Author Topic: New Puppy, Suggestions  (Read 7530 times)

Offline xenad

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New Puppy, Suggestions
« on: November 09, 2007, 03:25:19 pm »
Hi Everyone,
  I am new to this site and will be a new mommy to a Great Dane Puppy next Sunday when I pick him up.  I have wanted a Great Dane for most of my life and finally my wish is coming true.  I have read everything on their care,feeding,health,etc that I can find. However any advice from Great Dane lovers/owners would be appreciated

Offline ZooCrew

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2007, 08:19:21 pm »
Hello and welcome!  Hope you enjoy it here.

My name is Chris and my furfamily consists of Keiko a husky/shep mix, Gunther a great dane, and Nigel and Posey, two rat terriers.

Well I have an oddball dane b/c he's always been a couch potato........ .at least compared to my other dogs.  ;D  He was the easiest to train in all aspects although having an older mentor dog I know helped alot.  Danes tend to be very sensitive and big scaredy cats who will jump at the slightest movement.  You must be thorough with the training and make yourself known as alpha w/o being harsh and domineering.  Be sure to socialize him around other people and animals from a young age so he knows how to interact around others.  Males especially as they mature can become rather protective of their owners (especially females) so socialization is very important not only as puppies, but thru adulthood as well.

Good luck with your new puppy, I'm sure he'll be adorable.  I look forward to seeing lots of pix.

Offline xenad

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2007, 08:35:30 pm »
Thanks for responding.  I am so excited.  My name is Dena.  Your dog is gorgeous and looks like he has a sense of humor.
I am going to try and upload a photo of Garon at 5 weeks.  e a regular member here.  I do not think that Great Danes are the most popular breed, but I am hoping to meet other lover/owners of Great Danes. 

Offline xenad

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2007, 08:42:37 pm »
Hi my name is Dena and Thanks for responding.  I love your picture.  I also have another dog Duchess who is 1/2 doberman 1/2 german shepard. I found her on the expresway 10 years ago and unfortunately she was abused and burned on her ears so the vet recommended to crop them and Inhad her tail cut at the same time.  She looks more like a doberman and is gorgeous and about 85 pounds.  I am sure Garon is going to latch on to her and learn from her, hopefully for she is well behaved.  I am going to try and attach a photo of Garon at 5 weeks.   

bigdogs@5501

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2007, 07:57:54 am »
Welcome to the board-I have to second the socialization part- I didnt socialize my biggest male after the age of 2 and now I can not take him out in public- He is overly protective- I have 2 other danes that I rescued and they prefer to just stay at home and enjoy life and so I dont get them out to much either. I love Jake the Dane and he feels the same about me and that is a lot of the problem. We did training- several classes, which really helped and we had him neutered-

Congrats on your new baby- I look forward to seeing a lot of pics of him

Offline zchic

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2007, 11:52:26 am »
Socialization is VERY important (like the others said). I often call my Danes my mini Chihuahuas. LOL I didn't socialize my female Tisha when she was a pup, and it took me 2 years of working with her to fix the issues she had. She was scared of everyone and everything new. She lunged several times at people and I was terrified she would bite someone. Finally after much work, she ended up being a great dog that I could trust around people, she was with us for 11 years. Thorn is great with most people, we socialized him more, but we had some kids that teased him through the fence..and to this day he really doesn't like little boys. Learning from all of that I now have Gracie (8 month old deaf dane) she loves everyone. We take her everywhere we can (soccer practice, stores, parks etc. ).

You also have to be consistent with all your training, they are VERY smart dogs, and they love to please us. I have a 9 month old Wolfhound... I love her too, but nothing compares to the fun, loving, playful, sweet, personality of a Dane (in my oppinion). Morgayne 9wolfie) is so laid back, she is smart and loving, but just very mellow. Danes are a bit more enegetic, and silly. Congrats on your new baby. I would have 10 more Danes if my hubby wouldn't leave me. LOL
-Jodi
Mom to:
Thorn- 8 year old fawn male dane
Morgayne- Wolfhound pup
Gracie- Merelequin (deaf) dane pup


1996-2007
Tisha...my best friend, I miss you girl.

Offline maxsmom

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2007, 12:15:37 pm »
Duchess will be your biggest ally in teaching Garon the ropes at your house.  I don't have a Dane, but I do have Max a 1.5 y/o Irish Wolfhound.  We got him at 5 months.  My ChiChi a 14 y/o Springer Spaniel was still with us then.  She taught him the house rules, better than I could have.  He learned to sit and wait for treats, wait to go out the door, come when called, stay out of the pool unless you have your collar off, etc.  She would growl and grab him by the leg when he did something she did not like.  She was my Alpha Bitch.  On the other hand, I learned from him what long tails could do and that nothing is too high for a dog that tall to reach.  I have shelves in my kitchen that are 5' tall.  I put my stuffed dols on top of them.  Max stood on the lower shelves so he could reach the dolls and pull them down to play.  I finally placed the dog food stand in front of the shelf and after stepping up and having his foot go through the openings that the food dishes are in (only at meal time), he fell through and decided it wasn't worth it.  You will have the time of your life watching your baby grow.  All the big paw going to be's are hilarious as pups.  They hit that adolescent stage, where they are all legs and long thin bodies, and are clumsy as the day is long.  Males, especially, remind me of awkward teenage boys in a growth spurt.  It is extremely entertaining.  Congratulation s on your new pup and please post pictures.
Kathy
Max  2 Irish Wolfhound
Jake  2 Great Pyrenees
Cody   3 Tibetan Mastiff
ChiChi 1.5 Caucasian Ovcharka
John and Nicki Maine Coon cats

Offline ratdog

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Re: New Puppy, Suggestions
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2008, 06:23:53 am »
Hi, there! Welcome to BigPaws! Congrats on your new puppy! What a cutie!!! It is so exciting to see them for the first time. And believe me, they don't stay little for long so take lots of pictures. I have a 16 week old Doberman. She is already 36 pounds. My suggestion is to get him into puppy kindergarten as soon as allowed. I'm enrolled in it and just started last week. I've already learned a lot of what to do and what I've been doing wrong. It is a lot of fun and great for socialization. I'm really happy for you. They really are a joy.

Terri
Best friends forever:
Tal, my cat, 1990-2007
Ratdog, my dog, 1992-2004

My new love:
Cody