Counter Tops are Head Level
Counter tops as a whole are not great dane approved. This may seem obvious to some who are familiar with danes but to those who are not let me paint a picture. As I am tediously fixing a delicious meal for myself I turn my back for long enough to grab another ingredient from the refrigerator. When I return to put the finishing touches on my meal, it is gone. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for a whole turkey to disappear and it works in the great dane’s favor that their heads are right at counter level. They simple prance through the kitchen and devour anything that is at mouth level and appear remotely appetizing.
As you can imagine this is kind of frustrating. But the danes are so lovable that I always end up giving them a second chance. Can this be trained out, maybe but I am not that talented a trainer. The best thing I have found to do is plan ahead a little and realize that they are doing what big dogs do.
If I am spending long in the kitchen and cooking a large meal, the area becomes a no great dane zone. This is by far the safest course of action but not always practical. If I do not condone off the area it does not take long at all before I have big noses pushing their way into the mix trying to be of assistance. I can do without their help.
If I made the daring choice to leave food out in the kitchen, it must, and this is imperative, not be left at head level. The quick safety test that I run consists of me imagine if I could reach something with my mouth, great danes are about as tall as me, maybe a little taller when standing on two legs, so naturally if I can reach it so can they. I find that the only truly safe area is on top of the refrigerator.
Tables are not different, if you are planning on getting a dane be prepared to alter your eating experience or be prepared to condone off an area during meal time. Don’t let the sad eyes fool you, they will devour am entire table of unattended, or attended food for that matter before you have much of a chance to react.
Great danes are irresistibly lovable and have more personality than any other breed I have met. But they do require some pretty serious lifestyle shifts and don’t ever forget, counter tops are not great dane approved.