All about Great Dane Dogs: Information, Facts And Pictures

All about Great Dane Dogs: Information, Facts And Pictures: Tallest dog or Great Dane is a breed from Germany famous for friendly behavior.

The Great Dane dog breed is popular as the tallest dog breed in the world (Zeus the Great Dane). If you are going to adopt or own a Great Dane puppy then there is some information that you must know. Here know about this massive dog breed regarding their Temperament, History, characteristics, health, diet, shedding, and training.

Basic Information regarding Great Danes-

Height

• Male: 75 to 85 cm
• Female: 70 to 80 cm

Weight

• Male: 55 to 90 Kg 
• Female: 45 to 60 Kg

Breed Group: Working

Average Lifespan: 7 to 10 years

Health Level: Fine

Appearance

Great Danes are famous for their tall body. You can easily recognize these giants in one sight only. They have a powerful and muscular body but it is not so bulky. Their body is lean, the neck is long with a large and slim head. Their ears are v-shaped or triangular which are not erect naturally but few Great Dane owners crop their dog’s ears to make them erect however many believe that floppy ears are best.

The eyebrows are well-formed and the eyes are almond-shaped. Their face skin is loose and the muzzle is long & darker in front. They have black-colored nose and their tail is straight and strong.

Great Dane Coat

Great Danes have a beautiful smooth coat that looks amazing on them. The short coat of Danes comes in six beautiful colors: Blue, Black, Brindle, Harlequin (white with black markings), fawn, and Mantle color.

Shedding in Great Danes

Their coat is short and single-layered which is not known for shedding too much. However, it doesn’t mean that they don’t shed at all. Great Danes are known for shedding moderately all year and the main shedding season for them is the spring season. They shed little more in the Spring season.

To control shedding you should brush them daily and you can also use the de-shedding tool however de-shedders didn’t work very well on short coats. According to the short coat of Great Danes, the Bristle brush is good.

Bathing needs

The bathing requirements of Great Danes are not much as their coat doesn’t get dirty easily. You can bathe them once every couple of months or whenever you feel that their coat is getting dirty.

Great Dane Temperament

Though you may find them intimidating by their looks but in reality, they are much more sweet-tempered. They are considered Gentle giants for a reason. They are good with kids and other pets too, however, some of them may be a little aggressive towards smaller animals like cats. If they are grown up with cats they can also live with them also. Consistent training and early age socialization are very important for Great Danes.

Danes are very kind and affectionate and loyal towards their family and they are much more friendly towards others as compared to other mastiffs. They hate to be alone and you should avoid leaving them alone at home. These social dogs love to be with their family and need the companionship of their owner.

Great Danes are considered good guards and watchdogs as they are protective in nature. They are not much aggressive towards strangers still they know how to guard their property. Entering the Great Dane’s territory may be a very bad idea for the intruders. You can give them responsibility and can appoint them as a guard, and they will not disappoint you. Their bark is enough to scare anyone.

Besides their large size, Great Danes are quite active. They are playful and energetic especially younger dogs. This is the reason they are not good for small-sized homes.  It will be better if you have a backyard at your house because Great Danes need an open area for digging, exercising, and walking freely.

They are quite intelligent and can easily understand commands. Their training is also easy as they are of calm temperament but some of them are quite stubborn also.

Behavioral Problems

Great Danes love digging, you may observe them digging holes in the yard, scratching carpets or trying to dig the floor.

Though they are very calm in nature still they are infamous for destroying furniture and things. Mainly they break things like vases & other things. Most of them don’t do this intentionally or for fun, this happens unintentionally due to their large size. Some of them also break and destroy things whenever they are bored or alone to get the attention of their owner.

Great Danes are friendly with kids but still, they are not good for too small kids who don’t know how to interact with dogs. There may be chances that they could hurt your child unintentionally due to their large size. As Danes are quite playful and some of them don’t know that their large size could also harm others.

Even though Great Danes are considered quite easy to train still I don’t suggest them for new dog owners because handling a large-sized dog is not an easy task, especially for new or first-time dog owners. Many of them are also known to adopt stubborn behavior and training a stubborn Great Dane is a very tough job.

Some of them can be a little aggressive towards strangers which can cause problems like barking at strangers, however, this could be avoided easily by training them consistently and proper socialization.

History

The origin of this dog breed is Germany and The Great Danes that we know today are considered to be developed in the early 17th century. Although the breed is known to exist earlier also.

The early Great Danes were built for hunting will boar and they were known to be much more agile and aggressive as compared to today. It is believed that the breeding and development of Great Danes is also done by the crossbreeding of Greyhounds, Irish Wolfhounds, and English Mastiffs. This may be the reason that they accommodate most of the characteristics of these dog breeds. Soon after they were also used for guarding purposes.

In Germany, some breeders also continue to touch up this dog breed. Great Danes have a high prey drive.  They reduced the violent and aggressive Danes into more calm & friendly dogs.

After some time, in 1876 Great Danes known as Englische Dogges at that time were regarded as a national dog breed of Germany. In 1878 the name English Dogges was changed to  Deutsch Dogge. The breed also becomes popular outside Germany and it was introduced as German Boarhounds in other European countries. Some English countries didn’t accept this name and started calling it Great Dane.

In 1887 this breed gets recognized by AKC and in 1889 the Great Dane Club of America was established.

Health Issues

Like every other large-size dog breed, Great Danes are also prone to some health issues. The Great Dane has a high food consumption rate so Health issue like bloat or gastric torsion is common. The great Danes’ growth rate is fast so they are prone to some bone and joint problems like Hip Dysplasia, osteosarcoma, Hypertrophic osteodystrophy, wobbler syndrome (spine problem), and ligament injury. So you should avoid over-exercising them and provide them a good diet. Great Danes are also prone to some Heart disorders including Dilated Cardiomyopathy. So you should get your dog’s heart checkup every year.

Some of the diseases or health problems that Great Danes are prone to may be genetic so before owning a puppy make sure you are buying it from an honest and good reputable breeder.

More interesting information about Great Danes

How to choose Diet for Great Danes

Food plays a vital role in determining the health of the dog. The dog diet of the dog should be perfectly balanced and nutritious. Unlike Cats, dogs can survive on both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, but make sure that the food should meet the nutritional requirements.

Many dog owners depend more on Raw meat but feeding only meat to their dog is not good for their health as it increases the risk of diseases. Some dog owners feed their dogs homemade food whereas some feed commercial dog food. It will be better if you also add some vegetables and fruits into your dog’s diet because of some nutrition and fiber.

Avoid feeding some eatables to your dogs as they may be poisonous to dogs and can affect their health negatively. Some of these things are chocolate, beer and other alcoholic substances, avocado, onion, grapes, garlic, almonds & nuts, and onion.

Great Dane is a large size dog breed with a high metabolism rate so their food consumption rate is high and needs more calories.

A healthy Great Dane needs around 2700 to 3000 calories a day depending upon its activity level.  The food of your dog should contain around 24% protein but be sure feeding too much protein and calcium can cause growth problems. The fat content in Great Dane’s diet should be around 13%.

The most common problem associated with the Great Danes is Bloat. Bloat is one of the most common health problems to which Great Danes are prone. To avoid Bloat make sure that you don’t feed them too much at one time and not engage your dog in physical activity just after a meal. Don’t make them exercise quickly after a meal.

Great Dane Exercise Requirement

Regardless of their size Great Dane is an active dog breed and they can run at the speed of 30 MPH. They didn’t need any particular workout, taking them for long walks is enough for them or you can also take them to the park for playing (eg frisbee toss).

A healthy adult Great Dane needs to be exercised for around 1 hour a day however an unactive Dane can be exercised for around 30 minutes. Don’t over-exercise them as it might cause some bone and joint problems (i.e ligament rupture).

Do Great Danes bark a lot?

No Great Danes are not known for barking too much however they bark very loudly. Their bark can be heard from long distances. Sometimes few adult Great Danes can develop the habit of excessive barking, most of them do this in boredom to gain the attention of their owners.

Great Danes temperament with kids

Great Danes are famous for their kind behavior with kids. This dog breed hardly hurts any child intentionally. They show friendly and affectionate behavior towards kids. However, they may be dangerous to small kids, As Great Danes can hurt toddlers unintentionally due to their size.

Small kids don’t know how to interact with dogs, so the chances of getting injured are high. Danes are also playful and due to their size, they can harm a child unconsciously while playing only.

Great Danes as a Guard dog

Great Danes are protective in nature and are considered both good watchdogs and guard dogs as well. These alert dogs are well aware of their territory and know how to guard their family & owners. They are not aggressive with strangers but they can attack if someone tries to hurt their family. They are good watchdogs and can make the whole neighborhood awake with their bark. In the past also they were used for guarding estates.

The behavior of Great Danes with other pets

Great Danes are not considered to be aggressive towards other pets. Usually, they are friendly with other dogs and pets. Although some of the adult Danes are a little aggressive and chase small animals like cats and other small dogs, if they are grown up with them they can be really friendly and kind to them.

Do Great Danes drool a lot?

Yes, Great Danes are heavy droolers but they don’t do it purposely. The reason for the heavy drooling of Danes is their facial structure and loose lip skin which doesn’t let them hold saliva in their mouth.

Are Great Danes easy to train?

Yes, Great Danes are a little easier to train as they are calmer than any other mastiffs. They are capable of understanding things, learning new tasks, and remembering them for a long time. They require consistent training from an early age as some of the young dogs are infamous for adapting stubborn behavior.

Is Great Dane an active breed of dog?

In comparison to other mastiffs, they are quite active but they are not over-active. Regardless of their size, they are energetic as they are very fast runners. Great Danes can run at a speed of 30 MPH. They need to exercise for around 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.

Do Great Danes need a large area?

Yes, due to its massive size this dog breed can’t survive in a small area. They need a medium to big-sized house to move freely at home otherwise they would continue to bump into furniture resulting in breaking things. It would be better if you have a backyard because Great Danes love to dig soil and roam in the grass.

Are Great Danes good at being alone at home?

Great Danes are social dogs who love to be with their family Most of the time they need someone’s companionship. Leaving them alone at home for hours may not be a good idea because they are not very lazy or slothful dogs that just love to rest. There may be chances that they can adopt an aggressive temperament. Some behavioral problems could also be observed like excessive barking, scratching, trying to dig the floor, and breaking objects.

Do Great Danes Eat a lot?

Yes, Great Danes eat more than any other medium-sized dog breed. They need 2700 to 3000 calories a day. The reason for food needs is their large size and high metabolism rate.

If you have a Great Dane you should avoid feeding them a lot at once, because this may increase the chance of Bloat or Gastric Torsion. Instead of this try to feed them in half-half portions in some time gap.

How much do the Great Danes shed?

The short and single-layered coat of the Great Danes is not known for excessive shedding. They shed moderately all year and lose a little more hair in the spring season. To control shedding in them you can brush them daily and try to use a Bristle brush for their coat.

Great Danes for new dog owners

Though Great Danes are very kind natured and easy to train. I will not suggest any new or first-time dog owners adopt them because there are some things that may be a little tough for a new dog owner. As some of them are known for adopting stubborn behavior, and handling or training a stubborn dog of such massive size would be very difficult for new dog owners.  They need proper socialization and consistent training from an early age which needs some patience and experience.

You should own a Great Dane if you need a dog which would be-

• Large-sized
• Good Guard and watchdogs
• Friendly and affectionate
• Less aggressive towards strangers
• Easy to train
• Active
• Short coated
• Good with kids and other Pets
• Very Tall
• Loyal
• Low shedding dog
• Calm

You should not own a Great Dane if you need a dog which would be-

• Highly Active and Agile
• Small-sized
• Hairy
• less stubborn
• A lap dog
• Lazy
• Territorial and Aggressive
• Lightweight

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