Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is Jazzy, our 18 month old female Dane.

Here I'm trying to hold on, NOT pull her down:

And here is Brutus, our old man Great Dane. He's really starting to look old. But he's happy and acts youthful so that's good.

They really have no clue how big they are, do they? How did you select this gentle giant breed?

I like big dogs. Then I started reading about them and they sounded even more.

So we have 2 great danes and one english mastiff. We've had three neos before too. Neos are great. At the time we don't breed them though, Brutus is fixed. We're thinking of working in that direction again, but not right now. But in my opinion, there are few things more happy than kids and puppies.

My daughters, 8 and 4, play with them all of the time and they're great. They're not for everybody though. They're not very good with babies and really my 4 year old is barely big enough to be around them, but that's only because they're well behaved around her. They go nuts when playing with me, but are very gentle around my daughters.

I've always admired Great Danes =)

A friend of mine wants Danes sooooo bad. She even has the names picked out already! (Harley and Moose, lol). Of course, she also knows to wait until she gets a yard and a house before buying these BEASTS.

I have a few questions (as I'd love to own one some day as well!):

How much does it cost to feed a dane?
What kind of precautions do you take when raising a puppy?
I know that I've been a crazy one about my Large breed puppy (American Bulldog) by feeding premium large breed puppy kibble, switching to premium large breed adult food at a younger age, trying to keep her from jumping around too much (but it's proven to be a fruitless battle, as she is just sooo high energy and does an indy 500 around the house and jumps on the couch and jumps off and the like!), carrying her down stairs for a while when she was still easy to hold, etc etc.
What would you say to try and deter someone from getting a Dane?
Can you describe your experiences with your Danes? Comment on the breed, what attracted the breed to you, etc.

thanks a lot!! Sorry I rambled so much!
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Lesya & Sophie

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.
-Helen Keller

Oh wow...
I admit I try to deter most people from getting one. They are expensive dogs and they require a lot of time and energy. Without it, you can really end up literally being eaten out of house and home! They are not more destructive when left to their own devices, just much bigger dogs.
And here's the main reason why I deter people...
http://www.mid-atlanticdanerescue.com/ The 13 pages of homeless Danes in this one rescue alone are enough. People want Danes because they are big and cool, but then they move, they divorce, they realize how hard they are on your yard (mine is dirt and sticks and my Dane is an angel and only 9 months old). Danes are a very abused breed IMO...often purchased on a whim or status symbol from not so great breeders, then given up because they are too big (they really are much bigger than you think, especially in your house), because no one wants to rent to a Dane family, because they are poorly bred and have health and temperament issues, because the family can't afford them, because the family really didn't have the time or desire necessary, etc.

They require special care and should only be purchased through a reputable breeder who shows, health tests and participates in other activities including rescue, otherwise go through a rescue. I hear often people who think the price of a well-bred pup ($800 - $1200) is high. Well it's not,if you can't afford that, you can't afford a Dane pup. What we paid for ours is but a drop in the bucket!

They must not have forced exercise and should not be worked (pulling, agility, jumps etc) until at least 2 years of age and with vet approval (have him check their movement, hips and overall skeletal formation). They must NEVER be fed puppy food, only a good quality adult food no more than 23% protein or a raw diet.

They must be trained, and trained quickly! They grow very fast and I can tell you even with constant training and me being home, having a puppy that is bigger than you is a lot of work.

It's not like having a lab. You don't just take your dog everywhere, and you can't let your dog play with just any dog.

A Dane owner needs to be well-informed on their common health issues, especially growth problems such as HOD, OCD and pano, as well as bloat. Danes are sensitive and owners should no about appropriate and inappropriate medications and anesthetics.

They must be inside dogs. They have the hair and body fat of a chihuahua and cannot live outdoors. They also do not fare well as outside dogs because they have a very dependent people loving nature. They must be part of the family.

However when one is really prepared for a Dane, and after all the research still wants one and is truly able to support one, they are fabulous dogs. There's nothing like snuggling with a giant furry friend!

"At the time we don't breed them though, Brutus is fixed. We're thinking of working in that direction again, but not right now. But in my opinion, there are few things more happy than kids and puppies."

I'm a little concerned - you want to get involved in breeding Danes? Please, there are so many Danes in rescue, and so many poorly bred Danes out there already, don't do this without starting out the right way! Breeding Danes is very involved and neither of your dogs are breeding quality, which please do not take offense at, very few are. Also breeding Harlequins is very difficult and results in varying percentages of whites which may be deaf and/or blind, have mental and other defects or be stillborn. The genetics of Danes is very complicated.
At the very least they should have a proven temperament and stand up well to the standard - best way to evaluate that is through showing. Your female is the one I assume you are contemplating breeding as the other is neutered, and I'm sorry but she is not conformationally correct and her eye coloring is a disqualification.

Please do not take offense, I in no way am trying to put down your dogs. They are beautiful and look like wonderful family pets but that and breeding quality are a different thing. I only say this because it breaks my heart all the Danes in rescue and all the heartache that comes out of poorly bred dogs. Breeding dogs is not like humans, they have been artificially created and manipulated for so many generations it is much more complex and genetic problems are more frequent.

If you would like to become a reputable Dane breeder who breeds to BETTER the breed and who serves the breed well, let me know where you are and I can help you find a good mentor.
Ali

No offense taken. Often the way people suggest what you are stating can be offensive, but you've been tactful.

*The male is neutered. He's got bad hips and elbows. He's a great dog as far as his personality goes, but..........

The female, I didn't know that di-chromatic eyes were a disqualifying feature in harlequin great danes. In fact, I just double checked the AKC website and it stated quite clearly that for HARLEQUINS it was permittable, but not desirable.

I would like to get some better pictures of her though. She's absolutely amazingly put together. I've had a fair share of large dogs and it is really sad when they don't move well. She is put together as solidly as possible.

My philosophy on breeding dogs is a little unique compared to many people. I am not interested in show quality dogs. I've never been to a show, nor would I be interested in having a dog of mine shown.

Too many breeders worry about things like perfect coloring or in this case perfect eyes. In my opinion dogs were either bred for a job or for companionship. If they are bred to do a job, their make up should be ideal for that job, NOT for the show ring.

Their health characteristics are most important. In large dogs that means hips, elbows, back and teeth. Usually if all of those things fall in place, everything else will be right.

Again, those are my opinions only. I'm not set in stone and not trying to convince anybody of my way of thinking. That's merely my own perspective, which is rather inexperienced.

I would like to know what you have in mind, we would like to be reputable breeders and advise is always good.

Long story, this has been something we've been planning for a while now. I'm actually going back to school to study biology, in particular, animal husbandry. I know it's not needed to make puppies or anything else, but the reasoning behind it is rather long. Anyhow, I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Philip

Thank you for being so reasonable!
Dichromatic eyes are ok but I didn't think green was acceptable, I know blue is. Actually I think the dichromatic eyes are really neat! They are only allowed in harls, all other Danes have to have dark brown eyes except blues which may have lighter eyes because of their dilute genes. Well at least that's how I understand it so far! I'm just learning all this myself. OK well rather than delete all that...I just looked it up, and light eyes and different colors are not a DQ just undesireable.

I think showing has gotten a bad rap lately. It is not a beauty pageant! The judges evaluate form and function and movement. It is the best way to meet other Dane breeders, to look at lines and changes in the breed, to evaluate and explore where you want to go with breeding. To me the only reason to ever breed is to vastly improve the breed. If you cannot have a strong belief that the litter is going to surpass the parents, then it is not worth breeding. There are plenty of healthy pets in shelters already!

I would love to show, but I don't think the time is right for us. And I don't want to breed and I don't feel right about showing if I have no intentions of breeding. The entire point and origin of conformation competition is to evaluate breeding stock.

Your girl is pretty, I didn't in any way want to insult you or her, but I would not consider her breeding quality. She is a nice looking Dane, but her feet are poor and overall she looks to lack in chest both in front and from the side, rear angles are poor and lacks tuck up. Any breeder or show dog owner needs to know the faults of their dog, and all dogs have faults. I would love to see better photos of her (best on her level, from front and side on a flat surface) and help you learn to see conformation. I really enjoy conformation! Of course different people have different tastes, but you need to choose a very strong bitch with a great pedigree if you really want to breed correctly.

I don't think that our breeding philosophies mesh! I can't see how you could be a reputable breeder without showing. How would you evaluate your dogs? Who would evaluate your dogs? You? With what knowledge and experience, and how would you gain that knowledge? How would you find, select, and win over stud dogs? No good stud would ever be bred to a bitch that wasn't shown. Stud owners have a reputation to keep as well. Does that make sense?