Great Danes are giant dogs and there are some problems that come with these types of animals. A healthy adult will eat three to five pounds of food a day, depending on weight. Vet bills are significantly higher for a giant breed than even a large breed dog (although with a good diet, there is much less frequent need for vet visits). Great Danes also don’t have a life expectancy to match a normal sized dog – eight years is not uncommon and saying goodbye is never easy.
And if you do a little research, it won’t take long to find a Great Dane rescue in your area. Too often people who don’t do their research go out and buy a Dane because they’re so beautiful, but as soon as they realize how big their cute little pup is growing, or how much food he’s eating, or how important he is to providing training dog obedience, or any number of other things, well, they decide maybe a Dane wasn’t such a good idea and get rid of them. And of course, in almost every case there is absolutely nothing wrong with the dog, just the owners who “saw that little dog in the window” but weren’t ready to take on the responsibility of dog ownership.
Sounds like a lot of problems to deal with if you let a Dane into your life. Why would you do it? Well why wouldn’t you? Our Great Danes have enriched our lives and while there have been times when I have had to take a deep breath, the joy our Danes have brought to our family cannot even be measured. (And anyway, my teenagers have made me leave the room to take deep breaths far more often than our Danes!)
The Great Dane is a unique dog. There is simply no other breed quite like it in terms of size and appearance. The description you hear most often is regal, majestic, the Apollo of dogs. I guarantee that when you walk with your Great Dane you will be the center of attention. You can’t walk down the street or walk into your local dog park without someone saying “Oh my gosh, that’s a beautiful dog, he’s a dog isn’t he?” Where we live, driving through coffee outlets is quite popular. When we stop, all the staff come to the window to say hello to our Dane.
I noticed about a year ago that my son seemed to be paying quite a bit of attention to making sure our Danes got regular walks. Turns out he was using the dog to impress girls at school and he was successful! My daughter has also used one of our Great Danes for the same type of thing! There is no doubt that the cool factor of having a Dane in the family is unique!
Of course, the cool factor shouldn’t be the reason you invite a Dane into your life. It’s not just that our dogs are big, beautiful, and majestic. They are also the most loyal breed we have ever had. Our Danes love all members of the family.
They constantly show affection and although they sometimes forget their own strength, they are very tame animals. Still, their bearing, size, and deep barking make them good watchdogs.
They can be a bit stubborn, but as long as they are given dog obedience training, they are very well behaved. It doesn’t take much effort to fix them, and they don’t need much exercise either: a 25-minute walk every day is enough.
Our Danes are full-fledged members of our family and it keeps surprising us how graceful they are one minute and how ridiculous they look the next (sometimes they forget they’re actually walking and try to scratch their bellies as they continue to walk! ) We never get tired of seeing them, playing with them, living with them. They are amazing animals and we could not imagine life without them.
