Great Dane- Pros and Cons...

Squirm

I am hoping to get a Great Dane pup when we move house but my partner is nervous that we would be undertaking too big a task. Pun not intended!

It would be the first dog I have ever personally owned but my partner would have always owned dogs as a child. He is eager to get a pup fairly soon after we move but, is as of yet unsure as to what breed he would be most interested in.

I was hoping to hear some personal experiences from Great Dane owners and/or breeders, as to what they are like as pets. I have done a good bit of reading up on the breed, but find this doesn't compare to first hand stories.

This dog would very much be a family pet (I have one child) but would be a pet moreso for my partner and I, as my child is too young to interact with a pet. I would probably be looking to adopt (if possible) a female and ould be interested in reeding her in the future, should she be free of any genetic health problems.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

(Also, I have found, while browsing this forum, that most threads such as this one tend to be met with posts outlining how difficult looking after a dog is and often seem to suggest that the poster is incapable of dog rearing. I was hoping to get less of that and rather tips pertaining to the care etc of the specific breed in question!! Thanks!!)

bullylover

Hey:)
I have a 5 month old merle male great dane pup:) Super cute, very well behaved and a nice allrounder!
You should look into all the health problems with Danes (and there are alot!!) esp heart conditions.
Temperment is very important. Danes were guarders, we have tried to breed this trait out but it can still be strong in some and its no fun holding a monster back!
I have my boy nearly 3 months, and to the minute on pay day he injures himself! 3 trips to the vets! First wasnt serious jst a dicky tummy, second was serious, he had a very very dicky tummy and third was with a broken toe:/
Im lucky I have 365 acres of a back garden, although he much prefers our indoor arena with the soft sand:P They need to stretch their legs, nothing funnier then seen a dane pup go into a mental run! legs everywere!
I have my boy on the BARF diet, raw meet with ground bone supplement. I do feed him bones (known weight bareing) such as ribs:) obv Raw:D oh and he got his dicky tummy off dog food, he's been 100% on the Barf:P
Puppy food, even Large Breed ones, are not suitable for Danes, you want them to grow slow and steady and the foods on the market definitly dont do that!
All in all, my boy is fantastic, I have always had Giant Breed dogs, this is my first Dane tho. He eats, sleeps, walks and sleeps. So far no chewing, crying or barking. But I think i just pulled the right straw. I got him off fantastic breeders who did everything right.
I dont know what else to tell you. They are super dogs, any of them I have met have been great. Any questions and i will try and answer them for ya:)

bullylover

Theo:) just 4 months:P

andreac

Great post by Bullylover.:)

Just wanted to add, you have totally contradicted yourself OP. You say you want to adopt but then go on to say you want to breed? It doesnt make sense
If you adopt a great dane from a rescue or whatever, under no circumstances will you be allowed to breed, it defeats the whole purpose of rescuing a dog tbh.
If you want to go down the breeding route then you need to carefully consider your breeder, the pedigree, the quality of the bitch and the sire you choose. You have to ensure all health checks are done and these dont come cheap with a great dane.

Please do a lot of research before even considering getting one of these dogs and decide do you want to rescue or intend on showing with a view to breeding down the line, as the 2 are poles apart.

Kadongy

If you dont have a big back garden forget it.

I lived with a great dane being kept in a small garden/small house. She was walked every day but the confinement still drove her mental.

Shanao

Kadongy wrote: »

If you dont have a big back garden forget it.

I lived with a great dane being kept in a small garden/small house. She was walked every day but the confinement still drove her mental.

I second this. Danes need mental and physical stimulation no matter how lazy they may appear. I know a dane who ate his way through a partition wall when he was seven months old out of sheer boredom. They are a lot of work in the beginning, and can be wired until fully grown, a friend of mine has a ten month old who she can barely control when he meets other dogs because he's so strong and excitable. Otherwise he's a beautiful big baby who just loves to crash on the couch (though he barely fits on it).

I had originally planned on getting a dane (for about three years) but decided against it after a really bad experience with a breeder so make sure you go to a good, reputable breeder. I've met, emailed and called plenty of good breeders and they are always more than happy to advise and help you out with any problems. The irish great dane club have a website as well if you ever want to contact some breeders.

boomerang

For me the biggest issue with Danes is the cost. They are more expensive to feed, more expensive to insure, more expensive to accessorise (bigger beds, bigger collars, bigger bowls etc. all cost more) and most of all, cost a bomb in vet care. Even a routine operation like neutering will be vastly more expensive than a smaller-sized dog, because the amount of anaesthesia needed for a giant breed is factored into the cost. Also, there are numerous health issues with the breed - bloat is a particular worry and it can happen more than once.

Another issue for me is their short lifespan - the longest I've seen a Dane live to was eight years old. There are exceptions of course, but the average lifespan for the breed is just seven years. My own dogs are 8 and 9 now with hopefully many more years of health and happiness ahead of them. That wouldn't likely be the case if they were Danes.

Also with such a giant breed, where you source your pup is ultra important. Such a big dog needs a rock-solid temperament. I know someone who rescued a Dane who was just used for breeding and had never been socialised. The dog is afraid of her own shadow and very wary of strangers. That's a recipe for disaster unless the dog is very closely controlled. Breeders on Done Deal and the like will happily breed from fearful or aggressive dogs - not traits I'd like to see in a 50kg dog! :eek:

If you do get a Dane pup, kind but firm training needs to start from day one. A pup can start positive reinforcement training from even five or six weeks of age! The key is to keep the sessions very short, and to make them fun for the puppy. You do not want a giant breed to pull on the lead, counter-surf or jump up on the kids!

I hear they scare easily if there is a ghost in the house .

corkthai

i have a female harlequinn and i can honestly say the dog is almost human.she seems to understand everything.
I have a large garden but i can say she does not use it that much. she prefers to stay where i am.
For me must haves if you have a great dane

1) a large couch or bed that they can call their own
2) constant companionship - ie you
3) Not be fussy about drool
4) expect the dog to sit on the couch with you
5) no small cats or rabbits - must be the hunter in them
6) sleep indoors

Danes love their comfort - she loves nothing better than to jump on the bed for a sleep in of a saturday morning.
I just rescued a german shepherd and the difference is huge.

Mine is nearly 7 now and so far no health problems

ChopShop

Proper training from day one is very very important.

If a small dog gets into bad habits, not hard to take to task.
Large dog: Different story.

On top of which GDs are usually very intelligent, which in dog terms means WILLFUL.

Since they'll almost all be smaller, developing familiarity with other dogs is a potential problem.

Squirm

Thanks for your replies.

A friend of our family has always kept Great Danes but hers seem to have lived for an average of 10-13yrs, so I was surprised to read that many only live to be 8yrs. My grandmother has actively bred dogs her entire life and has many friends in this field. It was from something she had said that made me consider looking for Great Dane to adopt AND breed. The man who provides the studs for her females was saying to her recently about a number of good pedigree Great Danes that have been 'rescued' due to their size and their owners inability to maintain them. Which got me thinking about looking to do both. I accept that generally in would be against the norm to adopt a dog for the purpose of breeding.

My back garden will be of above average size for a garden in the Dublin suburbs, but not huge. We have a holiday home with a huge garden that we frequent at the weekends, but we wouldnt wish to rely on this... I was under the impression, from what I read online, that Great Danes dont tend to require a large amount of exercise space, but rather do require a good deal of inside space. So it's good to read that people found that, despite this, they still do get cabin fever!

Thanks again for your replies. It would really only be the financial requirements that would put me off, but we'll see!

andreac

Why would you want to adopt and then breed? It doesnt make sense?
The reasons those dogs would be up for adoption is usually down to people breeding them un necessarily.
I just dont understand why you would feel the need to do this if you want to adopt a dog??

toadfly

OP good rescues will not rehomed an unneutered dog as they don't want to add to the problem. Even when I got my second dog from the pound they wanted proof that my other dog was spayed.

ppink

Deleted User wrote: »

I hear they scare easily if there is a ghost in the house .

lol:D I read this several times and it only just dawned on me:o

ppink

Squirm wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

A friend of our family has always kept Great Danes but hers seem to have lived for an average of 10-13yrs, so I was surprised to read that many only live to be 8yrs. My grandmother has actively bred dogs her entire life and has many friends in this field. It was from something she had said that made me consider looking for Great Dane to adopt AND breed. The man who provides the studs for her females was saying to her recently about a number of good pedigree Great Danes that have been 'rescued' due to their size and their owners inability to maintain them. Which got me thinking about looking to do both. I accept that generally in would be against the norm to adopt a dog for the purpose of breeding.

My back garden will be of above average size for a garden in the Dublin suburbs, but not huge. We have a holiday home with a huge garden that we frequent at the weekends, but we wouldnt wish to rely on this... I was under the impression, from what I read online, that Great Danes dont tend to require a large amount of exercise space, but rather do require a good deal of inside space. So it's good to read that people found that, despite this, they still do get cabin fever!

Thanks again for your replies. It would really only be the financial requirements that would put me off, but we'll see!

I would have thought that if you are getting a great dane from a good breeding line it will cost a lot of money (as opposed ot say a puppy farm one) and I would be surprised if people paid out that amount of money and then decided they could not afford to keep the dog....does that really happen?

An aunt of mine always had great danes too and I dont think any of them lived to a decent age......fab dogs though!

hadook

corkthai wrote: »

5) no small cats or rabbits - must be the hunter in them

Start saving now if you plan to get a Dane OP. We have a 7 year old black and white female and she's cost us a fortune over the years.

Health wise Yama has a heart condition (DCM), several food allergies and has bloated twice (both out of hours of course). She also suffers from arthritis.

When she was a pup she ate two walls, pulled the architrave off the bathroom door while my OH was inside, smashed through three crates and ripped the drain pipes off the outside of the house. She's pulled down curtains, buried pigs ears in the middle of the leather couches and destroyed more bins and cat litters than I can count. She's played tug with her dog beds, locked us out of the house, broken three windows and ripped down two sets of blinds (this one recently!). We had to make a mad dash to the vets one evening when she got through two locked doors and found some white spirit. She ate the Christmas presents when she was two, costing several hundred quid of damage and a mad dash to the shops on Christmas eve. When she drinks and shakes her head I have to mop drool off the ceiling.

She took apart a rabbit hutch once just to sniff at the rabbit. She's slobbered, shed and bled so much over the back seats of my car that I'll probably never sell it (the chap who valets it hates me because normal dog owners don't have hair on the ceiling of the car)..

Last week I watched her faceplant in the driveway while she tried (unsuccessfully) to scratch her ear and walk at the same time.

We have a large garden (occasionally important), a large couch (very important), live in the middle of nowhere and she's been consistently mentally and physically exercised since the day we got her. She came from a long line of champion Danes and I had plenty of experience with high energy dogs but she's still been hard work.

She's also fiercely loyal, incredibly funny, excellent with children and most other animals (once they avoid the tail) and the most laid back loving lump you'd ever meet. There's no dog like 'em

Tranceypoo

Brilliant picture Hadook!!!

cjf

ppink wrote: »

I would have thought that if you are getting a great dane from a good breeding line it will cost a lot of money (as opposed ot say a puppy farm one) and I would be surprised if people paid out that amount of money and then decided they could not afford to keep the dog....does that really happen?

An aunt of mine always had great danes too and I dont think any of them lived to a decent age......fab dogs though!

You would be very surprised if you visited the pounds and shelters just how many well bred dogs are surrendered. My dobe was very well bred and his owners gave him up after having him just 3 months cause he was getting "too big" they paid huge money for him luckily the breeder was one of the good ones who insists if the owners can't keep the dog they are returned to him for homing. I have a fab staffy in foster with me at the minute who came from a pound. Once had a beautiful chocolate lab surrendered after just one day husband paid top money for her and after just one day wife wanted her gone! It does seem insane but it happens every day!

Heard Danes and dobes are supposed to be the perfect pairing ... If only I had the space!! Never know may win that lotto yet!!

ppink

Hadook that is the funniest post I've read in ages. What a *priceless* doggy you have;)

cjf-funny how some folks are. imagine making the decision, paying all that money and then off to the pound. the issue is thought that even if it is well bred in the pound you have no idea what the breeding is..........so then how do you know if you are mating it with its brother or sister or mother or father??

Squirm

I dont think the majority of Great Danes in rescue centres have been rescued, rather they need re-homing. I do not believe this is because they are being over bred and cannot be sold. It is because their owners underestimated the cost/time/energy/care they would require. Lots of pedigrees that cost their owners good money end up in rescue centres for a variety of reasons.

I am not chomping at the bit to start breeding an animal, but it is something that I would hope to do in the coming years. Mainly because my granny did so for many, many years and both thoroughly enjoyed the process and made a few bob from doing so.

I adore animals and my father and uncle used to breed reptiles and exotic insects when I was younger. It instilled in me a huge interest in the process, which is of course immensely different to that of breeding a dog!!!

I would never purchase a dog from Done Deal and am lucky to have a few family contacts that could point me in the right direction, should I need help finding a reputable breeder, if I did not adopt. Otherwise, Great Dane Ireland has a forum for people looking to rehome Danes and many of them are still young.

Their low life expectency would be an issue though, it would break my heart to lose a pet after such few years. I guess this comes part and parcel with the breed though.

Thanks for the pic and post Hadook!!!

ppink

Squirm if I was you I would contact breeders of *quality* Great Danes and ask them. I always thought that breeders who put much time and effort into the breed take back any of their dogs that are no longer wanted by the owners. I also heard some even have contracts to that effect to ensure no well bred good animals end up in a shelter.

Do you think they end up in a rescue with their papers? so you will know where they came from and who not to mate them with? I never heard of this but maybe you are right.

andreac

Ppink has a good point. A dog that comes from a rescue doesnt have the papers, or ive never heard of that happening so i dont know how you could think you could breed from it if you dont know its pedigree, history etc.

Its either one or the other, you cannot breed from a dog that you have rescued im afraid.

If you want to go down the breeding route thats fine, but you need to carefully choose your breeder, lines, pedigree, quality etc etc, but a rescue will not be able to do any of this so you will have to go to a reputable breeder for a dog with a view to breeding it.

cjf

ppink wrote: »

Hadook that is the funniest post I've read in ages. What a *priceless* doggy you have;)

cjf-funny how some folks are. imagine making the decision, paying all that money and then off to the pound. the issue is thought that even if it is well bred in the pound you have no idea what the breeding is..........so then how do you know if you are mating it with its brother or sister or mother or father??

100% pounds and shelters will not rehome dogs for breeding if you are looking for a particular breed as a pet only there are all sorts of breeds a available for homing. As mentioned my dog was a rehomed to me through his original breeder I have all his papers and we even won a little show! If I had wanted to go down that road the breeder would have totally supported me and I still bring him to visit when they are showing in Dublin but I think breeding and showing when done right and with the proper intentions is like a vocation!! So I got my lad neutered at 10 months adopted my second dog and started fostering!

Cherry Blossom

Squirm wrote: »

I am not chomping at the bit to start breeding an animal, but it is something that I would hope to do in the coming years. Mainly because my granny did so for many, many years and both thoroughly enjoyed the process and made a few bob from doing so.

I can assure you there is no money to be made from breeding danes :pac: It's quite possible that a few other people will make a nice little profit from you doing it though, the Vet and your necessity and accessory suppliers for starters