Great Danes

[dressagetraks]

Positives/negatives? Discuss.

I am a researchaholic and will do plenty of asking/researching around/studying elsewhere. Just covering all bases by plugging into the COTH network as well, since I believe a few of you have Danes.

I'm also not heading off to go buy a puppy next weekend. This is a long-term research study. For one thing, my current dog dislikes other dogs. However, Hannah is starting to develop some issues. She is Bernese, just turned 8, and unfortunately, they are notoriously short-lived. The average lifespan, from what I have read is SEVEN! I'm just starting to realistically consider what type of dog I would want for my next dog whenever that comes up, though Hannah definitely has the role as long as she's still around and enjoying life. Might be a year or more away. No rush; I'm just doing research.

But in preliminary research, I like the look of Danes, and I have always remembered the black one I met in childhood.

My dog requirements:

LARGE. As in, LARGE. I have always liked LARGE dogs, although all family dogs of my childhood were yap mutts. I do realize that this carries some trade-off in lifespan, but sheesh, I want to at least beat seven for the breed average.

Black or mostly black. First, I think black dogs look cool. Second, I have read that a black dog is more intimidating than another dog same size to folks of a criminal mindset who are considering misdeeds. There's a psychological effect.

Purebred and from a good, screened, health-minded breeder. I support shelters for cats. Not for a dog in the size I like them. Sorry, but I want 100% known genetics and life history. I realize this won't totally guarantee anything, but I do think it helps stack your odds a little more.

LARGE bark. Something that sounds serious. Not an actual attack dog, but as a woman living alone, I want something that looks and sounds like it means business or at least could if required.

Bonded to their person. Something with a natural inclination to be near me rather than always racing off following the nose a la Beagles.

Coexisting peaceably with cats after socialized and acknowledging their rightful position as superior beings in the household.

Will be trained, of course. In the size I like, you have to. I do have experienced help available and would attend classes also.

Short-haired. I have loved Hannah, but vacuuming up half a dog routinely gets old fast. My vacuum cleaner bag purchase rate exploded after she came. She also has a hard time dealing with summers here (I'm in the 100ish range summers, might have a few 0ish days winters but more likely 20s-30s). You can always add a dog coat, but hard to take one off. Tried shaving her this summer, and it made her skin sensitive. I think I need something a little more heat tolerant than she is.

Dog will be inside most of the time, out with me to do chores, basically be near me unless I'm riding. I work from home, here at least 90% of the time.

What do you think?

[asb2517]

My mom had two...they weren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but not sure if that was just her two or all of them. The female was super protective of my daughter when she was little, and also super tolerant. We have a picture of my daughter using Feather for a pillow for naptime.

We also had a Doberman when I was growing up. He was a really great dog. Biggest baby in the world, but very intimidating bark when someone came to the door.

[dalpal]

My trainer has one...SUPER SWEET..love her. Gentle Giant she is. I think the main drawback is life expectancy on the giant breeds. The other giant breed that I love is the Irish Wolfhound.

[Debbie]

I have one that I got after much research. Mine is 100% Euro bloodlines and came from a kennel in Russia, but there are lots of breeders in the US using Euro lines. The advantage of the Euro lines is typically a longer lifespan and they are a bit beefier than US bred Danes.

My fella fits all of your requirements except he's a Harlequin. He's been great on the farm. Wants to be with you constantly - on the downside Danes are prone to separation anxiety. He's mindful of the horses and great with smaller dogs, cats and LOVES kids.

Downsides: prone to bloat and lots of drooling right after drinking and eating. Addictive - I already want another!

[To the MAX]

I have two.

Glad that you will be doing your research. With any dog obviously this is important, but even more so with giant breeds. Head on over to Great Danes Online forum and you'll learn TONS! http://www.dolforum.com/forum/index.php

I will never have another type of dog.

We rescued both of them so they aren't 100% perfect representations of the breed. My female is very timid (should NOT be timid at all) but once she warms up to you she's a total sweetheart. Big bark. I don't doubt that she would protect me if someone tried to hurt me. She is very smart, and a little stubborn. Independent enough when she's at home, but still likes to stick with us. Definitely sticks close to us in new/stressful situations.

Our male is a total velcro dog. He always wants to be cuddling and snuggling with us. He likes everyone and loves attention. A real gentle giant. He too has a big bark but I think he'd let someone in and show them where the valuables are. He came from a rescue situation so he's taking a lot of work to get him obedience trained. He likes to test us, but that's just a puppy thing. He's definitely not as smart as our female.

Both stick around without leashes when we're outside. Both are total couch potatoes. Neither have any problem with us leaving but I have heard of plenty of Danes having separation anxiety. Ours just sleep on the couch while we're at work.

Danes really don't do well in extreme weather either, even though they have short coats. They are definitely inside dogs.

And because I can't resist:
Our boy

..and our girl

[SquishTheBunny]

I have met a lot of lovely danes. Some are chickens, a few are aggressive but for the most part they are fairly well adjusted dogs. They do need training from the beginning.

I would suggest pet insurance from the beginning. Danes are prone to GDV and Wobblers. Some people elect to pexy during the neuter/spay to prevent GDV.

A very close friend of mine has had danes her entire life. One lived to 14, another 8. I think general life expectancy is 8 but there are so many factors including pure luck.

I think they are wonderful farm dogs!

[Silvercrown90]

I have owned a number of Danes in my lifetime. I have owned Danes for over 30 years, not all at the same time, but I don't have any right now. I purchased a few of them as puppies, and I rescued a lot of them as adults. Some were extremely smart, and there were a few of them that weren't bright at all. Only one had separation anxiety (my first female that I purchased as a puppy). All of mine lived to between 9-1/2 to 14 years old, with the exception of one adult rescue that bloated when he was about 6 years old. We couldn't save him. I had another brindle male that bloated, but we were able to get him to the emergency clinic in time to save him. Those were the only two that bloated.

They have a BIG bark, in fact their bark is more like a roar or a rumble. Most of them won't back up their bark with a bite, so although they can intimidate people, they usually don't follow through. I have two Boerboels now which are much more serious protection, but not a breed for everyone. I liked the Danes, and when I had them I thought I would never switch breeds. They can be clowns and glorious fun to be around. They usually have a very stable temperament. I will consider getting another, but it will most likely be another rescue.

I also owned a black Great Dane/American Bulldog mix that weighed around 152 pounds in her prime, and she was very intimidating to strangers. She wasn't quite as silly as the purebred Danes, and she was a cinch to train because she was more focused on her work that the Danes. I think I liked the Dane mix more than most of the purebred Danes. I tried to find another like her after she passed at 10 years old, but I wasn't able. That's what brought me to the Boerboels.

[SuckerForHorses]

Don't think short hair means less shedding!

[To the MAX]

Don't think short hair means less shedding!

True, they do shed a lot. BUT, their hair doesn't clump up and create tumble weeds like longer haired breeds.

[Foxtrot's]

Our son-in-law wanted one all his life. Aws ging to buy one until he found out that their life expectancy is short and they go to the vet a lot. He ended up chosing a Boxer.

[oliverreed]

I like dogs but don't have one (4 cats, a husband, a horse, and a full time job is enough work for me, thank you) but a Dane is my all time favorite breed. I just love them.

[JSjumper]

Do it!!! Like others above me, I am also an experienced dane owner. My current boy describes what you're looking for pretty much to a "T". Big, black, wouldn't hesistate 1 second to protect me, but generally sweet and friendly. He's personable but very much a 1 person dog. He's incredibly intelligent, as my others have been, but I have met some danes that were pretty unimpressive on the intellectual front As another poster mentioned, they are not great with heat- I restrict my boy's outside play/run/exertion time if it's hotter than 80-85ish. I love the breed and will always have them, but they are a lot like horses.... shockingly fragile for their size. GDV and Wobblers are a concern, and danes are prone to other gastrointestinal issues. It sounds like you are doing plenty of research though, good for you! I am very much a cheerleader for the breed, but with the stipulation that potential owners need to be aware of the possible issues that they come with.... and need to go in knowing that their upkeep and vet costs are going to generally be a ton more than and average dog... but then again you have a large breed, so you should be used to it!
And because pictures are always necessary...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater

[oliverreed]

Jen, he's gorgeous!!! And you have the perfect sofa for a black Dane!

[dressagetraks]

Thanks for the pictures!

I'm aware that short breeds shed, but I get Bernese drifts across the carpet visible from 15 feet away. The long hair was the ONLY drawback on my list with Hannah, but she was free - though purebred with absolutely known history, every day, verified by folks I trusted, not some anonymous foster/rescue or just what somebody wrote on a page. Just wasn't doing well at her current place due to her dog aversion. I decided that I could live with hair for hitting all other criteria, but given my druthers, I'd rather not do it again. Hair aside, she has been wonderful. It does seem awfully short for her to be starting to have problems, but then again, I got her at age 4, so I haven't even had the 7 years.

I would rather get the next as a puppy, even knowing the extra work with puppies, to have the full life experience.

[Rubyfree]

My dane was purchased as a pup from a terrible BYB, so keep in mind that he is not exactly a "model" dane.

When "normal" people ask me what it's like owning a dane, I tell them it's like owning a horse. When horse people ask me, I can get more specific . He is the canine equivalent of a hot house flower TB.

He is a total princess about weather- hates rain, abhors heat and humidity, grumbles about the cold (but oh BOY does he love snow!). He has as many blankets configurations as any horse I've ever known.

He sheds like CRAZY. No, no tumbleweeds and no major grooming (old horse currys and brushes are a dane owners friend!) but those short hairs can be SHARP in a bare foot.

The drool is really, really impressive. I've had major droolers before but the added height offers some truly awesome splatter possibilities.

He is SUCH a worrier. He is deeply, passionately concerned about everything, from the cat playing loudly and destructively to the kid riding by on a bike, from the bug walking across the floor to the ceiling fan making a new squeak, from a chair being in a different place to global warming, i'm sure. If he were human he'd be someones terrible helicopter parent.

He is a total, complete Mama's boy. I seem to appear to this dog daily in a ray of heaven-sent light accompanied by an angelic choir. He can be a turkey in new situations or with strangers, but as long as I am there & calm he is calm and content. He never had this relationship with my former SO, despite former SO being just as involved in his upbringing as I was. He chose his person early and firmly. To that end, I have *zero* doubt that this dog, with all his worrying and nervousness and turkeyhood, would back up his extremelyfreakingintimidating bark with every ounce of follow through he could muster if I was genuinely in danger.

He is 6 and already slowing down a little. Probably not much that most would notice, but I can see it- and that slowing down has increased his worrying ways. He isn't sure he can physically do some things anymore and he stresses terribly about it. He WANTS to go running with me and gets very bent out of shape if I go without him, but he will put the brakes on at the turnoff for our "short" route most days now-and then pouts a very dane-y pout if I take that route. Poor conflicted boy. He checks out just fine at the vet; I don't like to get all anthromorph-y, but it's seriously like he had a birthday and decided he was too old for some things.

He's outstanding with "his" cats but strange ones are evil wee furry hell demons and must be destroyed. They seem to be closely related to squirrels, birds, rabbits and anything else small and quick. Those old sight hound ancestors come a rumblin' up from the deep when a little animal crosses his path and it can be very difficult to call him back to the present day.

And I love him. To pieces, to bits, all 160 lbs of his drooly, worried, hairy, loud, high-maintenance self. He is my first dane but not my last. I will find a true quality breeder next time and will wait until I own a home again (because it is just SO fun to find an apartment with a giant breed, let me tell you!), but this dog has more personality & charm in one dangly drool-filled lip than most I've known have total, and I have known a LOT of dogs.

Save your pennies for a evet account, find a great breeder and go for it. You sound like the type of owner a dane needs- a horseperson.

[JSjumper]

My dane was purchased as a pup from a terrible BYB, so keep in mind that he is not exactly a "model" dane.

When "normal" people ask me what it's like owning a dane, I tell them it's like owning a horse. When horse people ask me, I can get more specific . He is the canine equivalent of a hot house flower TB.

He is a total princess about weather- hates rain, abhors heat and humidity, grumbles about the cold (but oh BOY does he love snow!). He has as many blankets configurations as any horse I've ever known.

He sheds like CRAZY. No, no tumbleweeds and no major grooming (old horse currys and brushes are a dane owners friend!) but those short hairs can be SHARP in a bare foot.

The drool is really, really impressive. I've had major droolers before but the added height offers some truly awesome splatter possibilities.

He is SUCH a worrier. He is deeply, passionately concerned about everything, from the cat playing loudly and destructively to the kid riding by on a bike, from the bug walking across the floor to the ceiling fan making a new squeak, from a chair being in a different place to global warming, i'm sure. If he were human he'd be someones terrible helicopter parent.

He is a total, complete Mama's boy. I seem to appear to this dog daily in a ray of heaven-sent light accompanied by an angelic choir. He can be a turkey in new situations or with strangers, but as long as I am there & calm he is calm and content. He never had this relationship with my former SO, despite former SO being just as involved in his upbringing as I was. He chose his person early and firmly. To that end, I have *zero* doubt that this dog, with all his worrying and nervousness and turkeyhood, would back up his extremelyfreakingintimidating bark with every ounce of follow through he could muster if I was genuinely in danger.

He is 6 and already slowing down a little. Probably not much that most would notice, but I can see it- and that slowing down has increased his worrying ways. He isn't sure he can physically do some things anymore and he stresses terribly about it. He WANTS to go running with me and gets very bent out of shape if I go without him, but he will put the brakes on at the turnoff for our "short" route most days now-and then pouts a very dane-y pout if I take that route. Poor conflicted boy. He checks out just fine at the vet; I don't like to get all anthromorph-y, but it's seriously like he had a birthday and decided he was too old for some things.

He's outstanding with "his" cats but strange ones are evil wee furry hell demons and must be destroyed. They seem to be closely related to squirrels, birds, rabbits and anything else small and quick. Those old sight hound ancestors come a rumblin' up from the deep when a little animal crosses his path and it can be very difficult to call him back to the present day.

And I love him. To pieces, to bits, all 160 lbs of his drooly, worried, hairy, loud, high-maintenance self. He is my first dane but not my last. I will find a true quality breeder next time and will wait until I own a home again (because it is just SO fun to find an apartment with a giant breed, let me tell you!), but this dog has more personality & charm in one dangly drool-filled lip than most I've known have total, and I have known a LOT of dogs.

Save your pennies for a evet account, find a great breeder and go for it. You sound like the type of owner a dane needs- a horseperson.

This is just about the best decription of Great Danes and the joy/worry that comes with them that I've read. Yours sounds like my boy's twin

[wendy]

He is the canine equivalent of a hot house flower TB.

He is a total princess about weather- hates rain, abhors heat and humidity, grumbles about the cold (but oh BOY does he love snow!). He has as many blankets configurations as any horse I've ever known.

He sheds like CRAZY. No, no tumbleweeds and no major grooming (old horse currys and brushes are a dane owners friend!) but those short hairs can be SHARP in a bare foot.

The drool is really, really impressive. I've had major droolers before but the added height offers some truly awesome splatter possibilities.

yeah. I had a big black Dane, and he was well, very reassuring to have around as security. If you don't mutilate their ears most people can't "guess the breed" so they get rather alarmed about the huge black thing staring suspiciously at them. However, the "delicateness" of the dog bothered me- describing him as a "hothouse TB" is very accurate. I'm used to rough and tumble working/hunting breeds, and a dog who had to eat special food (took lots of experimentation to find something he did ok on) and had to have an extensive wardrobe to deal with the weather was rather off-putting to me; seriously, he had to have coats for every kind of weather, and also had to have boots for the salt in winter. Plus he cost a fortune at the vet- minor incidents that wouldn't even leave a scratch on most dogs would split his skin open requiring stitches; he'd manage to snap off his toenails on rocks and spray blood everywhere at least twice a year; came down with all kinds of GI problems; the spiky short fur got into everything and wouldn't come out. He could splatter drool all over the ceiling and walls, and we used to joke you could bottle the stuff and sell it as an industrial adhesive- if you let it dry, it WOULD NOT COME OFF.
I didn't trust him around cats. Or around mini horses, goats, sheep, anything he might consider prey. He had a very intense prey drive and if something ran he'd be after it and kill it instantly. Handy for taking out nuisance raccoons and the like, but not so handy for many other situations.
If you don't like the short lifespan of your berner, don't get a Dane. My guy was chosen because his breeder supposedly selected for a longer lifespan, but we only got 8 years. He was a gawky puppy until age 5, a proud and majestic adult for all of one year, and then he started to slow down and act old. It was incredibly sad. Again, I'm used to rough-and-tumble dogs who are sturdy adults from age 2 to age 12 and only then start to consider slowing down a little.

[KristiKGC]

I'm head over heels for my dane, but if you're looking for something to live longer I wouldn't recommend one. I've never known one to live longer than 8 and most really start slowing down around 5 or 6. I agree with everyone above about the good and bad aspects of owning one. They are needy and co-dependent but they are wonderful dogs. Mine has no prey drive, he gets along with everything (cats, other dogs, chickens, horses).

I think he would try with everything he is capable of to protect me if I was ever in danger, but he's too big and clumsy to really be useful as a protection dog (my bullmastiff and lab/catahoula are my "protection" dogs, though the dane LOOKS scary!) However, mine is exceptionally large at 38" tall and over 215lbs, so I would guess average size danes probably don't have that problem.

He really is an amazing dog though. He's always so happy and loves people and playing. He even goes hiking and swimming (yes, swimming, though I don't let him out of reach because I'm worried he'll sink!)

Here's the obligatory picture: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

[Silvercrown90]

Don't think short hair means less shedding!

I have owned short-haired dogs all of my life, including Danes, Dobes, Boerboels, American Bulldogs, etc. I had one GSD. There is no comparison in the amount of shedding that came from the GSD compared to the sleek, short-coated dogs. My GSD was considered a short-haired GSD, but it still is a lot longer and different compared to the sleek coated breeds. They have a heavy undercoat that sheds like no man's business.

I used to get out the curry comb at least once per week to help get out the undercoat. Every week I could fill a large Hefty bag full of soft, fuzzy undercoat. If I was so inclined, I could have made dog beds with the fuzz. It was also really easy to pull it out with your fingers, and you could get large clumps of soft undercoat. With the sleek-coated breeds, I am lucky if I can fill 1/4 cup of hair per week. They just don't have the undercoat that long-haired dogs have. Of course, the long-coated dogs have much better insulation for the winter.

[Debbie]

I'm enjoying reading everyone's description of their Danes - they are such charming creatures. Mine can tell time - our sofa is his favorite place in the world and he spends most of the day on it. That's all fine until my husband comes home and kicks him off. He has grudgingly accepted being relegated to the floor but once 10:00 (DH's normal bedtime) rolls around Farley starts giving him the stare down and "talking" to him about his overtime.

We took Farley to Rolex this spring and I take him to local events. He's gotten a fan club following and he's more than happy to sit and be petted by the hour. He's such a lovable goof that it's hard to imagine him being aggressive, but his bark is mighty. To date if he's felt threatened - usually by our demon spawn cranky corgi - he runs to me like Scooby. Of course he's just now an adult so that may change a bit with maturity.

OP, you may already run into this with your Berner but vet costs are definitely higher for giant breeds.

Since I neglected to include pics before:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3&l=542cadf9e5

There's a variety of pics at the link, but mostly Farley.