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Prospective Great Dane owner with some questions



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 1st 03, 10:43 PM
Pat
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Default Prospective Great Dane owner with some questions

Hello everyone. I am in the process of seriously considering getting
a beautiful blue Great Dane. I am 24 years old and live by myself in
a 2 bedroom apartment in New York. I have grown up with dogs my whole
life and am not worried at all about the resposibility, for I know
that she would be getting the best care possible. Anyway, I was
wondering if anyone out there with a great Dane could tell me if they
need a lot of exercise. I would be taking the dog for long walks in
the morning and evenings during the week, and also taking her to the
dog park down the block from me every weekend. I am just worried that
my apartment might not be big enough for her. I live in a 850 sq. ft
apartment right now and just need to know if this is a huge problem or
not. If anyone could let me know from experience I'd greatly
appreciate it. I have met 2 women with Great Danes and they told me
to my surprise that there dogs actually are pretty lazy and don't need
a tremendous amount of space, considering their size.

Any feedback is much appreicated.
(oh, and by the way, if you couldn't tell already, I am looking to get
a girl)
  #2  
Old November 2nd 03, 01:00 AM
EGD
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Default


"Pat" wrote in message
m...
Hello everyone. I am in the process of seriously considering getting
a beautiful blue Great Dane. I am 24 years old and live by myself in
a 2 bedroom apartment in New York. I have grown up with dogs my whole
life and am not worried at all about the resposibility, for I know
that she would be getting the best care possible. Anyway, I was
wondering if anyone out there with a great Dane could tell me if they
need a lot of exercise. I would be taking the dog for long walks in
the morning and evenings during the week, and also taking her to the
dog park down the block from me every weekend. I am just worried that
my apartment might not be big enough for her. I live in a 850 sq. ft
apartment right now and just need to know if this is a huge problem or
not. If anyone could let me know from experience I'd greatly
appreciate it. I have met 2 women with Great Danes and they told me
to my surprise that there dogs actually are pretty lazy and don't need
a tremendous amount of space, considering their size.

Any feedback is much appreicated.
(oh, and by the way, if you couldn't tell already, I am looking to get
a girl)


Pat
Would another "human" fit in your apartment? If so - so would a Dane.
Surprisingly they can curl up into a pretty small space.
Sounds as though you certainly could provide adequate exercise as she needs
it and a happy home.
I shall have to mention a few things to consider however.
Unfortunately there are thousands of GD breeders who just "breed" and care
about little else. Also the "colors" are more likely to be bred by those who
breed for $$$ (Blue and Harlequin in particular)
Does your breeder have a good solid history in the breed?
Do they show their stock to get some idea of whether or not they are indeed
of breeding quality?
Do they use outside Stud dogs or always breed to their own?
Do they have club etc.affiliations?
Make absolutely sure that the breeder has both sire and dam and hopefully a
few more generations, which have been health tested for some of the major
genetic problems within the breed. This does not mean a trip to the vet who
"said" they were healthy. It means that you require the breeder to show
proof of health testing and the results on paper.
There is a whole lot more but this should give you an idea about your
breeder as a start.
EGD


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  #3  
Old November 3rd 03, 11:10 AM
Diana
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Default


"Pat" wrote in message
m...
Hello everyone. I am in the process of seriously considering getting
a beautiful blue Great Dane. I am 24 years old and live by myself in
a 2 bedroom apartment in New York. I have grown up with dogs my whole
life and am not worried at all about the resposibility, for I know
that she would be getting the best care possible. Anyway, I was
wondering if anyone out there with a great Dane could tell me if they
need a lot of exercise. I would be taking the dog for long walks in
the morning and evenings during the week,

[..]

Remember that as a giant breed she will take a long time to mature
physically and I wouldn't think that long walks are something you'll be
about to consider for the first 18 months or so.... though I have had a
fairly limited exposure to the breed. The ones I have met I have loved ~
just such an awful shame they live such short lives :-(

Diana


  #4  
Old November 4th 03, 07:35 PM
Tallgrass
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Default

(Pat) wrote in message om...
Hello everyone. I am in the process of seriously considering getting
a beautiful blue Great Dane. I am 24 years old and live by myself in
a 2 bedroom apartment in New York. I have grown up with dogs my whole
life and am not worried at all about the resposibility, for I know
that she would be getting the best care possible. Anyway, I was
wondering if anyone out there with a great Dane could tell me if they
need a lot of exercise. I would be taking the dog for long walks in
the morning and evenings during the week, and also taking her to the
dog park down the block from me every weekend. I am just worried that
my apartment might not be big enough for her. I live in a 850 sq. ft
apartment right now and just need to know if this is a huge problem or
not. If anyone could let me know from experience I'd greatly
appreciate it. I have met 2 women with Great Danes and they told me
to my surprise that there dogs actually are pretty lazy and don't need
a tremendous amount of space, considering their size.

Any feedback is much appreicated.
(oh, and by the way, if you couldn't tell already, I am looking to get
a girl)


You have gotten some good advice so far. I would confirm that danes,
as puppies, need exercise, but not tremendously long walks. Potty
her/him, play, walk a bit, perhaps until s/he begins to get distracted
or slightly tired. I think frequent, moderate walks are better than
long walks.

And frequency of walking....big puppies seem to have big bladders with
short timers built into them! If someone could walk the pup in the
middle of the day, I think you and the pup would be much happier in
the long run.

Dog parks....dane pups are big, bouncy, and clumsy at times. They can
easily overwhelm other dogs, adult or puppy. Just make sure that your
dog does not become a bully, and will play nicely.

Breeding....you have had dogs before, so perhaps you know how to
obtain a well bred dog already. If not, read all you can before you
pick up this pup, and talk to as many people as possible. Look up the
local kennel club, ask one of them about the breeder you anticipate
doing business with. Check with a vet or two, as well. Check some
great dane sites....
www.gdca.com, www.gdr.com,
www.daneworld.com....look for names you may find in your prospective
puppy's pedigree.

When the great dane was first shown, here in the US, the dogs'
temperaments were such that the judge could not manually/physically
examine the dogs. While this degree of sharpness of temperament is
relatively rare these days, there still exist lines of danes with more
aggressive temperaments. Please be careful that you do not purchase
more dog than you can handle.

While I am not familiar with the blue lines, to any great extent, I
would be glad to "talk dogs" with you backchannel, if you would like.

Hope you get a healthy, happy dane!

Linda H.
Tallgrass Prairie Kennels
Saints and Danes, spoilt rotten
 




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