Are Great Danes Good With Kids?
YES!!! They Are in the top 5 childrens dogs. In fact one book I own names them as The #1 childrens dog! We have 3 children, and I don't think I would trust any animal as much as I do my Danes with my children. They are amazing!
Are Great Danes easy to train?
Yes! They are extremely smart. We have never had a problem with house breaking one of our pups. In fact, I could probably count on one hand how many accidents there have been inside my house from all of my Danes combine! Now my Chihuahua is another story. she is impossible to house break. She probably has more accidents in one day, than all of my Danes combined in their life!
Do I really want a dog this size inside my house?
Yes! They are wonderful house dogs. They are very large, but because of their size, they are very calm. They have a much lower metabolism than many smaller breeds. They are Not hyper. They love nothing more than to lie on the floor and sleep all day long. A small daily exercise is sufficient for them. Their calm temperament is my favorite characteristic of the Danes. If I don't feel like going for a walk or playing one day...They don't care! I would have 10 great Danes in my house before I would have 2 Chihuahuas. Because small dogs are hyper and into everything. Not my cup of tea! Don't get me wrong, I love my little Gabbie, but as far as breeds go, in my opinion, nothing compares to the Great Dane!
Are Great Danes Protective?
Yes! I recommend that you socialize your Dane early. This way they are used to allot of people and don't get temperamental and protective when strangers come around. I will give you a quick example. One night when my youngest daughter and I were in bed, (this was before my son was born), my husband and my oldest daughter had gone out snowmobiling with one of our friends. Kole was upstairs sleeping with me, and he heard the door open. He got up and ran down the stairs. I woke up to him growling and barking, just going crazy. I ran down the stairs and my husband and his friend had walked in with my daughter and they were still wearing their helmets. Kole didn't know who they were, and was Not going to let them up the stairs! He was protecting us, but at the same time he was peeing all over my floor! He was scared to death. When my husband took his helmet off, Kole was fine. I never saw such relief in a dog before. He was protecting us, but he didn't want to. He is just a big baby. They really are gentle giants. They are very loyal to their family, especially children. They will protect you when they have to. But usually just their size and deep bark is enough to scare away a stranger.
Do Great Danes eat allot?
Yes, compared to my Chihuahua. But Not as much as you would think they should eat. Because of their size you would imagine they would eat you out of house and home, but because they are so lazy and have a slow metabolism, they do not require as much food to sustain them.
Do Great Danes shed?
Yes. Most dogs shed. Great Danes are no exception. They do not shed anymore than any other dog, but there is more of them. So to prevent excessive shedding, proper grooming and a good diet are imperative. Diet is very important to your Great Dane. Feed a Great Dane a food high in amino acids and protein. this will help to keep the skin and coat moisturized and will in turn lead to less shedding. You should never feed a Great Dane a dog food with one of the top ingredients being corn! Corn is only a filler. and it takes allot to fill a Great Dane. This food may be cheaper, but your dog will eat more, poop more, and be skinny! It is Very Very important to feed your Dane a Good High Quality food!
Do Great Danes have many health problems?
Not as many as smaller breeds of dogs. Certain health concerns are more prominent in the Dane breed. Such as hip displacia. Which None of my Dane have, and None of our puppies have had either! This condition is more likely in the large breed because of their size and weight. Great Danes are the #1 dog for "twisted stomach", or "Bloat". This is another reason to feed your Dane a high quality diet, and No table food! We lost a Whimaranner at only 2 years old to this condition. 99% of the time it is fatal. This should not deter anyone from buying a Dane. There is no way to know if it will happen. The likely-hood of loosing your pet to a car hitting them is far greater than the risk of bloat. But it does happen, and diet is very important in keeping your Great Dane healthy.
