My conclusions are simple. Great danes love to have a comfortable place to lay down. At times they will even act as if they are too good for the floor, once the spoiling begins there is really no way to stop it. I have also concluded that most dog beds on the market are not adequate for great danes. They are just too big, size wise and they weight too much.

Most dog beds after a few uses by a great dane resemble a pancake. I know from experience that great danes are not the longest lived beast and because of that I would like to attempt to get the most out of my friends. Part of this means giving them a good nights sleep and giving them a comfortable place to lay down.

Think about what an important roll your bed plays in your life. Sleep can literally make you or break you, why would your dog be any different? Also think about this, in the wild dogs can usually find a pretty comfortable padded sheltered place to lay down. Shut inside with nothing more than a hard floor to sleep on dogs can not even find as good a place to sleep as they could in the wild.

Here is what I have found works well for my great danes:

• My first choice when it comes to a bed is a toddler mattress. Not a baby bed, but the size in between a twin and a baby bed. It is a great size and it fits very well into an XL sized dog crate. Find a mattress that has a plastic cover and you will be in business. One accident on a regular mattress and it is time for the land fill. With a plastic covering there is nothing a hose can’t fix. Put a blanket or a sheet on top to reduce the chances of your dane ripping the plastic with their claws. I have even found that a nice looking toddler day bed can make a great looking dane dog bed instead of just throwing a mattress on the ground.
• Used furniture is always a winner. After recliners or couches have passed their wear beyond return point they make great dog beds. I like to put them out of the way but still within reach of the family. Great danes like to be around their people so if yo stick a couch in the basement and expect your dane to use it think again. This works well because once your dane is trained to understand that this is their furniture but other furniture is off limits it keeps them off of the other furniture. I usually put a cover on the couch or chair to keep the hair off and keep it smelling as fresh as possible.
• This is a little bit of a stretch for some but I have found that putting my great dane dog bed in a K-9 room is a great way to keep them out of the way and help yourself get a good nights rest. If you have a great dane you know, they are noisy when they sleep if you want a good nights sleep put your dane dog in their own room and you will be waking more refreshed. Don’t sacrifice a kids room for your dog but if you have the space it is a good idea.
• Nice thick rugs are also a good compromise for your great dane. I have hardwood an tile in all of my rooms and I find that putting a dog bed in more than a few rooms tends to clutter the house but the great danes really appreciate the added comfort of a thick rug. I like the kind that you can wash in a big front load washer.

A little bit of thought and planning can go a long way when it comes to making your great danes comfortable and it doesn’t have to cost a lot or clutter your house needlessly. Owning a great dane dog is kind of like keeping a zoo animal in your house so it requires a little bit more planning but it is well worth it.

But despite the great expense and commitment many people still get great danes, they are too lovable, their personalities too great, and they are just too good looking to say no. So, if you find yourself searching for a breeder because you can’t find a sign in the paper saying great dane puppies for sale here are some tips.

I would first talk to people that you know. If you are considering getting a great dane, you probably know someone that has one or has had on in the past. Start by asking these people who they have delt with to get their great danes. Word of mouth is the best advertising and this is also the best way to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable breeder.

Online searches are always a great place to start if you don’t have any other options but not always the best place to actually find what you are looking for. However they can give you some contacts to start with. A simple great dane puppies for sale search will return you many options.

Once you find a couple of breeders I would suggest going to visit. You want to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable dealer and not just a puppy mill. Breeders should keep a clean area for the dogs and have the ability to keep dogs separated if need be. A special consideration with great danes is to find out what their policy is for ear clipping. It is up to you, but be aware that some breeders clip them all when they are born.

You should be willing to travel. Great dane breeders are not usually in the residential areas and there are not many of them around, so if you want a puppy you may need to be willing to drive a couple hundred miles to see what you are getting.

Most great dane breeders take great pride in their animals. Many will specialize in a specific coat or color. Most breeders will be active in the show circuit and many breeders will also want to have the option to breed your pet in the future. Make sure that you know what is expected of the you if you make a purchase.

It is also important to get the proper health test done, or have documentation from the breeder. Danes are prone to certain health problems so it is a good idea to check with the breeder to see about family history and any other issues that you may need to be aware of.

So, keep your eyes open for the great dane puppies for sale and get one before they get too big.

We actually argued for quite some time about what kind of dog to get. I wanted something ferocious and dangerous, she being the wiser one wanted something that would not kill our children and scare the crap out of the neighbors.

My first recollection of a great dane is not good. As a small child I remember being barked at by one of these giant beast, not a good experience. And, little to my knowledge this jaded me into adulthood. I had for the last 25 years believed great danes to be ferocious killers and I was still scared of them. The realization that they are gentle giants came as a welcome shock, once I realized that they are scary looking but not scary I was easy to convince.

Surprisingly enough shortly after our agreement an old friend called out of the blue and offered us a great dane puppy, free of charge. Wow, these dogs are expensive and we were offered one for free. Talk about meant to be or a match made in heaven. We agreed to pick him up right away.

We named him Klaus and he was a fine little blue merle dane. He had funny markings and his feet were so big he could hardly walk. He was a darling and we fell for him. Having just lost two dogs tragically we greatly appreciated this new great dane puppy and went to work spoiling him with enough love to make our children jealous. We bought him toys, we taught him tricks, we walked him and let him sleep in our bed (not suggested for a great dane).

And for financial reasons we put his vaccinations off for a couple weeks. Not thinking this was a big deal we didn’t give it a second thought. I took him to the grocery store and we took him walking at a local, very busy park.

First, he threw up and we didn’t think much of it, it was after a long hike and it wasn’t all that unusual, but then he started spiraling downhill. He couldn’t control, his bowls, he threw up more, and he looked miserable. I took poor Klaus to the vet and they told me he had Parvo. This is basically a death sentence and the worst part is that it is totally preventable. All you need is to get regular shots. If you can’t afford them from a vet you can get them from a feed store and do it yourself for less than $10.

A couple thousand dollars later, yes we tried to keep him alive, our great dane puppy died 6 weeks after we got him. This lead to a long dark period for my wife but taught us some very valuable lessons. If you get a pet make sure you have the means and the knowledge to take care of them, they are a responsibility and a privilege. We have since had another great dane puppy, but we have never forgotten this painful lesson.

People are often attracted to great danes because they are such fabulous beasts, but a large animal that is really only happy living amongst its owners can become a nuisance if the family is a bad match.

I will be the first to tell you that if you have carpet get rid of it. Expect lunch to disappear if you turn your back for a second, and oh god the poop. God forbid you actually having to clean up an accident inside. They are hard to take care of and they are expensive. Danes are more than many families can handle and for this reason many of them end up abandon and in great dane rescue shelters.

Here are a couple of excellent reasons to get a great dane from a rescue shelter:

Getting a puppy is fun but the joy quickly wears off especially if you have done it before. Getting a house trained dog that is not in puppy phase can ensure that you new pet helps relieve your stress, not add to it.

Getting a rescue dog means that you are helping out. You are making a difference in the dogs life and ensuring that dane will come to a good loving home.

It is cheaper. Great danes can cost $1500 or more, getting one from a great dane rescue shelter will usually cost you nothing more than the adoption fee.

Great danes are very adaptable animals, they usually mesh well with a new family. They are very people oriented and eager to please. They love to play and they love attention. Danes from shelters will usually adapt to a new family very quickly.

Rescue organizations offer a great service for animals, they are a great alternative to kill shelters and pounds, but to keep them open we have to use them. Getting a dog from a rescue shelter is goes a long way to ensure that they will stay open and be able to continue offering their humane animal adoptions. Great dane rescue shelters are a great way to find your next pet.

They are not cheap, if you are looking for a puppy from the Walmart parking lot, you will not find a great dane here. These are pure breed pups and because if this will command a much higher price than more common brands. That said they are also much more rare than many other breeds. Expect to spend in the neighborhood of $600 – $1500 for a pup.

They will eat a ton and they will still look like concentration camp survivors. Big dogs like this will not eat as much as expected when they get older but in the growing phase you can expect to feed a great dane puppy 6 – 10 cups of food per day. I would feed at least 2 times per day and then let them out. It does not take long for the food to digest and cleaning up after a 50 lbs puppy is one of the less desirable aspects of owning a giant dog. Despite the amount they eat, they will still look crazy skinny. All of the nutrients are going into the making of a huge dog, don’t expect them to fill out until they get to around 2 years old.

They chew, and they chew, and then they chew some more. They will chew furniture, they will chew toys, they will chew you. Get used to it. Anything that gets chewed is your fault not theirs, engineer their environment so they don’t chew things that they are not suppost to chew.

They are smart but they are stubborn. Despite what many people say Great danes are some of the most intelligent beast I have ever worked with, but they are stubborn. They will do what they want when they want, but they also love to please their masters. Training is important because they are so dang big. Start training when they are puppies so you avoid problems when they are full grown.

Get great dane puppies their shots. Because of their low body fat they are more susceptible to wasting diseases like Parvo than other breeds, it only takes a one animal in the area or even in the area in the last couple of years and your puppy could catch a vaccine preventable illness.

Great danes are truly fine animals, I will never personally own a different type of dog after having the opportunity to own a great dane. Considering that danes are relatively short lived animals getting a great dane puppy is a great way to prolong the enjoyment and the bonding time you have with these fine beasts.

Of the many things you can do to extend the life of a great dane such as proper diet and making sure they get plenty of exercise a dog ramp is also a fabulous option. While children often think that the big beast are perfect for ridding their backs are one of the most vulnerable points on a big dog like this. They have lots of weight pulling down in the middle and a long span to hold up. Because of their large size they commonly step up and down onto pretty large things which adds a high level of stress to the spine.

As big dogs age common things like getting up onto a bed or into a car can begin to be very difficult and painful. Hips and backs suffer the most and to extend life, improve quality of life, and avoid future problems it is imperative to use all of your options.

Aside from the benefits to the dog there are benefits to the owner as well. Lifting a large dog into a care can be a challenge and cause you to have back problems of your own. Possible injuries to your large pet are costly and traumatic, not to mention time consuming. Avoid these issues with dog ramp and see your pet into old age

1.  If you want an animal that will act more like a family member than a dog this is a great choice.  Danes seem to forget that they are dogs and start to think of themselves as people.  This has some amusing consequences.

2.  If you want a guard dog that will scare the crap out of people but not actually hurt anyone then this is the dog for you.  Their bark is much bigger than their bite and while great danes can be aggressive it is unusual and usually limited to cases of mistreatment.  One thing is for certain, they will scare strangers half to death.  It may be necessary to use a dog cage from time to time and finding one big enough for a great dane can be a challenge, this site has information about the best large dog cage on the market.

3.  They are lazy and lovable and great around the house but they can also have boundless energy when taken out to play.  The are great for going running and lots of fun to take for long walks.

4.  Great danes are excellent ice breakers.  People always have a story to tell about a big dog and they get lots of attention.  If you like attention and enjoy talking to strangers they are a great fit.

5.  Great Danes are excellent foot rests.  Have lots of chairs and no ottomans?  Get a dane, they will happily lay under foot for hours.

6.  If you like to cuddle and don’t mind a little bit of hair they will give you as much or more love than you require.  Be prepared for a needy beast than can never get quite as much as it needs.

7.  Because little dogs just plain suck.  Want a real dog get a great dane.  Want a rat dog that you have to worry about getting killed by an owl get a poodle.

8.  If you need something to do with all that extra food laying around your house and want a portable automatic disposal this is the dog for you.  They can devour a table full of food in the time it takes to get a bottle of ketchup from the pantry.  Want to loose a couple of pounds and need help with your diet.  A great dane will be happy to help.

9.  This one is a little vain but thats ok.  These are some great looking dogs and they make all other dogs jealous with their good looks.  Go big or go home and never settle for second best looking.

10.   If you realize that all of your material possessions have a limited life span and that you must rotate them out after they have lived out their usefulness a great dane will give you a reason to get rid of those old shoes, that new watch, or that whatever else you leave on the floor.

If you have a house with carpet and you thought it would be a good idea to get a great dane, what the heck were you thinking?  You would be better off pulling the carpet out and exposing the plain concrete slab of your house.  The dogs won’t appreciate this but your allergies will and you will save a fortune in carpet cleaning bills.  There are a couple of reasons that carpet is a really bad idea

Short Hair

Just because danes have short hair does not mean that they don’t shed.  They shed a lot and it is pretty easy to sweep up on hard floors but that short hair also has a way of burrowing deeply into nice carpet.  It won’t vacuum out nearly as easily as long hair because of the reduced surface area and it tends to work its way deeper and deeper into the carpet.  If you have ever removed carpet you know how disgusting it can be beneath the surface.  Multiply that by a factor of 10 just when taking into account the great dane hair.

Big Paws

These monstrous paws do great damage in two ways.  One they track in all sorts of good junk from the yard, danes are not very good at wiping their feet and their feet are so big that the increased surface area contributes greatly towards big muddy foot prints on nice carpet.  Next damage factor.  Ever see a cleated soccer player change direction on a muddy field?  They leave a big divot in the grass.  Danes are capable of doing this to your carpet.  Their nails get long fast any you need a hedge trimmer to cut them so it often goes undone, thus contributing to divoted carpet.

Slobber

This one is a little more avoidable than some of the others but no less destructive.  I have already discussed the tendency of food to disappear in a dane household and carpet seems to be prime eating area for great danes or and dog for that matter.  The likely hood of a steak being eaten off of your nice carpet is pretty high and from what I know steak is fairly difficult to get out of carpet.  Apply this rationale to basically anything that you expect to disappear in the future.  Bones are also incredibly messy but a delight to chew on the carpet.

All solid floors is the way to go, you will save a fortune in heartache and bills alike.  As much as we love our great danes we must be prepared for their ability to destroy.

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.