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).