Great Danes

The Great Dane is the largest dog in the world, and as such, has become one of the most recognizable dog breeds in the United States and around the world. The tallest Great Dane stood nearly 48” high – which is about four feet – and most of them stand at least 30” high. The Great Dane started out as the “German Boarhound” but the name Great Dane became popular after the mid-1700’s.

Great Danes have a wonderful personality and not only are very loyal to their owners – they actively seek affection from their owners often. They may actually try to climb up on your lap; the fact that they are often larger than their owners notwithstanding. Great Danes come in three different varieties including fawn and brindle, harlequin and black and blue. Great Danes are the 14^th most popular dog in the United States and is the state dog of Pennsylvania. The top five states where Great Danes are most popular include West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Great Dane Food and Health

Your Great Dane is going to eat a lot. You probably know that going into owning one. However, they are well worth the extra calories. You should feed your Great Dane about three times per day, and the total calories that they should be consuming is somewhere between 2500 and 3500 calories per day. That means that you should be feeding them around 1000 calories per meal if you feed them three times per day. This will depend upon your Great Dane’s activity level though, so if they exercise regularly then budget for about 3000 and if they spend several hours a day expending energy then expect to feed them a lot more.

Like many dogs, Great Danes can experience bloat, a condition that can not only be very uncomfortable for your dog; it could actually turn deadly very quickly. One of the ways that you can combat this condition is by making sure that you feed them several times a day. But you should also ensure that whatever dog food as premium dry dog food you choose has high protein meat sources as the number one ingredient. For Great Danes, the ideal protein content should be somewhere between 23% and 30%. It should also contain between 5% and 8% fat as well as all of the other nutrients that your dog requires.

Something else to keep in mind is that you want to have dog food that is completely free of any fillers or artificial products. For example, many dog foods like grain free dry dog food try to make up the bulk of their product with cheaper fillers like grain, corn, wheat or other materials. You want to avoid these dog foods completely because they are not good for your dog. You also want to make sure that your dog food as Taste of the Wild Grain Free dog food contains glucosamine and chondroitin as well as a blend of omega fatty acids. Many experts also recommend that you feed your Great Dane raw food.

Great Danes do have health problems like many of the giant dogs out there. For one thing, they have a slow metabolism. That means that they actually eat a lot less than they should because they have less food consumption per pound than other dogs. Great Danes can also suffer from bloat, as previously mentioned, which is why you should feed smaller meals with plenty of protein, mix in wet food with every meal and wait until at least 40 minutes after consuming a meal before your Great Dane participates in exercise. Some of the other medical conditions that Great Danes can suffer from include congenital heart disease and Wobbler’s Disease, a condition that affects the spinal column.

The best thing that you can do for your dog is to make sure that you have dog insurance. Pet insurance is one of the smartest decisions that you can make for your Great Dane, and it is available in Arkansas, Florida, West Virginia and just about every other state out there. Pet insurance comes in many different forms, allowing you to take out a policy against a specific disease, against accidents or a general policy that protects your pet no matter what and makes sure that they can get treatment from the vet without you having to pay for it out of your pocket.

Leashes and Collars for your Great Dane

One of the things that you have to keep in mind when it comes to Great Danes is that they have an incredible amount of strength because they are so big. That makes taking them for a walk pretty challenging and it makes choosing the right leash and dog collar such as leather dog leash and martingale collars extremely important. Even more challenging than their sheer size, they were bred to be hunters, so if your Great Dane sees a squirrel or another small animal, there is a good chance that they will take off after it and the dog walker who is not paying attention may find themselves pulled off their feet. That means that you need to have a certain amount of strength in order to walk your Dane, but it also means choosing the right collar and leash.

Some leashes like dog seat belts are better than others when it comes to strength and durability. However, both heavy-duty nylon and leather are pretty similar. There are some nylon leashes out there that are thin and will break easily when pulled against, but as long as you go with heavy-duty nylon with good stitching then you should be fine. As far as dog collars go, until your dog has been trained to respond to a pull on their collar, you may have to go with stronger measures than you would with another dog. For example, you may have to use a spiked collar, a choker chain or a vibrating or shock collar as remote dog training collar in order to get your dog’s attention. Some dog owners prefer to go with harnesses over collars, but for Great Danes that have not been properly trained, this is probably a mistake.

Best Crates, Beds, and Doghouses for Great Danes

You are obviously going to need to go big if you want to get a dog crate or dog house for your Great Dane. Great Danes are the largest breed of dog out there, and many of them are more than 30 feet tall. This means that you are going to need extremely large dog crate like metal dog crate that they can enter without having to stoop down too much as well as room for them to turn around completely in a circle and lay down without their paws hitting up against the bars or sides and without their tail being restricted from movement. If you are looking for a dog crate like exercise and playpen crate measurement, 54 inches is probably among the highest that you are going to find and it should have plenty of room for your Great Dane.

You also want to get them a comfortable bed to go inside the crate or in their dog house. The rules for the doghouse are pretty much the same as they would be for the dog crate, except that most people use their doghouses outside and you have to decide whether the dog house like rugged dog house the you choose is going to keep your Great Dane warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In the winter, a dog house like indigo/w/microban can provide protection from the wind and heat up from your dog’s body heat. In the summer, a dog house provides shade. In extreme temperatures either way, you may have to take additional steps like extra insulation or a cooling fan if your dog is going to be using their dog house regularly.

Toys for Great Danes

Great Danes are very playful, and that’s what you want to choose toys for them. Giving your dog toys like dispensing dog toy is a very important part of the bonding experience. You have to remember the Great Danes were originally bred to hunt wild boar. But they were adopted by noblemen because of their natural elegance, so they do not have as much aggression and as many hunter instincts as they used to. But that does not mean that they do not enjoy play or that they do not like toys. In fact, the opposite is true. Your Great Dane will love playing with toys. The only problem is, they go through them really fast so you have to find toys like himalayan dog chew that are really durable and are going to last through chewing by powerful jaws and constant play.

Outside toys are going to be one of the most effective types of toys for your great day. A simple tennis ball will give them hours of pleasure if you throw it for them every time. However, you will probably get tired after a few tries, and that’s where an automatic fetch machine comes in. These automatic ball throwers launch the ball off in the distance for your dog to chase down and they bring it back and load it into the machine themselves. Of course, you will have to train your Great Dane on how to do this, but that isn’t that difficult. Automatic fetch machines can be one of the best tools you can have for your Great Dane.

You also should get them some inside toys. Inside toys should be more subtle and not require them to chase after them at top speed. For example, a length of rope with knots and it will allow you to play tug-of-war with your Great Dane without risking all of your expensive lamps or glass coffee tables. There are lots of choices out there when it comes to toys, and anything that is durable and strong is a good choice for a Great Dane. They are very playful dogs that will attach themselves to just about anything as long as you show them that it is a toy and you play with them using that toy.

Grooming Insights for Great Dane owners

Although Great Danes do require regular bathing as well as grooming, they do not require it is much as other breeds. Great Danes have short fur that cleans itself pretty easily. You should be bathing them about once every two months depending upon their activity level and how dirty they get when they are outside. As far as brushing, you can do this pretty much as often as you want depending upon the type of brush that you use. If you are using a harsh brush like deshedding dog brush that is meant to remove shedding hair and is not very gentle on the skin, then you want to limit that to every couple of weeks or so. But if you are using a brush that is gentle and gives them pleasure then you can brush as often as you like.

Great Danes or smooth coated and whenever you bathe them you should go over their entire body with a dryer too remove any dirt and debris as well as loose hair. You can also use a slicker brush like slicker brush for dogs; doing this will help accelerate shedding and give your dog the best possible bath. You also want to be concerned with your Great Dane’s nails. Most people take their dog to the groomer to trim the nails because groomers have more experience and skill with trimming and doing it wrong can cause your dog serious pain or injury.

Great Dane Accessories

There are lots of accessories out there that you can get for your dog as well. For example, with Great Danes, if you want to give them access to the yard whenever they want then you might want to go with an electronic dog door. You will have to get a large one if you have a Great Dane, but this can be a really useful tool, especially when you combine it with an invisible fence. Electronic dog doors allow your dog to go out whenever they want and since these new dog doors only open for dogs that have the microchip or radio frequency of the door you don’t have to worry about other animals and dogs coming into your home. There are also accessories out there for owners including mugs, T-shirts, baby bibs and lots of other items that contain images of Great Danes.

Great Dane Breed Overview