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Would you get a Great Dane?


DawnM
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I don't have Great Danes, but I have had Great Pyrs for a long time. Do you like the puppy phase? Because those big dogs stay puppies for a LONG time. Like it takes my dogs over 2 years to settle down and stop being stupid. For most of that time they are these enormous annoying puppies. I don't like the puppy phase, but there are other people here who do so it's fine, I just tolerate the dogs until they calm down. 

They are beautiful dogs! 

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I wouldn't. 

My joints couldn't handle one. I don't want to re-arrange my house to accommodate such a large dog. And any weight based vet care (which is surgeries and almost any kind of medicine) would be extremely costly. Plus they're very short lived. I don't need my heart broken that often.

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I love them, and want to say yes. I have a Great Dane in my life that I adore (not mine). And I grew up with a bestie who had two. Wonderful dogs.

But I think my “yes” is based on life a few years ago. Realistically, it’s probably not a good plan for me personally now — so unfortunately I’m a “no” based on current life issues. Mostly my own health needs, and knowing we do not have time for a dog with that level of needs (energy, etc). 

We will need pics, so we can all live vicariously through you!

 

ETA: one more thing to consider. When we lost my 16 yr old 100 lb doggy soul mate, I realized I needed to be able to carry future dogs. He needed help sometimes at the end, and we didn’t always have a ramp handy. DH was able to do it, he’s WFH for 20 years, so it wasn’t an issue. But I still wanted to be able to do it for my boy — and it wasn’t possible. 

Edited by Spryte
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They are cool to see, and I've had fairly large labs and German Shepherds in the past, and have experienced the challenges of slow-developing, heavy and powerful dogs. It's hard on my body to even manage an 80 lb dog, and hard on the patience to have to wait really long to see the full benefits of training. Not to mention their relatively short lifespan and the medical issues the giant breeds tend to have with mobility as they age. Ramps for getting in and out of vehicles, braces for joints, etc. are things I see giant breed owners needing for their dogs.

I'm super happy with our smaller and very smart border collies. They're small, smart, and aim to please their handler, though require a lot of exercise and stimulation. They definitely aren't for everyone. They are super adorable, especially as puppies (bonus photo of our pup), and they lure in too many people that find out later not to choose a dog based on looks alone. 

 

 

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Edited by wintermom
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If you decide to get one a) try not to choose one based on color.  Ask the breeder (who you will research well) to pick the one with the temperament that matches what you are looking for and 2) when you have the dog spayed or neutered also have the dog's stomach tacked (gastropexy).  My vet charged me about $150 more for my German Shepherd and it greatly reduces or eliminates the chance of bloat which can extend their lifespan.    

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55 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

MuOldest's best friends has one for her service dog he comes along everywhere and is wonderful.

Can you find out and pm me the name of the breeder or organization this dog came from?  I have a friend right now looking for a great dane for a service dog since it will be used for mobility/stability.  Thanks!

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Because of their shorter life span, I wouldn't. There are other larger breeds that have less health problems and longer life spans that I'd check out first. They are beautiful and seem to have a good temperament, so I can understand the appeal. My heart just couldn't stand having one for such a short time.

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I won't own a dog that is too big for me to carry up and down stairs, or load into a car, by myself, or so big that I could be seriously injured if they took off while walking on a leash. Also the food and vet bills for big dogs are proportionately large, and then their lifespan is painfully short.

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2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I wouldn't. 

My joints couldn't handle one. I don't want to re-arrange my house to accommodate such a large dog. And any weight based vet care (which is surgeries and almost any kind of medicine) would be extremely costly. Plus they're very short lived. I don't need my heart broken that often.

This, we literally wouldn't have the space where we are now. I love the Great Danes that I have interacted with, but giant breeds have too much expense and special care that I can't afford to do at this point in my life. 

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Everyone else has dog-specific advice that I can’t give, but if you go ahead and get one, I’d wait until you are very, very comfortable in your new home. Even if you know you like big dogs, downsizing to a large degree and acquiring a giant dog at the same time sounds fraught.

One couple I know who had two Danes without bobbed tails said the tails are always getting banged up on stuff and then bleeding on things. The tail height was a challenge, and they are pretty substantial tails. 

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2 hours ago, Spryte said:

I love them, and want to say yes. I have a Great Dane in my life that I adore (not mine). And I grew up with a bestie who had two. Wonderful dogs.

But I think my “yes” is based on life a few years ago. Realistically, it’s probably not a good plan for me personally now — so unfortunately I’m a “no” based on current life issues. Mostly my own health needs, and knowing we do not have time for a dog with that level of needs (energy, etc). 

We will need pics, so we can all live vicariously through you!

 

ETA: one more thing to consider. When we lost my 16 yr old 100 lb doggy soul mate, I realized I needed to be able to carry future dogs. He needed help sometimes at the end, and we didn’t always have a ramp handy. DH was able to do it, he’s WFH for 20 years, so it wasn’t an issue. But I still wanted to be able to do it for my boy — and it wasn’t possible. 

Well, I am not ready to get another dog, but we have been talking.   I am not set on this type of dog, just looking at options.

2 hours ago, zimom said:

If you decide to get one a) try not to choose one based on color.  Ask the breeder (who you will research well) to pick the one with the temperament that matches what you are looking for and 2) when you have the dog spayed or neutered also have the dog's stomach tacked (gastropexy).  My vet charged me about $150 more for my German Shepherd and it greatly reduces or eliminates the chance of bloat which can extend their lifespan.    

It is more about me actually wanting a Dalmatian but they are too high strung for me.   I am not sure if the dane would also be high strung or not.   My friend's is not.   But their dog was mixed......doberman and Great Dane.

1 hour ago, chiguirre said:

Have you read The Friend by Sigrid Nunez? It will give you a good idea of the practical challenges of having a Great Dane in addition to being a really good book.

I have not.   Thanks.

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We literally just adopted one. Dh grew up with them and I always said I’d never get one. Famous last words 😂 They are extremely loving and just want to be with you all the time. They think they’re lap dogs. They’re pretty low energy. Ours is an older puppy and still fairly chill. They drool and drip water so I have junky towels in my kitchen and family room and catch them when I can. They eat a lot. Ours consumes 8 cups a day. They’re v majestic looking and everyone wants to stop and chat when you’re out walking. He doesn’t really seem bigger than our last two medium sized dogs (one Pyrenees and one Vizsla mix) until you’re around other medium sized dogs. If you have a good sized yard I’d go for it. I have no regrets. 

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Edited by whitestavern
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3 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

We literally just adopted one. Dh grew up with them and I always said I’d never get one. Famous last words 😂 They are extremely loving and just want to be with you all the time. They think they’re lap dogs. They’re pretty low energy. Ours is an older puppy and still fairly chill. They drool and drip water so I have junky towels in my kitchen and family room and catch them when I can. They eat a lot. Ours consumes 8 cups a day. They’re v majestic looking and everyone wants to stop and chat when you’re out walking. He doesn’t really seem bigger than our last two medium sized dogs (one Pyrenees and one Vizsla mix) until you’re around other medium sized dogs. If you have a good sized yard I’d go for it. I have no regrets. 

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Awe, he is gorgeous!

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If you are speaking of near future, I would say, not now. It appears from all of your posts recently that you have a lot of stressors and things to tend to that don't allow for the time it takes to put into a dog, much less a giant breed dog . 

Also  from my perspective as a mom to 2 Newfoundlands (giant breeds), I think you must be a specific type of person to handle the giant breeds. They are not a breed for everyone and really not for owners without adequate time able to be dedicated to them. 

Aside from the obvious of the high cost to provide for them- there are other considerations.

They need training and socialization from a young age. The last thing you need is an untrained giant breed living with you.

They are large enough to rest their heads on your tables/counters so manners being taught is critical at a young age. They can easily counter surf if they feel like it. 

They are big enough to knock you over if you are using your stairs at a time the dog is also using them. Their slobber is not just wet, but slimy and that creates unsafe wood/ lvp floors if not cleaned up immediately. I have fallen stepping into a slobber puddle in the dark or shadow that I didn't see. 

You need a vehicle that can accommodate this size breed. They also need to be trained to get into your vehicle. We started with ramps but our oldest Newfie began refusing to use it. You can't force a breed that large if they don't want to do something. We had to find another way to get him to load... which were heavy and clunky petloader stairs. They are a pain to use but hold the weight of a giant breed and with some training and lots of patience, both of our Newfies load now with no problem.

They attract a lot of attention when you are in a store ( Home Depot/ Lowes) and for us, that means our trips for a quick store run are no longer quick 🙂

They have shorter lifespans and bloat is the #1 killer of this breed so having the stomach tacked is recommended as well as educating yourself on the warning signs. 

I LOVE having my Newfies but I will be the first to tell you that it is a LOT of dog in many ways and a lot of work too. I wouldn't trade them at this stage in my life for anything. 

 

 

Edited by Corbster98
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8 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

We literally just adopted one. Dh grew up with them and I always said I’d never get one. Famous last words 😂 They are extremely loving and just want to be with you all the time. They think they’re lap dogs. They’re pretty low energy. Ours is an older puppy and still fairly chill. They drool and drip water so I have junky towels in my kitchen and family room and catch them when I can. They eat a lot. Ours consumes 8 cups a day. They’re v majestic looking and everyone wants to stop and chat when you’re out walking. He doesn’t really seem bigger than our last two medium sized dogs (one Pyrenees and one Vizsla mix) until you’re around other medium sized dogs. If you have a good sized yard I’d go for it. I have no regrets. 

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so cute!! How old is he?

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2 hours ago, zimom said:

Can you find out and pm me the name of the breeder or organization this dog came from?  I have a friend right now looking for a great dane for a service dog since it will be used for mobility/stability.  Thanks!

She trained it herself but I can try and find out the breeder.

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1 hour ago, strawberries said:

I would not. Our current dog is 50 lbs. The biggest dog we've ever owned was 65 lbs. I recently told DH and DD that any future dogs need to be under 40 lbs. I need to be able to lift them when they are sick or injured, and I am not as young as I used to be. 

Our current dog is about 60 pounds, maybe a few more.   He is a golden doodle.   Most of our dogs have been in the 50-70 pound range and been  lab mixes or golden mixes.   We had a corgi/golden mix who was the best dog.   

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I used to visit a family that had one, and he would always come over to be friendly when I was sitting in a chair. That was fine, but he'd be eye level with me and that slobber would slime my face and neck if I wasn't vigilant which was gross. He wasn't being rude, just wanting some pets, but even standing quietly next to you means you are sitting in the danger zone when a dog is that tall.

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One of my best friends had a Great Dane four years until she passed. Amazing dog with kids and she was so chill. 
 

However her final months lacking mobility and giant accidents were rough. I don’t think I could have dealt with it. They did just buy a new GD puppy. 😉 

Saga is roughly seventy pounds with personality plus. I think their pounds is ideal. Our girl is the best but I’d love it if she was mini. 

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They're super sweet and kind of slobbery. I don't think I've ever met a mean Great Dane. 

Big Dog Life is a whole thing. You really have to be into having a Big Dog. Everything they need is more expensive: food, heartworm meds, flea stuff, antibiotics if they need them, (and eventually they will). 

Bloat is a real risk for this breed; if you get a Great Dane, ask the vet to do a gastropexy when the dog is spayed/neutered, and familiarize yourself with what bloat looks like. Even after gastropexy, it's possible they can bloat, (although unlikely).

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Be aware that an enormous dog can cause more damage without meaning to. I was bitten by an adolescent Great Dane when I was a child. It jumped to catch a Frisbee,  missed and clamped onto my arm. There was no malice, but a smaller dog's mouth would not have encompassed my arm and would only have scratched me. I still have the scar of one of the teeth fifty years later.

Edited by Laura Corin
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My husband would like a small dog and I think they are cute, but when our doodle (he is white) was a puppy, we had hawks who would circle around.   I think because he was white and fluffy, he looked like a rabbit.   

Anyway, our neighbor had smaller dogs and thought we were nuts when we told him but then one night we were out in our yards talking with the puppy and he witnessed 3 hawks circling our puppy.   He said he took back what he said earlier about us being paranoid (he didn't use that word but the sentiment was there.).  He said he didn't believe it until he witnessed it for himself.

So, no fluffy white and light brown SMALL dogs for us.   

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1 hour ago, DawnM said:

My husband would like a small dog and I think they are cute, but when our doodle (he is white) was a puppy, we had hawks who would circle around.   I think because he was white and fluffy, he looked like a rabbit.   

Anyway, our neighbor had smaller dogs and thought we were nuts when we told him but then one night we were out in our yards talking with the puppy and he witnessed 3 hawks circling our puppy.   He said he took back what he said earlier about us being paranoid (he didn't use that word but the sentiment was there.).  He said he didn't believe it until he witnessed it for himself.

So, no fluffy white and light brown SMALL dogs for us.   

There's no hawk in the US that can lift something that's more than a few pounds. I do go outside with young puppies, because everyone should, always. But mine are 15 pound adults now and hawks are not on my worry list at all. If I had a tiny Chihuahua then yes, hawk concern would be a legit issue. But hawks are always gonna circle. It's what they do. We watched a couple of them on our walk yesterday. Sometimes they perch on our fence. They're looking for chipmunks, not our fluffy, huge-to-them 15 pound dogs. They don't even seem interested in our squirrels, which are abundant and would probably make easy picking for them. But I've seen them nab chipmunks.

And a dog being white (both of mine are predominately white) isn't a concern at all. Wild rabbits here are brownish gray, similar to squirrels, not white. Other than skunks, which do have some white on them, I can't think of any small prey animal around here that's white. Which kind of brings me back around to the "if I had a tiny Chihuahua," because the coloring of many of them does closely resemble the small prey animals here.

Edited by Pawz4me
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33 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

There's no hawk in the US that can lift something that's more than a few pounds. I do go outside with young puppies, because everyone should, always. But mine are 15 pound adults now and hawks are not on my worry list at all. If I had a tiny Chihuahua then yes, hawk concern would be a legit issue. But hawks are always gonna circle. It's what they do. We watched a couple of them on our walk yesterday. Sometimes they perch on our fence. They're looking for chipmunks, not our fluffy, huge-to-them 15 pound dogs. And their being white (both of mine are predominately white) isn't a concern at all. Wild rabbits here are brownish gray (like squirrels), not white. Other than skunks, which do have some white on them, I can't think of any small prey animal around here that's white.

They CAN pick up a bunny and my dog, when he was a puppy, was very small and fluffy.   If you google, you will see that there have been instances where a dog was picked up, even a larger dog, a pomeranian, and dropped about a mile away.   There are also stories of dogs attacked in the yard by hawks who couldn't carry them off but still wanted to eat them.

Maybe it is irrational, but I still worry.

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Just now, DawnM said:

They CAN pick up a bunny and my dog, when he was a puppy, was very small and fluffy.   If you google, you will see that there have been instances where a dog was picked up, even a larger dog, a pomeranian, and dropped about a mile away.   There are also stories of dogs attacked in the yard by hawks who couldn't carry them off but still wanted to eat them.

Maybe it is irrational, but I still worry.

There are lots of stories about lots of things, but that doesn't mean they're true. And I'm talking about here, in our state. There are raptors in other areas that can carry more weight. And Poms are tiny dogs, similar to Chihuahuas, by no means large.

I'm not trying to argue with you, but to alleviate the concern. Yes, you should go out with puppies. Always, always, always. They can get in so much trouble. But in our area hawks aren't a concern for any but the tiniest of adult dogs.

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8 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

There are lots of stories about lots of things, but that doesn't mean they're true. And I'm talking about here, in our state. There are raptors in other areas that can carry more weight. And Poms are tiny dogs, similar to Chihuahuas, by no means large.

I'm not trying to argue with you, but to alleviate the concern. Yes, you should go out with puppies. Always, always, always. They can get in so much trouble. But in our area hawks aren't a concern for any but the tiniest of adult dogs.

True, although one was a news story where they interviewed the owner and the Vet.   But again, I get paraoid about these things when I prob shouldn't (like swimming in the ocean with creatures in there!)   

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Our neighbors have one!  He is a pretty neat-looking dog. 

But the shorter lifespan would concern me.  As for size, we have a smooth collie, and though she is small, I worry about when she is older and might need our help being lifted.  When my Keeshond was at the end of her life, my husband had to carry her into the vet because I couldn't life her myself (not to mention I was distraught).

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17 minutes ago, Ting Tang said:

Our neighbors have one!  He is a pretty neat-looking dog. 

But the shorter lifespan would concern me.  As for size, we have a smooth collie, and though she is small, I worry about when she is older and might need our help being lifted.  When my Keeshond was at the end of her life, my husband had to carry her into the vet because I couldn't life her myself (not to mention I was distraught).

Yes. Our old dog is frail and can't do stairs. She skitters sideways on ramps.  She's also largely blind and deaf, but seems to be enjoying life still.

I'm glad that both Husband and I can easily pick her up so that she can travel with us and deal with unfamiliar environments.

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