Featured Dane
JD is our featured Dane for May. He is a 3 year old, black male. View his profile for more information.
Thinking of Adopting?
Fun facts about Great Danes:
- Great Danes were originally bred in Germany to hunt boars
- Great Danes come in various colors: Fawn, Brindle, Black, Blue, Harlequin, Mantle and Merle
- Great Danes make excellent companion and protective guard dogs
- Great Danes are generally well-disposed, gentle and loving
- Great Danes must be supervised around small children due to their giant size
COMMON QUESTIONS WHEN ADOPTING:
Q.) Isn’t better to get a puppy so I know what I am getting?
A.) Actually, the opposite is true. All our available Danes have been living with a foster family in their home environment. While the Dane is in foster care it is exposed to other dogs, other animals, children, and socialized with many different people and environments. Our foster families do a great job exposing the Dane to different potential “triggers” so that we know what the Danes behaviors are like in different environments and situations. Puppies love everyone, every where, all the time. It is not until the Dane hits sexual maturity that they may start to show behavioral problems. The majority of our available Danes are two years of age or older. We can only predict what a puppies behaviors will be, we can more accurately predict what Dane you will have forever.
Q.) Don’t Great Danes eat a lot of food?
A.) If you are feeding your Dane a high quality food after the age of two he really shouldn’t be eating anymore than your average sized Labrador or Golden Retriever. Just another reason to adopt an available Dane that is two years of age or older!
Q.) I don’t have a big backyard, is it a good idea for me to adopt a Great Dane?
A.) Most Danes are couch potatoes! A good thirty minute walk once a day should be more then enough exercise to keep your Dane happy and healthy. He sure would appreciate a big back yard to run zoomies in, but it’s not a must have.
Q.) Why would my adult Great Dane need obedience classes?
A.) Obedience class is not for the Dane, it’s for you! Taking your newly adopted Dane to obedience classes will help you establish that you are the pack leader, and help create a bond between you and your new Dane. Many times during obedience classes you will learn things about your Danes behaviors and what you can do to coach them through behaviors you do not want them to have. Even if you’re adopted Great Dane is well behaved, that doesn’t mean that you do not need to establish boundaries and have time to get to know each other. Training is great mental exercise for and dog. Also being in a class setting with other people and dogs can trigger a dog to show behaviors you did not know they had. What better place to discover these behaviors than in a class with other owners and a professional!
Q.) I have a great big dog kennel outside; wouldn’t that be perfect for a Great Dane?
A.) Nope! Great Danes are not outside dogs! Danes do not have a subcutaneous fat layer or skin and fur that can handle extreme hot and cold weather. Danes are people dogs, and they must feel like part of the family. Many Danes can develop behavioral and mental disorders from being secluded from people, kept on a chain, in an outdoor kennel, garage, or separated area for long periods of time.
Q.) I don’t need to but a dog bed for my Dane, the floor is just fine right?
A.) Right, just like you can sleep on the floor too, but it doesn’t mean that it’s fine. Great Danes are on average 130-160 pounds. When heavy dogs lay on the ground this can cause pain in the hips, and elbows potentially causing arthritis problems. Great Danes should have a dog bed of at least 4’ thick to keep them up off of hard surfaces.
Q.) I would like a dog that is not aggressive and doesn’t show dominance issues, so I want a female right?
A.) We wish it was that easy to determine aggression and dominance issues! Both male and female Great Danes can be mellow and calm or hyper and dominant. These behaviors are learned and allowed by owners. Any dog can have an aggression trigger or show signs of dominance. You as an owner must recognize the signs and work with a professional and the dog to help them overcome their behaviors.
Q.) All of my other dogs are trained to stay in the yard, so I don’t use tie-outs or have a fence. I should be able to train my adopted Dane how to stay in the yard too right?
A.) Well, maybe, but just know the consequences of your dog not staying in the yard. Rescues commonly will run because they are a stray, because they are looking for home, or because they can. Having a dog hit by a car, get hurt, hurt another person or animal, be stolen, taken in by a horrible person, or euthanized by animal control are just a couple of consequence that you should think about before letting your Dane “stay in the yard”.
Q.) I need to get a puppy because an adult Dane will not bond with me and my family right?
A.) Typically from the minute the rescue dog finds their forever home they will bond. You have to remember this Dane could have been taken from home to home, abused, neglected, or dropped off at a shelter. Maybe he came from a great home, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel hurt and sad that he no longer has a family. And you given this Dane a happy, safe home filled with love. You give him a family, and maybe other animals to play with. He gets toys, a bed, food and water. Really, why wouldn’t this dog bond with you?
Q.) I want a Great Dane because they are great with children, such “gentle giants”, right?
A.) Ok, we all know the labels and stereotypes that humans put on dogs. There is nothing different about this stereotype; it is also not 100% true for the breed as a whole. We are talking about a giant 130-160 pound dog who had toe nails that hurt if they jump up at you, a tail that can take out a small child, and big teeth that can leave big teeth marks!
There is no such thing as one breed of dog being great with children. Any dog can dislike children, any dog can love children. Great Danes may not recognize small children as humans, and certainly not as pack leaders. A three foot child running around squealing can sound and look like prey is just that to your Great Dane. Not that a Great Dane is going to try to eat your child, but it sure could let its prey instinct take control and chase that child until the child falls down and gets hurt. Maybe the Great Dane is great with children; that doesn’t mean that he cannot knock your child down the stairs by accident. Having any animal in a home with children is a risk.
Q.) If the Great Dane is housetraining and obedient at the Foster Home, then it will be at my home too right?
A.) Different environments, situations and “triggers” can cause different behaviors in all dogs. It is important as an owner to always be looking for signs or aggressions, or behaviors that you do not want your dog to have. When you recognize these behaviors make sure you are looking at all the details around the event. Then seek a professional help and guidance to coach your dog through these unwanted behaviors.