Great Danes...Who has/had one??

KnifeAddictAK

KnifeAddictAK

Joined
Nov 17, 2003
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I am up here in Alaska and finding a great dane is no easy chore.. I came across a source yesterday and found out that a person is selling a brother and sister. They are golden with black paws and face. My questions are:

If you owned one, did you enjoy the companionship??
What are draw backs to owning a great dane??
What are the pros to owning one??
What are some things to consider??

Thanks for your time, I just want to make sure I cover all bases before takin' responsibilty of ownership. They are 10 weeks old and I don't know yet(have to call) how much they are. I live in a small town home and would run him daily..
 
If you really want to know the good and the bad about this particular breed your best bet is to call a great Dane rescue group. They have rescue groups for every breed of dog imaginable. These people do not want to see the wrong person owning their favored breed of dog because such people often wind up abusing the dogs or dropping them off at the local animal shelter where they might be put to death. They will tell you everything you need to know. I think they are the very best resource around when shopping around for a new family member. There are a lot of different groups you can contact to get information. Don't give up if you're not satisfied with the first group you find. Keep calling around until you get someone good.

I was told by an Akita rescue group that the only Akita they would place in my household was an old, toothless one that they had available. Apparently, they didn't think I was a good match for that particular breed. :eek: :D

BTW, I've always loved that particular breed. Have you considered whether or not you would clip his/her ears? :( You know they communicate with you by moving them around, it's so cute. :)
 
do you mean the ear cropping where they stand straight up??
I think it would be cool, but I didn't realize they communicated that way... I probably wouldn't alter my buddy in any way that isn't beneficial or nessacary. :D

Sorry to hear about your toothless dog incident.. maybe they need to read your posts here :)

edit: Congrats on post 1200 :cool:
 
I've never had a G' Dane but have been around a couple. They're wonderful dogs and very trainable. I lived next door, well three doors down from a G' Dane in Yucaipa Cal. The people that owned him had a fenced yard with a huge wide gate that they seldom shut. The G' Dane would walk right up to where the gate would be if shut and never venture any further, even when we were walking our Airedales by.

One of the kids a buddy went to high school with brought his school's club G' Dane mascot home for the summer one year as they had a place where a dog that size could run. He was just a pup but could and did at different times stand up on his hind legs with his front paws on my shoulders and lick my forehead, sure glad he wasn't any shorter so as to get my whole face.
You had to kinda side step him if he was any distance away as he would come running if you were a friend of his and flat run over you trying to get stopped, comical as all hell.:D

The one con that I have with the Danes are that like most really big dogs they don't live all that long usually. I've heard about 10 years and they're an old dog and not apt to live much longer.
Still love 'em though and always will. G' Danes are wonderful dogs!
HTH!:)
 
I owned a papered Dane for some years. He was put down due to leg problems. Purebred inbreeding stuff. He was a well behaved dog, very smart, ate lots,and crapped like a human.BIG POOP! My kids were little and he cared for them well. They sure are BIG!
 
We had two Great Danes, not at the same time, which we raised as guard dogs, not to keep for ourselves. They both got along very well with my young daughter and with our Boxer. They were intelligent and cooperative.

They do eat a lot! especially growing, of course, and have to get lots of exercise. I've seen overweight Great Danes, and it is not just a disgrace, it measurably shortens their lives.

I've also seen massively muscled, huge specimens. One guy used to drive his VW Beetle down the service road with his Great Dane trotting alongside. :)

I don't think I would recommend them over a more ordinary sized breed, but if you have the room for them to run around, they are fun.
 
Hey Knifeaddict I was really great to meet you.It was a strange experence, I go in one of the only kinfe shops in Alaska and start talking to the guy behind the counter and can tell he is a real Knife Knut.It seems like I have met him some where and after talking for a bit I found out where I know him from.I made a good trade for a BM Skirmish and flew back home.
My daughters airedale has a litter of 11 puppys that are about a month old if your heart is not set on a dane.They are a really neat large breed .I will look forward to stopping in again.
Chuck
 
i will look around and see what I can find on airedales.. It was definately a pleasure and your ivory is beautiful. I may have to buy some myself, so I have some on hand to tinker with. Alaska is a small place, even if it's 500,000 + sq. miles :D

Thanks for the help everyone and I will figure it out soon :cool:
 
I love Airedales and would have had another but I can't physically take care of one anymore and I didn't want all the work to fall on my wife so when I started wanting another dog I setteled for a Rat Terrier. Ace is almost a full breed, got him at the SPCA up in Bartlesville and wouldn't take for him.
Most terriers have similar traits and habits and Ace is pure terrier from those alone.

One of the bad things about terriers and Airedales in particular because they are so big is their digging habit. When I had my four Airedales here my backyard literally looked like a war zone!
My largest male stood 26" at the shoulder and I looked out the window one day and all I could see was the tip of his tail because of the depth of the hole he had dug.
I periodically had to take a shovel and knock down their tunnels as I was afraid they would collapse and trap one of my dogs!
Airedales make wonderful family dogs as well as a one person dog. They used to be used in Africa for hunting lion and were used behind hounds here in the states for cougar, bear, and other large dangerous game.
Quite the dog the are! Did I say I love Airedales?;) :D
 
Great Danes are wonderful dogs, but they are not indoor dogs. They are shorthaired temperate weather dogs. They are definately women's dogs also. Average lifespan is 5-7 years. They are better off sleeping on an elevated surface like an old couch. Mine weighed 165 lbs. when he was a year old. Ate a 50 lb. bag of dog food a week. And those doggie diamonds are really big.
 
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