One thing to get straight first is that virtually any dog will ruin your yard, it doesn’t matter if it is a pip-squeak poodle. You can guarantee that with pets your grass will not be pristine. Little dogs make trails and their poop is harder to find when it hides in the grass. At least with great dane dog bombs you don’t have any trouble locating the danger.

If you are unfamiliar with animal patterns they are much like people in that they develop habits. Dogs habits are readily visible by the paths that they leave in your yard. They often run the same laps when they get excited, jump on the fence in the same place, or pace in the same area when they are nervous. One particularly bothersome habit that I have recently noticed as the weather warms up is that of my female great dane seeking out the longest healthiest grass on which to sprawl out. I am guessing that this has something to do with the coolness of the grass or the ergonomic benefits of laying in long grass as opposed to short. Whatever the case, it serves to destroy my best looking grass, but at least she tends to rotate her favorite area. This at least means that my yard looks uniformly crappy.

You have a couple of choices about how to approach this particular situation. You could get rid of your beast of burden, but who wants to do that? We love our beasts even if they are a burden. So, you are left with accepting the fact that you will have a less than perfect yard.

I suggest that you make a claim on at least a small portion of your yard. Section of a small area or a patio, at least for a zen meditation garden, you may need this to relax your nerves after dealing with your great dane. Your space requirements will vary depending on your love for your animal, the size of your yard, and the love for your kids. Build fences, buy prefab metal fence pieces, get creative. But stake your claim and stick to it. You do after all need your space.

This strategy allows you to love your beasts despite the fact that they are destructive little devils. Setting up your living environment so that everyone is primed for success is one of the best ways of making sure that your pets and the rest of your family have happy healthy lives and it will lower your stress level.

Let me repeat. Yards are not great dane approved but they are pretty much essential so you better figure out to make them work if you expect to have a happy and well adjusted great dane.

Training During the Early Years

Training begins when the dane is a still a puppy. Great dane puppies are cute, cuddly and not all that big so it is easy to ignore the fact that the little puppy may soon outweigh you. At all cost do not let the puppy jump on you, dominate you in any way or get away with any behavior that you would not let a bigger dog get away with. What your puppy learns now it will carry with it through out its life. If you don’t want your pet on the furniture now is the time to make that clear.

Some specifics about danes jumping on people is important because they are famous for it and it is also highly dangerous for kids, elderly, or anyone who is not prepared for a loving dane hug. Most danes try to jump on their people at some point, the key is to always discourage this. The best way to do this is to either hold them down if you see them coming up or give them a strong paw squeeze if you are too late to prevent the jump. They do not like the paw squeeze but it does not hurt them. For most danes this is just enough reinforcement that it prevents jumping.

I highly suggest obedience training from a young age as well. When I say this, I mean proper obedience training, at a school, with an instructor, and plenty of positive reinforcement and practice. Your life and your dogs life could depend on being properly trained.

Keeping Your Family Healthy

That is enough about behavior for now, health is equally important. It is important to note that great danes are fairly susceptible to Parvo when they are young. Parvo can live in your yard for years and be carried on your shoes from virtually anywhere. Puppies are susceptible to Parvo when they are being weened from the mother. Parvo has a 90% mortality rate and happens to be preventable by getting your dog it’s scheduled shots. If you don’t want to spend money at the vet many local feed stores will also carry low cost pet shots that you inject yourself. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to do all that you can to keep your pet healthy.

Great dane puppies eat a lot and still look like concentration camp survivors. Your puppy may very well gain 100 pounds during its first year. This means they grow incredibly fast. Make sure that you are feeding your puppy enough and that you are giving it ample opportunity to go outside and do its business. Because your dane is growing so fast and the skeletal structure is not fully developed it is a good idea to limit physical activity to some extent during the first two years. This does not mean don’t let your puppy be a puppy it means don’t take your dog jogging or make it do more than it is willing to do. Regular walks are important just don’t overdo the activity.

Once your great dane gets to be full grown it is probably not quite full grown. Just when you think they are finished growing they will get a little bigger. Danes tend to reach full skeletal size then fill out during their second year. During this time you will have to closely monitor food intake and make sure that your dane does not start to put on excess weight. Overweight great danes are in danger of serious back problems because of the way that they carry their weight. A healthy great dane should have fairly low body fat, meaning that some of the musculature should be visible beneath the skin. If you can grab flab it is time for a diet.

Great danes are fabulous family pets and have more personality than many people I know. But because of their short life span and their genetic predisposition to certain health problems it is highly important that you do all that you can to keep you great dane healthy.

Removing a reason to get mad at your dog can go a along way in improving your relationship with your pet and removing the need for discipline. As much as I love my pets they have done some things that have been pretty infuriating over the years but in the end I have to realize that these things are usually my fault. Or at least they could have been prevented by me.

One of the biggest breakthroughs came when I started using a dog room for isolation. I already hear the scorn… Isolation!!!!??? Not like that, just for times when the great danes are left alone, at night or any other time when I need to put them away for awhile. At first I saw this as a bit cruel myself but in the long run it has eliminated a lot of heart ache and allows me to not worry about my house when I am gone and get a full nights rest when I am home.

I have found that a couple of things are essential for a dog room. And a king sized dog bed is not one of them. They may be spoiled but they are still dogs. Any area of the house that is easily isolated and not to big will work fine. If a dog knows that they may have to stay in an area for awhile they are less likely to make a mess, if you know what I mean.

A hard floor that is easily cleaned is another requirement for a dog room, not only because my dogs have accidents on occasion but also because they shed, droll, and may scratch carpet. Lets be honest, carpet is not exactly pet approved.

I have also learned my lesson about having anything that even remotely resembles a chew toy within any type of reach. I have had great danes chew up furniture, wall, cameras, shoes, toys, etc. The list could go on forever. I should have learned my lesson a long time ago, but I didn’t. Now If I leave everything that can be chewed is out of the area. I am not only talking about pups, but older mature great danes as well. They are mischievous when left alone, wether it comes to getting into the kitchen or getting chewing up anything that smells like mom or dad. DOn’t give them the chance.

If you do not have a good room in the house for a dog room, consider getting a large crate or even a toddler play pen. This can work very well for a great dane. I choose to not shut the door on the danes but to close a baby gat in the door way. This lets them still be part of the family and see what is going on without being a nuisance.

Great danes make a fabulous addition to any family and get along wonderfully with children but they must have boundaries and they must be properly trained. They demand enormous amounts of attention and can be quite annoying if you let them, so my word of wisdom is to put systems in place that manage that annoyance and destruction and allow you to have an enjoyable relationship with your great dane instead of a stressful one.

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.

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.