Our dane, Merlin, is 3 years old, nuetered male, and has some issues with other dogs. Off leash he is territorial and dog aggressive. Then the opportunity came up about two months ago to rescue a 4-5 week old wolfhound/dane pup that was on death row at an animal control shelter 200 miles away, and I couldn't resist. Imagine my surprise when after a adjustment period of about a week, Merlin became the biggest mother hen I've ever seen. He will even challange my doberman bitch, who is the undisputed canine alpha, if he thinks she's getting too rough. The boys play by the hour, and despite the huge disparity in size, the pup has never even squeaked. Sometimes they get that "puppy pass" for the little ones with the most surprising results. All you can do is try it and watch the outcome, and adjust accordingly.