Great Dane

[raineth]

Hi,

I have a 10 month old Dane girl, she is already 65kilos and 78cm. i have found that when she trys to sit, it looks really awkward and it looks painful. I brought her from a breeder on the dogz online website and has limited register as she is a merle. The vet has checked her out and said it is normal due to her size. Has anyone else had this experience?

Yes,

my Dane was like that - because he was very very sick.

I don't mean to frighten you about that, there could be many reasons why she finds sitting uncomfortable.

From her measurements it sounds like she may be over weight. My boy @ 11 months was 64 kgs but 91 cms tall.

Can you post a picture of her?

I hope I am not coming across wrong, I am trying to be helpful :D

[Danois]

Wow! She is a big girl. Please come and join the dane thread in the Breed Subforum (under General) - lots more dane owners, breeders and exhibitors frequent there.

I have an 18 month old boy who is around 55kg and is about 82cm from memory - he is hard to put weigh on though.

Danes can look quite awkward sitting and many will go into a drop. Have you taken her to a chiropractor or muscle man - sometimes when they are growing and being crazy they can put their backs out easily. Was she tender when the vet examined her spine?

It is not normal for a dane to be uncomfortable in a sit due to their size - awkward looking but not struggling with it.

Also - have a chat with your breeder as they may assist.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Danois

[sas]

Hi,

I have a 10 month old Dane girl, she is already 65kilos and 78cm. i have found that when she trys to sit, it looks really awkward and it looks painful. I brought her from a breeder on the dogz online website and has limited register as she is a merle. The vet has checked her out and said it is normal due to her size. Has anyone else had this experience?

Danes can look a bit unco when sitting, however what you may like to do is pop off to a Chiro or muscle manipulator and see if it may be a lower back problem, the back could just be a bit out.

Have you had a chat with the Breeder at all?

Can you take a photo of the way she sits for us at all?

Hoepfully just something simple!

Edited January 17, 2010 by sas

[stormie]

I feed my 17 month old male up to 8 cups of Eagle Pack Fish per day - I spread it over 2 meals also. At night he also gets a mix of beef mince, sweet potato, cottage cheese and flaxseed (3kg of mince, 3 sweet potato and a big pottle of cottage cheese does 7 nights).

Almost every dane owner I know feeds twice a day to minimise the risk of bloat.

Exercise - at 17 months I still do not walk my dog - ie walk around the streets other than maybe a quick one up and down the street if I run out of time in the morning. It is all free exercise - ie in the park. I ensure that this includes running up hills and running on sand to help build the hind leg muscles.

I can easily not walk Boo for 3-4 days and he is not worried about it. He had an hour in the park this morning with another dog and then a couple of hours in the house together and that will keep him happy for 2-3 days now!

Most danes will eat 6-8 cups a day for their lifetime.

I feed Orbit a raw diet (allergies - can only eat certain meats) which sees him eating about 1-1.5kg per day.

As for exercise, I'm probably the complete opposite of Danois. I am a believer that walking is really important for a dog's mental health as well as physical - Cesar Milan style

As a baby puppy it was mostly free exercise, but combined with a little walk down the street and back. By about 12 months I think we were doing longer walks and by 18months I was walking him like a normal dog. Our walks average from 3 - 6km.

I try to walk him every day, even if it's just a quick trip around the block to let him get out and have a sniff. I rarely take him to the dog park just as a means for exercise, but if I'm heading up to look at the surf or storms, I'll take him with me, and sometimes we'll stop on the way home from a walk.

There's no way I could leave him for more than one day without a walk - he'd go nuts and drive me insane with his frustration.

[sas]

Yeah we're the same, I'm a believer in the power of a walk too, dogs don't self exercise so it doesn't matter if you live on large piece of land.

To me walking everyday assists the bonding process, helps with training and allows the dog to be a dog....migrate and get in the scents of the neighbourhood. Dogs need structure, that is the power of the walk, off lead parks are great but they allow freedom not structure....so walking 3kms to the park is a great idea!

We've walked from day one even if it was just up the road and back, by 18 months he was doing 3 kms a day.

I take my dogs out regardless of weather, that's how important the walk is to me. The only exception is if it's too hot we'll go out later at night but yes we do walk in the rain!

Edited January 19, 2010 by sas

[Bevo]

Turkish my great dane has a great nature and loves being around people, I can play with him and rub his belly and all that but as soon as I scratch his back ie. dig the nails in along the spine, not hard though, he runs off and is very stand offish for a while. After doing it he wont let me near him, if I sit next to him he will move away, so if I put him out side for five or so minutes he is fine. He is the same when I try to use a brush on him.

Anyone have any idea's why he doesn't like it or what I can do to make it enjoyable to brush hime. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[SwaY]

have you had him checked out by a chiro? Maybe his back is sore when you touch it.

[Bevo]

have you had him checked out by a chiro? Maybe his back is sore when you touch it.

No I haven't but he runs around and plays with a german sheppard puppy and seems fine, doesn't yelp or seem lame at all. It seems to scare him more than anything, I just think its a bit weird.

[Adnil444]

How did i miss this

QUESTIONS

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

Owner & Exihbitor (breeder oneday)

2. Where and why was the breed first developed?

The origin of the name Great Dane is curious. The breed can be traced back to Germany, not Denmark as often thought because of the Anglo saxon Name

3. How common is it in Australia?

Low-Medium

4. What is the average lifespan?

i always say 8 -10 yrs of age

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

the breed is often referred to as a gentle giant. Great Danes are generally well-disposed toward other dogs, other non-canine pets and humans. As with all dogs, they should be supervised around young children. Great Danes can be protective and make good guard dogs. Some Great Danes — as with any breed — can have dominance issues, can be aggressive with other dogs, or chase small animals; however, this is not typical

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

Perhaps 30 minutes although you could get away with 15 minutes depending on the dog.

Puppy exercise is minimal and if the owner isn't an experienced Dane Owner they need to follow their breeders instructions. ie let the pup play/ excaerice in the backyard they will tell you when they have had enough

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? i agree with sas

Yes and No

They're a BIG dog so if you're not prepared to train the dog well you're going to have issues.

They're a deep pocket breed.

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

I believe so

9. How much grooming is required?

Spray and wipe dogs there are lol very easy grooming

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

They will probably knock small kids over. they dont relise their size

11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of?

DCM

Hip Dysplasia

Wobblers

H.O.D

pano

Bloat

entropian

hypothyroidism

Skin Condions can occur if in lineage

12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be)

Xraying of the Hips and Elbows to be on the safe side (Results should be lower than 20 although I personaly think that is high), testing of the Thyroid. Heart check but that is only current on the day it was taken. Meet the parents to check out the temperments, ask around about Breeders, Dane people will say what they think.

Overall a fantasic breed that ill never be withought

Hi, I have a question about the danes that I see nowadays. I grew up with Great Danes - from Raatu Kennels in Sydney. Margaret Hearse was a wonderful breeder and a lovely gentle person and this was something that was passed onto her dogs.

The danes I see now, seem to have these awkward long legs that don't bend as a dogs legs should. They seem to be on stilts rather than legs that can bend. The danes we had were all in proportion and they were certainly able to bend their legs. I was wondering if this is a fault, or is something that is now liked in the dane community.

I agree with you that they are a fantastic breed and we have found the easiest (after having other breeds since). Our dogs were well loved and had a wonderful life - living in Sydney during the week and travelling to our farm on the weekends and holidays. I certainly hope to have another one (or two) in the years to come.

[raineth]

Turkish my great dane has a great nature and loves being around people, I can play with him and rub his belly and all that but as soon as I scratch his back ie. dig the nails in along the spine, not hard though, he runs off and is very stand offish for a while. After doing it he wont let me near him, if I sit next to him he will move away, so if I put him out side for five or so minutes he is fine. He is the same when I try to use a brush on him.

Anyone have any idea's why he doesn't like it or what I can do to make it enjoyable to brush hime. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

Hi Bevo

Firstly, are you 100% sure that he is not actually sore there?

If he's not sore, but just doesn't like it for some reason; I would suggest that you run your hand along a little bit of his back then immediately give him a nice tasty treat and praise. SLowly increase the amount you are stroking his back, feed treats and praise - make it something he looks forward to

Go very slowly though, as you are trying to change his thinking and meotional response. I would suggest you do it in very short sessions every day. THen move on to doing it with a brush.

Also make sure you are not giving him treats or praise for showing fearful behaviour Make sure you ignore any fearful behaviour from him

And go and visit the Dane thread, and introduce you and your dane:

the dane thread

[stormie]

Hi, I have a question about the danes that I see nowadays. I grew up with Great Danes - from Raatu Kennels in Sydney. Margaret Hearse was a wonderful breeder and a lovely gentle person and this was something that was passed onto her dogs.

The danes I see now, seem to have these awkward long legs that don't bend as a dogs legs should. They seem to be on stilts rather than legs that can bend. The danes we had were all in proportion and they were certainly able to bend their legs. I was wondering if this is a fault, or is something that is now liked in the dane community.

I agree with you that they are a fantastic breed and we have found the easiest (after having other breeds since). Our dogs were well loved and had a wonderful life - living in Sydney during the week and travelling to our farm on the weekends and holidays. I certainly hope to have another one (or two) in the years to come.

Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean by legs that don't bend properly. But I do think there are a number of breeders out there who seem to be capitalising on size and wanting to breed the biggest, tallest Danes.

My understand is that a Dane should be 'square' in that it is roughly as long as it is tall? Most of the Danes I saw recently at a show all looked to be pretty nicely proportioned, but I have definitely seen some bad examples of dogs that were way too tall with no fronts which did make them look quite odd.

[Kissindra]

perhpas Adnil444 is seeing Danes who were desexed prior to finishing growing?

[Adnil444]

Hi Kissindra,

I'm not sure, but we had all our danes desexed prior to maturing and that certainly didn't have any effect on their growth or development.

Stormie, you are probably right, perhaps these dogs have been bred by non-registered breeders and you're right about looking odd - they all seem to be shallow in the front as well. The legs are strange, they don't seem to be able to run properly or move correctly as the legs are too long.

[sas]

Hi Kissindra,

I'm not sure, but we had all our danes desexed prior to maturing and that certainly didn't have any effect on their growth or development.

Stormie, you are probably right, perhaps these dogs have been bred by non-registered breeders and you're right about looking odd - they all seem to be shallow in the front as well. The legs are strange, they don't seem to be able to run properly or move correctly as the legs are too long.

mmmm perhaps you are referring to dogs straight in the shoulder and ones that lack depth of chest and have step croups or no croup? Those things can make a Dane look really odd.

When a dog has poor depth of chest they can look really leggy.

Edited April 27, 2010 by sas

[Guest Kate_Summer]

Do the Merle color Great Dane carry more chances of illnesses?

[fermanrique]

I was reading recently about the tallest dog in the world and the fact that there is a bit of controversy between the current Guinness record holder (Giant George) and the previous holder (Titan) as the owner of Titan claims that George was incorrectly measured.

http://blog.titanandfriends.com/2010/02/20...ant-george.aspx

All that, and the fact that I regularly met an Irish Wolfhound in the dog park (that must be over a meter tall) made me wonder what would be the tallest pure breed dog in Australia?

Does anyone know?

Any suggestions?

[D & D]

I was reading recently about the tallest dog in the world and the fact that there is a bit of controversy between the current Guinness record holder (Giant George) and the previous holder (Titan) as the owner of Titan claims that George was incorrectly measured.

http://blog.titanandfriends.com/2010/02/20...ant-george.aspx

All that, and the fact that I regularly met an Irish Wolfhound in the dog park (that must be over a meter tall) made me wonder what would be the tallest pure breed dog in Australia?

Does anyone know?

Any suggestions?

From the breed standard

Irish Wolfhound: Should not be quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane, but more so than the Deerhound........................

Desired height: Averaging 81cms (32 inches) to 86cms (34 inches) for dogs.

Minimum height: Dogs 79cms (31 inches)

Bitches 71 cms (28 inches)

Great Dane

Adult dogs: 79cms (30 inches) over 18 months

Adult bitches: 71cms (28 inches) over 18 months

So, theoretically, a Dane should be more solid but about the same height as an Irish Wolfhound.

Great Danes have no maximum height in the breed standard, but they should be balanced for their size.

There doesn't seem to be many Danes around that are at the lower end of the scale. I have a bitch who stands 83cms at the shoulder, so she's 12cms taller than she needs to be.

Sadly, some breeders appear to be breeding for height without much thought for balance, conformation or health.

As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

IMO it's not a competition and shouldn't be.

[sehz]

hi i was just wondering if someone could give me some tips in picking the right breeder? And another question does desexing your dane at a certain age hinder his growth in any way?

[sas]

Do the Merle color Great Dane carry more chances of illnesses?

No, although breeding two Merles together can double up on the Double M gene - therefore creating Deaf/Blind Whites.

[sas]

hi i was just wondering if someone could give me some tips in picking the right breeder? And another question does desexing your dane at a certain age hinder his growth in any way?

If you head to Page 1 in the Dane thread there is information there about selecting a Breeder, you can also read 'Buyer Beware' created by Dane Rescue QLD:

http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/Great%20...er%20Beware.pdf

There is much information FOR and AGAINST early desexing, the choice will be yours. Desexing a Giant Breed before maturity can cause them to grow taller and be finer in appearance, male dogs may look more like bitches.