Great Dane
Quick Facts
- AKC recognized in 1887
- Lifespan: 8 years
- Size: Large
- Energy: Medium
- Recommended Crate Size: 54” dog crate*
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Great Danes are indeed an interesting pet, originally bred as a boar hunting hound. They do not need much exercise. However, they require lots of space and should not be kept in a small apartment.
This German breed is indeed a good companion and is typically not aggressive towards people. One thing to keep in mind is that this dog can drool and slobber a lot. You may end up wiping the saliva on your clothes and furniture.
Breed
The American Kennel Club formally recognized the Great Dane in 1887. These high energy dogs are known as the Apollo of dogs and, due to its large size, seems a suitable name. This domestic dog is a large German breed which was originally named German Mastiff or Deutsche Dogge.
Appearance
The Great Dane is a very large and muscular, yet elegant dog. They have a rectangular head with a high-set of medium-sized ears. These dogs come in nine colors ranging from chocolate, silver, black, blue, and white. The average height of adult male Great Dane is 32 inches with females commonly reaching 30 inches or more.
Nutrition
It is recommended to provide feed formulated to a large sized breed. It is highly recommended to discuss your dog’s feed with your veterinarian or breeder to determine the size and frequency of meals in order to make sure the dog’s health and lifespan. Also, it is important to provide clean and fresh water every day.
Unlike most dogs, Great Danes have specific dietary requirements which if not adhered to can lead to orthopedic issues in your dog. For the first five months of its life, you should give it three meals a day which can be reduced to two when the dog gets older. However, under no circumstances should you limit the feeding to once a day.
Grooming
Even though Great Danes have short hair; they shed heavily. You can keep the shedding under control by regularly brushing with a soft bristle brush once a week. These dogs require the occasional bath and grooming session.
Most owners prefer to use the professional groomers for nail trimming and bathing since bathing Great Danes is considered a daunting task, especially if the dog is feeling uncooperative.
It is important to regularly check the ears for debris buildup, irritation or signs of infection. You can clean the ears using a cotton ball or other cleanser application but never use a cotton swab to clean the ear’s canal.
For the teeth, it is important to also brush the teeth once a week to avoid tartar buildup and bad breath.
Exercise
Puppy Great Danes require enough exercise to keep them healthy; however, it is important to keep aware not to overexert puppies in order to avoid joint and bones damage and signs of an overstressed body. Similar to other dogs, this dog requires daily walks or moderate jogging.
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Pet Crate Size
Pet Crates Direct recommends 54” dog crates* for most adult Great Danes. You can also check out this article for the best dog crates for Great Danes.
More Information
Top 10 Fun Facts About Great Danes
Great Danes are known for being large and not just large but extremely large dogs. They are a German breed of domestic dogs. The German name of the breed is Deutsche Dogge, or German Mastiff. The French name is Dogue Allemand.
Great Danes have a lot that we can talk about. First of all is the way they look and that is totally dog-ish they never let anyone take their eyes off them. Because of their build, they have been kept and have been seen in multiple movies showing off their intensely terrifying looks. In fact, Great Danes are so intimidating at times that they are used by the villains of different movies.
Here are the top 10 fun facts about Great Danes that you never knew and they are going to definitely, make you keep these dogs with you all of the time.
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They’re called Apollo
Yes! The Great Danes are called the Apollo of the dog world because of their enormous size. They were also in the ancient times expected to save the people from the ghosts, this might come as a surprise but this is true as well.
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Powerful and Athletic
We have seen multiple videos in which we see these dogs taking down a grown-up man. This is definitely because of the big size they have and the momentum they can keep because of being athletic. They have been known to show an enormous amount of bite force too.
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World’s largest lap dog
You might just think that they like to stay out or on their couches most of the times but they have also been responsible for keeping one big position in control as well and that is the lap. They love sitting in it and that’s why they are called the world’s largest lap dog as well.
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They’re not Danish
Okay as we can all see their name to be the Great Danes, we can easily expect them to be Danish but the truth is, they’re not! Their origins have nothing to do with Denmark. They are, a German mastiff as discussed earlier as well.
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As old as 5th Century
As no one really knows how they got this name for themselves it is told and known that the Asians brought them to Germany in the 5th century. They even resemble the dogs that were present in ancient Rome. No surprise, they’re old too.
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They protected from Evil spirits
In much of the old transcripts that we found it is known that this breed was known to save the people from all of the mystical beings and evil spirits that’s why whenever you see the frescos from Egypt you’re going to find the Great Danes there.
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They’re couch potatoes
As much as you look at them as the active dogs and doing all of the strength training and showing off the muscles and toned belly you will be surprised to know that the Great Danes are couch potatoes, they would spend a good half of their day lying on their large bed or a couch.
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Most Varied Breed
The Great Danes have the style of their own as they are said to be one of the most varied of all of the breeds that you can find. They can weight from 120 to 200 pounds, anywhere in between this as well and there are a total of 6 coat color varieties of these dogs.
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Shortest Life
Well, here comes the bad part, The Great Danes are said to have one of the shortest life expectancies as compared to other breeds around. The life is just 7 and a half years and this can be more of a disappointment to some of the other people.
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Best Family Dogs
So despite having many other health issues, these dogs have proven to be one of the finest to fit in the family and to be kept in a large space and environment because it’s one of those dogs you can’t keep in an apartment.
Nature
The Great Dane has an innate desire to please and this makes it easy for you to train it. You can start by exposing it to new surroundings and people at an early age to help it grow accustomed to people and work on its social skills. The dog responds better to training with the use of positive reinforcement and you can use this approach for better training results.
Generally a relaxed animal, the Great Dane is a nice addition to your home and bonds easily with strangers and children. You can have people over as often as you like to help it become more sociable.
It loves sitting on laps and you will often find your Great Dane trying to get on your lap most of the times, no matter how big it gets. To help it interact better with other animals, enroll it in a puppy kindergarten where it can enjoy the company of other dogs.
Costs
With a large dog, you have to be prepared to spend much more than what you would on a smaller dog. Expenses that you should expect to incur while raising a Great Dane include heartworm preventatives, collars, veterinary visits, a lot of food, a big car as well as big Great Dane crates.
With such a dog, you cannot get a medium sized crate that would force it to slouch and stay in a cramped up position because that would make it uncomfortable.
Diseases
Great Danes have been known to suffer from a range of diseases which can be prevented if the symptoms are detected at an early stage. Some of the diseases that you need to be on the lookout for include: development issues, bone cancer, and heart diseases. The earlier you spot a symptom, the easier it is for you to help your dog.
When buying a dog, make sure that you get one from a responsible breeder who takes the time to check for diseases that can be passed on to other generations before conducting breeding.
Size
Great Danes are pretty big dogs with their males weighing an average of about one hundred and twenty pounds to two hundred pounds. That is almost as big as most human beings.
They also stand at a height of about thirty to thirty-four inches while their female counterparts stand at twenty-eight to thirty inches and weigh between one hundred and one hundred and thirty pounds.
Given their huge sizes, these dogs require a lot of space as they can reach almost everything in the house. Their tails are also quite heavy and with one swipe, they can sweep everything off your coffee table.
Having them in a large space reduces the number of accidents that can occur in the house. As with most large dogs, Great Danes do not have a long life span and they generally have an average lifespan of between seven to ten years.
PROPER CARE OF GREAT DANES
Development
For these dogs, bones take a while before they develop and as such, you will need to take a lot of caution when your puppy is young. Do not encourage your puppy to jump a lot and do not take it out for exercise until it has reached eighteen months. After eighteen months, you can engage your dog in exercise without having to worry that you might damage its bone structure.
A Great Dane does well if it gets at least half an hour of exercise a day which prevents development problems and keeps heart diseases at bay. If you wish to take it jogging with you, wait until it is at least two years old. Ensure that you properly groom your dog by trimming its nails; giving it an occasional bath and having it visit the vet every now and then.
Space
Given their large size, these dogs need to be in places with a lot of space. Ensure that you offer them adequate space in which they can move around. Though these dogs are quite mellow, they are not suited for living in small houses as they will end up knocking everything over.
CRATING THE GREAT DANE
Crating has numerous benefits on the well-being of a dog. Some of these include helping it to control its bowels, having a place to retreat to for privacy and ensuring that your dog does not harm itself while alone.
Though Great Dane crates are great for your dog, they should not be used as a form of jail. Your dog should not spend more than a few hours inside the crate and it should be allowed to be outside as much as possible.
Limit crating your dog to night time when you are asleep and during the parts of the day when you are away. Great Danes are people dogs and as such, they wish to spend most of their time around people and crating them for long can make them lonely and sad. Crating at an early age will help your dog adapt to a situation where it needs to be confined or hospitalized.
Great Dane Crate Size
Given the size of this dog, it is no wonder that you would need a big crate to confine it. If you want to travel with it, you will need a car which can accommodate the large size of the crate.
A Great Dane will be most comfortable in a 54” crate that allows it to stretch, sleep, stand and turn around. Do not get a crate size that will inhibit its movements.
The ideal dimensions for a Great Dane crate lay in the region of 54" length x 37" width x 45" height. Such a crate accounts for the movements of your dog and you can get one with a dividing panel when your dog is young to allow you to adjust the size according to its growth.
Great Danes are large social dogs and they require proper care for them to thrive. Using a dog crate enables them to have some privacy and protects them from harm. Do not have them in the crate for long periods and limit crating to night time and when they are alone so that they do not feel secluded.
Return to the main Dog Crate Sizes Breed Chart.
* Links for crate sizes will bring you to the most appropriate Amazon page.
