Dog Lovers? Our First Great Dane!

[BlueSnake01]

Bought a puppy Great Dane for my wife for Mother’s day. A GD has always been her dream dog. Got him at 8-9 weeks and been feeding him Blue Buffalo, that was recommended by a friend of mine.

He’s grown quite a lot IMO from the first time I brought him. He’s been great to my kids and my 2 year old loves him even though my son can be a bit rought with him at times lol Im trying to keep him kid/people friendly.

He’s not my first dog, I had a pit bull long ago. But heard he’s not your ordinary type of dog either so im trying to do my best with him. He’s semi trained to go outside to do his business and knows when to stop when I say no or snap my fingers. Im no dog trainer but been trying my best.

Anyways, seen a lot of people here great with pets and had a couple of questions. When is the best time to put him around other dogs? I want him to be dog friendly as well aside from people. What would be the best food to give him as he grows up? I have heard of different diets but was wondering what would be the healthiest of them all. I heard not to walk him too much either but wanna start him with a leash already just afraid of pulling him around the house. I have a treadmill at home and was told by another friend starting him there at this age would be good as well. Any advice would be appreciated!

He’s been a great dog and we all love him!

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[jeffh81]

Beautiful dog you got there. I would hate to pay to feed that monster. Lol

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

cute pup!

Blue Buffalo seems to be decent anyway, just look at whatever flavor your feeding them as some of them are not 100% what you think (ie the Freedom - grain free lamb also has ground up chicken shit in it. It seems like chicken can be an issue with certain allergies). This is true with quite a few brands it seems. Also check out Chewy.com to double check prices. If you use the re-order feature they discount the food and shipping, sometimes its cheaper than local or in our case we get food we cant get nearby otherwise.

 

[WOTjunkie]

Love great Danes. Sister had one for 11 years. Lived pretty long for those dogs. Had to put her down a few weeks ago after getting bone cancer.

 

[MaCaNs]

Put the dog around other dogs immediately if not sooner. Socialize the crap out of it - both dogs and humans.

 

[2001sleeper]

I took mine to doggy day camp at petsmart often.
My dane was always super friendly and sweet so I can't say doggy day camp was the reason, but it didn't seem to hurt.

 

[jvc1990]

You need a dog food that is for a large breed puppy.i started my Dane on iams,but after a while she would not eat it.now she eats purina large breed puppy formula.

 

[MinGrey02Stg2]

If you want the absolute best diet, look into raw feeding. If you shop at the right places, you can concoct a solid diet for the same price or slightly more expensive than the kibble dog foods. Pretty much all the local supermarket dog foods are junk and have ingredients you can barely pronounce along with animal byproduct meal in them. I have a buddy who raw fed his Doberman and I couldn't believe how healthy it was all around and the quality of its coat. I have two Boxers now that I raw feed and their coats, teeth, muscularity, and overall health is awesome. My little one feels like velvet and gets comments all the time.

The only thing for you is prepping the amount of food a Dane can put down during a day. They are supposed to eat 2-3% of their adult body weight per day, which for you is upwards of 5lbs.

Congrats on getting him though. Give him a great life!

 

[tones_RS3]

Congrats!
Enjoy the new addition.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

If you want the absolute best diet, look into raw feeding. If you shop at the right places, you can concoct a solid diet for the same price or slightly more expensive than the kibble dog foods. Pretty much all the local supermarket dog foods are junk and have ingredients you can barely pronounce along with animal byproduct meal in them. I have a buddy who raw fed his Doberman and I couldn't believe how healthy it was all around and the quality of its coat. I have two Boxers now that I raw feed and their coats, teeth, muscularity, and overall health is awesome. My little one feels like velvet and gets comments all the time.

The only thing for you is prepping the amount of food a Dane can put down during a day. They are supposed to eat 2-3% of their adult body weight per day, which for you is upwards of 5lbs.

Congrats on getting him though. Give him a great life!

we had a golden retriever rescue do a home visit when were looking to adopt one and one of their dogs was on a raw diet - that mofo had some AWFUL burps

 

[Screw-Rice]

OP look into Purina Pro Plan. I used to buy Blue Buffalo but a buddy of mine who was in vet school got Pro Plan through their partnership. Comparing the two side by side, the Pro Plan was better quality and a little cheaper.

Don't forget to avoid playing or walking your dog 45 minutes after eating. Bloat is common on large dogs, they need time to digest food before activity.

 

[2001GTTT]

awesome dog, I have a 2 year old female german shepherd and my gf has a 2 year old male rotty, both great dogs.

 

[Sn95Snake]

You sir have a good looking dog.

 

[FordRooster24]

Love great Danes. Sister had one for 11 years. Lived pretty long for those dogs. Had to put her down a few weeks ago after getting bone cancer.

Damn that is pretty long, I heard it they are usually 5 to 7 years. Cute puppy op

 

[CJHAMIL]

Congrats on the pup. Go to Petsmart and get the puppy starter pack. Saves you a ton of money of stuff for a new pup. Also Simply Nourish chicken and brown rice for large breed for puppies is what I give my lab. Just start training the pup from an early age to sit before greeting people. That little pup won't be little very soon and the last thing you want is the pup to knock a kid or person over. That thing will be all puppy until about 2 so patience and training will be your best friend. Socialize as often as you can and start leash/obedience training right away.

 

[Booky]

Congratulations on your new Dane.

Great looking pup.

Socialize as soon and as much as possible.

Start crate training immediately.

There are many different opinions on what dog food to feed a Great Dane pup, but I am going to give you some real good advice: **Under NO circumstances allow him people food.**

If you give him table scraps now, you Will Be Sorry later.
Not only are Danes stomachs sensitive, but it is no fun trying to eat a meal with a full grown Great Dane trying to get to your plate. Teach them that your food is off limits.

Here is a thread I started 4 years ago when we got our Great Dane Gunner, and have been updating it ever since: http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-New-Addition-Our-First-Great-Dane&highlight=

Good luck, they grow very fast:

 

[Slow Five-O]

Congrats on the pup! I feed my Dane blue buffalo as well. Good food and it fits Danes as far as protein calcium and zinc levels are concerned.

There's a lot of good info out there on them. They are the perfect dog IMO. Playful when you want, lazy when you want, they don't stink due to a great coat (that should only be washed a couple times a year) VERY easily potty trainable and more!

If there is 1 thing you take seriously, as mentioned, please make sure he takes it easy for 45 minutes after eating. Make it a habit/ritual. They are very prone to bloat and stomach torsion. Read up on the symptoms so you know what to look for.

Here's my young pup, Axle.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sn95Snake]

Congrats on the pup! I feed my Dane blue buffalo as well. Good food and it fits Danes as far as protein calcium and zinc levels are concerned.

There's a lot of good info out there on them. They are the perfect dog IMO. Playful when you want, lazy when you want, they don't stink due to a great coat (that should only be washed a couple times a year) VERY easily potty trainable and more!

If there is 1 thing you take seriously, as mentioned, please make sure he takes it easy for 45 minutes after eating. Make it a habit/ritual. They are very prone to bloat and stomach torsion. Read up on the symptoms so you know what to look for.

Here's my young pup, Axle.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He is a beast!!!

 

[Brutal Metal]

The 3rd pic is great.. Cool Dude...

 

[HooperWest]

Beautiful PUP, congrats!