Great Dane Pros And Cons

Great Danes are known as the ‘gentle giants’ of the dog world and there is definitely a reason for that! Despite their overwhelming size, they truly do handle themselves with grace and have an extremely calm, loving demeanor. Of course all dogs are products of their environment in which they were raised so there are exceptions to the rule, however I have yet to see that in the 15 years I have spent around the breed.

They are extremely friendly. I think any dog has the capability to get aggressive under certain circumstances and I genuinely believe upbringing has a lot to do with it. The Great Dane breed, overall, has received the name “gentle giant” for a reason, though.

Though Great Danes are known for being gentle and sweet, you can’t help but notice their size and stature. Even though they may not protect you in a moment’s notice, they certainly help deter people from messing with you in most cases, purely by how the dog looks and how deep their bark is.

Their bark is loud enough to be felt in your chest. While I don’t think mine would bite an intruder (my pug would), he would definitely sound the alarm. There’s not too many people that will stick around to find out if the bite matches the bark.

Despite what you might think, Great Danes are excellent apartment dogs. A lot of people will stray away from getting an extra-large breed dog if they don’t live in a big house with a yard, but the truth is – having a backyard doesn’t always equal exercise. I currently live in an apartment with Dior and have raised two out of my three Danes in less than 800sqft. They do usually get daily bursts of energy and we make sure to take Dior out when he wakes up and before he goes to sleep, but honestly, he spends 80% of the day sleeping! He was six months old when I started working from home and while we do sometimes go out for an afternoon potty break – sometimes he sleeps the whole day away!

Great Danes are DEFINITELY indoor dogs. Actually, I think all dogs are ‘indoor’ dogs and deserve a spot on your couch, BUT Great Danes are prone to overheating. It takes a lot of effort to cool their big bodies down and unless you have a kiddie pool for them to cool off in during the day, I would not recommend ever leaving them outside for hours on end.

Zander is pretty versatile. He can be a couch potato, or come hike with me for a few miles. We try to get out for at least an hour every day though!

They need to be kept primarily at regulated temperatures. Nothing too hot or too cold for too long. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t hang on a 3+ mile hike or go to the beach or do some other outdoor activity. I just wouldn’t leave them out unattended in extreme temperatures. Also, I would try to acclimate them and desensitize them to higher energy activities if that’s what you’d like to do with your Great Dane.

Absolutely! 100% the best family-friendly dog to ever exist. I can’t wait to have children of my own because I know he is going to teach them how to walk, steal food off of their highchairs, and protect them to the ends of this earth!

I’ve spent my entire life around Great Danes. They are wonderful dogs. Very gentle and tolerant of the shenanigans that a small child is tempted to pull. However I definitely encourage you to teach them that some things (i.e. riding on their back, climbing, yanking on their tail) are not nice to the dog. If anything, a Dane will probably act more like a nanny to the kid.

No matter what breed of dog you have, it is just in their nature to strive to please their owners. Great Danes are no different, just a lot bigger! If you start training at an early age with positive reinforcement and discipline, they will grow up to be very obedient.

Not only are Great Danes extremely intelligent, they also have no issues picking up on your emotions and body language. My Great Dane, Dior, is my service animal and I feel more in sync with him than I do with just myself most days!

I’ve only had one Great Dane so I cannot speak fully from broad experience, but our guy was very easy to train as a puppy. He caught on quickly, almost instantly. Great Danes are very smart. They can be very stubborn, as well. So even if they know the right thing to do, they may not necessarily do it.

Before I got my first Great Dane I read a lot of articles and blog posts talking about how their short hair and lack of shedding was a HUGE plus… Well – I don’t know what kind of unicorn Great Danes they were talking about, but you should see my car. I think there is more hair embedded in the ceiling than is on Dior’s body. LOL! But – don’t let that deter you from getting a Dane. They do have really short, fine hair and unless you see their fur on something of the opposite color, you really don’t even notice it is there!

I was honestly pretty surprised by how much Zander can shed! Since Zander has allergies I try to bathe him 1–2 times a month with his allergy shampoo. They require regular nail trimming and ear cleaning.

Great Danes are not exempt from shedding. They are large animals so it only makes sense that they produce more hair than smaller dogs do. Although their shedding isn’t outrageous – if you go from no dogs (or pets) to having a Great Dane, you will definitely notice the hair and the shedding.

Now, I mentioned that Dior doesn’t bark but if we leave for longer than an hour or two he will howl his dang head off. He used to pull out all of the socks in my sock drawer and scatter them throughout the house, but he is very sensitive to me being disappointed in him that he only did it twice. It is hard to correct a behavior when you are not there, seeing it in action, but we have found that if we leave Dr. Pol on for him when we have to go somewhere, it keeps him occupied enough until we get back. (I guess he really is high maintenance).

Not that I know of. I can tell my Great Dane doesn’t want me to leave and would rather I say home with him or him go with me, of course, but he does not express any anxiety-like symptoms or give any reason for me to believe he is anxious while we are away.

Unfortunately, this is where their size puts them at a disadvantage. Any prescribed medication or procedure where your dog has to be put under anesthesia is expensive. The more the dog weighs, the more medication they need, therefore skyrocketing your bills! In addition to that, big dogs eat a large amount of food so that gets tacked onto your monthly bill as well.

We spend around $200 a month on food (dry kibble and the food I prepare and cook for him), and $200 a month on vet bills / pet insurance. If you are considering getting a Great Dane, I would highly recommend looking into pet insurance. The deductible is not hard to meet and you’ll be thankful you have it if you ever need it!

They are expensive. Food bills, toy/treat bills, vet bills – they all add up. You have to think about this… Great Danes are massive. This means they will require all the “XL” and “Giant” sizes of dog supplies and equipment. Bigger items cost more because there is more material and labor involved. So get ready to buy the biggest and most expensive bed, bowls, toys, treats, and grooming tools. On top of that, prepare to pay for good insurance and good vet and grooming care.

Big animals eat a large amount of food – that is just the way it works (it comes out big, too! LOL). You can expect your adult Great Dane to eat anywhere from 10-14 cups of food a day! However, their energy demands will be lower if they are resting so during the week you may feed them a bit less if all they’re doing is being lazy!

However, I do think a lot of first-time Great Dane owners underestimate how fast they grow in such a short period of time and neglect to train them until it is too late. There will always be an option to hire a trainer or to send them to a doggy obedience camp, though I don’t think it is necessary. You have to establish very early on who is alpha and what you expect from them or else they will think they run the house!

Zander is a big people pleaser and very smart so he likes to train. But they get big (and strong!) really quickly. I would recommend beginning training early, and doing it often, so you can lay a good foundation for when your Dane is an adult.

Danes are very susceptible to bloat and every Dane owner needs to be aware of that. Be advised that every Dane owner is different and there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there. Do your research on bloat, stomach tacking, resting before and after a meal, and raised food bowls. Along with your research, consult with your vet. Then make educated decisions on how to proceed with your Dane.