Categories

Dog Ramps for the Great Dane

Great dane
It is not arguable that great danes are some of the best dogs out there. Anyone who has owned a great dane has absolutely no doubt that they have excellent temperament and fabulous personalities. They instantly become part of the family and before too long have usually convinced you that they belong on the furniture as much as you. If danes have a downfall it is their short life spans. Their large bodies unfortunately age faster than many other breeds so it is imperative that they be well taken care of.

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

Ten Reasons to Get a Great Dane

10 reasons to have a great dane


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.

Carpet

Carpet

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.