Frequently Asked Questions
1. What will you feed your great dane puppies and where can
I find it?
--We feed our puppies Eagle Pack Large/Giant Breed Puppy Food.
It is only 23% protein and 12% fat.
Eagle Pack is the only dog food that has been tested specifically
on Great Danes. It is best to feed a great
dane a high quality dog food with low protein levels. High proteins
levels have been linked to causing bone and
joint problems such as OCD, hip dyplasia, HOD, and Panosteitis.
You can find an Eagle Pack Retailer
at www.eaglepack.com. It is best to keep a puppy on the same
diet that we feed. If you do switch, do
it very gradually, so the puppy does not develop diarrhea. You
can switch from a puppy food, to an adult
food at about 12 months of age.
2. How much dog food does a great dane go thru and how much
will it cost?
One adult, average sized great dane goes thru about 35 pounds
of dog food every 2 weeks. A 35 pound bag
of a high quality dog costs approximately $35-50. Therefore the
cost of feeding one adult great dane
is approximately $75-100 per month. I recommend feeding puppies
3-4 times a day and adults 2 times a day.
3. What is the easiest way to housetrain my puppy?
We recommend crate training your puppy. Puppies usually don't
like their crates at first, but
grow to love them. Eventually, your puppy will think of its crate
as its very own den. When a puppy is in a
small area, they will try not to use the bathroom in that area.
They do not like to use the bathroom
in the same place they sleep. We recommend getting the largest
crate you can find, usually a 48"L x 28"W x 36"H
or bigger. The crates that allow the puppy to grow with it are
best. The smaller the area, when the puppy is
younger, the better. If the crate is too large, the puppy will
sleep on one side of the crate and use the bathroom
in the other. When crate training, it is important to take the
puppy immediately outside as soon as you
take them outside of the crate. It is also best to take them
outside when they first wake up from a nap, and after
they eat a meal.
4. What is the best way to train my puppy?
My great danes are very smart and were very easy to train. I
recommend obedience school./puppy classes for
great dane puppies. This teaches them basic obedience commands,
it exposes them to other people and other puppies,
and it teaches the puppy how to listen to the owner with various
distractions around (such as the other puppies, or
on-lookers)
5. How big will my puppy get?
You can get a good estimate of size by looking at the size of
the mother and father of the litter. Females tend to
be smaller than males when they reach thier adult weight. Neutering
a male dog
before it hits puberty will actually result in a taller dog.
Great Danes tend to be the size of labs or retrievers by 6
months of age. Our Xander was an exception. He was the size of
an average Great Dane by the time he was 6 months!!!!
6. What is the difference between American and European Great
Danes?
European great danes have a larger bone structure and have a
lot of lip. Unfortunatley, this means they
slobber more!! They share many of the personalilty traits that
American Danes have. They are very
smart, obedient, loyal, and docile.
7. What are some common heatlh problems that Great Danes have?
Gastic Dilitation and Voluvulus, or bloat, is a common problem
in danes. This can occur when a dog eats or drinks too
fast and then runs afterwards. The full stomach actually fills
with food and gas, and then rotates on itself. It is best to
feed danes with an elevated bowl, not let them eat to fast, and
restrict excersise after eating. A Gastropexy, or
stomach tacking, can be performed, if recommended by your veterinarian,
when your puppy is spayed or neutered,
and can prevent GDV from occuring.
Panosteitis
HOD
Hip Dysplasia
OCD
