- A Few Questions for .Sarah -

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Sarah,

You know so much about Great Danes I thought there was no better person to ask my questions too. I will ask my breeder as well, but I would love to know what you would suggest. I hope you don't mind!

My puppy is coming home tomorrow in the morning and I have the food and raw bones and such. We were looking into buying him elevated food and water dishes, but is it really neccesary when they are puppies? I have heard they should have them so it puts less stress on their necks.

Breeders often say that tennis balls are a no no for Great Danes. Are there any other types of balls I can buy? I have seen giant tennis balls, but they are too huge.

Chew toys... While I will be giving raw bones, I want to get some extra safe chew toys for him. I love Kongs, but what others do you think would be great for him?

Harness or collar? Martindale, plain or prong? 4' or 6' leash? I am so confused about this! I would rather not use a prong, but have heard many great things about them. The leash length breeders recommend is 4', but I love having a longer leash.

One more - Neutering... I want to wait until he is atleast 18 months old (unless stipulated in the contract to be done earlier). So he doesn't end up looking like a "bitchy dog" - sorry for the expression. What is your opinion on this?

Thank you in advance...

My breeder sent this the other night...

[buttercup132]

He's coming home already !? Wow that went by fast! Better get your camera ready

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

He's coming home already !? Wow that went by fast! Better get your camera ready

Yes, I thought it would be forever! I will get that camera ready tomorrow and post a bunch of pictures for all to see!

[lute]

i can't wait to see more pics of him! he's such a cutie! he'll literally grow before your eyes!

i've never heard of a dog looking different just because he was neutered. having your dog neutered at a young age prevents all kinds of health problems. i suggest getting him neutered before 18 months.

these toys are some of the toys i bought for Jake.
hol-ee roller ball
big paw american ball
booda solo tug
talking fleece toys
the fleece gorilla is all my dogs favorite toy. i bet we've been through 5 of those things since i first got Gracie.

i think the length of the leash is a personaly preferance. i prefer 6 foot leads, but it's really up to you.

i wouldn't use a prong collar on a young puppy! it could do some damage to their air pipe. if you train your puppy well enough at a young age you don't need a prong collar.


i know this was intented for .sarah, but i couldn't help but reply.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

i can't wait to see more pics of him! he's such a cutie! he'll literally grow before your eyes!

i've never heard of a dog looking different just because he was neutered. having your dog neutered at a young age prevents all kinds of health problems. i suggest getting him neutered before 18 months.

these toys are some of the toys i bought for Jake.
hol-ee roller ball
big paw american ball
booda solo tug
talking fleece toys
the fleece gorilla is all my dogs favorite toy. i bet we've been through 5 of those things since i first got Gracie.

i think the length of the leash is a personaly preferance. i prefer 6 foot leads, but it's really up to you.

i wouldn't use a prong collar on a young puppy! it could do some damage to their air pipe. if you train your puppy well enough at a young age you don't need a prong collar.


i know this was intented for .sarah, but i couldn't help but reply.

Lute, thank you! Of course you can reply, you know alot about Danes too!

About being neutered @ 18 months...

From a very experienced and well known breeder: (www.greatdanelady.com)

"When males are neutered too young, before their hormones are full tilt, they do not gain the muscle that an adult male should have and look like a gangly puppy their whole life. I do not recommend neutering a male until at least 12 months of age."

[animal_rescue]

If your a responisible pet owner, then I was suggest to wait to have him neutered so he can grow, I know a lot of dane owners and they feel the same way.

[dab_20]

Wow, I can't wait to see pictures of that beautiful boy!! Good Luck in getting the info you need.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

If your a responisible pet owner, then I was suggest to wait to have him neutered so he can grow, I know a lot of dane owners and they feel the same way.

I will watch my boy like a hawk! I will do whatever my breeder recommends, since she knows her dogs better than I do.

[IRescue452]

Congrats on the handsome new addition! Do you have a walmart by you? They often have large sized tennis balls in their 88-cent dog toys. By large I mean that Autumn (toller) can just carry them but can't get her mouth close to halfway around them. Perfect size for a dane I think.

[Jessika]

i can't wait to see more pics of him! he's such a cutie! he'll literally grow before your eyes!

i've never heard of a dog looking different just because he was neutered. having your dog neutered at a young age prevents all kinds of health problems. i suggest getting him neutered before 18 months.

these toys are some of the toys i bought for Jake.
hol-ee roller ball
big paw american ball
booda solo tug
talking fleece toys
the fleece gorilla is all my dogs favorite toy. i bet we've been through 5 of those things since i first got Gracie.

i think the length of the leash is a personaly preferance. i prefer 6 foot leads, but it's really up to you.

i wouldn't use a prong collar on a young puppy! it could do some damage to their air pipe. if you train your puppy well enough at a young age you don't need a prong collar.


i know this was intented for .sarah, but i couldn't help but reply.

Males of any breed may look different physically if neutered before they are "sexually mature". Really though its just physique and muscle mass

Also prong collars are much, much safer than choke collars. CHOKE collars are the ones that have been known to pull so tight that it has collapsed dogs' trachea before. Prong collars can only be pulled tight to a certain extent, and then no further. If you get the appropriate size for your dog, then it should not be a problem, even on a puppy.

As far as the lead length is concerned, I prefer a 4' lead, but it really is personal preference. I like having my dogs close by because to me then they are easier to control.

Good luck!!!!!!

[.sarah]

Wow, I feel so honored that you're asking for my advice!

My puppy is coming home tomorrow in the morning and I have the food and raw bones and such. We were looking into buying him elevated food and water dishes, but is it really neccesary when they are puppies? I have heard they should have them so it puts less stress on their necks. First things first - he's coming home tomorrow? How exciting! You better post lots of pictures!

Elevated food dishes are necessary for Danes in helping prevent bloat, but bloat isn't really something to worry about until 5 years of age (usually, but it can happen earlier). Until he's full grown I'd just get some wood or a box and put his bowls on top of that, otherwise you'll always be buying new elevators, since Danes grow like weeds!

Breeders often say that tennis balls are a no no for Great Danes. Are there any other types of balls I can buy? I have seen giant tennis balls, but they are too huge. I've actually never heard this, but it makes sense. I have a tennis ball here that's bigger than a normal sized tennis ball but I wouldn't consider it a 'giant'. It's the perfect size for a Dane, so I would just look around and see if you can find an in-between size. There are also basket balls in pet stores that are made for smaller dogs to play with, but they would be the perfect size for a Dane to pick up with his mouth. Only thing I would worry about is him popping it if he's really strong!

Chew toys... While I will be giving raw bones, I want to get some extra safe chew toys for him. I love Kongs, but what others do you think would be great for him? Nylabones! I swear by Nylabones. If my girls want to play but nobody will play with them they will grab a bone and chew, chew, chew! It keeps them busy while we're gone as well. I believe it sometimes keeps them from being destructive. We have 2-3 in each room. They last a long time, too (as long as you buy the one's that aren't edible). I have several of these: Double Action Chew, Galileo Bone and Durable Original Flavor Bone. Don't buy the flavored ones, I've found they don't last more than 5 minutes in my house. The 'Original' flavored ones are actually flavorless (I believe) and they are super durable.

Harness or collar? Martindale, plain or prong? 4' or 6' leash? I am so confused about this! I would rather not use a prong, but have heard many great things about them. The leash length breeders recommend is 4', but I love having a longer leash. I don't like harnesses, and it's probably hard to find one big enough for an adult Dane anyway. I prefer flat-collars (plain) and Martingale. Martingales are nice because you rest assured he can't slip out of it. I think I'm going to buy those for my dogs when we get new collars, because Luka likes to pull Nova's collar off . Prong collars are good for training, but I would wait until he really starts pulling to use it. Nova didn't pull hard enough for me to start using it until she was 6 months - before that it was easy to correct her with just a flat collar. But if I hadn't used a prong starting at 6 months she wouldn't be heeling so well now. A 4' leash is probably enough for a Dane, but really it's about preference. If you want him to heel right beside you then I don't see why you'd need anything more than a 4', but if you're going to allow him to walk in front of you then you could get something longer.

One more - Neutering... I want to wait until he is at least 18 months old (unless stipulated in the contract to be done earlier). So he doesn't end up looking like a "bitchy dog" - sorry for the expression. What is your opinion on this? I would definitely wait until he's 18 months! 18-24 months is the recommend age for Danes. Their growth plates won't close until then and testosterone is needed in helping to close them, so this is where orthopedic problems sometimes arise in large dogs neutered before they're fully grown. I've also heard that the dogs will look more bitchy if neutered earlier, but I haven't been around enough intact dogs and neutered dogs from the same lines to be sure (you can't really compare dogs that aren't related).

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Thank you so much Sarah! And too everyone else, thanks! I feel better prepared now, since most of my questions I couldn't find an answer for.

Thank you!

[.sarah]

No problem!

[Karen]

A regular flat collar, and start working on him NOT pulling right away. If you do this now, when he's a baby, you won't have to resort to prong or choke later.

This is what we did with every one of our dogs, one mostly-Dane who grew to 145 lbs, and two Saint Bernards, 185 lbs and 155 lbs. None of them ever pulled past the first week of training - when they knew the person holding the leash was paying attention.

The reason for that "when they knew ..." caveat: Freckles (185 lb. Saintly Lady) once pulled me clean off my feet when she spotted a box of kittens at a yard sale and I was not paying attention. She grew up with a kitten across the street the same age, and she just knew all kitties were her friends! Sadly, most kitties panicked - understandably - at the sight of 100+ pounds of enthusiasm barreling their way!

I never let my attention lapse that way again! My skinned knees reminded me!

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Okay, I will go with the regular flat collar then. My breeder just called me and said that she can't deliver him until Saturday. The highway is covered in snow and she has two small children that are coming for the ride. Gives me more time to buy him all the stuff that was suggested!