Great Danes

I love great danes and am considering owning one. Anyone who has a great dane/has had one can you please pass on some helpful experiences? I have learned a lot about this breed-it's size, feeding, excercise, etc. Also, I have a small beagle who is very friendly. Are there goign to be any problems? Lastly (your opinion) what do you think of the names Dolce or Solstice? (I know I need to meet the personality of the dog first, am just getting an idea first). Thanks a bunch

The best places for you to gather info on Great Danes is http://www.gdca.org http://www.danesonline.com Visit the forums.. Read forums on how to search for a breeder. Your dog will not necessarily be all a Great Dane is supposed to be if you do not buy one from a reputable breeder. Take notice of all the thousands available from back yard breeders as compared the difference in quality you will see on show breeders web sites. Go to shows, talk to breeders. Take your time, know what you are getting, know WHO you are getting from. Choose a very knowledgeable breeder who will offer a lifetime of support and can answer ALL of your questions. Choosing a name is all well and good but is putting the cart slightly before the horse.

Despite its huge size, the handsome and elegant Great Dane is sociable with children, and makes a wonderful pet for owners who have adequate space to give the dog proper exercise. All Complete Pet Owner's Manuals are heavily illustrated with color photos and line art, and are filled with reliable, easy-to-understand information on pet care. The many titles in this series show and tell pet owners how to care for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, gerbils, hamsters, and virtually every other animal that is kept as a pet. The books give advice on purchasing and otherwise acquiring a pet, maintaining health care, housing, proper feeding, and where applicable, grooming and training. Clear, straightforward text comes with high-quality, full-color photos and anatomically accurate line art, as well as helpful tables and charts.

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can anyone tell me bout great danes because i have been looking into them for about 2 months so if u have any little facts etc. that would be great! thanx do u know any fairly cheap breeders? i don't want alittle ankle bitter, when i say cheap i'm mean not like 2,500, lil cheaper than that, k?

Everybody else has told you of how expensive Danes are to get and own. I have three: two males and one female. Let me tell you how I do it cheaply. I adopt from Great Dane rescues. The price to get one is considerably less than to buy a puppy. They also tend to be older and need homes worse than puppies do. When you adopt an older dog, you get less property destruction because they usually have already gone through the puppy chewing stage. A great Dane puppy can destroy several pairs of shoes (if they get to them) in a week's time. And sometimes, they will only totally destroy one of a pair before they move on to one of another pair. (Spraying all your shoes with "No Chew" will put an end to that, but, then, they'll move on to furniture.) I have adopted full grown males for from $0 to $300. I traded a stud horse for my female. I have not had any difficulty training the ones that I have gotten if they were not already trained when I got them. They are so eager to please that they learn very quickly what makes you happy and what displeases you. (Puppies, not so much.) Almost all of the shots they need can be bought at a local Tractor Supply or feed store for less than half of what the vet charges for them and can be given by anyone. The directions for administering the shots are included in the packaging. Rabies shots are the only ones that absolutely have to be given by the vet. A good quality, high fat food keeps them in good shape and prevents you having to feed excessive amounts of dog food. Each of my Great Danes eats about 50 pounds of dry dog food a month. All three weigh between 135 and 160 pounds, so none of them is skinny or underweight. What I feed mine costs me $18 - $20 per 50# bag. I've tried some cheaper and some more expensive foods and this is what works best with the exercise levels and digestive abilities of MY dogs. The cost of heartworm preventative can be minimized by giving them the same wormer that you give horses. Since I was breeding horses before I got all three of the Danes that I have now, I always had some around. My female came to me with Dermodec mange. The vet prescribed Ivomec for her, given every day for 60 days to treat it. He told me to give her 1cc of Ivomec once every month to prevent worms. I have been using it, successfully for all three of them ever since then. It can be bought in the horse isle of feed stores, too, a lot cheaper than Heartgard or any of the other dog wormers. If my dogs get sick, of course, I take them to the vet, and they get routine check-ups each year when they get their rabies vaccinations. They all live in the house and are part of my family. So, even if you have a limited budget, but lots of love to give a Great Dane, this is how you can do it.

I really want a great dane, i've heard that they are gentle. What are your experiences with them? and do they have any medical issues (like english mastifs and bone cancer)? and I'm a rather small person, would it take alot for me to handle if i walked them?

I have 2 Danes and they I must say have some special needs. Do a ton of research. Become an expert on the breed, the AKC and CKC standards. Learn about their health issues as they have a ton being a "giant" breed dog and have a shorter life span then most. Anywhere from 5-12 years. Look at the cost. Tripple of what a yorkie or other small breed would cost. They need extensive training, but they can only have positive reinforcement training as they have VERY different personalities and can not be scolded. They are a VERY needy dog. You need to dedicate a lot of time to training and socializing as you can not have a "rude" Great Dane in society as they are just to big to be unruley. You need to look at how much time you will have to spend with the dog as well as the enviornment that you live in. You know how you see pics of them standing looking on top of the fridge? That is not an exaduation of size. They get that BIG. As for being small, if trained properly you should be able to hand the dogs leash to a child and have that child walk the dog with no problems. Our 7 year old can walk our big boy and he comes up to her shoulders at his back. If you can do your research and you have the means/time/love for the breed I can honestly say I will never own another breed. They are wonderful animals that are very loyal, but require a lot of attention. Oh! Did I mention they can not be left outside. They need to be around their people or they will get depressed. They are very much like people and need to be treated that way. LIke a child.

I am looking into getting a Great Dane or a Doberman. I wanted to know if Great Danes are hyper like Dobermans and good with children. I have heard that they are big babies, but I have also heard alot of different things about Dobermans too. So if anyone has ever raised one, I would appreciate it if you could tell me if they are good family dogs and if they are protective like Dobermans.

I had neighbors who raised twelve kids and had a Great Dane. I'm not exaggerating, they literally had twelve kids, from infant to teens, and their dog was great! He was big and clumsy but very, very sweet, gentle and loving. He would bark when people came to the door, which would be a good deterrent for a burglar, but he was very friendly with strangers and never met anyone he didn't like. Of course, no one ever threatened any of the kids so it's hard to know how protective he would be, but like I said, his bark and size alone made him a good watchdog. Also, the youngest kids got knocked down on a regular basis, and not once was anyone ever hurt. They were way rougher with each other than the dog ever was with them. Kids fall down ALL THE TIME, unless it's down a flight of stairs or the dog steps all over them, I don't see why that would be such an issue (and the dog never stepped on them to my knowledge). Danes are definitely not as active as dobermans, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Dobermans would probably be more protective and less friendly. By less friendly, I mean exactly that--not mean or aggressive, just less interested in making friends with strangers. Either dog, if well bred, well trained, and well socialized, would make an exceptional family pet.

Great Danes stand in the way of greatness for women?s soccer
... semifinal contest in Hartford, between the University of Hartford Hawks and the University at Albany Great Danes, was delayed 24 hours, the... Staten Island players add football bite for Albany Great Danes
The Great Danes visit Wagner tomorrow as the Northeast Conference leaders at 5-2 (4-0 NEC), with five straight wins after dropping non... Four face charges after 46 dogs, mostly Great Danes, removed from ...
... home south of Albany on Wednesday didn’t have to look too closely to find 46 dogs, most of them Great Danes, which were subsequently removed. Elevated dog feeders benefit Great Danes
If the dog is a Great Dane, a little more thought has to be put into the feeding process. Great Danes are very tall, most males being between... Rescued Danes having great time in foster care
Humane officers seized the starving and nearly dead Great Danes from a home along Yockey Road in Valley Township three weeks ago.