet because of their 'huge bones' ... I used to make a 'stew' using the FULL RIBCAGE OF A COW, water, corn, barley, carrots, and onions and give that to my dogs at the rate of two cups of that per day PLUS their regular 'dry dog food' ... that provided the 'calcium' and the extra fat they needed. You can get the 'full ribcage' if you ask a butcher to save them for you, sinc most of the time the 'meat' is taken off and the 'bones' (which are all you really want to use) are thrown away.
And ALWAYS remember this ... a Dane doesn't ever 'know' how large he is, and that can get him 'caught in a too tight place' if you aren't careful. All Danes remember being 'puppies' and getting 'carried and cuddled' and they think that you ought to 'do that' when they're HUGE ... so BE CAREFUL and 'sit down' and give them 'big hugs' and kisses on their noses (they love that, even if it's 'icky' to us humans) at least three times a day, and you'll have a HAPPY, HEALTHY DANE for many years to come.

Answer 3

I have been around a few great danes and they are obviously as you know a large breed of dog, avg. over 100lbs. It is with my experience that when you get them as a puppy, you mus t take great time and concentrate on teaching them that they are in fact dogs, large dogs at that and that they cannot jump on people or on furniture. They are usually docile but sometimes they can be 'dumbed down' and you must make sure that they respond to you as their master or the alpha dog(their leader). I think they are great dogs but remember all dogs a lot of work, just like bringing a child into the world in my eyes.

Answer 4

They are a giant breed not large breed...they are wonderful dogs as long as they have been bred right, properly socialized and well trained. Ill bred, ill socialized, improperly trained Danes can be a nightmare.

Most Danes do not "slobber" or "drool" (except for right after drinking).They also are not heavy shedders.They pretty much only shed in spring and fall.

They are very smart easily trained dogs and they are very loyal to their families.
A well bred Dane will live an average of 10 years but many live well into their teens.
NEVER feed a Dane puppy food or a food with a protein level higher then 24%..to do so can cause some very serious growth problems. Also never feed a Dane food that contains soy...soy causes excess gas which is something you need to avoid in a breed that can be prone to bloat. NEVER give calcium supplements of any kind to a Dane this can also cause serious bone issues.

Danes fed a good quality food such as Canidae, Wellness, Merrick, Fromm, Chicken Soup, Innova, Solid Gold will not eat that much (Danes should not be fed low quality store brand foods anyway...they contain way too much fillers and usually soy) Also note that a Dane fed a good quality food that doesn't contain a lot of cheap fillers will usually only have 1-2 stools per day and they will be small (won't be able to tell the difference between Dane poop and Lab sized poop) and firm

Make sure to get them from a responsible breeder..one who does genetic health testing, researches pedigrees for health, temperament, longevity and breed standard, offers a health guarantee of at least 2 years, has puppies registered with a legit registry..AKC, UKC (United Kennel Club) or CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) and not with one of the scam registries.

I highly recommend you get and read the book The Great Dane Model of Nobility by Jill Swedlow.. it is one of the only straight forward, honest Dane books with correct info out there. it is written by a very, very knowledgable Dane owner/breeder and is a must in every Dane Lover's library.

My own Danes have held titles in Obedience and rally and my pup (he just turned a year old) is being shown in conformation, obedience and rally). My older girl is also a TDI certified therapy dog. All of my Danes have their AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen). I use them as the meet and greet dogs in CGC tests, demos, parades, take them camping, to places like Petco & Pet Quarters..they go hiking, are demo dogs in the obedience classes I teach...do all kinds of things.

I feed them Canidae All Life Stages dry & canned..they get 2 cups dry in the am and 2 cups in the pm..the pup get 1 can of canidae per day 1/2 am, 1/2 pm..neither of them are tiny..with my older dog being 36" tall and my pup already at 32" and still growing.In addition they each only have 1 poop per day and you wouldn't be able to tell it from a Lab or German Shorthair by size.

Answer 5

Start out with one...

Great Danes are Great Dogs, simply put it, but they're human size, and they're really quite difficult to maintain. They eat a lot of food, about as much as a human, when they use the bathroom they leave giant "presents" for you to pick up, and they squish you when you sleep.

So start out with one.

Answer 6

They're wonderful dogs, but they shed and drool and their waste is larger than those of small dogs. They have a bigger need to be trained; also they eat more food. I think they're great in spite of these big-dog quirks; they are the breed that inspired Mr. Evanger to start Evanger's Dog and Cat Food Company. http://www.evangersdogfood.com

Answer 7

I used to dog-sit for a woman who had 2 great danes. I personally did not like the slobber and dog hair that literally consumes your house. They have this nasty habit of shaking their heads, which flings globs of thick saliva EVERYWHERE. Also, they like to be near people, so they rub up against you, wagging their tail (which feels like a whip if it hits you on the leg).....They are very sweet dogs, but they are just overwhelming for the house.

Answer 8

they are big which means that all that food they pack down has to come out and that shoukd be fun to pick up and they eat a lot but i like them!

Answer 9

if your prepared for really big dog turds go for it!