VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE. Great Dane with Husky..

    • Bronze

    VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE. Great Dane with Husky..

    Hello,
     
    Currently I have a great dane (female), I have had it since it was just 4 weeks old  and its been over two years now. Because of the dog looks depressed we have decided to get another dog. My dad is actually (as I write this) going to get a 9 week old Siberian husky (male) so my question is do Great danes and Husky's go along? Or Are we in for a rude awakening... Any help would be greatly apperciated.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Um, you should never get anotehr dog to solve one's boredness. That is solved by more interaction and exersice with its family. You may now have two bored dogs. That is unless your dad has his own otehr reasons for wanting another dog.
    Anyhoo it is a common myth that two breeds wont get along, its rubbish and if you secure them with a great healthy start then everything should be fine.
    The number one mistake people make is bringing the new puppy in the house to meet the resident dog. have your dad walk teh puppy down the street and have another adult walk the resident doggy to meet them on neutral territory so the resident dog dosnt get territorial.
    Next Great Danes are very well mannered dogs so thats good news.
    Also you need to help your resident dog show the lil one who is boss so there isnt a figth for who is the boss. The little puppy needs to know his place or he will challenge the big dog. If the big dog growls at the little one at first its ok, he is telling him this is my house you repsect it. As humans we tend to push the older dog away because "he should now better" but all that does it teach the puppy that its ok to cahllenge and that makes for mor eproblems. Dont let the puppy steal toys from the older dog, always feed the older dog first and give him priority or you'll have a war.
    Lastly walk tehm together and encourage play, the dogs that play together stay together.
    Good luck and we'd love to see pics when you get em!
    • Bronze
    ^Thank you very much for your post. I may have misworderd it, its not so much our great dane gets bored, its just sometimes we notice that she looks depressed (we spend quite a lot of time with her). I have read reports that usually great danes are in pairs however we simply can't take a male great dane in our current house (those who know how big they can get know why..). I will do just as you said regarding the walking, sounds like a great idea. Also I will tell them regarding feeding so we dont have a war on our hands. Thanks a lot for your help and I will hopefully be able to take pictures of them tomorrow or the day after to show you all.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Unless you've had Huskies before, I wouldn't.  They can be very predatory with smaller animals, not likely to be a good off-leash dog, and can be bossy with other dogs.
    Most dogs, unless they have been extensively socialized with other dogs since puppyhood, would really rather just be with their humans.
    Read the article on adding a dog by Kathy Diamond Davis in the "Canine Behavior Series" at www.veterinarypartner.com before you decide.