Great Dane

...with my own experiences with Great Danes and then give you the "low down" on the breed.

When my friend Dave (later my partner) told me he was going to get a dog for himself and his pub - I thought "ooh lovely, a nice little Spaniel would look really cosy in front of the fire". I was in for a shock when he brought home a Great Dane a few weeks later!

"A Great Dane??? What on earth do you want ...
...- a 16 week old Great Dane black (I'll explain the colours later) arrived via car with my partner and his son complete with full sick bag. I didn't live there then and Dave found it hard to train the dog and look after the pub, after copious amounts of mountainous poo (I'm being polite here) and shredded carpet stairs, gnarled banisters, he decided that Bailey was better outside and built him a kennel out of his garage. I never believed that a dog ... more

In this review, I'll first start with my own experiences with Great Danes and then give you the "low down" on the breed.

When my friend Dave (later my partner) told me he was going to get a dog for himself and his pub - I thought "ooh lovely, a nice little Spaniel would look really cosy in front of the fire". I was in for a shock when he brought home a Great Dane a few weeks later!

"A Great Dane??? What on earth do you want such a big lumox of a dog like that for? They grow too big to sit on your knee, he/she will knock you over and the punters?" Well I won't repeat what I thought they would do!

How wrong I was

Bailey - a 16 week old Great Dane black (I'll explain the colours later) arrived via car with my partner and his son complete with full sick bag. I didn't live there then and Dave found it hard to train the dog and look after the pub, after copious amounts of mountainous poo (I'm being polite here) and shredded carpet stairs, gnarled banisters, he decided that Bailey was better outside and built him a kennel out of his garage. I never believed that a dog could be happier living outside than in, but Bailey won't have it any other way.

I've watched him grow from a leggy teenager to a regal looking solid handsome brute, who would go over hot coals for me and my family. With him being 7 now arthritis is settling in and I try to get him to live in-doors but after an hour or so, he's chomping at the bit to go back outside to his brood.

Yes, as you've gathered, we didn't stick to just 1, when I moved in a few years later, we decided that with Bailey being of excellent temperament and pedigree, we wanted to breed from him and keep one of his pups, preferably a boy.

Enter - Cuba (named after one of our favourite holiday jaunts) a Harlequin bitch arrived when she was 6 months old, she's such a character, very snotty, she holds out her paw with her head held high as if she was giving you gold! She actually talks to you, she makes a noise like "ScoobyDoo" but instead of just one little "eerrumph" hers carries on and as it does, she folds her big chops into her mouth and it looks as if she's chewing her own mouth, she's so funny.

Bailey and Cuba became proud parents of their first litter Nov 2005 - 3 girlies and 3 boys. We kept a boy who is the spitting image of his dad and has his mother's characteristics.

The boys live outside and have daily walks and when everybody has left the pub they come inside for an hour or two, it's bedlam at first but being Great Danes their energy bursts are not long lived and soon settle down. Bailey from an early age loves to play a game where I shoot down to the ground and he rushes over and lays parallel and won't move until I do, he doesn't do this for any of the other members of the family. He wouldn't let any other dog near me until a few weeks ago when he promoted his son to left "book end"

When Bailey's pups were around 8 weeks old they were transferred from indoors to the outdoor pen which had a divisional wall for pups and mum in one end and Bailey in the other. There was a board that was high enough to keep the pups in but low enough for Cuba to step over so that she could be with Bailey and have a stretch in the field.

Everything was fine until one day a pup managed to escape and got stuck in-between the board and the fence, the puppy yelped and just as my partner was rushing to free him, Bailey bounded from the field with great speed and pushed the board with his paw to free the pup, if that wasn't remarkable enough, he jumped over and pushed the board back so the puppy couldn't escape, my partner's 22 year old daughter was there at the time, she couldn't believe it.

Bailey refuses to go out if it's raining, he hates it, but when Cuba allowed him to jump over the board to be with his puppies, his back end would be stuck out of the curtain in all weather, that's where he stayed every day and night protecting his puppies until they were old enough to be in the big field with him.

When it was feeding time he waited unil his woman and his pups were fed and only then would he eat, he's still the same now, yet give him a treat, there's no way any of them can share it. "Its mine, take my food, take my bed, take anything you want but the bone is mine"!

Oscar is growing up to be just like his dad - a black beauty with a heart of gold and a sense of humour just like his mother complete with "wobbly gob"

Nevaeh (where I got my Ciao name from) - Harlequin bitch arrived October 2005 aged 7 weeks old. We trained her to be both an in-door and outdoor dog just like Cuba. The girls stay out with the boys during the day and then sleep indoors at night time.

Great Danes are very intelligent and eager to please, if you show them the boundries from the start, they learn very quickly, Nevaeh (which you might have noticed is heaven spelled backwards and pronounced Neeva) hates been told off, she is a terrible sulk and because she's got such a cute duck face, it's hard to stay mad with her for long. She tries so hard to please because she hates being in trouble and now rarely gets a stern "no", she's only a year old. Even today I forgot I'd left 3 lamb chops on the kitchen worktop (eye level for Nevaeh) I went into the kitchen fearing the worse, and bless her she'd left them alone, she knew they were there she furiously wagged her tail at me knowing she'd been a good girl.

All four dogs have their own individual quirks and characteristics, but each one has two things in common - loyalty and love for their families - both canine and human - especially me (much to my partner's annoyance - he's the one that feeds them). I have four Great Danes that think my name is Mary and follow me everywhere.

LONGEVITY OF A GREAT DANE

The only big down side of this breed is that they don't live as long as some smaller breeds. They have such a big body but their heart is not much bigger than a medium sized dog and as they grow older they can suffer with heart problems, also degeneration of bones and joints is a major cause of death in a Dane. Their average life span is said to be around 7-10 years, my big boy is 7 now and I feel Old Father Time is ticking louder and louder as each day passes, saying that, I've seen on the internet a wonderful Dane of 10 years old still competing in an agility competition to raise money for charity - so fingers crossed.

Another problem for Danes is BLOAT:

Bloat (Gastric Torsion) can kill and is caused by the build up of fluid and gases within the stomach, disrupting the normal function of the heart. The reasons leading to the dilation of the stomach are not really known - some theories include the injestion of large amounts of food and water immediately after exercising (similar to horses and colic).

There are many tips to try to avoid bloat but none have been proven.

Some tips are:

Raise food and water bowls so that your Dane is not having to bend down low to eat and drink.

Keep a regular sensible diet using proper dog food and meat, without vast or sudden changes.

If you notice any of the symptoms contact your vet immediately - delays can kill.

The first symptoms are:

Attempting to vomit
Restlessness
Enlarging of the abdomen
Dark red gums growing dark blue/purple
High heartbeat rate.

There are surgical methods which are used to help prevent the stomach from twisting for example stitching the stomach to the ribs - Gastroplexy but is still not a guarantee that it can prevent bloat.

HYPERTROPHIC OSTEODYSTROPHY

This disease is more common in the larger breeds including the Great Dane. It effects dogs usually starting at around the three months of age in the wrist area of forelegs, accompanied by upper-leg selling, anorexia, fever, depression and weight loss. The cause is not known for certain but could be linked with supplementation of vitamins and/or minerals.

Speak to your vet before administering any vitamin supplementation for your Dane, as many, especially Calcium supplements can be detrimental, for example bone deformities that can cripple.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT DANE

Many things must be taken into consideration when choosing what type of dog you want. Space - enough for a big dog - indoors and out? Time to train and provide him/her with the love and companionship he/she deserves, also have you the financial resources to care and feed a Great Dane?

If yes is your answer, the Great Dane is a marvellous family friend and companion who loves children and adults alike. The breed adjusts easily to the home environment and quickly bonds with its new family members. The breed loves attention and will be unhappy if it doesn't receive the love and adoration of its family.

Most people are familiar with the Great Dane and is renown for its majestic and regal demeanor. Wenever we take our dogs for a walk or on holiday, we have often been stopped and received admiration. One time this year we took Cuba to Whitby - North Yorkshire and a Chinese couple asked if they could take a picture!

Great Dane make fantastic guard dogs, their size alone would deter any potential burglar! Our dogs are well socialised but are still unsure of strangers. Although it's size and bark is enough to frighten anybody senseless, the Great Dane is not an aggressive dog - the breed is very loving and most of them wouldn't harm a flea. Yet if provoked they will protect and defend their family to the death.

An example of which - my son was being passed a leaflet from a man outside, Cuba rushed straight over and caught his arm, she didn't bite him, she just held his arm in her mouth until she was told he was alright. She's not been trained to do this, it just comes natural.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CHOOSING A PUPPY

A puppy can be trained and moulded into your family regime from the beginning quite quickly. The disadvantages is the time and patience at first to achieve this. The more time you have the easier and quicker it is. Remember though to set rules and standards that you are going to keep to. Puppies don't stay puppy size. It's so easy to let your puppy sleep on your knee and at the end of your bed - are you willing to carry on doing this when your dog is big and sometimes weighs more than an adult human being?

THE ADVANTAGES OF CHOOSING AN ADULT GREAT DANE

An older dog can be set in his ways and can take a long time to adjust to his new surroundings, rules, boundaries and family. Also if the Dane is a rescue you cannot determine what "baggage" he is bringing with him. He could have had a traumatic past causing him to display unwanted characteristics, not only to humans but to other dogs and animals.

WHERE TO BUY A GREAT DANE

A good place to start is the internet where many breeders advertise and give good information about their specific pedigree of Dane. WWW.Epupz.com is a good site - for all breeds. You can also contact the Kennel Club and ask for a list of Great Dane breeders in your area. A dog show is another good place to search for reputable breeders.

Nevaeh was found via the Internet and the breeders were really helpful - we visited their home and must have been there for well over 2 hours, we were able to ask many questions, which we had thought about before we arrived, also don't worry about the breeders asking you questions, this is to be expected as they want to make sure that you are suitable to take one of "their babies". We were able to meet "the mum" and her other puppies. The puppies were of a varying price due to the different markings and differences in temperament for example some can be more alert or braver than others even at that early age. You can expect to pay from £500 - £1,500 for a Great Dane depending on markings, history of temperament and of course Pedigree, a Pedigree with many champions will increase the value of the puppy.

SIZE

Expect your adult Dane dog to grow to a minimum of 76cms (30ins) in height and weigh at least 120 Ibs. A bitch should be a minimum of 71cm (28ins) 100Ibs.

CHOICE OF COLOURS

Brindles - Black and tan to deepest orange stripes.
Fawns - Tan to deepest orange, dark shadings around head and ears.
Black - Black, sometimes white chest and paws (acceptable but not desirable for showing.
Harlequin (my favourite) - Pure white base with black or blue patches, similar to a Dalmation but larger raggier patches. In Harlequins with wall (for example one blue one brown) eyes, pink noses, or butterfly noses (black and pink pigmentation giving the nose an appearance of a butterfly) are accepted but not desirable.
Blue - light grey to deep slate, nose and eyes may be blue
Merle - Grey base with black patches, not acceptable for showing, but look gorgeous.

Their coat is short and soft especially around the head and ears, they do molt, Harlequins more so than blacks.

FEEDING A GREAT DANE

The amount of times we have been asked "How much does it cost to feed your dog"? I answer just two kids a day!

Seriously - compared to some fussy little dogs, which I have had in the past work out to be cheaper.

It is personal preference and also consideration to your dog's individual requirements - for example one of our two bitches has a supplement of minced beef with her complete dried food as she is inclined to lose weight due to being a fussy eater. Our other 3 are on dried complete food alone - we mix a little warm water with it. We use Sneyds Wonderdog which is £11.00 per 15kg bag which you can buy from most large pet stores. We've used this for the last 7 years and was recommended to us by a Great Dane breeder and used it ever since, having no problems with any of our dogs diets. Usually two bags lasts two weeks, so that's £11.00 per week plus £5.00 for the meat and £5.00 for treats such as pigs ears. That makes it around £5 per dog per week - not bad for a horse!

On a lighter note, if you do decide to buy a Great Dane do expect some of these comments at least once a day every day:

Where's his saddle?
Who's taking who for a walk?
He must need a lot of feeding.
Is it a Dalmation?
It's only a puppy??

I have lost count how many times a bloke has walked a Jack Russell or a tiny dog the size of a rat thinking his dog could take our dogs on, they actually urge their dog "go on Fi Fi go get him"! They're not joking either! Our Danes just give it a snotty look and walk on with nose in the air. One time Bailey slammed his paw down on a Chiwawa's head as if swotting a fly - really funny.

Thanks for reading, hope you find this useful. Nev x 

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