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The doghouse

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Original poster

Great Danes....

28 replies

ThisHouseWillBeTheDeathOfMe · 22/12/2023 22:49

Hi, hoping for a little insight here, will try and.set the scene...

We will hopefully be moving in the next few months. New house has very large garden and surrounded by footpaths and fields.

DC will be 4, 4, (twins) and 15.

I've owned dogs up until having DC, a variety from Jack Russell to Weimaraner. DH had a Ridgeback before we met. So we have "dog experience" but not for about a decade.

I have told DH that should we get a new house, with plenty of room, yes, he can have a dog again. Today we saw the most beautiful blue Great Dane, and he's fallen for it completely. Purely aesthetically, as I know very little else about them, I thought it was a wonderful dog.

Google tells us they are good with children, easy to train. But what are the cons. If you've had a GD, knowing what you know now, would you have another?

My brother had one maybe ten years ago, and the only recollection I have is him saying it ate £200 of dog food a week, and weirdly was the laziest dog he'd ever had, and took barely any walking. Also, not much use as a guard dog.

Any advice would be greatly received.

(I'm aware this sounds very matter of fact and like we're choosing wallpaper, be assured whichever dog we bring home will be a much loved part of the family, I literally just want to hear the facts from people in the know about GDs)

OP posts:
Theyvegotatrex · 22/12/2023 22:59

Not owned myself but family breed and now rescue them. They are absolutely bloody amazing. I would have one in a heartbeat however, they are also bloody huge. This means anything from your waist down would be their domain and will be covered in hair and much much slobber (they slobber a lot). They eat, a lot. They actually need a good leg stretch so daily walks are a must.

I have known two that were absolutely fearful of everything and very reactive but the poor things were kept in a flat with a small garden and had little training so I wouldn’t say they are typical. On the whole, bar those two, all the others have been the most gentle dogs. Like a lab but on a larger scale.

The biggest downside are medical issues. Their life expectancy isn’t the longest.

thistimelastweek · 22/12/2023 23:03

They eat tons, they don't live long and they are so big their slobber hits the ceiling.

Other than that, they are good natured.

Original poster
ThisHouseWillBeTheDeathOfMe · 22/12/2023 23:04

Ahhhh, I didn't think about the slobber.

My Weimaraner didn't slobber at all. I'm basing my theoretical GD on a larger version of him.

Keeping two in a flat sounds awful, poor dogs.

OP posts:
SkaneTos · 22/12/2023 23:06

I think Great Danes are absolutely lovely and wonderful dogs!
I have never owned one, but what I have heard from people who does/has,
is

  1. They are large, so they eat more than an small dog (obviously). So prepare to spend more money on dog food.
  2. They have some medical issues, and the insurance can be expensive.
  3. They are large, so even if they are gentle and sweet, they need to have some training, otherwise they might drag you to wherever they want their destination to be.

I hope you will get some more responses, from people who know more.
Good luck!

Anonomom12 · 22/12/2023 23:06

Expensive to feed and in vet bills. They are also very very prone to sudden cardiac death. Ie they will just drop dead at any given moment. Imagine trying to carry 80kg of dead dog back from your walk.
Also can be quite skitty and a bit standoffish with strangers. Otherwise pleasant dogs. But slobbery

Original poster
ThisHouseWillBeTheDeathOfMe · 22/12/2023 23:06

Are they destructive in nature? I've read they can be sad when left alone. Can they be left for a morning without chewing furniture etc?

OP posts:
MPF080619 · 22/12/2023 23:30

If your DH has had a ridgeback, they are similar in nature. But obviously significantly larger. I have owned both. In my experience Ridgebacks can be slightly more neurotic, and more guardy but that being said, I have know GD's who are very protective.

Don't underestimate the challenges that go along with giant breeds.

Personally I would not have a GD with young children, they are not always the most tolerant.

MPF080619 · 22/12/2023 23:33

And to answer your question OP - as much as I love them I would not have another due to the challenges that go along with their size. Health issues mainly but imagine going anywhere in a car with your children and a GD...... their size causes so many logistical challenges.

Original poster
ThisHouseWillBeTheDeathOfMe · 22/12/2023 23:33

Personally I would not have a GD with young children, they are not always the most tolerant.

This concerns me, because of the size of them, and the potential damage they could do. Are they quite snappy then? Google ( I know, it's only Google) said they are excellent with children.

OP posts:
MPF080619 · 22/12/2023 23:45

Obviously there are always exceptions, I have met GD's who are very gentle but in my experience (the same as Ridgebacks) I would not say they are a breed suited to live with a young family. They may be great with their family, but imagine friends coming round and the potential for a giant breed feeling nervous. Personally I would not have a GD with younger children. Hope this helps

Buttercup2023 · 22/12/2023 23:58

My dad had a great dane when we were young. He was the most gentle, soppy, loving, dopey dog I have known. He was so tolerant of us kids, we used to lay/climb all over him poor thing. He thought he was a lap dog and would park his bum and back legs on our laps or on the sofa next to us. Sweetest boy ever.
But yes, as PP have said, the slobber would hang until the dreaded head shake and would end up on the walls, ceiling, everywhere! And he regularly pulled my dad through the air on walks if he saw a cat!
He lived to around 9, I will always remember him as the softest dog I've known and would love to have one if I had space.

Filamumof9 · 23/12/2023 00:24

I have no GD's but dogs of similar size and strength. What is different with big dogs are often the logistics. They eat a lot, need room to walk around/lay around.

Whenever I go to the vet, other visitors are apprehensive or in complete awe seen in het size of the dogs. Medication is indeed much more expensive and sometimes medical checks as xrays do pose extra planning as they are too big to lay on 1 table.

However, I adore my big dogs, have 12 of them currently. They are lazy dogs, as most big dogs are.

Filamumof9 · 23/12/2023 00:25

Oww and getting to a vet, you need space in your car!

WittynotPretty · 23/12/2023 00:53

We have a 10 year old Dane; she’s never had any health problems and apart from aging, still doesn’t 🤞🏻Best tip: don’t get your puppy from an amateur or hobby breeder, do research the family tree & make sure you’re dealing with someone who knows the breed inside out.
Food wise they don’t eat as much as people assume. Ours (we have 3) are fed a mix of raw & canned meat/fish, non wheat kibble & chopped veg over 2/3 meals a day. Ours don’t slobber and I don’t know any that do, so never a consideration. And yes, they do like to cuddle up and will back themselves up against you and sit on your lap if they can. Ditto leaning on anyone who comes over to pet them. Mine are very tolerant and I’ve never known them to snap or even growl. They don’t food guard, aren’t aggressive, don’t bark for no reason and are, if treated kindly, very gentle souls. I’ve never had any furniture destroyed or even chewed on but they will sneak up onto any sofa and are
Danes are slow developers and a teenage Dane is a boisterous, clumsy, cloth-eared hound. They run very, very fast - it’s like watching a racehorse gallop- and they love to run; aka ‘the zoomies’ when they go all out for the hell of it and cannon through anything in the way. They aren’t good at fast turns, either. Ideally, you need access to an enclosed field where they can run freely. They can also be skittish and need gentle and firm handling.
In your shoes I definitely wouldn’t get a Great Dane. You don’t have any experience of the breed and your children are far too young. Those paws are huge and heavy. A Dane can easily and unintentionally knock an adult off their feet just brushing past them, never mind a child. Please tell your dh that beautiful though they are, they’re not a status symbol and they are a lot of dog! Too many people buy them and then realise that they just can’t handle the responsibility. This is not a breed to buy on a whim.

WittynotPretty · 23/12/2023 00:59

And no they’re not destructive by nature but like any dog will get bored if you don’t engage with them. A dog’s brain needs to be occupied, if it isn’t then expect mischief! I’ve never left any of mine for more than 3 hours max and then only rarely. I know they need someone to interact with them, even if that’s just following me around or sitting with me while I’m working.

margotrose · 23/12/2023 08:28

My first thought is that as you already have three children (including two in car seats) then you're going to need an absolutely massive car Grin

They are gorgeous dogs but they don't live very long lives due to their size. Their size also means they're expensive - everything from collars to beds to insurance to flea/worm treatment is much pricier for a giant breed.

And the slobber - oh it gets absolutely everywhere 😂

They are beautiful dogs but I'm not sure I'd have one with small children. Visiting children may also be understandably terrified of a massive dog that's three times their size!

stayathomer · 23/12/2023 08:28

I’m really really sorry to say this but because your children are just 4 I honestly think you need to look at a much smaller dog. We have a cocker spaniel. I wouldn’t recommend for anyone with young children because they are full of energy and very mouthy, but the thing is if he jumps up or anything or gets over excited there’s no panic. They sound so lovely so I hate saying that but just 4 is so small compared to a dog that size

IngGenius · 23/12/2023 08:53

Ours didnt slobber much but it was more than my other dogs.

Our issue was exercise. You have to be so careful with exercise when they are young and restricting what they can do for quite a while for use was hard work as they couldnt just join in with the other dogs. Also think of your flooring at home we became a rug house to stop any slipping on the wooden floors. No going up the stairs either.

We seemed to spend at lot of time at the beginning of their life making extra allowances and then again they get old quite quickly so from 8ish onwards were making extra allowances for their exercise. So about 4 years in the middle that were easy! .

Dave was a great dog, a failed foster but I wouldnt get another one from choice.

You will get stopped everwhere you go with a Dane and have to have the same conversations for their entire life - for me this was really really grating!

He came to use with behavioural problems which of course in a big dog seem much bigger than in a smaller dog, these however we reduced over the time he was with us.

Milliemoos5 · 23/12/2023 09:13

agree that GDs are probably not the ideal breed when you have small kids.

people tend to overlook sighthounds like lurchers for example (usually cos they are not the classic cute look aesthetically) but they are the most wonderful gentle natured, loving breeds. Greyhounds too.. might be a good idea if you’re looking for a larger sized dog. They are sooooooo easy going…. The easiest breed ever!

and when I retire I’m going to have a house full of them!

StroppyTop · 23/12/2023 09:13

Family experience of breeding - huge, need big car/van and big sofa. Not the brightest. Prone to knocking over small children accidentally and with their tails. Think about how you will lift a very large ill GD into your car to get to the vets.

Chasingsquirrels · 23/12/2023 09:17

OMG the slobber!!!

isopogon · 23/12/2023 11:35

I grew up with GDs from when I was 7 (sister was 5) with no problems - 3 rescues because they don’t live that long sadly. All wonderful family dogs - size is a real factor though, you need to have space for them and train really really well. There’s no wriggle room with a dog that weighs more than you and can’t be prevented from doing anything from counter-surfing to picking up small dogs in its mouth except by training.

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 23/12/2023 11:40

I think if you have kids factoring in that their friends may be terrified of a dog that size, or parents may be wary of allowing their children round a dog that size is a factor.

I wouldn’t get one due to the life expectancy and health issues.

A neighbor had one years ago and it was a lovely placid dog but did dislocate her shoulder on the one occasion it lunged at something on a walk.

muddyford · 24/12/2023 06:50

I don't think they are long-lived - a GD-owning acquaintance said if they get to 8 you are doing well. By contrast my last Lab was nearly 16.

Justmuddlingalong · 24/12/2023 07:09

The one I know is a leaner. And that weight leaning against you is beyond heavy.