Great Danes

[Brixa's Mom]

I think we fellow Great Dane owners should start talking.. see what we have in common in our Dane beliefs!!

[Deerie me]

I wouldn't mind talking to fellow deerhound owners, but i feel it would be a one sided conversation and as I spend most of my day feeling like I'm talking to myself perhaps I wont bother.
Good luck.
You could always just tell us about Danes. I don't know that much about them.

[Brixa's Mom]

well, mm.. they're great family dogs, that is if you want an EXTRA large lap dog! Brixa just turned 11 mos yesterday and is 31 inches at the shoulder.

don't worry I am the same way.. ref. one sidedness.. lol!!

there's so much about danes I could talk about.. what should I start with!? lol

[Deerie me]

Is it true they are very shortlived? What are all the diff colours called. What are their typical traits. Are they bright ? How much exercise? There you are I've set you off

[Brixa's Mom]

Yes, unfortunately it is true that they are short lived. They are pretty much considered a "senior" by the time they are five. Have Been told that the oldest Dane made it to 16 overseas in the 90's. One in the states made it to 16 in the fall of 2006. Suzi from Dale Bath Great Dane Rescue out of Cincinnati Ohio turned 16 in Feb. 2008. Most only making it to 7-10 yrs old though. Great Danes come in several different colors; Black, Blue, Harlequin, Fawn, Mantle/Boston, Brindle, Merle, and Mantle Merle. Some "designer colors" are out there by back yard breeders, including Fawniquins, Bindlequins, Mantle Fawns, and so forth, these are not desired. If you are to cross Great Danes, the desired color matings would be, Black on Black, Blk on Blu, blk on fwn, brndl on brndl, brndl on fwn, blu on fwn, blk on harl, blk on mntl, blk on mrl, harl on mntl, harl on mrl, mrl on mntl. I being a Mantle Merle owner have done a lot of research on them, and have found that it is not good to have a mrl on mrl breeding or a mrl on harl for the main possibility of a double merle breeding. The double merle gene is deadly and can cause deaf and/or blind puppies and many times still born pups. The only way to know if your dog is double merle is to have it's DNA tested. The colors I mentioned (not the "designer colors") are all registered colors with AKC. The merle, and mantle merle are non showable as of present through AKC, hopefully in the near future this will be changed. Great Danes are all in all a family dog. They don't understand being left out of things, and just want to be with you and your family at all times. Being originally bred to hunt boar, they do need proper amounts of exercise to keep in shape. You DO not want an overweight dane Proper feeding is a must, with no more than 23% protein is a must, even for pups. I personally feed and recommend Eagle Pack Holistic Large breed puppy. Great Danes are prone to health problems. Many at that!! Bone structure is a big one, and it is important that even though your pup needs enough excersise, but to make sure it is not overly streneous. They are extremley intelligent. Great Danes are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. Some Great Danes are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. Frankly, most Great Danes are "too much dog" for the average household. Very few people really have the knowledge, facilities, or skills necessary to manage this breed.

Ok, haha! Hope that doesn't bore you or anyone else!!

[rexandbaby]

No really, that is a great post, I learned alot today! Thanks!

[Doggymommy]

Great post. Very informative. Thanks Brixas mom! She is getting more beautiful every time we get to see her

[Deerie me]

Thats brilliant. Thanks Brixa's mom. Their temperament sounds a bit like Loki. Bright enough and very willing to do things as long as it fits with his agenda.

[Andrea P.]

I love Great Danes! Can we see a picture of yours?

I think it's sad that in order to show G.D.s you have to clip their ears when they're puppies. Why can't people just leave dogs' natural features alone? What is wrong with their adorable floppy ears??? I wish I could have a little chat with the person that decided clipped ears should be required.

[Brixa's Mom]

Hi Andrea, welcome to the forum! Acutally you don't have to crop Dane's ears to get them in the show ring. It use to be required, but it is not anymore! You can see pictures of Brixa on my page or if you go to the main forum! Enjoy!!

[niki003]

Hey there! I have 2 Danes who are my pride and joy! Bacardi is 20 months old and Malibu is 15 months. Bacardi was the first dane I have owned and her breeder warned me...."you can't just have one"! Sure enough, 5 months later, I picked up Malibu. I will always have a Dane in my house. Can't wait to hear from other Dane lovers and share stories about our big lap babies

[kian]

It looks like you have a few fellow Dane owners here! I love danes, there just aren't many where I live. I do know one man in town who bred Danes, he had some beautiful dogs. I understand the breeding with merle on merle. Can't do that with Aussies either, can cause depth perception with them. I do remember a Dane that came to the vet clinic I worked at, the owners choose to leave the ears natural. He was beautiful. Their short lifespan is sad, seems to be that way extra large dogs. I always say God gave them big hearts instead! Lokis' mum I'm curious about the lifespan with Deerhounds?

[Deerie me]

It looks like you have a few fellow Dane owners here! I love danes, there just aren't many where I live. I do know one man in town who bred Danes, he had some beautiful dogs. I understand the breeding with merle on merle. Can't do that with Aussies either, can cause depth perception with them. I do remember a Dane that came to the vet clinic I worked at, the owners choose to leave the ears natural. He was beautiful. Their short lifespan is sad, seems to be that way extra large dogs. I always say God gave them big hearts instead! Lokis' mum I'm curious about the lifespan with Deerhounds?

With Deerhounds its about twelve years tops. I think you just have to get that in your head at the start. I love big dogs though and thats just the way it goes. We would love a Great Dane along with quite a few other big dogs but our house and our wallets aren't big enough.

[niki003]

The life span is sad in your Giant breeds like danes. But I have to say that the joy and love they bring into your home is well worth it. It is never easy to lose a loved pet whether they are around for 8 or 18 years. I have had nothing but giant breeds my entire life, so the life span to me is "normal" and not something that I took into consideration when I chose to get Danes. As Loki's mom says.... thats just the way it goes!

[snoopygirl]

Go on Tracy, start a Deerhound topic! I want to know about them!