We have a new addition and a couple of questions.

A friend of my hubby's bought this lil puppy, an impulse buy and realized she was way to much, hubby brought her home
cause he didn't want to see her end up in the humane society. Long story short- we have a new puppy.

My question is how far do you walk them according to age? I remember reading it on here some time back. She will
be 3 months Jan 2nd.

She is a Great Dane/Red Nose pit cross, very beautiful gentle girl. She looks like the Dane but very solid legs
and bluish muzzle with green/blue eye's. She also looks like she is wearing eyeliner lol. She starts puppy class in January. We will be
getting her spayed but not till after her 1st heat to allow her to mature properly. That brings me to my other question.
When do Danes usually come into heat so I no when to be careful. I will be waiting 2 months after her heat be for
booking her into to be spayed.

Thank you :-)

Morning dollface, Merry Christmas! :-) She sounds lovely - what have you called her?

The exercise 'rule of thumb' for larger types of dog is 5 minutes per month of age; so a three-month puppy would get walks of 15 minutes (3 months x 5 minutes), at four months it can have 20 minutes, etc. This can be done two or three times a day provided the pup's had plenty of opportunity to rest in between.

She could come in season any time after about 6 months. You'll probably notice her squatting to wee more frequently (rather than relieving herself properly) in the couple of weeks beforehand and her vulva will start to look a bit baggy. With a smooth-coated breed it's much more obvious!

Hi,

Ooh a Pitty cross, I do have a soft spot for Pitbulls..

Do you have any photos of her to coo over?

Because danes grow so quickly several owner/breeders that I know don't actually walk their pups at all. No formal exercise, but of course they go to training clubs, ring craft and out and about to socialise but with an absolute minimum of exercise. However being a cross with a smaller sturdier breed like a pitbull I'd say Jan 5 minute rule would be fine to follow. Good luck with her :-)

I would err on the side of caution as you really won't know how big this dog will grow... So - minimal actual walking. Muchos socialisation with people first and foremost, as many as you can and particularly men and children, then other dogs (and sensible adult dogs are preferable to other puppies). Bear in mind that whilst YOU will know this dog IS a puppy even when shes huge other people will expect adult behaviour when she is big and not realise shes actually still a baby.

Lots and lots of puzzle solving/mental stimulation games to keep her brain active and tire her out, and being a Dane x, she may not come into season until 18 months old or more and she may well NOT be fully m ature until after two or three seasons so seriously consider holding off spaying until then. She is highly unlikely to be fully mature after her first season.

as far as excersice goes i'd allow her free play at her own pace, playing and doing the old zoomies etc, and as for walks a quicky round the block twice everyday for lead training purpose etc then once or twice a week a longer walk is good, I have had/raised giant breeds for many years and despite what people think they do need exersice and to build muscle and help tighten there structure, that said only moderate up untill the age of 12 months. after that age I build my dogs up to jogging comfortably ( steady state ) along side a cycle for 2 - 4 miles on the flat daily/every other day to keep them in a hard healthy condition.

Feeding wise i'd feed her a high grade quality feed protene of about 24% ish ( if your not a confident BARFER ) puppie foods can be bad for giant breeds she needs top grow steady, having said that being crossed with a pit type she will more than likely be heavier than a normal dane but not as tall, but still grow her slowly.

dont get to hung up about it, just enjoy her... raising a pure giant breed is a nightmare at times lol you have less of a worry with her being a cross.. all the best..

p.s. the average for giants is 11/12 months - 18 months for there first season, HOWEVER there are the extreams and all in between LOL and not sure about pits, there not my breed LOL i would also not spay her untill after her first, depending when that is, if possible wait till she's 12 months or so.

Thanks for the info- really great advice.

Not sure if I could allow 3 heats since I do have a male intact Boston who will be 12 yrs in feb, and I am also getting a Cane Corso male puppy this year for hoping to get
into showing him- been waiting a couple years for this lil man and very excited for him, and def don't want any accidents in that respect. Of course b4 he is even of age I am hoping to have her spayed b4 then,
but depends on her.
Guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it- thank goodness I have dog kennels. If she has her heat at 18 months then that would be great- then I'd spay her 2 months after her heat is done.

We feed her food Wysong Epigen, Natures Logic, Honest kitchen, caniSource  ect I buy different food each time I need a new bag. Its really good food.

My hubby named her Moose, cause he said she should grow into her name lol

Yup I have a lot of pics if you would like to see, just need your e-mail- so if you don't want to post it on the forum then just inbox me.

Thank
       Shelly

love the name, i am handling a young giant breed puppy bitch for a breeder who's called Moose , her litter brother who i'll also be handling is called Goose LOL LOL

I have a large breed male.  My vet has told me he wouldn't neuter him till after the growth plates have closed(so around 18 months).  Apparently there is a higher risk of joint issues and cancer if you neuter/spay too early.  My 'entire' male (now 1 yr in 3 days time!!) has lived through my 2 girls having seasons over the last 2 months and he was OK.  I just kept them separate which wasn't too hard as I kept the girls all together and him with me at all times.

I love the name, Moose.  I hope she lives up to it!!lol.

PS With regards to exercise, I was told from a breeder not to walk my dog at all till he was over 1 year.  Outings for social reasons only!! So we would go and sit in the park or at the school or shops, things like that, rather than go a big hiking walk.  Running about the garden with your other dogs should be enough for her exercise wise.

> My vet has told me he wouldn't neuter him till after the growth plates have closed(so around 18 months).  Apparently there is a higher risk of joint issues and cancer if you neuter/spay too early. 

What an enlightened vet!!!

Well, wait till I really shock you.  It was the vet at PAH!!! We had dropped in for some food and they were offering good prices for vaccinations so since we had the dog in the car(rescue with no history), we brought him in.

PAH do a deal, a set price for first vaccinations, Kennel Cough and neutering and worming, they offered it to me when I had my puppy vaccinated there two years ago.
As I may wish to breed from her in the future I declined the offer, but I did think at the time the vet must be on commission the way he was pushing the deal !!!