We are Breeders of Quality Blue Great Danes in Hampton Roads Virginia
Unfortunately one of the top reasons Great Danes find their way into Animal Shelters is because their previous owners cite “I didnt know they were gonna get that big” (which begs two questions… #1. How big is big? and #2. How big did you actually expect a breed with the word “GREAT” in its title to be?) Great Danes will be lager than 95% of all other Breeds that is a fact. Great Danes are “Gentle Giants” but they are still “GIANTS” and therefore should not be left alone with small children. Many unprepared 1st Time Dane owners are often confused when their 8 month old Danes because they are almost fully grown physically but they still act like a rambunctious puppy. Thats because they are still a rambunctious puppy despite their size and appearance lol.
If you and/or your family are looking for a canine companion to accompany you on your quest to train for and compete in the next Iron man contest or to run great distances at speeds that would shame Forrest Gump, then a Great Dane is not the breed for you.
Great Danes should not be taken for runs of distances near a mile until they are at least 2 years old as this can be particularly damaging to their rapidly growing legs and feet. You will soon discover that Great Danes have been known to sleep 50% or more of the day. They are tried and proven Sacred Guardians of The Couch. Several times I have come home to discover my Danes in the exact spot I left them in hours ago.
Although Great Danes are not natural retrievers they will definitely chase a ball whether or not they bring the ball back to you is anyones guess. (They can be trained to do so, but they are not naturally prone to picking up things and carrying things in their mouths.) After a few long distance tosses or 15-20 minutes of play (whichever comes first) you will find that your Great Dane is plenty tired and ready to seriously resume his role as Guardian of The Couch and sleep. Being an Extra Large Breed has both its challenges and benefits. The things that will absolutely ruin a Chiwawa’s day will hardly go noticed by a Great Dane.
LITERALLY! If you are one of those who choose not to crate train your Great Dane, you will find that unsupervised Danes can wreck havoc on furniture. I trained my Danes early on the difference between Human things and Dane things. That combined with propper crate training has resulted in me only losing one shoe! Thats right the totality of Dane Damage in my realm has only been limited to one shoe. (socks don’t count lol) I also potty trained my Danes early on. My female caught on in only 4 days and has been accident free in my home outside her crate for over 2 years.
Great Danes have a habit of really minding their own business despite pending dangers. If you have a yard without a fence don’t expect them to stick aroung long as their great noses will more than likely set them on a jorney to boldly go where no Dane has ever gone before. Training is a MUST. There are several commands i taught my Danes that have been proven to be life savers. (Sit, Down, Stay, Off and Leave It) You must be willing to work through the stubbornness of Danes. I believe part of the reason they are stubborn is because of their size. If you think about it, to get them to move any distance really requires a commitment of great effort on their part especially if they are at rest, thus they would rather prefer to continue to rest.
When my first training sessions produced nothing but frustration on my part and more apathy and entertainment on the part of my Dane I took her to the vet to have her hearing tested. When the vet inquired as to my concerns about her hearing, I explained that she doesn’t appear to be registering my commands. The vet laughed quite loudly and offered to save me a few bucks by not performing the exam and said very matter of factly “Oh She hears you just fine, she just doesn’t care enough to move, she is a Great Dane.” What a lesson. I ended up doing some more research on Great Dane Training and found ways to motivate them and since then they now LOVE their training times.
Great Danes as puppies can eat hearty portions several times a day. This can be quite costly! Luckily just at the one year mark they normally cut back their appetites and eat far less a day, similar to their average sized adult breed friends.
Great Danes don’t do well in cold conditions or hotter than average temperatures, either can be enough to be fatal. Please don’t make the mistake that too many families do a year, by leaving your Great Dane exposed to weather.
Great Danes need a Big soft surface to sleep/rest on. They should not be left to recline on tile or other hard surfaces as this can not only cause them pain and discomfort but also does damage to their bones and joints.
If you don’t want to share your bed with an adult Great Dane then don’t share it with them as puppies. Once you invie a Great Dane on to your Bed or Couch for a moment you’ve actually invited them for life. Good luck training them to stay off.