Great Danes

Great Danes are the gentle giants of the dog world.  I give many volunteer hours every week to an organization that raises and trains great danes to be service dogs for people with mobility problems.  We also train them for other uses, and I see that you are in Pittsburgh (one of my favorite cities).  We recently placed a dog with a woman in Pittsburgh--the woman is deaf and has problems with dizziness and falling, so the dog is trained to hear for her and to support her. 

Somethings to consider if you some day want a Great Dane:  They have very short life spans compared with other dogs.  Depending upon the line, they can live as short as six years, eleven is considered very old for a dane.  Hips--if you do get a dane, you must make sure it has had what they call a PennHip xray as a pup to assure that it's hips are sound.  Bloat--like all large chested dogs, they are prone to bloat.  Food--they will eat more than a small dog, but since they aren't a high energy dog, it's not a ridiculous amount.  Poop-big dog, big poop. 

On the plus side--their exercise needs are really rather minimal once they reach adult size.  1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the evening and the rest of the time they are perfectly happy to be couch potatoes.  They actually make very good city dogs.  They are very trainable and MUST be trained at a very early age to behave--if you cannot control a great dane with your voice, then you will never control it.  They are affectionate and bright and loyal, and often quite comical and goofy. 

Most importantly, like any dog, you would need to make sure that any dog you get is from a reputable breeder who has a clean line of dogs with years of proven good health. 

Great Danes are a German breed though they`re called Danes.
Here it`s a problem of aggression they sometimes have so it`s very important to look out for a good line. I don`t know if it`s the same in the States but it really takes a lot of time to find a good kennel here.
 
Also I know some Danes that are not that lazy, many of them are full of temperament. And what you also should consider is, they are prone to drool a lot.
Besides that they`re wonderful dogs, just as any other breed or mix they`re affectionate, loving and sooooo beautiful to look at. And just as Angelmarie said it`s very important to give them a proper education, like any dog should have. But for their size it`s absolutely important.
 
And there is this problem in their genes with the color, don`t know the word again. When a breeder has a litter with two stained Danes the puppies can have this grey color with black stains. I find it beautiful but it is actually a miscolor, at least here.

I have yet to meet a Dane that is tempremental, and I have met quite a few and they have all been Giant Love Bugs. I am constantly in contact with 3 Danes, a 9 month old Tan colored female, a Tan Male and a gorgeous Merle colored female. I personally love the Merle I find this particular color beautiful

dyan and mkampa both have danes....maybe one of them will post on your thread!
 
We looked at danes before we got our first saint. They are really amazing, wonderful dogs []

Thanks so much.  I haven't really been around great danes too much, but I did assume they would need a lot of training, because of their size especially.  Are there any reasons to pick a female over a male, or vice versa.  I would like to have a female as my next dog...I've had males for so long. 

The color that Susa refers to is when Harlequin (that's the white with the black spots) produce a Merle puppy.  I personally think the merles are the prettiest color of all danes, it's almost a blue color with black and some white spots.  The merles should never, ever be bred because of the possibility of a white dane being produced, and therefore the possibility of deafness occurring  I don't understand the genetics and am not even sure if I've got it right!!  And, yes, some of them are very good droolers, not all are. 
 
When looking for a breeder, look for one who is working to breed a mostly compact dane.  If you find a breeder who has been breeding to get the biggest danes possible, that's not a good sign, just as a toy dog breeder trying to breed the tiniest dog possible is not a good thing.  The blocky, solid danes can be healthier than the freakishly huge ones.  The line is very, very important in these dogs. 
 
 

Danes were originally created by mixing sighthounds with mastiffs, to produce a large, powerful hunting and guarding dog. Until fairly recently they were a high prey drive and rather aggressive breed. They've been bred for "loveability" since then. Lines vary dramatically in their level of prey drive, aggression, and trainability these days, so make sure you check out the behavior of the parents.
They have a lot of health issues you can prevent by proper feeding and exercise, especially during puppyhood, so make sure you get very well educated before acquiring one. Despite their size they are a peculiarly delicate and sensitive breed.
They do not do well left alone for many hours a day. Youngsters do need running space, so if you don't have a big fenced yard you'll need to find a safe place to let the dog run. A good fifteen minute full out run three times a week will do wonders for a young Dane's behavior.

Research is the best advice. Investigate breeders and pedigrees carefully. I strongly advise against buying from a breeder that doesn't show and isn't well established. Research health problems and requirements. They are very delicate. They need specific food requirements. Do not feed puppy food. Amplify everything about a dog if you are considering a Dane. Everything costs more. Vets, groomers and kennels charge more for giant care. Crates, toys, and meds cost more. They eat more, make bigger messes, need more room, need a larger vehicle, bark louder, etc... They need their own beds and couches. They need to be with their people. They don't drool so much as they slobber and the slobber flies.

About 15 years ago I owned a Dane named Jocko. He was a Harlequin and weighed right about 165. He was absolutely beautiful. His personality was gentle and loving. He thought he weighted about 10lbs. The ONLY problem I have with Danes is their life expectancy. He only lived 7 years....way too short a time. Most of them have no clue that they are so large. I found Jocko very intelligent too. He was top dog in his obiedience classes of about 20 different breeds.  

There are breeders breeding for longevity. There were grandparents in Saber's pedigree that were in their teens. And they did not pass of natural causes. There used to be a grand old gal here on idog. I think her name was Misty and she was 10 or older. And I think my friend shelterdog ran across someone that had an ancient Dane.

Georgie4682 - First off, KUDOS to you for wanting to pick a dog that matches with you instead of just a breed that you like!  So many times, the energy level of the dog does not match the owners and there is much frustration and unhappyness for the dog.  Also, good for you on doing your research!  Great Danes are a wonderful breed but do require some very special attention.  We are the happy and proud owners of TWO Great Danes!

In Cesar Milan's words - Exercise, Discipline, Affection...and in that order!

Exercise:  We walk our Danes twice a day, but as they get older we'll cut that back to one long walk a day.  It is recommended that you do not use a Dane as your jogging companion until at least 18mos old.  Remember if you are going to play tug of war games with your Dane, you HAVE to win or else your Dane will start to entertain thoughts of pack leadership.  So, if you are not strong enough to win, do not play.  Also, never buy a harness type lead for your Great Dane....all that does is 'harness' the most powerful part of your Dane so that he can drag you around.  Instead, buy the Gentle Leader collar that goes over the bridge of their nose and around the back of their head.  This is where a Dane is weakest and allows you good control for teaching "the walk".  Exercise is directly proportional to behavior.  The more exercise  your dog gets the better behaved he should be.  Which leads to the next topic....

Discipline:  Great Danes are very easy to train, but given their immense size, you MUST start training as early as you can...12 weeks is not too young.  Always consider if the behavior is "cute" as a puppy, what will it be like when your Dane is 140 pounds?  Mouthing (that testing everything with their mouth that a puppy does) is a perfect example...it's cute when your puppy does it, not so cute when your full grown Great Dane does it.  You must always be the pack leader as dogs that see a leadership void will step up and be their own pack leaders and then they will rule you.  This does not make for a happy dog that only wanted to be a follower.  Our Great Danes are kennel trained.  That means that when we are not home, or at night, the dogs are in their kennels.  We started this from day one, and they love their kennels.  It's always been a positive experience for them...never a punishment.  They will go to their kennels now to nap or when we have company and they are no longer interested in socializing with our guests.  We do not let our Danes have free run of the house.  If they are with us, then they are laying on their bed.  This is all about discipline.  They have never been allowed on furniture and have always been instructed on what is acceptable to chew.  Pig ears, Rawhides, bones, dog toys all OK.  Shoes, socks, towles, their beds, furniture NOT OK.

Affection:  If your Great Dane is going to be spending a lot of time alone (in his kennel preferably and not all over the house where he can get hurt or into mischief) then you might want to consider getting two.  They love companionship.  Danes just want to be with their owners and are often referred to as 130 pound lap dogs.  Also, Danes are vorascious chewers, and an improperly trained, bored Dane can make a meal out of just about anything.  So having two gives them eachother to play with.  Affection is a two edged sword.  If you give your Dane affection when he comes up to you and nudges your hand, you have just submitted to his terms and he is the pack leader.  Our Danes only get affection when they earn it.  We tell them to sit, lay down, go their bed...anything that makes them do something for our affection.  This makes them very happy dogs.  You definitly do not want 130 pounds doing things on his terms! 

Health Considerations:  Here is where research pays off.  Danes are prone to a couple of very scary health conditions.  First is Hip Dysplasia.  As with any large breed, Hip Health is a huge concern.  Look for a breeder that has registered their dogs on a national registry by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.  In the event that your breeder does not participate, be diligent about questions regarding history of Dysplasias (Hip, Elbow).  The second scary condition is called Bloat.  Bloat is a condition in barrel chested breeds.  Their stomachs are literally too big.  When a dog exhibits signs of Bloat, that means that his stomach has actually turned over on itself and twisted.  This is a DEADLY condition and your dog could die within a couple of hours if not treated.  To limit the chances of Bloat you can treat it surgically with a procedure called a Tummy Tack which actually secures the stomach so that chance of it twisting are very low.  You can also use some common sense.  Feed from elevated bowls (Our Dane's bowls are 23  inches above the ground).  Limit the amount of water they take in with their food.  And finally do not let them play, rough house or go on a walk for about 1hr after eating.

General Thoughts:  I might recommend you rescue an older Great Dane to cut your teeth, or spend time rescuing Danes.  Foster them for a few days, help transfer them between shelters, all good experiences since you are not in a hurry.  Remember, most Danes only live 8-12 yrs and 15 on the rare occasion.  This would give you experience with their size before you tackle the puppy.  I would also recommend an excellent book:  Dr. Ackerman's Book of Great Danes.  This will give you an excellent foundation in the breed.  If  you have not read either of Cesar Milan's books, I highly recommend those as well.  Understanding that your dog is first Animal, Dog, Breed, Name in that order, is crucial for understanding how to be your dog's pack leader.

 Best of luck to you...and with all the other Great Dane owners out here, keep us posted! 

I think it is rare that you only see one Great Dane in a household, so be prepared. 

Well, I don't know anything about Great Danes, other than the fact they are HUGE!  So I hope your not a petite person, otherwise, you may want to get a saddle and just ride it, instead of trying to take it for a walk.  LOL  Sorry, seriously, they are a beautiful dog, but I also have a feeling they would be very expensive.  Food alone!  There are people a couple of blocks away from me who have one and I had to look twice, I thought it was a deer!  It was so big!  And where I live (your home town, too I see) all the houses are basically ranches or multi-levels with decent yards, but I couldn't imagine having a GD in my house!  One of us would have to move out to make room!  :)

Actually due to their generally low energy expendeture, they eat only about as much as a Labrador.  A bowl of kibble in the morning and one at night and they are happy.  Avoid corn or wheat in their food though, stick to lamb, beef and rice and they will be satiated with less food as corn and wheat are generaly just cheap fillers that pass right through.

 Chad