I would like to know what folk think of Danes. What they have been led to believe - are they gentle giants, a bit thick, good guards? Does anyone know what health problems they suffer from? Its just a bit of a breed survey really to see what folks perceptions are - any comments welcome, even if its "big" :D

I have only come in contact with 1 Dane in my whole life.  Winston, we met on a walk when Megan was around 2ish. Winston was very aloof with my ''nutter'' and tolerated Megan running underhim and around him trying to play. Winston just plodded on and hoped that the 'brat' would go away. They became firm friends and Winston was always the one to stop rough play, by simply holding his head up and walking away. He was the softest, sweetest dog. Unfortunately I met his owner later without Winston, and discovered he had been pts as his cancer had gone too far.  A GD and an ESS playing is an amazing sight.

Edited to say, I dont think Winston would know what the word 'guard' meant, he was a real softie

Edited again, I have no Idea what health problems GD's suffer from, but This owner had 2 other GD's which also had cancer

I too have only ever met one. At the time I had a yorkshire terrier and we met a Dane in the local park. My yrkie was very er... yappy...  and ran up to the Dane yelling her head off. (That dog had so much spirit!) I had my heart in my mouth but the Dane took one look and ran off back to it's owner!

So my opinion of them is that they are big softies! :D

Edited to add - I have heard that they don't live long... ? :(

The first ever contact i had with a Dane was when i went to do a relief as a pub manager, the previous occupiers had done a `moonlight` and left their dog infact i didnt know until i got there and opened the kitchen door and this great big dog started leaping around, it was a Harlie lovely beautiful beautiful boy although unfortunatly i was in no position to have him or offer him a home as i had an Akita at the time, so phoned the dog warden who came to collect him.

I dont know about health tests for the breed, are they hipscored? & do the breed club recommend this?  As i know only a handful of people that have hipscored their Danes.

Chloe, my friend had one called Napolean, of all names :rolleyes: he was hysterical, he would steal dirty underwear out of the basket and present it to visitors, roll on his back and "uff" at you if he didn't think that you were giving him enough attention, give his bowl to you if he wanted food or drink and had a huge character LOL :D Although he was choosy as to whom he showed  his traits to.

He gave the impression that he was a bit slow, but he certainly wasn't. He was very protective of the house, but when people that he knew came in, he danced and smothered them to death ;) Whenever he met my then GSDs, he spun them over, gave them a check out and then decided if they needed the boistrous treatment or the gentle nudge treatment. :)

Unfortunately, he died of bloat and it broke all our hearts :(

I have never met a Dane so what I think about them is based on what I have heard & read (& what I can remember!).  My perceptions are:

Very big.
Protective of family but generally unaggressive.
Aloof with strangers.
Playful with friends.
Not the easiest breed to train.
At risk for bloat.
Do not need a vast amount of exercise.
As a giant breed puppies must be raised carefully.
Regrettably short-lived.

I used to meet someone who had bought two litter mates - both harlequins and HUGE they were totally out of control and quite dog aggressive - the man had obviously got them as some kind of fashion statement but as they grew and grew he simply could not control them - they took no notice of him whatsoever and would terrorise any other dogs that they met up with. After a few months I stopped seeing him on our walks so I'm not sure what happened to them.

When I was young our neighbour had a fawn dane bitch called Juno ( after Barbara Woodhouse's dane from the 60's I think ). She was a real sweetie and so gentle and dignified - I do remember how devastated her owner was when she died at 7 years old - she then got a border collie called Sam who was the most fantastic character I have EVER known -  I was alowed to walk him every day and remember hurrying home from school so that I could spend some time with Sam   :D

Yvonne

I quite like Danes.  We have boarded a lot of them, blue, black, Boston (or mismarked here!) harlequin but I cant recall a fawn!  The most nervey one was a blue, but was perfectly manageable and her demeanor posed no threat.  An isolated dog who had no socialising. 

I do know that "Wobblers" is high on the list with them, I do know of a fawn and a blue who both had/have it and the problem seems so much worse than in a Dobermann purely because of their size.

All in all I find them pleasant and socialble dogs.  Not a dog for me though, toooooooo big, wouldnt be able to see the TV while lying on the sofa and they would most probably block the sky remote signal if I wanted to change channel. :D
Dawn.

Big, sometimes slobbery, gentle giants who can be very clumsy. :)

I've only ever met a few Danes, a couple at ringcraft and a lovely bitch who belonged to a business man I visited in the course of work and who enjoyed herself being the office dog on a daily basis.  They were all lovely dogs, very obedient and although big not in the least intimidating.  I don't know much about health problems, but would assume that they can have joint problems and possibly a tendency to bloat?  I too had heard they had quite a short life expectancy, which if true must be hard on the owners :(  I think they are an extremely attractive breed, but although I favour large breeds I think they would be just a wee bit too big for me :)

Best wishes

Lesley

I can only speak from personal experience. If you get a Dane that is not a gentle giant you have been unlucky (or ripped off by someone unscrupulous) Health wise hips seem to be the biggest problem. You can be as careful as you like but if your dog is going to get bloat it will, eventually. IMHO they are never the same afterwards, especially if they are getting on a bit when they are struck. It is truly horrible and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.  Guard dog wise it is often said that a Dane will let anyone in the house but getting out is another matter! Having said that the East German Border Police used to use Danes (mainly blacks) as border control dogs in certain areas. Their size is normally enough of a deterrent!  There are dogs that are as "Great" as Danes but none to surpass them and once a Daneite always a Daneite, regardless if you have one or not.
Cheers Jeff.
p.s. not thick just do things differently, can do agility etc. Never live long enough and leave a big hole when they go. Harlequins are almost a different breed but well worth the extra effort.

Big, Clumsy and Slobbery :D

Big, clumsy, slobbery :D :D (Is there a theme here :D ) Short life expectancy. A bit too big and clumsy to be the agile sort of dog that I like :) Have only met a couple and they seemed OK :)

Daisy

I think they are beautiful dogs although the ones I have "met" always seem to have pulled their owners everywhere and one actually went for Gus which surprised me as Ive never thought of them as an unfriendly breed?

I have heard of an aggressive one around here at some stables - but, as with all dogs, must depend on the breeding/environment etc etc :)

Daisy

Of course :) Still a lovely breed (just a bit too big for me to own) ;)

Lovely looking big dogs.
Generally good natured.
Don't cope well with change.
Would take advantage if given the chance.
Not a good breed for a first time dog owner.
Short life expenctancy as with lots of large dogs.
Will guard environment.
generally a lovely, big, strong dog with lots of power/strength --- if taught manners & respect make lovely pets!

Those are my thoughts of the Great Dane.

My friends Dane is 13 years old and still tottering around happily. With love, care and being kept fit I am sure Danes can live above the average lifespan given which I am told is usually 8 - 10 years. Her other Dane also lived to 14 years old.  I have lots to do with her Danes and they are nice natured dogs, very loyal and good watch dogs. They need early training, careful feeding and exercising. Not too good for houseproud people with lots of ornaments.

Of the Danes I have met/seen - big lolloping creatures who I would assume are a bit like Scooby Doo in personality??????  My Mia is frightened of Danes after one came lolloping out of the woods to see her, she about turned & ran....which was quite funny as she likes to give the impression she's as hard as nails!    When she met a pack of Deerhounds later on the same walk that was enough for her!

Danny do you  know what your friends feed their Danes?

I've met a handful of really old dogs on our walks and i always ask the owners what they feed them,and i swear they  all feed a natural homemade diet.Like i said i have only met a handful but the general rule of thumb is a natural diet and plenty of exercise :)

Check out www.greatdanelady.com    She is a very well respected american breeder of Danes and her site contains loads of info for the dane owner and heaps of helpful advice for other breeds.She highly reccomends a food that's available over here ,eaglepack.

I've only known one dane well - he belonged to my uncle and was a gentle giant :) I personally wouldn't say they were good guards, apart from the fact of their sheer size and as far as I am aware the two main problems they can suffer with are HD and Bloat (I don't think they have eye problems).

Saying that he did scare the hell out of me when you walked him up on the cliffs and he dissapeared, only to reappear charging full pelt towards you when you had a sheer drop by your side :o

:)

Gentle giants..not thick, just not bothered :) Usually look uninterested/well behaved but do see the occassional owner being walked :D Very handsome dogs, quite endearing.

Great dogs - in all senses of the word 'great'! Very majestic and imposing in appearance (apart from when they've had their ears cropped, when IMO they just look silly), and certainly not stupid - probably too clever for most people. The ones I've met have been very laid-back, not really bothered about things. Perfectly friendly, but not in-your-face. A real handful to control when they see something that interests them though! Rather too big for me - and I've no idea what their health problems may be.
:)

I love great danes, they are my second choice dogs. I would definatly have them if i did not have my ddb.

Ive met a few but most of my knowledge is from Willis and Phoebe here :) Gentle giants yes, reserved with strangers - 2 timid ones, suitable for patient expereienced owners living in large houses with lots of exercise ground nearby. Health wise - bloat, bone problems if pups are overexercised or malnourished, HD. Great to look at, but what do you do with them if you dont show or breed?

Some really interesting replies on here - thanks all :)

What do we do if we don't show or breed? Just fawn over them, fuss them and treat them like humans - never known another dog that is as close to being a human as Willis.

They do take some understanding - certainly they are not nearly as thick or stupid as some people think. Willis is incredibly smart and I have yet to meet any dog that is quite as smart as him...but you have to understand the mindset behind them. They are very stubborn and they will learn what they want to learn - as opposed to what you think they should. Willis has a real problem solving mind and will think things out logically to get what he wants, but you do have to help develop their mind when younger as puppies. They also need a really good blast of a walk in the day when fully grown to keep them fit which hopefully helps the ageing process. They are true gentle giants and are only clumsy if you get in the way ;) They are destructive to the size of a small hippo when bored when young but they are the most loyal dogs I ever discovered so all is forgiven. Willis & Phoebe only have eyes for their beloved family (although they welcome other children adults are treated with suspicion). I also have to say you would not get a better guard than a dane - and they do stand their ground and they do mean it...and that bark is just fantastic.

I love them :)

I have only met two a dog very friendly and well behaved and a bitch well nasty is the only polite word to describe her she attacked Abby last year and luckily didnt do alot of damage I know of about 10 other dogs she has bitten when she is in the park everyone else will leave not her fault the owner is an idiot.
I still think they are beautiful dogs and it always makes me laugh when I read what Willis gets up to.
Mary

Being a proud owner of two danes myself. On one of the posts it says he/she has seen the occasional owner being walked - well I am in that bracket!I admit they are quite a handful and need planty of time and attention but they are also the most loving dogs I have ever had! Can get a bit annoying When I am trying to watch United on tv and they block the view! Also sometimes I with I had a yorkie or something when it comes to picking up the poo from the back garden (ha ha).

LOL - I know that feeling. Sometimes I wish they had hinged legs so I can see the tv 100% of the time.

Do yours stand over you? Willis loves to stand over me if I sit on the floor and glares at me if I try to move LOL He likes to keep me in my place :D

Yes they do stand over me but even worse sometimes and on me. Their usual trick is to sit on the sofa like a person and when I get up to get a drink they dont miss a chance and decide that that space is no longer mine. What have we let ourselves in for Chloe!Just out of couriosity do you have any trouble with yours regarding Wind?? LOL.

LOL - Willis cries pitifully at the back door to be let out. As soon as my OH gets up and walks into the hall Willis does a death charge past him and takes his space on the sofa :D :D

No wind problems unless they have the same diet for both meals - we have to give them Burns and Tripe in the morning and Burns and Pasta and Naturediet in the evening or a build up of lethal gases occurs :D And never, ever give them turkey...

So is Willis typical of his breed or a prodigy? I love that fawning and fussing over them - Great Danes a whole lotta lap dog :) Supersized Lovedogs :D

when i think of great danes,i think, gentle ,slobbery, very attached to owners & abit of a clown.
i also sort of think of them of being abit like the  "warmblood" horses from europe,abit doozy but useful!