Great Dane

For a dog bed try Costco, they have beds at about $20 and they are durable. They work well for Danes.
 
As for weight, when was the last time your dog was checked for parasites?  You may want to have bloodwork done on him and a fecal float to determine if there is an underlying cause. If all turns out okay, it may just be his age or activity level and he may need you to up his food intake.
 
Take him to obedience classes. Qualified trainers can help you on these issues of separation and aggressiveness, and it is something fun for both you and your dog to be involved in.[]

go read the Great Dane Lady's website, particularly about feeding a great dane.

How old? weight? height? We feed Eagle Pack.
I use heavy thick blankets in crates. The w-mart cheapos are good. For regular beds I made heavy denim covers for papasan cushions. Washable and sturdy. The cushions have a couple duct tape patches but have lasted about 4 years.

In answer to questions, Shadow is 3 and currently at 122lbs (we think he should probably be around 140 - any thoughts?) if you go to [linkhttp://www.kentuckianak-9.com]www.kentuckianak-9.com[/link] under the obedience section you'll see a picture of Shadow.  Bob (the trainer) did a great job teaching Shadow his basic commands (although we've been a bit lax in keeping it up) but advised us that Shadow is an agressive dog and there isn't a whole lot that can be done other than to avoid situations that would bring that aggression out.
 
We went to the vet this past Sat. and had the vet run some tests.  He had a fecal done that was neg. for parasites, his organs all checked out fine, but his blood work did show he has some bacteria in his system that is likely causing his to lose weight and have diarrea.  She thinks he's had this probably since rescue as the bacteria is usually picked up drinking out of creeks and bonds that have that green algea stuff in them.  So she gave us medicines, which he should be done with by Tuesday, and had us switch to Eukanumba Puppy food to get his wieght back up and also to feed him some Kibbles and Bits too.  Now I know I should trust vet's judgement, and we have put him on Eukanumba puppy but I just can't bring myself to feed him K&B - I always thought is was so full of dyes and fillers that you shouldn't feed it.  We are also still feeding him the satin balls and thinking about getting some raw tripe for him.
 
 
Any thoughts, suggestions, commments, random dane knowledge?
 
Oh - by the way - we had always heard that danes were generally very laid back and quiet, slept a lot, etc - Shadow is def. not like that.  Are most danes?  We have also been told that Harlequins don't ever grow out of the puppy stage - any thoughts?

The picture on the website was right after we had got Shadow from the rescue - the trainer Bob had been feeding him an off brand he got at Sam's Club with a can of Kroger gravy over it.  We didn't like the sams club brand (because of the low quality) although we did keep up the gravy trying to entice him to eat more - didn't work.  We've tried pasta as well with little results.

To be honest with you, I'm not sure how either food is gonna pack on weight....both are full of stuff that comes right out the other end.
 
I learned a valuable lesson this past winter.  It's a good idea to put a few pounds on lean GSD's BEFORE the cold weather starts.  I had a heck of a time keeping weight on the older boys this winter, and gradually increased the Innova to DOUBLE their usual ration, as well as the homecooked, and then added in a mid day snack of raw meaty bones.  But feeding them something that they can't use surely isn't going to add weight.

ORIGINAL: klyn316

Does anyone have any recommendations on:

1.) dog bed that will fit a great dane sized crate - not too expensive - that is durable?  My Shadow, bless his heart, has already torn up two beds - they were the pillow types and they just ripped from his jumping around in his crate.

When they have trouble keeping beds without destroying them, I go to Walmart, buy a cheap egg foam pad and double it up. YOu can buy a cheap velour type blanket (very durable) and put that around the foam. Then, if you have any sewing skills, you can sew up three sides and sew some velcro on the fourth side, to allow you to be able to remove the foam and wash the cover. You can do this for under $20...which is a heck of alot cheaper than buying beds!!

OR, what I used to do with my foster danes was go to a moving company and ask if I could buy some of those thick furniture moving quilts. They sold me a ton of them for $5.00 each and they are SOOOO durable!!

2.) Putting wieght on a dog - he was a little underwieght when we got him from rescue and has lost about 8 pds in the 6 months since then - we've tried a couple different brands of food - current one is Nutro Lamb and Chicken formula.  We've also been feeding him Satin Balls - a recipe I got from a UK Great Dane Forum.

Satin balls are great, but you may also want to consider a higher quality food...If Innova EVO is available in your area, it is great and helps with those dogs that are tough to keep weight on. This is of course, providing your vet has ruled out any medical reasons that your dane is thin. One last suggestion is PROZYME, an enzymatic supplement that helps your dane absorb more nutrition from the food rather than just passing it right on through.

3.) Dealing with seperation anxiety and some protective aggresion?  He's a sweet baby to my boyfriend and I all the time - but if friends of ours come around and it's just me he has to go outside or in his crate because he doesn't want anyone else around me.  Any thoughts?

This is a toughie. I've had some fosters that were this way, and it took a lot of work. Do you have a behaviorist nearby that could assist you (they are different than trainers). It's hard to make accurate suggestions and assessments over the internet, but know you're not alone.

Feel free to check the link in my signature. We always like meeting new dane folks []

When I needed to put some weight on my dane we tried Canidae and she bulked up, but continued to have loose stools.  She is now on Eagle Pack and doing great.  Like Glenda said i don't see how those food your vet told you to feed would put on weight.  As for being laid back my Great Dane is full of energy but is only 1 and my mom's 2 year old dane his also full of energy.  I've always heard they are always just big puppies.  Also while i was getting weight on Athena my Dane i gave her a can of eagle pack in the afternoon and gave her a almost double what the bag said she should be eating until i got to a point where she was no longer skinny and could just focus on maintaining the weight she had.