Archive for October, 2009
Skin Allergies
While a healthy Great Dane may remind you of a chiseled Olympic athlete Danes are not famous for their health. Their short hair is a blessing and a curse. It is easy to take care of, requires little maintenance, no cutting, does not hold dirt, but as a rule short haired dogs are more prone to skin allergies.
The most common of the allergies which I appropriately call bald butt, not sure about the scientific name, seems to appear during hotter weather or when a Great Dane is stressed. I have seen it happen with both of our adopted Danes the first year we had them and return only mildly in following years. The only remedy that I have found to work for any extended period of time is a steroid sot administered by the vet. This is not the cheapest option and you have to watch out for accidents afterwards but it is effective. Repeated bathing seems to make the problem worse.
Another common problem is the muzzle acne, which I have also seen in both Danes in their first years and is aggravated by similar circumstances. Acne is pretty gross and is characterized by pustules around the mouth and on the chin. Danes usually seem oblivious to pain but they seem to be bothered by this particular affliction. The steroid shot is temporarily effective for this outbreak but thankfully it is more easily treatable. A simple application of vinegar, usually just once or twice should clear this up no problem. I just wet a paper towel and wipe down the muzzle. The Great danes don’t appreciate this much but it does work like a charm.
Ingrown hairs are also fairly common and not easily diagnosed by someone unfamiliar with Danes. They most commonly occur on the hip (high friction areas) and appear as big growths, almost like a tumor. The best solution for these suckers is simple. Put on safety glasses and squeeze. The dog is usually oblivious and when it pops it is freakishly cool, blood, pus and hair pop out. Not for the faint of heart but a small price to pay for a Great Dane lover and sickenely addictive. After the eruption apply some antibacterial ointment and do it again in a few days. When the growth flattens out and softens to the touch quit with your sick addiction and let the poor beast grow some hair.
Kids
Great Danes love chew toys and were breed to chase and corner animals of all sizes so it does not seem like they would really do too well with kids but thankfully they do play well.
I have two danes and two kids and no serious injuries related to either category. The Greatdanes will scare the crap out of the occasional kid but it is normally unintentional. And on occasion one of the Danes will corner a small child and wait for the hunter to come finish the job, depending on the child I usually discourage this type of behavior.
Trampling is by far the most common incident related to children and is always unintentional. It is usually a misguided attempt to show love and is closely related to the bull in a china shop syndrome of which Danes are gifted. Trampling can usually be remedied with a hug and by reassuring the child that they are not lunch.
Be forewarned Great Danes and crybaby children do not play well. Black eyes, busted knees, and attacks from the killer Dane tale are common. By the way the Great Dane is the only canine that inherited the stegosaurus attack tail. Kids watch your heads, adults watch the soft spot located about midway.
A reminder to children. Great danes are not miniature horses, they are not related to cows, and while they will tolerate being ridden, it will ruin their backs and decrease their already short life expectancy.
As a reassurance to parents I will let you know that my ferocious looking, blue, male, Great Dane that slightly resembles Lucifer and scares the crap out of grown men will tolerate anything thrown at him so far. I have seen him ridden, chased, chase, hit, his teeth poked at, wrestled with, tail pulled, and to top all I have witnessed a 3 year old grab him by the balls. I thought for sure it was over despite the fact that this was a pretty tough kid but the Dane barley noticed, possibly even appreciated.
I have been pleased with the family dynamics of my kids and Great Danes and even more pleased to see these gentle beasts act protective of my family. Not overly protective but enough so to scare off most danger and reassure a concerned father. When the smaller children show up (under about 3 and possibly not so tough) I do keep a close eye or keep them away. Fighting, aka. Playing Danes can be dangerous to anything around people, furniture, cars, etc.
Getting along with Great Danes
Great Danes garner more attention and receive more glances than a newborn baby. It is not difficult to see why. They appear to belong on a farm or need a saddle, they look a little silly on the end of a leash that could obviously not contain them against their wishes, and they have a humanist quality about them. Just ask someone who has accidently seen them engaged in the mating ritual. Great Danes are defiantly the most imposing creatures than man has housebroken.
Their bark will haunt a child for years and watching them at play is reminiscent of Roman coliseum blood battles. At 120 lbs on the small side they easily dwarf most other dogs. It is a little strange to see a dog with its paws on top of a 6 foot fence peering down at you, but not uncommon. Great Danes make excellent scare dogs because of their imposing presence, most would be intruders will be happy to continue on to an easier target and avoid the dog that looks like it could eat them for an afternoon snack.
Despite the Great Danes imposing appearance and ferocious look they are quite possibly the gentlest of the Canine line. With the exception of the bull in a china shop quality they are excellent house or apartment dogs. And, aside from the fact that they may trample small children in their effort to show them how much they love them, they are excellent with kids, tough kids that is.
Barking is fairly infrequent, though what my family refers to as talking is common, think Scooby. Biting is pretty much nonexistent and when it does occur it is usually playful mouthing that looks much more ferocious than it really is. Aggression is uncommon and the only time I have seen any true aggression it is directed at someone who may pose a real or imagined threat to the Great Dane or its people.
Danes usually play well with other animals but they were bread to hunt and corner other animals and hold them there until people could arrive and finish the hunt. So, excessively yappy small beast should be forewarned, instinct may prevail and lead to a possibly destructive chase, that will probably end in a pee puddle on the floor when the yappy beast is corner and scared witless.
Anyone considering adding a Dane to the family should realize that they are adding a member to the family and should treat the dog accordingly. These beast are altruistically loyal, I have seen them try to climb trees for their people, didn’t end well. They will fit well into a family and do best when they are able to be as close as possible to the family.