However,
there are many other colour possibilities, including Merle,
Fawnequin, Merle Mantle (my personal fav!), Chocolate, White,
etc. These colours, while very beautiful and wonderful pets,
should never be bred. Many white danes are born blind, deaf
or both and often are the result of unethical breeding.
Great Danes
are wonderful family dogs and are very social. They thrive best
when they are a valued member of the family, and do not make
good "guard" dogs, despite their imposing size. They
are known as gentle giants, and live up to that reputation.
If you are looking for an outdoor dog or a guard dog, please
do not get a dane. You are condemning it to a lifetime of misery,
they are happiest in your lap or on your feet! They
have a very short life span; although some have been known to
live to 12 years or longer, 8-10 is more common.
Danes require
a very special diet and should not be fed puppy food at any
time in their lives, with the exception of nursing and pregnant
bitches. Giving puppy food or any other high protein food (over
24% protein) is disastrous to their growth, and can cause many
painful and heartbreaking problems later in life. Danes should
always be fed at least two meals a day, if not three, and preferably
have their food and water bowls elevated to prevent bloat. Bloat
is a serious condition that is a common killer of many breeds,
danes being no exception.
Danes are
prone to many health problems if not bred carefully and raised
properly, so please educate yourself on the breed and search
for an ethical and reputable breeder when purchasing a Great
Dane puppy. Danes need a lot of loving training and dedication
from a very young age, they grow up to be large, strong dogs,
and if not trained properly can prove to be too much for many
people to handle. The puppy stage especially can be hard to
handle if you are not prepared for the size and mischievousness
of a 100 pound 'puppy'!
Most
Great Danes have their ears cropped at a young age.
Many people
do not wish to crop their dane's ears and they are left natural.
Both ways are very beautiful and acceptable, but if you do crop
your puppies ears, be prepared for months of taping and care
to get them to stand properly.
Crate training
is a great tool for Great Danes. This protects not only your
house in your absence, but your dane too! The only acceptable
crate out there in my opinion for a dane is the Colossal Crate
(also known as 99N). It is pricey, but a very worthwhile investment.
Check out
the links section to browse some of my favourite websites all
about danes!
