Great Danes- Tell me about them

[HayleyMarie]

Breeds that I get interested in just keep popping up

I am slightly interested in Great Danes as well and I dont know too much about them. Are they considered a guardian breed?

[crazy_paws]

I'd just like to echo the request. I've been very interested in Danes lately.

[filarotten]

We had a male brindle GD before I got Brutus. He was a wonderful dog. Smart, loving, affectionate, and good watch dog. Big couch potato. You do have to socialize them or they will be snarky to strangers they meet.

The downfall, they aren't as sturdy as a mastiff. You really need to get their stomach tacked imo. Duke had torsion twist. He also broke his leg, still not sure how that happend, I let him out to go pottie one morning he came in with his right hind leg swinging...literally. I think he fell on our deck. Duke was our $10,000. dog and that is no exaggeration. Hubby wouldn't let me get another dane after he died. He said they were to fragile. But, they are so beautiful and graceful when they run. They remind me of an arab-my favorite horse...just beautiful to watch.

[Cheza]

They're (I think) classified as working. Originally they were bred to hunt large wild animals such as wild boar. This is why their ears were originally cropped, to keep them from getting torn up. They were much more mastiffy back then, and you can still see this in the European lines. American lines have gotten much thinner; the look now is a matter of preference but they should never look too heavy. They are clumsy as puppies but actually quite agile and graceful as adults, especially when they're running full tilt. They do not, however, corner well when running top speed.

They come in Fawn, Brindle, Mantle (Boston), Merle (not a recognized color but a typical result of Harl x Harl breedings), Black, Blue, and Harlequin.

Oddly, the colors each seem to have their own personality.

They can jump, very high, but aren't prone to it in particular. Most of them don't love swimming either, but they can swim really well.

They CAN be destructive, but it isn't the norm. They almost universally love to de-stuff toys.

Echoing Filarotten, I wouldn't ever own a dane that didn't have a gastropexy (stomach tack) done. It's expensive but very much worth the peace of mind.

They're generally lazy dogs, they like the couch, and the bed, and your lap... no joke. They have a big bark, very keen hearing and eyesight, the ones I've been around have no significant prey drive but that could just be socialization. They need to be socialized well and trained well. You can ignore a small dog jumping on your leg, you can't really ignore these guys - they'll take you out.

This is a typical day at my house...


Also typical...


I've got no idea how the 4 of us (me, hubby, them) fit in bed some nights. They like to Superman when they sleep...

They learn fast, very smart, very athletic when they're younger but you have to be careful with them as they get older they get somewhat fragile. We've had one broken toe on one dog from cornering too sharply in the yard, but that's it for serious medical issues.

I shouldn't need to say this but get a pup from a reputable breeder. They're nicknamed the Heartbreak breed for the sheer number of things that can go wrong, from bloat to cancer. They don't live long, the average is 7 years. Be gentle with puppies as they grow, don't over exercise them because it can strain their very very rapidly growing frame.

They get huge, fast. Blink and you miss it fast.



I still have no idea what happened to my puppy.



Some of them, males in particular, drool quite a bit. This is why I have girls
They shed low to average, but it's short thick hair that doesn't float around. I have two "dog allergy" people in my house and they're not at all bothered by it.

They generally get along well with other dogs of all sizes (again, socialize socialize socialize) don't need *that* much exercise, and are typically very friendly dogs.

Yes, they do eat a lot no matter how you spin it. Less on raw, but still a lot. They need to be kept on the thinner side of average, too much weight isn't good for them either.

The white ones can be deaf, but it's sometimes misleading.



The one on the LEFT is the deaf one. She's a true lethal merle. The one on the right is still technically a Harlequin (piebald). The one on the left has 2 blue eyes (can see perfectly) and the one on the right has one green, one blue. Identical to Chewbecca's Luke, if you've seen pictures of him. It's actually uncanny.

They also "sing". Big talkers these guys. Lyra just grunts like a pig most of the time, but Cheza will talk to you.

[hanslynch]

Lucy is a Great Dane. A fawn. I second almost everything from the previous post.

They are very courageous dogs. Lucy is not aggressive but she does not take anything from any other dog. She stands her ground well. She is also extremely protective of my other dog. Not aggressive but she does not allow other dogs to bully Kona either.

Danes can end up being one person dogs. They will love most people but can become really attached to just one person. Lucy is like that, she is my big baby.

Not big barkers but when they do it is very loud.

They make extremely good guard type dogs simply due to their size and protective nature.

They are a bit fragile and prone to health problems. Lucy has a heart murmur,we just found out. Hips issues are common which is why it is important to keep their weight down.

Lastly they are attention hogs. They are somewhat needy and need to be around their humans. Whenever I go out she gets tons of attention. Everyone wants to meet the Dane.

[Pops2]

they really have changed a lot.
here is a german sieger from the 1880s (contrary to what my Marines thought i did not take the pic myself).
ETA back at this time they were very much like filas in personality and were known to threaten judges in the show ring.

[*blackrose]

I don't really know much about them besides the obvious, but I can say that every single Dane I've met I have loved. Granted I've only met...*counts*...eight, but they were all just awesome. After meeting the dogs I have, I much prefer them over Mastiffs any day. They are just huge, gentle, amazing goofballs. <3

[crazy_paws]

Cheza, your danes are gorgeous!!!

Have they ever been around a dog under 10lbs? How did they act around them? Any prey drive?

[Cheza]

Yeah they've been around a lot of smaller dogs, both at the park and at various peoples' houses. No real prey drive, it's more of a confused "why can't I play with this?" type of thing. They will follow small dogs around for a while, sniff at them and then lose interest and walk away. If they were raised with one they'd probably be even better.

We taught them both that they have to lay down to play with small dogs too when they were young, so it works out.