When you brought home that cute little puppy whose ears and feet were too big for his body, you never believed that at 9 months of age he’d be so big! My goodness…he weighs about 100 pounds and he’s still a puppy!!!
If you’re looking to purchase a Great Dane puppy, please, please, please…remember the name says GREAT. You aren’t getting a small dog and you should keep this in mind.
Great Danes puppies remain in the throws of puppyhood for 2 years. This means puppy behavior…even if he DOES weigh 100 lbs. Training your puppy is the most important thing you can do for him/her. If not, normal puppy behavior can seem insurmountable.
All puppies, regardless of breed, bounce, play, run, jump, nip, chew, etc. Keep in mind that the larger the dog, the larger the play. Where a Chihuahua might chew up the leg of your couch or the corner of the remote control, a Dane puppy might chew the whole arm off you couch or eat the entire remote! If you aren’t prepared for potty accidents in the house, you should definitely reconsider getting a puppy! It isn’t fun to have a 3 lb. puppy jumping up on your child and nipping at their hands and feet…how about a 70 lb. puppy? I can promise without proper training from the beginning, it WILL happen.
Another promise that I can make is that if you chose to make a Dane puppy an outside puppy, you WILL lose control of your yard eventually. You will call rescue and complain that you and the kids can no longer go out back because the dog (who now weighs 100 + lb.) will jump up on you and knock you over only to start bouncing on you and nipping at you (if you don’t call it biting). This behavior is all because your puppy loves you! He wants to be with people and gets over excited at your appearance in his home (yes, the yard becomes his home). He just wants to have your attention and is getting it the best way he knows how. If you bring him inside where he feels like a part of the family, this behavior will be much easier to control and cure!
Most puppy issues can easily be dealt with if you’re willing to love and train your Dane puppy and keep him inside from the beginning. If you realize that maybe you don’t have the time to devote to training, or you can’t imagine a dog that big inside your living room, consider an older dog or another breed. Don’t get a Dane puppy because he’s cute…he will grow up!
Jan Cates, President, Heartland Great Dane Rescue, Inc.
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