Danois

Dane owner here. Yes hes lean but don't get too hung up on that - some just are that way while they are growing especially and that's despite how much food you're giving. Get him on to a decent high quality kibble. Black Hawk is not fantastic - check out The Balanced Canine as they share the best kibbles around (Stay Loyal, Canidae and another) and also info about raw feeding. I would not be necessarily switching to raw while there is still growth going on. Aim is to grow them slow and steady which kibble can help do. A digestive enzyme might help too. I would not switch to 3 meals a day at this point - 2 meals of sufficient size and quality will do him fine.

Well over $2k for a Dane from a quality breeder who health tests etc

Sacha at The Balanced Canine is trained in Canine taping. Maybe contact her on FB or email via her website and she might be able to assist with a remote session.

After ruling out vet issues then you could look at Tuff Rock K9 Joint Formula or Technyflex. I prefer the latter.

Generally speaking Black Hawk is not on the recommended list for danes. Did you look at the list in the link I provided? All the foods you have noted above are average at best foods and if you're trying to get him back on track then you need to find a better alternative or move to a full raw diet. Growing danes can get through around 8-10 cups of a high quality dry food a day. If he also inclines more to the dane in his breeding then you may need to factor in the kennel environment too. They tend to be a breed that needs to be with their family - especially the boys.

I would suggest not feeding Royal Canin - it is a very low quality food for the price you pay! It is not a recommended food in Dane circles due to the lack of quality proteins and quantity of fillers in it. Stay Loyal is a lot cheaper and a better quality for example.

Put all that aside re bloat concerns. I've never heard the don't feed when hot, there is nothing I've read that supports adding water to dry (if you do it is likely to destroy the nutrients in the coating) and feeding elevated and 2 meals a day is simply about ensuring their comfort. I walk mine before his dinner and he does zoomies. I don't feed immediately after a very active walk, simply for the same reason people don't eat big meals after vigorous exercise. If a dog is going to bloat then it is probably going to bloat regardless of any of those things! Just saw you're in WA. The GDLAWA (Great Dane Lovers Association of WA) is a very active group and on FB. I'd suggest joining that FB group as they have some very knowledgeable people there.

Visit Great Dane Rescue's resource page here: http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/downloads.htm You say he has a myriad of issues including an upset stomach but not a lot more detail on what they are. Can you be more specific? Switching from Supercoat to something like Ivory Coat, Canidae etc should help. The resources above have the lists of recommended foods on it. I would not be rushing to put him on chicken frames. Danes at that age can be pretty skinny as they go through growth spurts. The trick is slow and steady on weight gain. Sounds like you also should be looking at a gut health supplement.

If you've been told to keep him quiet, why is he still getting walked? I'd be resting him completely.

Are you aware that the research on homeopathy is that there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective? In humans it amounts to little more than a placebo benefit - and of course, a dog does not know what a placebo is! Use natural medicine to support or complement traditional medicine but don't use it to replace it when there is a diagnosed health issue in an animal.

I'm glad someone said it. How can a horse and a dog be compared and suggested that their conformation should be the same!

Hills is a very average quality food for the price.

Behaviourist for advice - and a decent one. Also so a further vet visit to rule out that she is not growling due to pain.

If they (the breeder you're recommending) have pugs too then I have seen some nice Danes from them. I've met the dam too. The sire's lines have some of my favourite blues there.

Join the FB page Australian Great Dane Training and ask the questions there. But first go here and read two resources - http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/downloads.htm - buying a puppy and avoiding BYBers. Don't get seduced by the cute puppy pics on the Dogzonline ads! Out of the 15 listings, there is probably only 1 maybe 2 of the breeders I'd even consider there. Colour will be secondary to purchasing a sound puppy from health tested parents that you get to meet. Temperament is absolutely critical too. I would not go to shows to be honest. All you get is politics and bias there. And the people showing sometimes are not necessarily ones to be getting a puppy from - kennel blindness does occur! You want to look inter state too. If you are deadset on black then talk to Kerry at Swayd as a first point. She's in Victoria. My general comment (from my own experience and what I've seen others post) on black Danes is they can be bast#%^ds re weight! So many of them spend ages being super skinny as youngsters. Dane puppies should be lean but they take it a step further! (ETA I have had Danes for just over 10 years)

Your description is a little simplistic - there is a 4th dimension being the intent to create legal relations and also can't discount Invitation to Treat element too. Dependent on the actual timings and specific details of the dealings, there might be no contract in place at all. I would cut my loses and move on. You've got the deposit back and a small claims court is not going to award you the puppy.

Use Happy Housesitters to advertise.

Isn't dog breeding just classified as a hobby by the ATO?

I'd hold off buying now. New version is due soon.

It's perfect as the Choc Lab's face is the complete antithesis of Joy!

To hard to comment without knowing what you're seeing.

You mean a black to harlequin? Personally I would not say generally bred as I can't see the benefit of it. Leaving aside what is in the lines, black to harlequin is most likely going to give you mismarked blacks or heavily marked harles (which could in fact be heavily marked blacks). Why?

Pro Plan tin too. No longer feed dry but it doubles as a feeding stand!

VIP did not buy Natures Gift. Quadrant Private Equity owns VIP and then QPE purchased Nature's Gift 12 months ago - so it is not a new thing. QPE are pretty active - they purchased the Fitness First gym chain about a week ago (after purchasing Goodlife and Jetts gyms recently) and are currently close to finalising a deal with Neil Perry for his fine dining restaurants as well as sniffing around Jamie's Italian chain. They also dabble in health care market, media and furniture chain. They are private equity, they buy companies cheap, strip out the costs etc to maximise profits and then on sell for a profit or list them on the stock exchange. (Very random information but was only reading about them last week around the restaurant acquisitions).

Not surprised they have stopped making the NG dry, given they have launched Farmers Market. It's the same company.