Great Danes

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Ashley

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Anybody have one? Info on them? Like how big of a fence do I need? If all goes well with the house shopping I will be installing a fence for the yard. I would like to make sure I have one that will hold a dane in case I decide in the future to get one. Are they a dog that likes to jump?
 
Hi Ashley, I know the breed well, was my sister in laws choosen breed all her life and right up til she had her brain injury 10 years ago. The only thing I can fault with a Dane for breed is that they do not live long enough and they break your heart when they go. Danes can run like the wind. I had a friend that used to test-run a luer course for the sitehounds with a dane. Lots of folks think they are slow, but my experience is that they love to run. My sister in laws dane could keep up with galloping full sized horses in the field and often would "hitch a ride" by grabbing the tail and hanging on and running with them. Vickie tried to raise her last puppy while working full time and not using a crate. She is my poster child story for using a very large crate while this breed is young.

Her puppy could rear up and get things off the TOP of the refrigerator. She ate and mangled everything in the house and teethed on sofas, and ate and puked a whole basket full of jolly rancher candies all over the rugs and ruined the hard wood floor chewing. It was when she turned on the stove burned up the whole cabinet next to the stove and almost caught the house on fire that they finally got a crate. After crating, everything went as normal puppies do. Danes grow so fast and folks tend to forget that the massive dog in their house still has a puppy brain.

Vickie had many danes, all were excellent tempermant. The one time she tried to raise two dane puppies from the same litter she found this was a bad idea, they packed together, were not bonding to the owners, but rather to each other and they would work together to chase the horses and deer and anything else that crossed their property. She gave one to her mom and the problem was solved. Her last dane was a heartbreak. Gorgeous male, very tall. He even visited the rehab place when Vickie was being treated after her brain injury. That year he developed a lump on his leg and went lame in one day... He was only 3 years old. Bone cancer. Two weeks after diagnosis he was gone. Only dog that she owned over her whole life that didn't live to be old. I loved her dogs, they were like having mini horses in the house.

She also did one rescue dane gotten well after the puppy munchie stage but still young and that dog was great and lived to be very old. (old for a dane that is)

I advise good fencing, not electric invisible fencing as they get up enough speed and just run through the barrier. I go out with my dogs during the puppy stage and if you supervise you shouldn't have problems with jumping and escaping.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. Vickie didn't research backgrounds on her dogs, just picked nice puppies with decent parents with good tempermant a must. Some came from breeders that werent famous, just nice decent folks with nice puppies and nice adults. My sister in law loved the black best but had all colors. I advise thinking twice about the odd colors such as blues etc as I have seen skin issues with those. Cant think of anything else, rambling here. Best wishes and if you get a new puppy let us know!
 
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ps, after the puppy stage which is rather short for this giant breed, they tend to lay around the house much like a greyhound, but if allowed outside off leash that is when they really love to run. None of her dogs pulled on a leash but vickie was good about taking puppy everywhere and walking at horseshows etc. Geriatric by age 6 is my biggest fault with any of the giant breeds. they are a noble and awesome breed though, short life span and all and I highly recommend them if you love the idea of having a pony in the house:)
 
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My son had two. The first was his constant companion as a bachelor. She was so smart and good tempered. When he married and had a child, she was very good with his wife and the baby, too. Unfortunatley, I think Danes are short lived and some have hip problems. That is what happened to Molly. She would be out for a walk and her hips would give out. She was too large for them to lift and surgery did not seem a good option. Molly was a solid brown and only 5 when her hips went.

They got another, but he wasn't as smart and friendly. Trooper was black and white. He got into the street and was hit when a year or so old, so do not know how he would have done. I know he was fine with their children. The two dogs were not related.
 
I had a Dane when I was a teen. She was a wonderful dog altho a bit on the emotional side. She was NOT well bred and in fact was a gift from my then boyfriend (now husband - figured I'd better keep the one who gave me animals for gifts ;) ) and came from a backyard breeder just breeding a litter for some easy(? -not in my experience ) money. She was a bit of a pita to house break and would when scolded (I was young and did not have the method for house breaking I do now) for an accident and sent out side would wait until she was allowed back in and then go pee on the rug next to my bed (or do even worse there). We did eventually get past that once she trained me better. lol. I lost her at 7 months after someone left a bucket with antifreeze where she could get at it. After spending every penny in my meagre bank account to save her I ended up sick and in the hospital myself. She refused to eat or drink food/water that came from anyone else and her already stressed kidneys failed completely. Vet suggested regular dialysis would allow her to go on but I had neither the money to do it nor the heart to sentence such a large and active dog to that life so I opted for euthanasia. In the short time I had her she did teach me a great deal about being a better dog owner tho and I will always have a soft spot for the breed.
 
My friend breeds them. She is a dog trainer and hers are well behaved.. However I have seen some laid back ones and some bouncing off the walls in my experience as a groomer. They do have quite a bit of energy especially when younger, but in my experience kind of run out of fuel quick and are perfectly content passed out on a sofa.

Downside, short lifespan and health related issues -- bloat, hips, etc.. My friends' Danes do drool quite a bit and when they shake she is cleaning drool half way up the walls in her home.

Short hair, easy to groom.. Best tool is a rubber curry comb (horse kind). They do shed about the same as a Boxer or such. Nails grow long and thick -- trim & Dremel every few weeks. Start young.

My friend has a 8' privacy fence. Her female has more of a prey drive than her Border Collies and will get ahold of anything small like a squirrel or cat that comes into the yard.

Socialize and train. Very good companion. Kinda of "hard keepers" -- good quality dog food is a must.
 
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The fence will be a wood fence regardless of the kind of dog. I am not looking to get any kind of dog for about 3 months but am researching now. Black is my fav color and what ever kind of dog I end up with it will be a male as we already have two girls. The fenced yard will be about 80ft wide by 120ish long.
 
You are so wise to do the research before getting the dog or puppy, wish more folks were like that. hooray to you for thinking ahead. The book "what all good dogs should know" the sensible way to train is a good book to buy before puppy arrives. Thin, plenty of photos and excellent advice. best wishes. Black is my favorite color too
 
One of my best friends is getting one, who I think is 8wks old now and will come home to her family at the end of June. She is BEAUTIFUL and such neat coloring. Hoping she may see this, and maybe post as well!!!
 
i've had danes for 6 years, all rescues. while much of what has been posted is true, there are exceptions to every rule. my 2 danes do great with underground fence. i've had it since they were about 4 years old (both going on 7).

danes are wonderful dogs but if you want a dane, buy from a breeder who shows and does health testing. show breeders will often offer "pet quality" danes for reasonable sums and you will be getting the best of the best. so many of the back yard bred danes are plagued with health problems, temperament problems and many of them grow up to look like something that barely resembles a dane.

read all you can. and then read some more. attend some shows, meet some breeders, talk to other dane owners. and then, read some more. join some dane forums, ask questions, learn, learn, learn before you jump in to dane ownership!

rachel (sixstardanes) has gorgeous dogs. not sure if she does any more showing/breeding these days but she would be a GREAT one to point you in the right direction.

danes are not for the faint of heart. where a smaller breed pup will chew a hole in your couch, your dane pup will eat your ENTIRE couch. in one sitting! poorly bred danes can (and often do) have serious digestive issues. trust me on this...the LAST thing you want to come home to is explosive dane diarrhea. all. over. the. house. it is SO not pretty!!! just another one of the many reasons to buy from a reputable breeder!
 

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