Hello Danes

Author: Hello Danes

  • 8 Great Dane Behavior Problems (and How to Fix Them)

    8 Great Dane Behavior Problems (and How to Fix Them)

    Navigating behavior challenges with your Great Dane can feel like a big puzzle to solve! When it comes to training, our beloved dogs might seem like they have a mind of their own. Tackling Great Dane behavior problems like pulling, enthusiastic barking, and acrobatic fence-jumping can be an adventure for owners of these lovable behemoths.

    But fear not! While the challenges may seem big, the rewards of overcoming them are even bigger. Let’s journey together to better understand and address the quirks that come with our colossal canine companions, turning potential problems into valuable lessons and shared laughs.

    If you are having trouble with your Great Dane or Great Dane puppy, don’t worry – you are not alone!

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    #1 – My Great Dane Won’t Come When Called

    Poor recall is one of the #1 complaints that Great Dane dog owners have about their dog’s behavior!

    There are a few things that you can do to improve your dog’s recall and ensure they are a well-behaved off-leash citizen:

    • Use a long line or leash when first teaching your dog to come
    • Prevent mistakes! If your dog doesn’t come to you, they shouldn’t be off-leash
    • Make sure you are calling your dog to you in an excited and happy voice, and NEVER correct your dog for ignoring you.
    • Reward with high-value treats, praise, play, and affection
    • Practice in boring areas!

    Recall games for Great Danes

    These are some of our favorite Great Dane recall games for teaching rock-solid off-leash coming when called behavior!

    • The Amped Up Recall game: Have somebody hold your Great Dane by their chest or collar. While they are being held, RUN away from them and be super fun. Wave a toy around, whoop, holler, and be exciting! When you are several feet away, turn and say ‘COME!’ and then have the other person release your Great Dane. Your dog will RUN to you (proving that dogs will come to people who are worth coming to). Play this game often.
    • The slot machine jackpot recall game: Practice recall with high-value treats. Think of yourself like a slot machine. Sometimes, you give one treat. Sometimes you give 3 to 5 treats. Occasionally, you give a JACKPOT! The best jackpots will be a complete surprise and something even higher-value than what has been offered before.
    • The follow-me game: give your Great Dane a reward for looking at you. Turn your back. When your Great Dane comes to look at you, give another reward. Turn your back and walk a step. Reward again when your dog looks at you. This is a FUN game that involves you eventually being able to turn, walk farther away, zig-zag, and even hide behind things.

    Your Great Dane should always WANT to come and find you!

    Once your Great Dane has a rock-solid recall in low distraction areas (such as your backyard or on a long leash on a soccer field), it’s time to layer in an E-Collar so you can ditch the leash in places where doing so is safe and legal!

    Using an E-Collar to Improve Recall

    E-Collars are NOT a magic fix for poor recall! If your Great Dane doesn’t have a good recall in a low distraction area, do not expect an E-Collar to fix the problem.

    An E-Collar can replace your long-leash, so that your Great Dane can zoomie, run, climb, swim, sniff, explore, and move naturally. There is nothing more positive than that!

    Most Great Danes will benefit greatly from being allowed to exhibit these correct and species-appropriate behaviors.

    Sniffing the ground on a long leash is NOT enough!

    E-Collars are NOT the same as shock collars. The method, science, concepts, and sensation are completely different.

    An E-Collar uses muscle stimulation that is non-aversive and works the same way that your cell phone does.

    Your cell phone ringing does not hurt you, punish you, or scare you BUT it does make you take action. This is how modern E-Collars work for coming when called.

    By replacing the feeling of a harness, collar, and pressure from a leash with virtual pressure, our Great Danes can be safely off-leash. This is especially true once they are trained to also ignore dogs and people.

    Many Great Danes who are reactive towards dogs and people on a leash will be completely non-reactive when e-collar trained.

    The truth is that leashes are restrictive and cause anxiety for many dogs.

    E-Collars allow dogs to move naturally and because they are no longer ‘trapped’, they feel safe.

    Another major plus about E-Collars is that they are the ONLY tool that uses no physical restraint. For giant breed dogs like Great Danes, this is an incredible benefit to their orthopedic health.

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    #2-How do I stop my Great Dane from Counter Surfing?

    This is a hard one because it’s a natural thing for dogs to do! After all, counters are full of yummy smells and things to investigate.

    The best way to stop your Great Dane dog from counter surfing is to make the counter a place they cannot access.

    If this isn’t possible or practical, you’ll need to be diligent about teaching your dog that the counter is off-limits.

    The easiest way to do this is to use a cue like “leave it” or “off”. As soon as your Great Dane jumps on the counter, say the cue and give them a treat for getting down.

    Because counter surfing is also a very dangerous behavior (for example, if they were to get grapes or cooked chicken bones), it’s a behavior we feel very comfortable advising corrections on.

    It must NEVER be acceptable for your Great Dane to steal food from the counter!

    These corrections can include a sharp NO, ‘AH-AH’, clapping your hands, stomping the floor, leash pops, or even sticky tape on the counter (which sticks to their paws).

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    #3 – How do I stop my Great Dane from Pulling?

    Leash pulling is a common and dangerous problem with Great Danes that may require professional help. Most Danes pull because doing so is fun and rewarding, and gets them where they want to go.

    Read here for why we do NOT recommend the use of Halti Head Collars or Gentle Leader type tools!

    To address leash pulling in Great Danes, we recommend the following:

    • Teach focus, engagement, and a loose-heel position indoors, off-leash.
    • Start small and use a lot of rewards!
    • As your Great Dane understands this fun game, start adding distance and zig-zags.
    • Clip a leash to a wide, flat martingale collar and continue this game of checking in, watching, engaging, and walking next to you with rewards and praise.
    • Once your Great Dane is able to do this next to you in a low distraction environment, we recommend layering in a Herm Sprenger prong collar.
    • Teach your Great Dane that gentle pressure from the collar (which does not stab or pinch!) means to turn and engage with you. Reward this behavior with praise and rewards

    Prong Collar Training

    Here is a great video on how to properly introduce a prong collar to your Great Dane!

    #4 – My Great Dane Keeps Digging Holes

    It can be a huge problem if your Great Dane digs holes! Not only does this make a mess of your beautiful yard, but then they are dragging mud, dirt, and all the parasites that come with it into your home.

    Mud and digging, in general, are actually very good for dogs! It’s natural for them to want to dig and it’s a great way for your Great Dane dog to relieve boredom, stress, and pent-up energy.

    The key is to provide your Great Dane with an appropriate outlet for this behavior. If they are left alone with nothing to do, of course, they are going to take it out on your lawn! Many behavioral problems are actually the result of plain old boredom.

    You can teach your Great Dane to only dig in one area of the yard by using positive reinforcement and being consistent with redirection.

    If the digging absolutely must stop, you need to replace it with another form of enrichment. Off-leash exploration, puzzle toys, and scent tracking are fantastic substitutes.

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    #5-My Great Dane is Destroying My House

    You know what they say, right? If you don’t give your Great Dane a job to do, they will give themselves a job. You will NOT like their choice of employment!

    Bored and anxious Great Danes will destroy your house. Literally.

    It’s not uncommon for us to hear from frantic Great Dane owners whose dog has just eaten an entire couch, destroyed drywall, or chewed through electrical wires.

    The good news is that this behavior is 100% preventable with crate training, the right amount of exercise, mental stimulation, and training.

    Step one requires that you prevent this behavior. Crate training 101 is a fantastic place to start!

    Following that, a drastic increase in positive training and daily enrichment will make a huge difference.

    Here are some ideas:

    • Work on AKC trick titles
    • Work on Canine Good Citizen test items
    • Feed all meals in puzzles
    • Practice the ‘place’ command
    • Daily off-leash exploration (we recommend E-Collar training)
    • Hide and seek
    • Scent work games
    • Gentle exercise such as playing seek games or FitPaws
    • Socialize and train in a new environment: the brewery, a public park, or if your dog is confident and trained, a dog-friendly store such as Petsmart or Home Depot (call in advance to confirm)

    What can I do to Stop Separation Anxiety?

    Unfortunately, many Great Danes suffer from separation anxiety.

    This can manifest in a number of ways, such as destructive behaviors, excessive barking or howling, pacing, panting, and more.

    The key to helping your dog with separation anxiety is to make sure that they ultimately feel safe when they can’t see you.

    This can mean addressing the anxiety from multiple angles, not just when you are away! Exercise, obedience, puzzles, and trick training sessions are great confidence builders for Great Danes.

    You can also help build your dog’s confidence by exposing them to short periods of time away from you, and by teaching them that good things happen when you leave.

    For some dogs, this may mean starting with only a 30-second gap and working up from there. For others, it may mean building up to longer periods of time by using a dog sitter or daycare.

    The most important thing is to go at your dog’s pace and not to push them too hard, too fast. If you do, you will only end up making the anxiety worse.

    It will be helpful to use a Kong stuffed with their favorite treats, or to buy a puzzle toy such as the Kong Wobbler.

    The FURBO camera is another great way to interact with your Great Dane when you are not home, as it allows you to talk to them, see them, and give them a treat, all virtually!

    You can also help your dog feel more secure by providing them with a lot of novel enrichment and training.

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    #6-How can I Stop my Great Dane from Jumping?

    Jumping is a dangerous behavior that requires proper training from a young age, if possible. If you want your Great Dane to be a great family dog and be gentle around other dogs, the jumping must be addressed.

    While I tend to be fairly positive in how I train my dogs, I will admit that I have absolutely had a moment with giant puppies that jumped.

    My 5-month-old male Great Dane puppy caught me off guard one day, jumped up, and scraped my eye with his huge paw. Without even thinking I stepped into him and then shouted at him with a very loud, sharp tone.

    I felt so bad after that, but it was a gut reaction. Thankfully, he’s never done it again! I can’t deny that this worked. However, it’s not the recommended approach for a number of reasons.

    To correctly address this behavior, you need two pieces:

    Reinforce good behavior with attention, praise, treats, and play. When working with an excitable puppy, calmness is key. It’s a great idea to have high-value treats on hand to reward your Great Dane pup.

    Redirect attention away from the jumping and towards something else, such as sitting or lying down. This can be done with a cue such as ‘sit’ or ‘down’.

    The second piece involves correcting the behavior. If teaching the alternate behavior isn’t enough, it’s fair to then implement a correction.

    No-jump corrections might look like this, depending on the individual dog. Adult Great Danes will take more work, as they have already established a bad habit.

    • Turn your back and walk away (jumping = loss of attention)
    • Sharp leash pop, followed by reward when the Great Dane has all paws on the floor
    • Saying ‘uh-oh’ and removing your leashed dog to another room when they jump
    • Walking into the dog when they jump up

    We do not recommend using physical force or shoving your dog with a knee or a hand. Not only can this be damaging, but it’s also very confusing!

    Some dogs see this gesture as a form of roughhousing and will become more excited and jumpy.

    Many dog owners find that working with a dog trainer helps them learn more about the timing of rewards and corrections, so that everybody can move on from it!

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    #7-My Great Dane Growls Over Food & Toys

    Resource guarding is normal behavior that can be seen in any animal, including humans. It’s when an animal or even a puppy feels the need to protect a valuable resource, such as food, toys, or even you!

    Dogs who guard resources may do so because they feel like they don’t have enough, or because they are afraid of losing what they have. It has nothing to do with dominance. It can be, however, genetic.

    Resource guarding is a dangerous behavior, especially for a Great Dane!

    Many cases of resource guarding are made worse by humans who unfairly fuss, punish, correct and take things from their dogs to ‘teach them who is boss’.

    The best way to address resource guarding is with behavior modification and training, instead. This can be a long process, but it’s worth it to have a dog who feels confident around you and isn’t afraid of losing its things.

    We recommend the book MINE by Jean Donaldson, and seek a professional trainer’s advice if you have a Great Dane that is resource guarding.

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    #8 – My Great Dane is Reactive

    Reactivity is different than aggression. A reactive dog is one that over-stimulates easily and has a low threshold for arousal.

    This can be due to genetics, environment, poor socialization, frustration, anxiety, or a combination of several factors.

    Dogs who are reactive may lunge, bark, growl, snap, or bite when they feel overwhelmed. Other forms of reactivity include whining, fussing, and rolling over (often mistaken as ‘submission’).

    It’s important to remember that these behaviors don’t necessarily mean that your Great Dane is aggressive and wishes to harm!

    Lower arousal and frustration levels with thoughtful management, desensitize and counter-condition to trigger stimuli, provide outlets for your dog’s energy, and seek professional help if needed.

    A great resource for fearful reactive dogs is the book The Cautious Canine by Dr. Patricia McConnell.

    Reactivity vs. Protectiveness in Great Danes

    Many people believe that their Great Dane is being protective when really, their Great Dane is being reactive.

    Reactive dogs can easily go over the threshold and will struggle to focus, listen, or settle. These dogs are insecure and are protecting themselves, not necessarily the home or the people.

    Protective dogs, on the other hand, will alert, but can quickly become calm and confident on command, welcoming people into the home.

    How do I Help my Aggressive Great Dane

    Having an aggressive Great Dane dog can be frustrating and heartbreaking. It requires dedication, resources, and time that many owners just don’t have.

    Many rescues cannot accept aggressive dogs because it requires them to have strict protocols, highly trained volunteers, and enhanced insurance coverage.

    The different types of aggression

    There are two types of aggression, passive and active.

    Passive aggression is characterized by a dog who is growling, baring its teeth, or stiffening its body in order to make itself look bigger. This type of aggression is often seen in dogs who are guarding something, such as food or a toy.

    Active aggression is characterized by biting or snapping. This type of aggression is dangerous and can result in injuries.

    If a dog is willing to injure you or another dog, they are a liability and will require professional training to address behavioral problems and aggressive tendencies.

    Great Dane aggression can be caused by a number of things, including:

    • Fear
    • Anxiety
    • Health problems, including thyroid disorders, UTI, pain, cancer, or otherwise, which can cause sudden aggression for no apparent reason
    • Painful orthopedic conditions
    • Genetics
    • Neurological disorders

    Fear aggression is the most common type of aggression in Great Danes. For normally gentle dogs that become suddenly aggressive, a thorough veterinary check is warranted to rule out health problems.

    Giant breeds should never display aggressive behaviors, and if they do, they are more dangerous than a small dog might be. This breed has large, powerful jaws and most Great Danes are stronger than many humans.

    Contrary to popular belief, Great Danes are not supposed to be an aggressive breed. They are friendly dogs that make excellent family members.

    Aggressive behavior always has an underlying root cause that must be addressed.

    How to manage Great Dane aggression

    Because Great Danes are such big dogs, it’s important that you manage aggression and prevent injury.

    Crate training and muzzle training are important steps you can take toward keeping your Great Dane and others safe!

    Do not expose your aggressive Great Dane dog to situations that trigger reactions, especially if your dog is explosive and making contact with his teeth.

    Aggressive behavior is embarrassing and dangerous. This means no doggy parks, off-leash hiking, or other socialization opportunities.

    You’ll need to provide plenty of structure and rules for your Great Dane so that he knows what is expected of him. This may include crate training, obedience training, and positive behavior modification.

    Avoid using physical force and harsh handling on your Great Dane, which can make aggression worse. We recommend reaching out to an IABC Accredited dog trainer or a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist.

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    A touchy subject: behavioral euthanasia

    Sometimes Great Danes just aren’t able to cope with the world, and they will respond with aggression to protect themselves.

    Occasionally, tough decisions have to be made.

    Behavioral euthanasia is reserved for Great Danes who experience significant and dangerous levels of aggression, reactivity, and fear that are not helped with training, behavior modification, management, and medication.

    For some Great Danes and some owners, this is truly the most humane choice. It should not be taken lightly, nor should it be harshly judged. Most veterinarians will not euthanize healthy dogs.

    A dog that is severely aggressive is likely suffering.

    What causes Great Dane Behavior Problems?

    If your Great Dane is out of control, many factors may be at play.

    It rarely if ever has to do with ‘dominance’ or ‘stubborn’ behavior!

    Here are some common causes of behavioral problems in Great Danes, plus information on correcting them.

    Weak genetics

    Temperament and behavior have a strong relationship to genetics.

    If your dog’s parents were timid, snappy, unpredictable, anxious, pushy, fearful, or aggressive there is a good chance that your Great Dane will inherit some of those traits.

    The final temperament and personality of a puppy is influenced by many factors, but this is perhaps the most important one.

    Ideally, a Great Dane puppy should be friendly, social, and confident.

    Poor socialization

    Good breeders begin socialization at 3 days of age, through programs called ENS and Puppy Culture. If a breeder isn’t doing these things with their litter of Great Dane puppies, they may not be as dedicated or diligent as they should be.

    Once your Great Dane puppy is home, the rest is up to you!

    Poorly socialized dogs are more prone to anxiety, fearfulness, and aggression. Anxiety in Great Danes can be difficult to deal with and should be addressed as young as possible.

    It’s important to start teaching and socialization on day one. Reward good behavior, confidence, and engagement with you with treats, praise, play, and fun!

    Socialization should be positive and include exposure to a variety of sights, sounds, textures, experiences, things, and people.

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    Inadequate Enrichment & Exercise

    Great Danes can have a surprising amount of energy – they were originally bred as hunting dogs, after all!

    If you don’t give your Great Dane enough outlets for their energy, they may become destructive or even aggressive.

    A short walk on pavement, a few toys, another dog, and a yard are rarely enough, especially for Danes that are left home all day.

    We recommend that Great Danes receive plenty of off-leash time to move freely on varied terrain, in addition to basic obedience, scent work, and food puzzles to keep their mind busy.

    Bad training methods and techniques

    Unfortunately, bad techniques can actually cause and worsen behavior problems such as aggressive behavior, destruction, reactivity, and anxiety.

    These things include:

    • Harsh punishment
    • Alpha/Dominance, including intimidation and ‘pack leader’
    • Forceful and punitive use of training tools of any kind
    • Restrictive methods that rely heavily on physical restraint, isolation, and constant micro-management
    • A lack of consistency and boundaries
    • Expecting too much
    • Not using enough positive reinforcement
    • Failure to address medical problems

    When looking for a dog trainer for your Great Dane or Great Dane puppy, ask them three questions:

    a. Are you licensed and insured? Do you have any certifications?

    b. What do you do when my dog does something right?

    c. What do you do when my dog does something wrong?

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    What is the Best Method for Training Great Danes?

    The best method for training Great Danes is one that uses a lot of positivity and fun and is based on a strong foundation of trust, respect, and teamwork.

    A thoughtful training program that includes a lot of YES with rewards paired with the occasional NO is incredibly effective.

    We advocate for the use of positive reinforcement paired with modern tools such as E-Collars and prong collars.

    Giant breed dogs should be diligently trained and socialized for their safety and the safety of those around them. They are never fully trained, though! Great Dane training should be ongoing, for life.

    An out-of-control Great Dane dog wearing a harness or refusing to come when called is a dangerous animal.

    Ideally, Great Dane puppies start training as soon as possible. But it’s never too late!

    Great Danes make wonderful family pets for people who are willing to put the time into teaching, guiding, rewarding, and building a relationship with them.

    We recommend working with a professional trainer, even if you think you know everything! There is always something new to learn, especially when it comes to handling large dogs.

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    Balanced Training vs. Positive Training

    “Positive only” training relies heavily on behavioral management to prevent bad behavior, which can be frustrating to dogs and owners.

    Management includes the use of physical restraint, crates, gates, and isolation from experiences, people, and dogs while a dog is learning without error. The goal with ‘positive’ or ‘force-free’ training is to never have to say ‘no’.

    The ‘force-free’ method markets front-clip harnesses and head collars as ‘gentle’. We find these tools to be aversive, punishing, and potentially damaging to Great Danes orthopedic health.

    We believe that modern balanced training is the most humane, fun, and positive way to train your gentle giants!

    All exceptional “balanced” trainers use a lot of positive reinforcement and avoid harsh punishments, intimidation, pain, and fear. Balanced training is positive training with a more holistic approach to correcting dangerous or incorrect behaviors.

    You should never see your Danes tail tucked, ears back, or lip licking during training; these are behaviors that are associated with fear, frustration, and anxiety.

    Read more about canine body language HERE.

  • Are Great Danes Allergic to Chicken?

    Are Great Danes Allergic to Chicken?

    There is a lot of misinformation out there about Great Danes and chicken. Some people seem to think that Great Danes are susceptible to chicken intolerances. So what is the truth? Are Great Danes allergic to chicken?

    Let’s put this to rest, once and for all. We’re covering the Great Dane dog food allergy debate today with a heavy dose of controversial information, paired with some real veterinary science!

    In this blog post, we will take a look at the truth about dog food allergies, and we will also provide some information about what foods are safe and healthy for Great Danes to eat!

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    Are Great Danes Allergic to Chicken

    The quick answer is no.

    Despite what you may have heard, Great Danes are not often allergic or intolerant to chicken. A real poultry allergy is actually incredibly rare!

    In fact, chicken is a common and well-researched ingredient in many dog food formulas, and it is generally considered to be a safe and healthy option for most dogs.

    Among the list of common food allergens, chicken is not actually a prime suspect.

    Many pet parents have diagnosed their dog at home with chicken allergies based on anecdotal evidence, speculation, and information they heard from other dog owners.

    They believe their Great Dane has a food allergy based on this alone!

    Many will then change their dog’s diet without recognizing that there are many other factors at play.

    Social media groups have perpetuated the myth that Great Danes are sensitive to chicken!

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    Why do so many dogs have chicken allergies?

    It’s not that so many dogs are intolerant or allergic to chicken, it’s that so many dogs have been subjected to assumptions and misunderstandings about allergies.

    Anytime a dog is itching or has a loose stool, people immediately jump to the food. Because most dog foods contain chicken in some form, it takes the blame.

    Managing a dog’s food allergies can appear particularly daunting to people who believe, based on poor health, social media, marketing, and questionable allergy tests (more on this below), that their Great Dane is allergic to chicken, beef, oats, rice, and barley, lentils, corn, or otherwise!

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    Here are some common reasons why a dog may appear to have a chicken allergy:

    • The dog has not often been exposed to chicken before and is suddenly introduced to a new food that happens to contain it. This sudden change in diet can cause an upset stomach or diarrhea, which is often mistaken for an allergic reaction to chicken.
    • The dog is being fed poorly balanced food and is suffering from nutritional imbalances that cause dry coats, itching, and chronic loose stools.
    • The owner is adding a lot of toppers and/or switching foods often, trying to “find something that works” and resolve allergy symptoms, destroying gut health in the process
    • The dog is being fed the wrong food for its life stage or size and is not getting the right nutrition they need to thrive. (It’s 2022, learn about why Great Dane puppies need puppy food!)
    • The dog is suffering from environmental allergens that cause itchy skin, ear infections, goopy eyes, and other skin issues.

    Medical causes for chronic loose stools or skin problems can also include:

    • Parasites
    • Mites
    • Mange
    • Cushing’s
    • Addison’s
    • Poor gut health

    None of these have anything to do with chicken and yet, time and time again, chicken in dog food is what takes the blame!

    To summarize, most dogs with ‘chicken allergies’ are actually suffering from nutritional imbalances, poor gut health, medical problems, or environmental allergies.

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    How are chicken allergies diagnosed in dogs?

    The only way to definitively diagnose a chicken food allergy is through food trials using an elimination diet and allergy testing, both of which should be done under the care of a veterinarian.

    A food trial involves switching your dog to a new diet that does not contain any chicken or other common allergens for at least 12 weeks. This means avoiding all treats, toppers, and counter surfing which may skew the results of the testing.

    Participating in a food trial requires dedication and attention to detail.

    Hydrolyzed protein diets are often used for food trials because they contain proteins that have been broken down into such small pieces that they are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

    If the dog’s symptoms improve on the new diet, then it is likely that they were caused by a food allergy. It could have been chicken OR another ingredient in their old food, and additional tests are warranted.

    Food trial elimination diets are a lot of work, but they are the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies!

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    All about blood & saliva allergy tests

    Allergy testing involves a blood test or taking a saliva sample from your dog and sending it to a laboratory that will test for antibodies to common allergens, including chicken.

    These allergy tests can often be done at home or through your veterinarian.

    However, most blood and saliva allergy tests are a waste of money as they are wildly inaccurate in dogs! So much so that some dogs will receive different test results from the same sample.

    Read more about the poor accuracy of blood and saliva allergy testing in dogs HERE –>

    A more accurate and scientific option looks for reactions to common allergens by introducing them to the sub-dermal layer of your dog’s skin.

    This is helpful when ruling out environmental allergies, which are MUCH more common than food allergies.

    This is called an intradermal allergy test and, while it is more accurate than blood or saliva tests, it still isn’t perfect.

    These tests can be painful for your dog and may be expensive, so they are not usually recommended as the first line of testing.

    The best way to diagnose a chicken allergy is through a comprehensive plan that includes food trials and allergy testing, all of which should be done under the care of a veterinarian.

    Not by diagnosing your dog at home.

    If your dog has allergy symptoms or symptoms that make you suspicious of food intolerance, it’s important to work with your veterinarian.

    Try to recognize that there may be much more to the story than a simple intolerance of chicken.

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    The Truth about Chicken in Dog Food

    Chicken is one of the most common ingredients in dog food, and for good reason!

    It’s an excellent source of protein that is easily digestible for most dogs, especially when presented as chicken meal or chicken by-product meal.

    In fact, chicken is often used as the main protein source in many hypoallergenic diets because it is so unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

    Have you ever seen people give their sick dogs chicken and rice? There is a reason for this practice (even though it’s now considered dated advice). Chicken is a gentle, quality form of protein.

    The fact that so many people believe that chicken allergies are common is a direct result of social media, speculation, and anecdotal evidence.

    When one person claims that their dog’s chronic loose stools or itching firmed up by switching to a food that didn’t contain chicken, people eat it up.

    However, nine times out of ten the dog had been switched to a more appropriate diet, or one that had a better fiber content or didn’t contain something else the dog was actually intolerant of, and chicken had literally nothing to do with it.

    A veterinary-prescribed elimination diet is the only way to definitively find food allergies.

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    What is a hydrolyzed protein chicken diet?

    A hydrolyzed protein diet is a hypoallergenic diet that uses proteins that have been broken down into small pieces.

    It’s a great option for dogs who do appear to have legitimate sensitivities and is often used during food trials to rule out certain allergens.

    Hydrolyzed protein diets are typically only available through your veterinarian, as they require a prescription.

    These diets are spendy and not as palatable; you do not WANT your dog to have a protein allergy. It’s expensive and truly not fun for anybody.

    To put this quite frankly, stop looking for reasons to diagnose your dog with chicken allergies; chances are, they don’t actually have one!

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    Does chicken fat cause allergies?

    No, chicken fat does not cause allergies. In fact, fat is a great source of energy and essential nutrients for dogs.

    Allergies, if they do exist, are caused by the proteins in chicken, not the fat.

    Some dogs with legitimate, proven chicken allergies can actually still have food that contains chicken fat!

    Chicken fat and meat are two different things.

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    Environmental Allergies vs. Food Allergies

    Many dogs that have been diagnosed at home with a chicken allergy are actually allergic to things in the environment!

    Their immune system may be struggling as a result of too much food switching or because of genetics and environmental factors.

    Switching foods often as a means to ‘diagnose the problem’ and resolve allergy symptoms can actually cause things to be worse.

    Some of the most common causes of adverse reactions such as itchy skin and goopy eyes are, you guessed it, good old pollen, grass, weeds, and dander in your home.

    When this happens, food intolerance is often blamed! The truth is that these dogs need support to help their gut and digestive system heal.

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    Symptoms of allergies in dogs

    If you are concerned about your dog’s overall health and believe they may be suffering from environmental or food allergies, here is a list of common symptoms:

    • Severe allergic reactions including difficulty breathing, hives, and swelling
    • Skin rashes and redness
    • Digestive issues including loose stools and diarrhea
    • Goopy eyes
    • Chewing on paws
    • Ear infections
    • Secondary skin infections such as hotspots that often result from chewing, licking, rubbing, and redness
    • Pink skin
    • Swollen paws
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    Great Dane Health

    WHAT IS INGREDIENT SPLITTING IN DOG FOOD?

    Learn about this dubious marketing practice that may be harming your dog! ↗

    How to treat environmental allergies

    For Great Dane dogs suffering from environmental allergies, we recommend:

    • Probiotics, such as Fortiflora
    • Fish oil
    • Vetrycin Eye Wash
    • Benedryl, with veterinary guidance
    • Quality veterinary-recommended food (with or without chicken) and stick with it for a minimum of 12 weeks
    • Keep toppers and treats to less than 5% of the overall diet, especially if they are not balanced
    • Brushing your dog daily (we recommend SleekEZ for Great Danes), down to the skin to remove dander and dirt
    • Frequent indoor vacuuming, including washing the dog bed cover and de-shedding your couch
    • Turning off essential oil and scented diffusers, scent warmers, and plug-ins
    • Reducing the use of irritating cleansers such as bleach, scented laundry detergents, or carpet sprinkles which can irritate skin, eyes, and paws
    • Rinsing the dog off daily using a damp towel to wipe dander and allergens from the face, paws, and body
    • Occasional baths using a gentle itch-relief shampoo. Don’t bathe your dog too much, as it can dry the skin out and make it more susceptible to irritation
    • Seeing the vet to rule out mites, fleas, mange, parasites, and other common skin irritants
    • Apoquel and prescription foods for dogs with serious, verified allergies
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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    49

    How long do Great Danes live?

    Are Grain-Free Dog Foods Better for Allergies

    Many people whose dogs are sensitive and suffering from itching and chronic loose stools will turn to grain-free diets.

    This is one of the worst choices that can be made.

    How grain-free dog foods are made

    All kibble dog foods require starch of some kind to bind the meat and other ingredients together. This is why you often see things such as brewers’ rice, brown rice, or oatmeal in dog food.

    Grain-free dog foods replace those ingredients with other starchy foods such as potatoes, peas, or lentils. These items sound healthy to the consumer, and also contain protein.

    As a result, they become an easy way for dog food companies to reduce their reliance on real meat to meet AAFCO nutrition minimums.

    Many grain-free kibbles are nothing more than meat-flavored legumes. This is true even if you see “meat as the 1st ingredient”, because most ‘fresh’ or ‘deboned meats’ are 70% water.

    Fresh meat will weigh a lot at first, but once it is turned into kibble there isn’t much left.

    Dogs need meat, bone, organ, and cartilage in their diet, which they cannot get from a grain-free diet that is formulated with fresh muscle meat and peas or lentils.

    As a result of nutritional imbalance, many dogs are needlessly suffering from an enlarged heart, digestive upset, low energy, and other health problems.

    Are you noticing a trend here, yet? These health problems are often blamed on ‘chicken’.

    Certain amino acids, proteins, and nutrients will be missing in poorly formulated diets.

    This is why we recommend feeding a grain-inclusive food with meat meals and meat by-product meals making up the bulk of the finished kibble.

    Read on…

    15 1

    Grain-free diets and DCM

    Grain-free and other poorly-formulated food brands have been implicated, on repeat, for causing DCM (enlarged heart) and sudden death in otherwise healthy dogs.

    Many of these dogs’ conditions are reversed through a diet change.

    The FDA has released multiple warnings about the connection between certain diets and DCM.

    They have not, however, been able to pinpoint a specific ingredient, brand, or formulation that is causing this condition. Doing so will take years of research.

    The DCM – Food link is thought to be a combination of factors such as high legume content and poorly formulated foods from companies with no board-certified veterinary nutritionist on staff.

    Nutritional DCM has been seen in dogs being fed both grain-free and grain-inclusive diets, so it stands to reason that this is a formulation problem more than anything else.

    Dogs need organ meats, bone, fat, and cartilage tissue in their diet.

    Despite this, a lot of expensive “natural” food companies will choose fresh meat (such as ‘roasted lamb’ or ‘deboned chicken’) for their product because it makes the label seem more appealing to dog owners who are spending their money.

    Nutritional DCM is essentially the result of serious marketing problems in dog food.

    If a food company is trying to appeal to your human taste, instead of what your Great Dane actually needs, you need to ask more questions.

    IMG 0416

    IS GRAIN-FREE FOOD DANGEROUS?

    Read more here ↗

    What are the best foods for Great Danes?

    The best food for a Great Dane is going to be a large or giant breed formula that is well-researched, backed by peer-reviewed science, and formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

    Great Danes have different nutritional requirements than smaller breeds. The exact balance of amino acids, proteins, fats, and nutrients is key.

    Rendered meat meals (such as beef meal or chicken by-product meal) were shown to reduce the risk of bloat!

    This nutrient-dense rendered meat ingredient is biologically appropriate and exactly what you want to see in a Great Dane’s diet. Meal meal of some kind should be in the first ingredients.

    We also like to see balanced calcium and phosphorus ratios.

    What is the best kibble with no chicken?

    If you do have a Great Dane that is suffering from allergies, the best kibble with no chicken is going to be Pro Plan Large Breed Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon Flavor.

    When choosing food for Great Dane puppies under 24 months, choose from our puppy list.

    Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.

    For Great Danes 18-24 months and up:

  • Are Great Danes Easy to Train?

    Are Great Danes Easy to Train?

    Are Great Danes easy to train?

    Many people believe that Great Danes are stubborn, spiteful, and defiant. It can lead to questions about whether or not Great Danes are hard to train, especially as they are so large and can easily be destructive or dangerous.

    In this blog post, we will discuss some tips for training your Great Dane puppy or adult dog. We’ll also cover some common behavior issues that Great Danes can have and how to deal with them. We are going to show you that training Great Danes is EASY!

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    Are Great Danes Hard to Train?

    We believe that it’s not that Great Danes are hard to train, it’s that they are often misunderstood.

    People see their large size and think that they need to be handled with extreme and forceful techniques. In reality, Great Danes are gentle giants.

    They are loving, loyal, and affectionate dogs that just want to please their owners.

    The training process should be fun. Basic commands are super easy to teach using positive reinforcement, and it’s never too late to start training important commands the right way!

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    Great Dane Temperament

    Despite their large size, Great Danes are really gentle souls. They have a mild and loving temperament, which is why they make such great family pets.

    Well-bred and properly trained Great Danes will generally get along well with children and other animals in the home.

    However, as a large breed, their size can be intimidating to some people, especially if they have training problems that need to be addressed!

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    Great Dane Size

    Great Danes are one of the largest dog breeds. They can weigh anywhere from 100 to 200 pounds and stand as tall as 36 inches at the shoulder.

    Because of their size, they can easily pull you around or knock you over, without meaning to hurt you!

    For this reason, it is incredibly important to start early and work hard to reinforce simple commands and basic obedience training.

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    Which training methods are cruel, and which are not?

    Common Great Dane Training Problems

    Great Danes are huge dogs, so when there are training problems, they feel much, much bigger by comparison to other dogs.

    When a Great Dane jumps, chews things up or pulls on the leash they are a danger to themselves and to others. Smaller dogs often get by with some of these things, where as giants really cannot.

    Common Dane training problems include:

    • Jumping
    • Mouthing/Nipping
    • Barking
    • Destructive Chewing
    • Separation Anxiety
    • Pulling on the Leash
    • Reactivity towards people and dogs
    • Poor recall (not coming when called)

    All of these things are fixed with diligent attention to rules, boundaries, management, and training; but it takes time.

    Great Danes are not hard to train, but they DO require proper behavior management and obedience training. We’re providing more tips on this for you below!

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    Are Great Danes good for Beginners?

    We believe that Great Danes can make excellent family pets and incredible dogs for many people.

    However, people who have never owned a dog before may benefit from adopting an older shelter dog with a known temperament, instead.

    The most common reasons why Great Danes are often surrendered to rescue include:

    1. Aggression, which is largely related to genetics and poor socialization
    2. Out-of-control behavior, which is related to poor socialization, poor enrichment, poor handling, and poor training
    3. Grew too large, which is related primarily to a lack of education about Great Danes and their size
    4. Plays too rough with kids, which is related to poor socialization and training, as above

    All of those things require new Great Dane owners to be well educated on the breed’s size, temperament, and training requirements as well as how to find an ethical preservation breeder.

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    Need ideas for healthy socialization?

    Is Training a Great Dane Easy?

    We believe that the answer is YES, but where most people fail is that they:

    a. Use a heavy-handed punishment-based training approach

    b. Don’t correctly manage or handle their dog’s behavior, social needs, and enrichment requirements

    b. Don’t realize how many times a dog has to be rewarded for something, and how many times and places it needs to be practiced during training sessions before the skill becomes automatic

    We’re going to offer some tips on Great Dane training below, but if you need more help, please consider hiring a certified professional dog trainer in your area.

    IMG 0416

    IS GRAIN-FREE FOOD DANGEROUS?

    Read more here ↗

    The Best Training Methods for Great Danes

    Not all dog training is created equal!

    At Hello Danes, we stand firmly against heavy-handed dominance, ‘alpha’, ‘be the boss’, ‘intimidation’, and harsh-punishment-style dog training.

    These methods cause an increase in fearful and anxious behavior, and may increase the risk that the dog will bloat as a result!

    Below we will outline acceptable training methods for Great Danes and other big dogs.

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    Dear Danes 5 Square 2000 1

    Use this link to get a FREE Jolly Ball with the purchase of a Big Barker bed.

    Positive Reinforcement Training

    Positive reinforcement is the process of rewarding a dog with a treat, favorite toy, play, affection, or praise.

    Doing so increases the chance that a dog will repeat good behavior!

    All new behaviors should be taught this way, including sit, down, heel, come, leave it, wait, touch, and place.

    You must practice and reward these skills many times in many different places!

    Some people are so impressed that their Great Dane puppy will sit in the kitchen for them every time. They are later shocked, however, when their puppy will not sit on command anywhere else.

    Dogs don’t generalize well. They have to learn that sit means sit here, sit there, sit anywhere when asked. It’s imperative that you practice this in different places with lots of distractions.

    Everyday life is much more complex than what happens in your living room.

    Once they have their lightbulb moment, you are home free and can add additional layers of difficulty, including other commands, and phase out the treats to use only verbal praise!

    The Great Dane Potty Training Guide
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    The BEST Training Treats for Great Danes

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    Balanced Training

    We recommend pairing positive reinforcement with gentle, modern balanced training.

    Balanced training is when you reward your dog for behaviors that you want them to repeat, and then if needed you either manage (prevent) or correct behaviors that you do not want them to repeat.

    Some examples of this include:

    -Leash walking: you would reward your dog for walking calmly by your side, and then manage or correct them if they pull ahead or lag behind

    -Jumping up: you would reward your dog for having all four feet on the ground, and by keeping your dog on a leash when they tend to jump, you can manage and correct the behavior

    -Chasing kids: you would reward your dog for calm behavior around kids, and then manage or correct the behavior if they start to chase

    -Digging: you would reward your dog for playing near digging spots without digging, and then manage the behavior or balance it by providing an appropriate outlet such as a sandbox or digging pit

    Remember that management is not a punishment, but overuse of restrictions and isolation is unfair to your dog.

    Corrections don’t have to be harsh, forceful, scary, or painful and can bridge the gap between freedom and ongoing restraint for your dog.

    Read here to learn why we don’t recommend “Force-Free” or “Positive Only” dog training!

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    Great Dane Trainer Guidelines: How to Choose a Trainer

    The Best Training Tools for Great Danes

    We believe that the best training tools you can use meet the following guidelines:

    • Work primarily as a form of communication, not a form of physical restraint
    • Do not obstruct the way a dog moves its shoulders, head, feet, or neck
    • Result in dogs gaining more freedom and more enrichment opportunities, without long-haul ongoing processes that may be unreliable or frustrating in the long run
    • Are high quality and work without months of conditioning
    • Will allow Great Danes to be off-leash and free of restraint as much as possible

    For example, no-pull harnesses and Gentle Leaders are aversive tools that rely on physical restraint. They work by altering the dog’s natural movement and restricting forward momentum through physical force. Head collars in particular tend to be distressing and aversive to dogs, even when introduced slowly.

    These tools are unfortunately marketed as ‘positive’ and ‘gentle’. However, if you look at the actual mechanics and science of it, they are anything but that.

    We are a science-based blog, so when people claim that head collars and harnesses are not aversive, we have questions about their motivations and their scientific thought process!

    Keep in mind that Great Danes are GIANT breed dogs. They can and will pull, lunge, and take control of the leash. A Great Dane in a harness can easily become dangerous.

    We recommend the use of positive reinforcement, paired with flat collars and a long leash or off-leash work to teach all skills. Engagement and rewards are key!

    Following that, the use of a positively implemented, correctly fit prong collar (which uses pressure, not pinching or stabbing) for leash walking is a surprisingly humane and appropriate way to keep your Great Dane safe and be able to go places together without months of incremental ‘positive only’ training or restrictive nylon tools.

    Additionally, the use of modern E-Collars, which use gentle muscle stimulation to replace leash pressure, is our favorite go-to training tool for Great Danes.

    E-Collars are the ONLY tool that uses absolutely no physical touch or restraint. The sensation the dog feels is more gentle than the pressure from any head collar or harness; it does not shock or punish the dog.

    #themoreyouknow

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    Gentle LeaderProng Collar
    Aversive to wear, no matter the fitNon-aversive to wear with correct fit
    Requires conditioning for wearing & usingRequires training for using, not wearing
    Looks ‘Gentle’ and seems positiveLooks scary and painful, but is misunderstood
    InexpensiveSpendy
    Can damage nerves, eyes, neck, and spine when used normallyCan only cause damage to the skin if used abusively or incorrectly
    May cause sores on the bridge of the noseDoes not cause skin sores or abrasions
    People rarely judge this tool People are often judgmental
    May exacerbate underlying health problemsUnlikely to cause orthopedic damage
    Dangerous for dogs with orthopedic issues, especially wobblers An alternative choice for dogs who should not be pulling into a harness or collar for any reason
    Negative body language is seen with normal ‘positive’ useNegative body language is seen with harsh and incorrect use
    Effective at reducing pullingEffective at reducing pulling
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    Canine Good Citizen

    The AKC Canine Good Citizen test is a fantastic list of goals to work towards.

    When your pup can successfully do the following things, it can pass its CGC test (with an accredited AKC CGC Evaluator).

    The CGC title, which can then be added to your dog’s registered name, is a great way to show the world that your dog is well-mannered.

    Here are the test items:

    • Politely greets a friendly stranger
    • Sits politely for petting
    • Welcomes being groomed, and brushed; and allows paws and ears to be handled
    • Walks as directed on a loose leash
    • Moves politely through a crowd
    • Sits, lies down and stays in place on command
    • Comes when called
    • Behaves politely around other dogs
    • Reacts with confidence to distractions
    • Can be left with a trusted person
    Take the Test
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    What Commands Should Great Danes Know?

    All Great Danes should be taught the following commands. Keep training sessions short, exciting, and rewarding!

    To avoid giving too many treats, keep the rewards small and frequent. Your dog doesn’t need a WHOLE treat for each behavior, they just need a tiny bite.

    • Sit
    • Down
    • Leave it
    • Back up
    • Wait
    • Touch
    • Look at me
    • Heel
    • Place
    • Free
    • Crate up
    • Come (arguably the most important command)

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    Great Dane Puppy Training

    With Great Dane puppies, you have an incredible opportunity to start training at an early age. Great Dane puppies are intelligent dogs and will respond well to treats, praise, play, and attention.

    Great Danes are in fact easy to train, so long as you are willing to put the time in!

    PRO TIP: most bad behavior is a direct result of poor training, incorrect socialization, inadequate enrichment, and handling or management issues. It’s rarely because a dog is ‘stubborn, willful or defiant’.

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    How to crate train a Great Dane: click here

    Crate training for Great Danes

    The biggest mistake people make when they crate train their Dane puppies is letting them scream, cry and panic inconsolably. This is a bad training technique that literally encourages the puppy to practice the wrong behavior and emotions.

    Instead, use a modern training method that makes the crate a fun, safe, and rewarding space.

    This may mean starting slow and introducing the crate over several days. Feed meals inside of the crate, and play games where your puppy can learn the basic commands of ‘FREE’ and ‘CRATE UP’!

    By making ‘crate up’ and ‘free’ into a game or fun trick, your puppy will be crate trained in no time at all.

    Teach your Great Dane to love their crate, and it will be a safe place for them for years to come.

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    How to Socialize a Great Dane Puppy

    Socialization is one of the most important things you can do for your Great Dane puppy.

    Start socialization early, and continue throughout the puppy’s life. Socialization is how your puppy learns to be comfortable around people, other animals, new environments, and different sounds and situations.

    A well-socialized dog is a happy dog! The best way to socialize your Dane puppy is to expose them to as many new people, places, and things as possible. But, do NOT scare them. If they are fearful, this exposure can actually make things worse.

    Every experience must end on a positive note. The more positive experiences they have, the more confident and well-rounded they will be!

    Avoid having constant tension on the leash; this mild pressure will result in poor socialization experiences.

    Our Great Dane puppy socialization guide will tell you everything you need to know!

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    Need ideas for healthy socialization?

    All about Great Dane Puppy Training Classes

    We recommend starting puppy socialization and 101 obedience classes by 10-12 weeks of age.

    Puppy classes are an excellent way to train and socialize your Dane. They will give them a solid foundation of obedience commands that will result in good behavior.

    Classes are also a great way to meet other dog owners in your area, receive feedback on your technique, and work with your dog around distractions.

    If you only ever train your dog inside of your house, don’t be shocked when they ignore your commands outside of the house!

    Most trainers offer intermediate and advanced obedience classes as well. Don’t stop at puppy classes! As your Dane grows, so should their education.

    Once your puppy has advanced, you may even consider taking classes for fitness or scent work. Fun tricks can be built upon and used to obtain AKC trick dog titles as well!

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    Private Training for Great Danes

    Sometimes, group classes aren’t the best option. If you have a dog with special needs, or if you’re looking for more personalized attention, private training may be the way to go.

    With private training, you can work one-on-one with a trainer to address specific training goals. This type of training is great for dogs who are shy, fearful, or aggressive.

    The bottom line is this: if you want a well-trained dog, you need to put in the time and effort!

    Training takes patience, consistency, and commitment.

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    Adult Great Dane Training Tips

    We’re going to provide some of our favorite Great Dane training tips below!

    Having a well-trained, well-socialized Great Dane is an absolute joy. The following basic commands are easy to master if you break them down and start at a level where your dog can learn.

    Loose leash walking

    We recommend a two-step process for teaching loose leash skills for dogs that pull, lunge, and drag you down the street.

    Step One

    Practice off-leash in your living room. Use high-value rewards (small bites!) to reward your dog for taking steps next to your left hip and looking at you as you walk together, turn corners, and navigate obstacles.

    Gradually increase the difficulty, distance, and distractions. Once your dog can take 10 steps, clip a loose leash onto a flat collar and keep practicing both indoors and out in low-distraction environments.

    Step Two

    Once your dog is happily following you around off-leash or on a loose leash, it’s time to add a prong collar.

    A correctly fit prong collar will not hurt your dog and will give you the ability to keep your dog safe while walking in high-traffic areas or around other dogs.

    You must first teach your dog how to respond to the pressure from the collar. Here is an excellent video on this training technique!

    Remember to use reinforcement (praise, treats, and toys) when your dog is walking politely on a leash!

    IMG 3997

    How to choose the best prong collar for your Great Dane.

    Read more here ->

    Coming when Called

    We recommend first installing an amazing recall. This means rewarding your dog with treats, toys, and praise when they come to you.

    Offer a cue word or phrase such as “here” or “come” while your dog is not paying attention to you, then immediately reward them when they turn their head towards you.

    Do this in short training sessions throughout the day, and gradually increase the distance and distractions. Never scold your dog for blowing you off or not coming when called!

    Once your dog has a good recall, it’s time to layer in the E-Collar so they can safely be off-leash.

    Polite Social Skills

    Great Danes MUST have polite social skills with people and dogs. It is dangerous for them to be humping, jumping, mouthing, or being rude in any way.

    Positive socialization, obedience training, and working with an accredited AKC CGC Evaluator/Trainer will ensure that your Great Dane is a polite, friendly, calm, confident citizen anywhere you go.

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    Should I Feed My Great Dane Puppy or Adult Food?

    Stay & Place

    Stay and Place training is critical for all dogs, but especially important for Great Danes.

    This is because Great Danes are giant dogs and can easily knock over small children or elderly people when they jump up or lean on them.

    As with all new skills, this is easy to teach using rewards!

    Start with your dog in a sit or down, then take one step away from them. If they move, simply stop and go back to the beginning. Train your Great Dane to stay by starting at a very basic level, and working your way up.

    When they stay put, even if it’s just for a second, reward/treat and then repeat.

    Gradually increase the distance, time, and distractions.

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    Training Great Danes is Easy

    We believe that training Great Danes is easy. Start at a young age if possible. Use lots of verbal praise, small treats, and rewards.

    If you find yourself saying NO more than you are saying YES, ask yourself the following questions:

    • Does my dog actually know the behavior that I am asking, in this level of distractions?
    • Is my puppy mature enough physically and mentally to respond to this?
    • Am I being fair with my corrections, or am I being frustrated?
    Screen Shot 2022 03 30 at 2.11.34 PM

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    Do you like modern positive+balanced off-leash dog training, science-based information, life with Danes, educated ownership and chatting with other like-minded people?

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  • Royal Canin Giant Breed Dog Food Review

    Royal Canin Giant Breed Dog Food Review

    Today we’re going to do our Royal Canin Giant Breed Dog Food Review!

    Unlike other dog food review sites, we’re going to deep dive into the science of kibble-based nutrition and give you real information that will help you make a healthy choice for your giant dog.

    Giant breed dogs are prone to growth, joint, and heart issues, so it’s important to feed them a diet that will help them grow correctly and keep their joints and heart healthy.

    IMG 4259

    Royal Canin has made a line of dry dog food geared specifically towards extra large dogs, with precise nutrition and balanced energy content to support healthy development during each of the three growth stages:

    63276 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530038530
    Feed until 8 months of age.
    63278 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530030508
    Feed from 8-24 months of age.
    62058 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1592946427
    Adult formula from 24 months on.

    Let’s take a closer look at the Royal Canin size, health, and targeted nutrition food line and see how this dog food rates for giant dogs (especially Great Danes)!

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    Royal Canin Giant Breed Dog Food Review

    My Personal Review of Royal Canin Giant Food

    No good dog food review is complete without a personal touch! As you will learn below, it took me a while, as a “boutique dog food snob” to come around to Royal Canin, but I’m so glad I did.

    Pro Plan and Royal Canin are my personal top two picks for Great Danes.

    RC Giant Adult food SMELLS LIKE MEAT! Most kibbles are dry and smell like cardboard or sour milk.

    While we humans may not love the smell of this food for ourselves, we cannot deny that it definitely smells like something a dog should be eating.

    I like knowing that I’m giving my dogs meat, not dried-out stale-smelling kibble made primarily of peas, lentils, and rice.

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    I’ve never seen a ‘sensitive’ tummy clear up so fast! RC giant formula foods are magic for dogs with chronic loose stools. Don’t believe me?

    Read the literal thousands of positive reviews. Many people indicate that they have had this same experience, after battling chronic loose stools and itching for years.

    My dog’s stools on Royal Canin foods are small and infrequent, and my super-sensitive male is no longer littering my lawn every other week with soupy poop bombs.

    I would compare Royal Canin growth formulas stools to what we see from raw-fed dogs.

    Optimal stool quality is one massive benefit of feeding RC foods with targeted nutrition to giant-sized dogs.

    By-Product meal likely contains a fair amount of bone: bone is known to help raw-fed dogs firm up loose stools.

    Between the by-product meal and the added fiber, it’s no surprise that sensitive tummies are a thing of the past for dogs fed this brand.

    Royal Canine Giant Kibble Size

    The adult formula from this line is made into huge kibbles. Each one is about 2/3 the size of a charcoal briquet!

    This promotes slow eating, healthy digestion, and correct chewing, which is good for digestive health and may reduce bloat risk.

    Our Danes absolutely LOVE the giant kibbles in Royal Canin giant formulas.

    I’ve read that some dogs are hesitant because the size is unusual; I recommend that you hand feed a few (as if they were treats) to get your dog started.

    I also recommend measuring this food on a scale. It will be much more accurate than scooping the large kibbles into a cup. Because this is so nutrient-dense, it is easy to overfeed! Less is more, with Danes.

    Tips & Tricks for Feeding Great Danes & Keeping them Lean

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    Is Royal Canin Giant Actually a Good Dog Food?

    Some people who wish to sell you boutique dog food (primarily natural foods pet stores) will say anything to convince you that what they sell is better quality.

    You may hear things such as “Royal Canin is full of fillers, trash, and carbs” or “you might as well feed your dog McDonald’s!” from pet owners, commission-driven salespeople, and people with no qualifications in canine nutrition.

    The truth is that Royal Canin is extremely high-quality dog food; they just don’t use fancy marketing buzzwords. Royal Canin foods are recommended by veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists worldwide.

    Every ingredient in Royal Canin’s foods is there for a good reason, including icky-sounding things such as “by-product meal” and “corn”, which we will dig more into the actual science of this below.

    Royal Canin hires Ph.D. veterinary nutritionists to formulate their recipes, which are based heavily on decades of peer-reviewed science and research.

    Compare this to many boutique brands, which don’t have veterinary nutritionists on staff at all and perform bare minimum (if any) feeding trials, testing, or peer-reviewed research.

    As you read our Royal Canin Giant food review today, we hope this information helps guide you towards a science-backed choice.

    We will be digging into those ‘nasty’ ingredients, the science of canine nutrition, what a natural diet for a dog actually looks like, and more. Read on, friends!

    Is Large Breed Food Necessary?

    Do Great Danes Need Grains?

    Should Puppies Eat Puppy Food or Adult Food?

    Scooby Doo PUCCI Cafe
    Great Dane on gray background

    Is a by-product meal bad in dog food?

    Many people mistakenly believe that meat meals and meat by-product meals are bad. Royal Canin uses a lot of them.

    By-Products are the parts of the slaughtered animal that dogs need and want in their diets.

    This can include bones, necks, cartilage, feet, tendons, and organs. All of these by-products are often included in natural raw diets for dogs.

    For example, look at the ingredients list from this Raws Paws Raw Dog Food Beef Blend:

    Beef Round, Beef Meat, Green Beef Tripe, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet.

    These ‘leftovers’ are highly nutritious and contain necessary minerals, vitamins, proteins, amino acids, and even things such as natural Glucosamine for joint health.

    Compare that to fresh deboned chicken, which is 70% water.

    When processing ‘by-products’, very little of the slaughtered animal goes to waste. This is a win-win for your dog, for the environment, and for the animal who was farmed to be processed into pet food.

    The environmental impact of throwing out ‘by-products’ because “natural” food brands want you to believe that organs, cartilage, necks, fat, skin, and the remaining tissues are dirty, gross, and disgusting is, well, tragic.

    What are By Products in Pet food 2

    If a food company is marketing to what you want on your dinner plate (“Fresh deboned chicken, lentils, blueberries”) vs. what your DOG wants (“By-product” liver, cartilage, tissue, skin, and bone), ask questions.

    The reality is that by-product meals are highly digestible and nutritious, and they’re an important part of a giant breed dog’s diet.

    Dare we say that “by-products” are more biologically appropriate for dogs to eat than just “de-boned chicken” and some blueberries?

    If you read your dog food ingredients label and see things such as whole mackerel (which includes the head, eyes, tail, scales, bone, and organs), pork kidney, chicken liver, blood meal, or lamb tripe, you are seeing by-products that were purposefully named to appeal to your human taste.

    Fun Fact: foods containing rendered meat products (meals) in the first ingredients were shown to reduce bloat risk by 53%!

    You WANT to see meat meal and/or meat by-product meal in your dog food.

    How does dog food math work?

    By law, dog food companies must list ingredients in order of their weight prior to extrusion.

    So let’s do the math. Fresh meat is 70% water. It’s pretty heavy! Once you cook it, not much is left.

    If you see ‘deboned chicken’ or ‘fresh salmon’ (for example) at the top of the ingredients list, with no meat meals, chances are that the finished kibble may actually have a higher content of meatless products (such as peas or lentils) than it does real meat.

    Even if the bag says ‘meat is the 1st ingredient’!

    On the flip side, by-product meals and meat meals are already rendered and dehydrated before extruding, so if they are at the top of the ingredients list when they went in, they likely remain as the bulk of the nutrient profile and composition in the finished product, too.

    Meat meals and by-product meals contain a concentrated source of animal-based protein, nutrients, and joint support in other words. You actually WANT to see them in the first ingredients!

    Royal Canin relies on by-product meals because they are nutrient-dense and species-appropriate.

    By-products are regulated and no, they don’t contain “blood and guts scooped from the floor” or “euthanized animals“.

    Have you ever fed your dog a bully stick, pig ear, rawhide, chicken paw, or dehydrated liver training treat? You fed your dog a by-product!

    Is my Great Dane Puppy Knuckling?

    Gentle Giants Dog Food Review: Good or Bad?

    Is chicken fat bad for Great Danes?

    I will admit to being very alarmed seeing fat at the top of the ingredients list for both Giant and Great Dane Royal Canin dry dog foods.

    One study found that dogs who ate food with fat in the first 4 ingredients were more prone to bloat.

    What that study also revealed, however, is that foods with rendered meat meals lowered the risk of bloat.

    Tufts University Study

    Those studies did not differentiate between foods where fat was listed in the top four ingredients when fresh meats were used, vs. foods where meat meals and meat by-product meals were used, and how that might affect the “avoid fat in the first 4 ingredients” rule.

    It also did not discuss ingredient splitting, which can artificially adjust how and where fat shows up in the ingredients list.

    When a company uses a large amount of concentrated, high-protein meat meal or meat by-product meal there is nothing (such as water weight from fresh deboned chicken) to push the fat further down on the list.

    So in that case, fat may show up in the #2 or #3 spot, simply because they kept the formula meat-focused and didn’t also then utilize ingredient splitting to keep the fat lower on the list.

    If they used mostly or all fresh meat (70% water) and the animal fat lands in the top 4 spots, tread cautiously! Tread even more cautiously if you see ingredient splitting.

    After speaking with the Royal Canin directly about this, my mind has been put to ease here.

    Animal fat, before being cooked and extruded into kibble is a heavy product. It will weigh a fair amount compared to other ingredients but will make up much less of the diet once it’s been extruded. Especially when it’s paired with heavy meat meals.

    Fat IS a necessary part of the canine diet. It tastes good to dogs and is a great source of fats and omegas which are essential for skin and coat health, development, and a strong immune system.

    What matters the most is the nutrient profile of the food after it has been extruded and cooked. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to ONLY choose foods that were formulated by board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists.

    How Ingredient Splitting in Dog Food May be Harming Your Dog

    Veterinary Nutritionists understand what nutrition looks like going into the kibble and how each vitamin, mineral, enzyme, acid, or protein works with a dog’s live digestive system and can help or harm them.

    Their allegiance to formulating the product correctly is based on decades of science and research. They formulate for health, not what sells well because it “looks good” to the average, uneducated consumer reading a label.

    Dogs need 22 different amino acids to live a healthy life, 11 of which they can produce on their own. The other 11 must come from their diet, some of which are synthesized naturally from other nutrients in that diet.

    When we see meat by-product meals, meat meals, and chicken fat in the first ingredients, we can be assured that the diet is not only meat-based and high-quality but completely appropriate for canine health.

    The Best Foods for Great Dane Puppies 2022

    The Best Foods for Great Danes 2022

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    How Can Royal Canin be Healthy if it’s Full of Junk?

    This company chose these ingredients because they are the best for your giant dog’s health–not because they’re cheap or fillers.

    The concept of ‘fillers’ is a myth.

    “All our products are researched and developed not by trends in human nutrition or preferences of the pet owner, but through innovative nutritional science and the observation of cats and dogs.“

    Royal Canin

    Read about Royal Canin’s “Nutrition First” philosophy HERE.

    As a former ’boutique foods snob’ who was previously completely disgusted by Royal Canin foods, I have to say this:

    Royal Canin has chosen actual, science-backed canine health and nutrition over marketing an appealing and humanized ingredients list.

    I like that.

    63276 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530038530
    Feed until 8 months of age.
    63278 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530030508
    Feed from 8-24 months of age.
    62058 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1592946427
    Adult formula from 24 months on.

    Royal Canin Giant Dog Food Line

    When choosing this formula for your lovable giant dog, we recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions for transitioning between life stages.

    Royal Canin Giant Puppy – Up to 8 Months

    This formula is made for giant puppies that are under 8 months of age. It aids in healthy bone development, proper digestion, joint health, and energy levels.

    Many people are confused by the higher protein level in Royal Canin giant breed, which goes against common advice to “keep protein levels below 26%”.

    The protein myth has been debunked by many experts in the canine nutrition field.

    Puppies are growing at an exponential rate and their bodies are using amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to construct new tissue, including muscle, bone, hair, skin, and organs.

    Feeding a lower protein ‘adult’ food deprives them of the nutrition they need to thrive. We see this in play with young Great Danes who appear chronically malnourished and skinny or that may be slow and heavy with no muscle tone.

    Correct calcium to phosphorus ratios are much, much more important.

    Crude Protein 32.0% min

    Crude Fat 12.0% min

    Crude Fiber 3.4% max

    Moisture 10.0% max

    Calcium 1.1% min

    Phosphorus 0.92% min

    Vitamin E350 IU/kg min

    Glucosamine 371 mg/kg min

    Chondroitin SulFate 3.75 mg/kg min

    Caloric Content

    3,556 kcal/kg, 341 kcal/cup

    Royal Canin Giant Junior 8-24 months

    This formula should be fed from 8-18 or even 24 months. Royal Canin giant junior dry dog food was formulated specifically to meet the needs of dogs in the second growth phase.

    This is when rapid bone growth slows and the dog begins to develop more robust muscles and a mature stature.

    Royal Canine giant junior dry dog food is extremely palatable and correctly balanced for this second growth stage. Many giant junior dogs at this age become ‘picky’ and their appetite slows.

    This is normal! Giant junior dogs aren’t actually picky, they just have different nutritional requirements than a puppy does.

    Guaranteed Analysis

    Crude Protein 29.0% min

    Crude Fat 14.0% min

    Crude Fiber 3.4% max

    Moisture10.0% max

    Calcium 1.1% min

    Phosphorus 0.92% min

    Vitamin E350 IU/kg min

    Glucosamine 371 mg/kg min

    Chondroitin Sulfate 3.75 mg/kg

    Caloric Content

    3,649 kcal/kg, 307 kcal/cup

    Royal Canin Giant Adult – 18+ Months

    This formula should be fed from 18-24 months on.

    We recommend keeping Great Danes (among the largest of the giants) on the Royal Canin giant junior dry dog food formula until 24 months of age (or 18 months if neutered/spayed) and then transitioning to the adult formula.

    Crude Protein 26.0% min

    Crude Fat 18.0% min

    Crude Fiber 3.9% max

    Moisture 10.0% max

    Taurine 0.14% min

    Glucosamine446 mg/kg min

    Chondroitin Sulfate4 mg/kg min

    Caloric Content

    3958 kcal/kg, 427 kcal/cup

    Nutrition for Giant Dogs

    Raising a giant puppy and living with any 70+lb dog is a lifestyle that also requires some research.

    Here are our top nutrition tips for giant dogs!

    DCM & Nutrition, What You Need to Know

    Protein levels in Great Dane Food

    You may have heard that Great Danes should not have protein above 22-24%.

    This is a huge myth and old wives’ tale that was based on poor research and anecdotal speculation many years ago.

    Protein helps with lean muscle mass, and since Great Danes are a working breed, they need all the help they can get!

    Peer-reviewed studies have also put this myth to rest. Excess calories, unbalanced meals, and poorly formulated nutrition contribute to bone-growth disorders, NOT protein levels in dog food!

    CA/PH ratios, amino acids, and the overall formulation are where it’s at. Dogs NEED protein and starving them of it to “hopefully” prevent growth problems isn’t actually solving anything.

    Science, folks.

    All about Angular Limb Deformity, Often Misdiagnosed as Knuckling

    Do Great Danes Need a Lot of Exercise?

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    Adult food vs. puppy food for Great Danes

    Many people are confused about whether they should feed adult food or puppy food to their giant puppies.

    Puppies that are given too much nutrition in the form of calories, especially in kibble foods not correctly balanced by a veterinary nutritionist, may struggle with painful and debilitating growth disorders.

    Adult food, which is lower in protein and fat, has often been cited as the solution to this problem; however, giant puppies (including Great Danes) who are only fed adult foods may then be starved of the nutrition they need to support their muscle, skin, and brain development.

    Too little nutrition can make them scrawny, bony, and fragile looking.

    “Adult only” from puppyhood will make a dog more likely to develop a long and lanky teen body or even look malnourished as a result, especially during the second growth stage when hormones kick in and muscle development needs extra support.

    We recommend research-backed large and giant puppy foods that have been substantiated in feeding trials for the growth of 70+lb dogs.

    The veterinary community and veterinary nutritionists agree. We’ve done the research for you and feel that science is the way to go when it comes to this decades-old debate.

    19 1

    Should I Feed My Great Dane Puppy or Adult Food?

    Growth disorders from improper nutrition

    Great Danes and other giant dogs are prone to a number of developmental growth disorders that are made worse by incorrect nutrition.

    For this reason, it is essential that you feed your puppy a large or giant puppy diet that has been specifically tailored to meet their growth needs.

    Royal Canin Giant Puppy food is designed to support the health of your puppy and giant junior during their crucial first 8-24 months of life when knuckling, HOD, Panosteitis, and Angular Limb Deformities can easily form.

    It has the correct balance of nutrients, amino acids, calcium, and phosphorus and when you choose the correct formula for the life stage of your giant junior or puppy dog, the adapted energy intake will promote healthy bones and joints.

    My Great Dane is Not Eating, What do I Do?

    What are the Best Collars for Great Danes?

    Blue Great Danes: Read about this Beautiful Coat Color!

    What to look for when choosing food for a Great Dane

    You’ll see list after list of the ‘best foods for a Great Dane’, and information about protein levels, fat, meat meals, and calcium.

    Much of this information is important and true, however it’s important to keep in mind that countless dog food options are available to you as a consumer, and every single brand is trying to get your business.

    Pet stores, sales clerks, “natural pet food shops”, bloggers, influencers and the Dog Food Advisor all want your click and your purchase. They stand to gain from convincing you that they are the best.

    “Holistic”, “Human-Grade” and “Super-Premium” are common marketing terms with no legal definition. These are unregulated statements that any food company can apply to their labels.

    We recommend choosing only foods that meet the ethical standards outlined by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (below), to ensure that you are getting the best and most balanced nutrition for your dog.

    Is Large Breed Food a Gimmick?

    Life’s Abundance Dog Food Review

    What are the Best Foods for Great Danes?

    These basic ethics standards include the following 4 things you should ask every company before purchasing the food they sell:

    • Do they employ at least one full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist, and is that person formulating and testing the food I’m about to purchase? Can I see their name and credentials?
    • Do they own and operate their own manufacturing plants, and in doing so, do they have strict quality measures when it comes to product sourcing and the finished product?
    • Do they participate in and contribute to peer-reviewed research?
    • Do they utilize feeding trials and tests that substantiate their formulas in real life (not just on paper)? Were digestibility tests completed, or only palatability? Can I see the research results of those trials?

    See these questions in more detail below:

    https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Selecting-a-pet-food-for-your-pet-updated-2021_WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit.pdf

    As of this writing, only 5 companies can legitimately say they are following WSAVA Guidelines for animal nutrition, without fudging the words to make it look like they are: Purina, Hill’s, Iam’s, Eukanuba, and yes...Royal Canin!

    What are By Products in Pet food 3

    Royal Canin Giant Supplements

    This food contains taurine (for heart health), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Biotin, and Chondroitin sulfate among others.

    Chondroitin provides joint support, in addition to the fish oil in this dry dog food. Remember, natural joint support like this literally COMES from animal by-products!

    Chicken paws and cartilage are naturally rich in joint support, for example.

    These added vitamins and supplements help support energy needs, joints, skin health, eye health, and more.

    Antioxidants and trace minerals boost immune support.

    omega 7105acfb0b8053ecf181cfcb58ca10a5
    health and shine pump
    salmon 35a247dc9508e2792c4e216150c7e17e
    Our favorite Fish Oil for Great Danes: Health and Shine Salmon and Krill and Omega-3 Fish Oil. Use code HELLODANES10 for 10% off.

    Royal Canin Giant Adult Dog Ingredients List

    We’ve posted the actual list below. Here is a breakdown of what you’ll see in this food:

    Chicken By-Product Meal – as above this is a high-protein and nutrient-dense meal made up of biologically appropriate tissue, cartilage, bone, and organ.

    Chicken Fat – provides fats, proteins, and amino acids. Plus, it’s tasty! Dogs love it.

    Pea fiber, corn gluten meal, wheat, and dried plain beet pulp aid in digestion and the production of healthy stool. This combination of substances may be one reason so many Great Dane owners claim that this Royal Canin food eliminates chronic loose stools so quickly. These ingredients also provide additional amino acids and nutrients to help balance the food.

    Brewer’s rice is chipped or broken rice that was sifted out during regular rice production. It’s a great source of fiber and energy and a smart place for the manufacturer to lower costs, without compromising quality, so they can put more money into the meat meals.

    Brown rice provides additional linoleic acid, omega 6, and fiber for healthy digestion.

    I LOVE that Royal Canin Giant Adult has so many different forms of fiber: studies have shown that fiber reduces bloat risk. It also creates optimal stool quality; that’s a win-win.

    The balanced energy content from different forms of fiber-rich ingredients is just one reason why dogs fed Royal Canin will have great stools, shiny coats, incredible muscle development, and tons of energy.

    Fish oil provides additional omegas for skin, coat, and eye health. Natural flavors make this food even more palatable.

    The highly digestible proteins in quality, properly sourced, well-researched by-product meals are a key to this formulation.

    Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat, Brown Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat, Natural Flavors, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Pea Fiber, Wheat Gluten, Fish Oil, Vegetable Oil, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Choline Chloride, Vitamins [Dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Source Of Vitamin E), L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement], Trace Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Copper Proteinate], Taurine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Gla Safflower Oil, Marigold Extract (Tagetes Erecta L.), Magnesium Oxide, L-Carnitine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Rosemary Extract, Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid.

    5 Stars, HIGHLY recommend for giant breed dogs over 100lbs.

    63276 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530038530
    Feed until 8 months of age.
    63278 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1530030508
    Feed from 8-24 months of age.
    62058 MAIN. AC SL1200 V1592946427
    Adult formula from 24 months on.
  • Do Great Danes Need a Lot of Exercise?

    Do Great Danes Need a Lot of Exercise?

    Great Danes are often seen as couch potato dogs that don’t need a lot of exercise. This is a bit of a myth! Of course, every dog is different, so considering their age, health, and energy levels is key. But Great Danes can be a surprisingly athletic and agile dog!

    We believe in allowing Great Danes freedom to run, play, and explore. Too many people allow their big dogs to become obese, which can shorten their lifespan by two years on average. All too often we’ve noticed that obesity and the outdated belief that resting after meals will “prevent bloat” go hand in hand (read more about the resting myth here).

    The truth is that most Great Danes are not getting enough enrichment OR movement, and it’s causing health issues, anxiety, destructive behaviors, and boredom.

    Today we’re going to dig into this and discover:

    • How much exercise do Great Danes need
    • If Great Danes are a high energy dog or a couch potato
    • How to keep a Great Dane fit and healthy
    • Alleviating boredom, “stubbornness”, and destructive behaviors with exercise and enrichment
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    What is it Like to Live with a Great Dane?

    Great Danes are giant breed dogs that weigh anywhere from 120 to 200 pounds. They are one of the tallest breeds of dogs, and they are also one of the heaviest.

    Despite their large size, Great Danes are gentle giants who are known for being loving and affectionate with their families. Great Danes thrive on human interaction and many enjoy guests in your home and will happily meet people in public, too.

    Well-bred, well-trained, and properly socialized Great Danes are a joy to live with.

    It’s important to choose a reputable and dedicated Great Dane breeder, as aggression and fearful behavior have roots in genetics and unethical puppy-raising practices.

    Many Danes, unfortunately, suffer from anxiety and stress, which can also increase their risk of bloat.

    Make sure that your Great Dane is well-socialized and give your dog plenty of opportunities to build confidence and positive associations with the world.

    14

    Do Great Danes Need a Big House?

    Contrary to popular belief, Great Danes don’t need a huge house or yard! Unlike higher-energy working breeds (such as poodles or shepherds), many Great Danes have an excellent off-switch.

    This means that when they are provided with enough enrichment and exercise, they are perfectly content to lounge (so long as there is a couch with their name on it).

    The key word here, however, is enrichment.

    Even the calmest and most docile Dane can become destructive when bored, anxious, or under-stimulated.

    Many people believe that some toys, other pets, and a yard are enough. They are then surprised when their huge dog eats the house!

    All big dogs, but especially Great Danes who live in smaller homes or in homes with no yard benefit greatly from off-leash training.

    This will allow them natural freedom of movement and opportunities to explore the environment without frustrating physical restraints.

    You don’t need a big house, as long as you are willing to give your Great Dane access to the big world.

    Do Great Danes Need a Fenced Yard?

    A fenced yard is a wonderful thing to have, but we know that many people who live in apartments or in homes with no fencing would love to own a Great Dane!

    If you live in an apartment, we recommend that you get involved in some form of dog sports such as rally obedience, scent work, off-leash hiking, or even just basic obedience classes.

    This will give your dog the physical and mental stimulation that they need to be happy and well-adjusted.

    Are Great Danes High-Energy Dogs?

    There is a misconception that Great Danes are couch potatoes.

    Many Dane owners are surprised to find that their dog needs a good amount of exercise!

    While Great Danes are not as high-energy as some other breeds, they do need daily exercise to stay happy and healthy.

    Some dogs will respond to a lack of enrichment by becoming depressed and having low energy.

    Others will be difficult to control, noisy, and frustrating.

    A bored or under-enriched Great Dane can, AND WILL, destroy your home. That’s not fair to you or to the dog who felt the need to do it in the first place.

    Unlike a small herding dog, a Great Dane has large teeth and can eat entire couches, tear up the carpet, and shred drywall in a matter of minutes.

    Some people mistake these behaviors as ‘defiance’ or ‘spite’. The truth is that the dog is simply bored and needs an outlet for its energy.

    Providing your Great Dane with daily exercise, both mental and physical, is the best way to prevent them from becoming destructive.

    20

    Can Great Danes Stay Home Alone?

    Great Danes are not the best breed for people who work long hours or are gone frequently.

    Like all dogs, they require regular exercise, which may be difficult to provide if the schedule is too busy to provide much more than a few short walks.

    While they can stay home alone for short periods, they do much better in homes where someone is around more often. Great Danes thrive on social contact with humans and other dogs, so daily isolation can be hard on them.

    If you work long hours or are gone frequently, we recommend that you get a dog walker to let them out and make sure to set aside plenty of time in the morning or evening to let them get some exercise. You can also use a FURBO (see our review here) to monitor them on video and toss treats at them when you aren’t home!

    One important note to keep in mind: too much crate time can make Great Danes unstable and weak.

    Make sure that your dog can move freely often and has the opportunity to experience off-leash freedom outdoors.

    This will keep their muscles and tendons strong.

    If you must leave your Great Dane for long periods, make sure they are receiving plenty of enrichment when you are home.

    A confident, properly exercised dog will likely sleep while you are gone all day!

    How Much Exercise do Great Danes Need?

    Joint health and muscle development are key considerations when exercising your Great Dane.

    Young puppies have soft growth plates that are easily damaged by slick floors, pavement, forced running, and jumping.

    Panosteitis, HOD, Knuckling, and Angular Limb Deformity are just some orthopedic disorders that can result from damage to the limbs.

    Older dogs, especially those fed incorrect nutrition as puppies, that are genetically prone to things such as flat feet or hip dysplasia, or that are overweight, will need additional special care regarding movement and exercise.

    Read on to learn more about Great Dane enrichment and exercise!

    Great Dane Puppies Exercise

    We recommend that the majority of enrichment your puppy receives comes from off-leash play and positive socialization.

    Walks are, quite frankly, overrated! A growing puppy does not make a great running partner, either.

    Large breeds (and giants especially) should be fully mature before engaging in running or long walks on pavement.

    Our socialization guide covers several activities that build strength and confidence, including fun puppy playgrounds, exploration, and early training tips. We’ve included alternatives to traditional ‘walks’ that are more fun, engaging, and enriching!

    Many people believe that their puppy should “go on walks”, but we don’t consider that an important form of exercise for most dogs, especially Dane puppies.

    Walks, if used, should be for socialization and training purposes, or to get from point a to point b. Good leash skills are important and all Great Danes must be taught to walk politely from a young age.

    However, a daily walk is the most over-rated form of exercise we can think of. Walking on pavement does little for muscle development and mental enrichment, especially when you compare this activity to a more natural form of exercise (off-leash exploration).

    Puppies need a LOT of sleep. Make sure your Great Dane puppy is resting and napping often. When your puppy is awake, work on socialization and basic positive reinforcement training!

    The more time you can spend exposing your puppy to different textures, sights, and sounds, the better.

    15 minutes in a small kiddie pool filled with some water and floating toys is much better enrichment for a puppy than a walk.

    As above, keep in mind that your puppies’ joints require care. Avoid slick floors, jumping, and excessive playing or running on asphalt and pavement.

    Health problems related to joints are a common problem with Great Danes, and a little care when they are young will go a long ways!

    Crates are important for keeping your Great Dane safe when it has to be left alone, however, too much crate time can lead to weak feet and poor development.

    The BEST Huge Crates for Great Danes 2022

    Keep this in mind when evaluating if a Great Dane puppy is the right fit for your family.

    You can provide a secure area with a lot of space for your puppy to move (such as an empty room) as an alternative to excessive crate times, and hire a dog walker to help.

    We recommend limiting crate time to no more than one hour per month of life, and no more than 8 hours from 8 months of age up.

    For proper bone development, it’s also important that your Great Dane puppy is being fed an appropriate large or giant breed puppy food.

    This will ensure that their bones and muscles are receiving the correct balance of nutrients to thrive. See our most popular nutrition articles below for more information!

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    Great Dane adult exercise

    Adult Great Danes should receive at least 30 minutes of off-leash exercise per day.

    This can be in the form of swimming, playing with another dog friend, or going for a hike.

    They should also receive at least 30 minutes of enrichment. These can be things such as obedience training, food puzzles, trick training, or visiting a novel place.

    Short on time? Use the food puzzles during meal times!

    If you have more time and your giant dog is well-trained, visit a brewery!

    If training issues are a problem, enroll in a weekly obedience class with a positive reinforcement balanced dog trainer and work towards a Canine Good Citizen Title.

    Many people believe that Great Danes should be lazy and slow because of their giant size. This is a common misconception of the breed that simply isn’t true. Great Dane dogs should be lean, athletic, and fit.

    A well-kept, healthy-weight Great Dane will be muscular, agile, shiny, energetic, friendly, confident, and healthy. Not slow, cumbersome, heavy, or weak. Giant dogs can do incredible things when we keep them fit!

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    What happens when dogs don’t get enough exercise?

    Danes that do not get enough exercise are often destructive, anxious, and difficult. They can also suffer from health problems such as weakness and flat feet, resulting from a lack of muscle development and unrestricted movement.v

    Some dogs need more than just 30 minutes, too!

    All of that pent-up energy has to go somewhere, and chances are that you are not going to like where your big dog puts that energy. (Goodbye, couch!).

    We say this often and we will say it again; for most dogs, a daily leashed walk and some toys are just not enough.

    Think about how many dogs lived before vast urban environments and busy suburban lifestyles became normal.

    They were free to run, play, nap, explore and sniff around. Many of them were never on a leash. A lot of dogs worked by chasing rats, herding livestock, retrieving things, or hunting.

    Dogs would run, play in the water, pick up sticks, nap in the grass, and then run some more. Aggression and anxiety were minimal at best.

    Destructive, anxious, frustrated, reactive, and difficult dogs are a modern concept that has come with the belief that dogs should stay indoors most of the day and live their life restrained by leashes, harnesses, and collars.

    Modern dogs are all too often coddled, humanized, and isolated.

    We all want to spoil and love on our pets, but we should never forget that they are still, in fact, dogs.

    We believe that whenever possible, dogs need to be able to run and play freely without being restricted by a leash. This is how they relieve stress, build confidence, and stay mentally and physically fit.

    Not to mention the fact that Great Danes are prone to several orthopedic health issues, which can be made worse by the overuse of physical restraint. This is especially true when relying heavily on training tools such as front-clip harnesses or head collars.

    All dogs must learn to walk politely on a leash, however, given the chance, being off-leash as much as possible is a much more humane and healthy choice.

    Off-leash training comes with responsibility, though! You should only let your Dane off-leash if they have excellent recall, an appropriate temperament, and only in places where doing so is safe, appropriate, and legal.

    Prioritize this training. We recommend E-Collar training for all Great Danes. If your Dane cannot be off-leash or is dangerous to people or dogs, work with a trainer! They may be able to help.

    If you live in an urban area, many dog parks provide a great opportunity for your friendly and social Great Dane to play and move.

    We are covering dog parks in more depth below; they can be good OR bad, depending on the situation!

    How do I Keep my Great Dane Healthy?

    Great Danes are prone to several health issues that can shorten their lifespan.

    Some of these issues are genetic, and some are environmental. Unfortunately, because Great Danes are so unusually large, they are more susceptible to environmental factors than other dogs.

    Great Dane joint health

    Great Danes grow extremely fast as puppies. The wrong nutrition and too much of the wrong kind of exercise can do a number on their joint health, which will affect them into adulthood.

    Not only that but Great Danes are plagued by unethical breeders who are carelessly passing on structural faults, which are damaging and painful to our gentle giants.

    Roached backs, weak hips, cow hocks, dysplasia, flat feet, and poor angulation all play a role in how a Great Dane moves and functions in its body.

    Dogs with poor structure will especially benefit from strength-building and natural movement on soft, varied terrain.

    Make sure you are choosing diligent breeders who are proving their dog’s structure before breeding them.

    Good nutrition will contain natural joint support (such as glucosamine chondroitin) from cartilage (look for a meat meal and/or a meat by-product meal in your pet food).

    Great Dane weight

    Keeping your dog at a healthy body weight is one of the most important things you can do to keep them healthy!

    Great Danes are especially prone to obesity, which puts a lot of strain on their joints and internal organs.

    On average, dogs that are kept lean and fit will live 2 years longer than if they are allowed to become overweight!

    You should be able to feel your dog’s ribs without too much effort. If you can’t, they are likely overweight and could benefit from a change in diet and an increase in exercise.

    Obesity in Great Danes can lead to heart problems, diabetes, arthritis, and more.

    Great Dane nutrition and food

    Nutrition plays a key role in the health of any dog, but it’s especially important for Great Danes.

    As we mentioned before, they grow very quickly and their bones and joints are under a lot of strain. Young dogs are particularly susceptible to joint injury, bone growth problems, and the development of health problems such as brittle bones and knuckling.

    A diet that is too high in calcium or not balanced correctly can cause problems down the road. Your dog’s diet can greatly impact their health, and the best foods for Great Danes may not be what you think!

    DCM (heart failure) is a problem associated with poorly formulated and poorly researched foods.

    Many pet foods have excellent marketing departments but have people with questionable credentials formulating the food that your dog eats every single day. They market these foods with unregulated terms such as ‘holistic’, ‘human grade’, and ‘super-premium’.

    We recommend feeding your Great Dane the following brands (see our list below, all are clickable).

    Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.

    Nothing else compares when it comes to research, science, nutrition, quality, and dedication to correct formulations.

    Puppies, including giant breeds such as Danes, should receive puppy foods until 18-24 months. Use manufacturer guidelines and the recommendation of your veterinarian as a guide for this.

    What are the Best Forms of Exercise for Great Danes?

    Not all exercise is created equal! Here are some of the best ways to provide movement and enrichment to your dog.

    Off-Leash Enrichment and Free-Play

    As above, we believe that off-leash enrichment and free play are ideal activities for Great Danes.

    Use a long leash until your dog has a rock-solid recall, and be mindful of when and where you let your dog off-leash (especially if there are children, wildlife, or traffic nearby).

    E-Collar training is a gentle and positive way to ditch the leash! The sensation from an e-collar replaces leash pressure, and dogs respond enthusiastically to this communication.

    If you want to learn more about getting your dog off the leash once and for all, our famous Great Dane E-Collar Training Guide will get you, and your dog, off to a fantastic start!

    Puzzles & brain games

    Slow eating is an excellent way to reduce bloat risk in Great Danes. Bloat is a deadly condition and dogs who eat quickly are at a higher risk of experiencing it.

    Puzzle feeders and slow feeders are a great way to turn mealtime into enrichment time!

    Your dog will have to use their brain to figure out how to get the food out of the toy, and they’ll be getting a little bit of exercise in the process. Here are some of our favorites!

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    Topple Treat Toy
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    Are Dog Parks Good?

    Dog parks are not for every dog, and they are not always good.

    It depends on the individual dog, the other dogs at the park, the type of park, and how well-supervised the play is.

    We never want to see a bunch of overwhelmed, over-excited dogs in a small boring fenced area with owners who aren’t paying attention.

    The best dog parks are large (multiple acres), have varied terrain (including hills and different textures such as water, grass, sand, gravel, wood, etc.), and the dogs there can easily choose to interact with or avoid other dogs.

    When taking your dog to a dog park, evaluate whether or not your dog has the temperament for it. Dogs that are fearful, nippy, pushy, or aggressive need to be working with a trainer, not visiting the dog park.

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    Training your Great Dane

    Dog training classes are a fun way to provide enrichment for you and your dog! Obedience classes don’t have to stop with Puppy Class 101 graduation.

    Many great trainers offer weekly drop-in classes where you can work on your Canine Good Citizen title, scent work, confidence building, and more.

    As a Great Dane owner, you must be willing to put the time into training.

    A Great Dane is such a large dog that pulling, nipping, running away, fence hopping, and jumping on guests can be dangerous.

    Attending training classes is a solid win-win for both enrichment and sanity reasons!

  • Angular Limb Deformity in Great Danes

    Angular Limb Deformity in Great Danes

    If you are the owner of a Great Dane, it is important that you are aware of angular limb deformity. Many people mistake this more serious conditioning with simple knuckling in puppies!

    Angular limb deformities result in deformed bones that can cause your dog pain and mobility problems. It may require surgery to correct.

    In this article, we will discuss what angular limb deformity is, the difference between ALD and knuckling, how to spot it in your dog, and what treatment options are available.

    Angular Limb Deformity in Great Danes

    What does Angular Limb Deformity Look Like?

    Angular limb deformity can be mild or severe and may present itself in one or both legs. The signs of ALD include:

    * Lameness or stiffness in the affected limb

    * Pain

    * Muscle wasting

    * A flat foot or feet that turn out away from the body

    * Weak pasterns or ankles

    * Joint deformity

    * Crooked, bent or deformed feet and ankles

    A dog with more advanced ALD may walk with a floppy, turned-out foot that faces outward

    ALD is not to be mistaken with knuckling or Queen Anne (“Ballet”) feet.

    This Great Dane below has a severe case of Angular Limb Deformity.

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    SOURCE: https://www.animalsurgicalcenter.com/angular-limb-deformity-of-the-forelimb

    Why are my dog’s legs bowed?

    A dog’s legs can be bowed for a number of reasons, including Carpal Valgus or knuckling, Angular Limb deformity, poor nutrition, neglect, injury, birth defects, or congenital disorders.

    If you notice anything unusual about your dog’s feet or limbs, especially while they are growing, it’s important to take them to the vet for an evaluation.

    Dogs are exceptionally good at hiding pain, so don’t take ‘acting normal’ as a sign that your dog is ok. A dog with an affected limb may or may not limp.

    Angular limb deformity, also known as ALD or Angular Stance Deformity, is a condition that causes the bones in a dog’s legs to grow at abnormal angles.

    This can cause pain, lameness, and mobility problems.

    ALD will often present initially as mild changes to the foot and ankle that may be mistaken for other things, such as knuckling.

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    Can a dog live with Angular Limb Deformity?

    While a dog can live, move and even play with any number of odd conditions, Angular Limb Deformity should be evaluated by a board-certified veterinary orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible.

    Many times, the deformity can be corrected surgically. The earlier the surgery is performed, the better the outcome for your dog.

    Left untreated, Angular Limb Deformity can cause your dog a great deal of pain and will likely lead to arthritis later in life.

    Your dog will walk with an altered gait, which can be hard on the healthier or more normal joints.

    Severe deformities will eventually make it hard for your dog to walk at all.

    gr5 lrg
    Source: https://www.vetsmall.theclinics.com/article/S0195-5616%2820%2930127-3/fulltext

    Types of Bowed Legs in Dogs

    In order to better understand angular limb deformity, it is important to first understand the different types of bowed legs in dogs.

    We will cover knuckling, HOD, Panosteitis, Angular Limb Deformity, genetics, birth disorders, OCD, and more.

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    Get a FREE Jolly Ball with the purchase of a Big Barker bed.

    Knuckling in puppies

    Knuckling is a condition most often seen in large and giant breed puppies during their rapid growth phase.

    A puppy that is knuckling will have feet that appear to bow out, up and over the top of the toes. This is caused by nutritional deficiencies but also may be the result of weak muscles and tendons in the feet.

    Correct nutrition and strengthening the feet with gentle forms of exercise on soft surfaces can help puppies recover from knuckling.

    Appropriate nutrition is also required. Large and giant breed dogs need correctly balanced large or giant breed puppy food.

    Should I Feed Puppy or Adult Food to my Dog?

    The HELLO DANES Puppy Knuckling Resource Page

    Nutrition for Large + Giant Breed Puppies

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    This is a Great Dane puppy that is knuckling. This is a treatable condition that doesn’t require surgery and is NOT the same thing as angular limb deformity. Source: The Great Dane Lady. Read more about knuckling HERE.

    HOD or Panosteitis

    HOD or Panosteitis is a disease of the long bones that causes lameness and pain. It is seen most often in large and giant breed dogs between the ages of four and fourteen months old. A dog with HOD may limp and act painful.

    The cause of HOD is unknown but it may be related to rapid growth, genetics, or nutrition.

    Panosteitis (also known as growing pains) can also result in pain, lameness, and swelling.

    Both often present with limbs that look ‘off’.

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    Off Leash and Out of Control: Funny Stories

    Angular Limb Deformity

    Angular limb deformity (ALD) is the purpose of our article today. ALD is believed to be caused by damage to the immature growth plates and may be made worse by incorrect nutrition.

    Many people think that their dog with Angular Limb Deformity is simply knuckling. A dog with ALD needs PROMPT treatment, as this condition cannot likely be fixed by nutrition alone.

    We will dive into this condition more throughout this article.

    Genetic Crooked Limbs

    Some dogs just have crooked feet. If a breeder is not paying close attention to the structure of the dogs that they are breeding, they will pass these genes onto the puppies.

    Queen Anne or “Ballet” feet are often seen in Dachshunds and Basset Hounds. These dogs have a genetic predisposition for this condition and it is not painful.

    Other dogs who should have correct limbs will present with turned-out feet (sometimes called ‘Easty-Westy’), flat splayed toes, or chronically weak pasterns: these genetic conditions can be painful or damaging and should not be passed on through a pedigree.

    Birth & Congenital Defects

    Birth defects and congenital (genetic) disorders can cause limbs to be deformed in puppies. These deformities can be mild or severe and may affect one or more limbs.

    Some congenital disorders that may cause crooked legs to include:

    * Osteochondrodysplasia (OCD) – a disorder that affects the growth of bones and cartilage

    * Elbow dysplasia – a condition that causes the bones in the elbow joint to grow abnormally

    * Hip dysplasia – a condition that causes the bones in the hip joint to grow abnormally

    * Patellar Luxation – a condition that causes the kneecap to slip out of place

    If you suspect your puppy has a congenital disorder, it is important to take them to the vet for an evaluation.

    Surgical treatment may be indicated to reduce pain and improve the quality of life.

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    A giant breed puppy with bad feet, likely a combination of poor genetics, nutrition, exercise, and possibly growth plate damage.
    Source: https://m.facebook.com/greatdanerescueinc/photos/helen-williams-askedhi-my-6-month-old-dane-has-the-strangest-feet-but-only-the-f/10152068849680756/

    What Causes Angular Limb Deformity?

    There are several reasons why a dog may develop a limb deformity, including injury, genetics, incorrect nutrition, and rapid growth.

    We will cover them in more depth below.

    Growth Plate Injuries in Dogs

    Young puppies have very delicate growth plates in both the front and hind limbs. These are areas of cartilage near the ends of the long bones that turn into bone as the puppy grows.

    Growth plate injury is a leading cause of angular limb deformities in dogs, especially in dogs with significant remaining growth potential.

    If these growth plates are damaged, it can cause the bone to grow at an abnormal angle. This can happen if the puppy has a fall, is hit by a car, or sustained any other type of trauma.

    For some puppies, jumping or sliding on slick floors is enough to cause damage to this sensitive area. In other words, a traumatic injury is not necessarily required to cause enough damage.

    To protect the growth plates, we do not recommend letting your puppy play excessively on concrete, asphalt, hardwood, or tile floors until they are fully grown and their bones are no longer at risk for injury.

    Additionally, growing puppies should never be subjected to on-leash running, treadmills, or forced exercise on hard surfaces (including the pavement) until they are fully grown.

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    A boxer with angular limb deformities in both front limbs. Source: https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/image-gallery-angular-deformities

    Nutrition Concerns in Large and Giant Breed Dogs

    Nutrition plays a key role in your dog’s health, especially when it comes to puppies who are rapidly growing.

    Poor nutrition can ultimately lead to an angular limb deformity and bowed limbs.

    Large and Giant Breed dogs have different nutritional needs than smaller breeds. They need precisely balanced calcium and phosphorus ratios, as well as the correct levels of amino acids, nutrients, and fats.

    Puppies who grow too quickly are at risk of developing joint problems and limb deformities, including ALD. We see this often in the Great Dane community.

    Current research indicates that dogs who will be 70+ lbs as an adult (including giant breed dogs such as Great Danes) should be fed an age-appropriate large (or giant, if available) breed puppy formula.

    These foods have now been formulated correctly for slow, even bone growth, while still providing the dog with enough nutrition to support building muscle and nice, tight feet.

    It’s important to choose a food with Meat meal and meat by-product meals as the first ingredients. These are high-quality protein sources that contain biologically appropriate meat, bone, and organ.

    If you are unsure about what type of food to feed your large or giant breed puppy, we recommend speaking to your veterinarian and referencing our articles on nutrition.

    The addition of supplements, toppers, and training treats can throw off the balance of these nutrients, so keep that in mind as you are building your dog’s food bowl!

    What is WSAVA Dog Food?

    What are the Best Foods for Giant Breed Puppies?

    How do I choose Dog Food when Looking at the Ingredients?

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    Side view of angular limb deformity. You can see the bowed radius bone. Source: https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/orthopaedic/angular-limb-deformity/

    How is Angular Limb Deformity Treated

    Getting a diagnosis of Angular Limb Deformity can be devastating, however, it’s important to take action quickly.

    In growing dogs, Angular Limb Deformity can be progressive, and the sooner you take care of it, the better.

    Depending on the complexity of surgical correction required, your dog may need to be on crate rest for weeks at a time. Restricting movement while bone healing and fusion of the bone plates take place is important.

    We recommend preparing yourself financially and emotionally for this.

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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    Understanding Limb Anatomy

    There are two bones inside the front limbs of your dog. The Ulna, and the Radius.

    The radius is the large weight-bearing bone. This bone is often the one that becomes deformed.

    The ulna may have stopped growing (as a result of growth plate damage) and will restrict the radius from growing normally.

    Orthopedic Surgery Options

    There are three types of surgery offered for dogs suffering from angular deformity. The earlier it’s caught and diagnosed, the better, especially in growing puppies.

    Any visible limb deformity should be evaluated by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.

    First, the surgeon will rule out other causes of bowed legs. Radiographs will be used to confirm if the deformed bones are in fact Angular Limb Deformity.

    They will also evaluate how much further growth is expected, before making a recommendation. A severe deformity may result in the recommendation to amputate, rather than attempt to fix the bones of the affected forelimb.

    The four types of surgical correction for limb deformities include Ulnar Ostectomy, Osteotomy, Arthrodesis, and Amputation. Read more about each option below.

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    A puppy with early Angular Limb Deformity, treated with Ulnar Ostectomy. SOURCE: https://www.vetlexicon.com/treat/canis/technique/osteotomy-distal-ulnar-ostectomy

    Ulnar Ostectomy

    This is the most common type of surgery and is recommended for puppies under one year of age, especially for dogs that have significant remaining growth potential in the affected and normal limbs.

    This procedure involves cutting and removing a portion of the deformed bone (the ulna) in the forearm or affected joint.

    The radius is then allowed to rotate into its new position as the puppy finishes growing.

    With this option, the ulna bone will be ‘free-floating’ from that point forward, and can no longer restrict the growth of the radius bone as it was before.

    Compared to other options, this is the least-invasive choice.

    However, it will be ineffective if the puppy is nearly fully grown.

    With the Ulnar Ostectomy, time is of the essence.

    Some dogs who undergo this procedure will still have a valgus deformity and may need additional surgeries.

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    Ulnar Ostectomy for Angular Limb Deformity. Source: https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/orthopedics/juvenile-orthopedic-disease-in-dogs-catspart-2-congenital-neonatal-orthopedic-diseases/

    Osteotomy

    This orthopedic surgery involves cutting, realigning, resetting, and pinning the bone. Metal plates and screws are commonly used to connect bone segments and joints adjacent to the deformity.

    Corrective osteotomy is a more involved surgery, but it often results in a better long-term outcome for your dog.

    This type of surgery is recommended for dogs over one year of age and may be necessary if the Ulnar Ostectomy (the cutting of the ulna bone) performed previously didn’t provide satisfactory results.

    Many surgeons will place an external skeletal fixation device following the procedure. These look scary and can be alarming to pet parents, but will help with stabilizing the bone while it heals from surgery.

    An external skeletal fixator is similar to a cast in how it functions, while still allowing the skin to breathe and heal. It is removed once the bones have fully set.

    It is not uncommon for dogs with ALD to need both surgeries in the journey to restore acceptable limb function, especially for those with more severe deformities. The adjacent joints may also undergo arthrodesis (see below).

    Expect your dog to need 6-8 weeks or more of crate rest, followed by physical therapy.

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    Angular Limb Deformity Osteotomy Treatment. Source: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Correction-of-antebrachial-angulation%E2%80%90rotation-in-Franklin-Dover/300fc2fe7a7aac898948386e99a9805b3f6620b0

    Arthrodesis

    This is a newer technique that fuses the bones together using bone grafts in the affected forelimb.

    Many orthopedic surgeons will choose to pair Osteotomy with Arthrodesis.

    While this option may ultimately restrict some movement of the bones and joints, it can also provide a lifetime of support and pain-free living for a dog with angular deformities.

    No matter which type of surgery your dog needs, it’s important to discuss all pros and cons with a board-certified Veterinary Orthopedic Surgeon.

    The opposite limb can be affected in some ways, too, because of how angular limb deformities affect gait and movement.

    Orthopedic limb-sparing surgery of any kind will require diligent crate rest and low activity for several weeks.

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    A German Shepherd with Angular Limb Deformity. Source: https://www.ndsr.co.uk/specialist-referral-service/pet-health-information/orthopaedic-surgery/limb-deformity

    Amputation

    For some dogs with a severe deformity, or dogs with small, weak or brittle bones, amputation may be advised.

    This is considered a last-resort effort as it will permanently remove the use of the affected limb.

    Dogs typically do very well on three legs and can lead long, happy lives, however!

    Unlike the other orthopedic surgeries mentioned above, amputation has a relatively short recovery time.

    It will only require crate rest for 10-14 days while the sutures heal, followed by physical therapy so your dog can build strength and balance in the remaining limbs.

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    A three-legged Great Dane

    Living with Angular Limb Deformities

    A dog that has an Angular Limb Deformity, whether it has been amputated, surgically corrected, or not treated at all, will have special considerations when it comes to joint care, diet, and body condition.

    Nutrition Support for Angular Limb Deformity

    Dogs who have angular limb deformities will benefit from a correctly balanced diet.

    It may be tempting to seek out holistic and natural alternatives such as home cooking, however, we advise doing so with caution.

    Home-cooked diets are rarely if ever balanced correctly. They are dangerous at best.

    A dog with any kind of orthopedic issue or limb deformity, especially while growing, needs a scientifically-backed balance of calcium, phosphorus, fats, and amino acids to support bone growth and healing.

    It’s important to note that many ‘super-premium’ boutique dog foods that you find in the pet store or online are formulated by people with nominal, if any, nutrition or veterinary credentials. They often use ingredient splitting to trick you and may make things worse for your dog.

    Make sure you are choosing dry kibble food that is formulated by veterinary nutritionists. The food you choose should have also been subjected to legitimate research and feeding trials.

    We recommend choosing a kibble that is appropriate for your dog’s size and age and then using toppers (see below) to add fresh and whole foods nutrition.

    Appropriate toppers for dog foods include:

    Professionally balanced raw food

    Dr. Harvey’s

    Olewo Carrots

    Olewo Beets

    Fresh fruit or veggies such as blueberries, green beans, spinach or shredded apples

    Fish oil

    Bone Broth (unsalted)

    Make sure that toppers comprise 10% or less of your dog’s overall food intake when choosing unbalanced options such as fruit and veggies (which can fill your dog up and make them less interested in their balanced nutrition). Don’t overdo fish oil or bone broth. Less is more!

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    Our favorite Fish Oil for Great Danes: Health and Shine Salmon and Krill and Omega-3 Fish Oil. Use code HELLODANES10 for 10% off.

    Conditioning for dogs with Angular Limb Deformities

    It is extremely important to keep a dog with any kind of limb deformity strong and lean.

    Extra weight puts unnecessary stress on joints, ligaments, and bones and can worsen the effects of angular limb deformity.

    We recommend a combination of moderate exercise and a correctly balanced diet to help your dog maintain an ideal body condition.

    The safest and most natural form of movement for a dog will be off-leash on soft, varied outdoor terrain.

    For this reason, we recommend that all dogs are E-Collar trained so they can benefit from unrestricted movement and enrichment.

    The soft, varied terrain will keep their muscles and feet strong, without causing additional damage to the joints.

    Pavement, pulling, harnesses, head collars, hard surfaces, jumping, and sliding around can be painful and damaging to dogs with healthy joints.

    Therefore, dogs with any kind of deformity or orthopedic challenge will require additional attention to their joint and muscle health and should be allowed to move as naturally as possible.

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    How to get started using an e collar

    Joint Support for dogs with Angular Limb Deformity

    Dogs with Angular Limb Deformity often require joint supplements and pain medication to help them stay comfortable.

    Your veterinarian or orthopedic surgeon may prescribe muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, pain medications, and joint support.

    If you choose a correctly balanced kibble with meat meal and meat by-product meal in the ingredients, Glucosamine (a joint support supplement that is naturally occurring in nutritious by-products such as chicken feet, tracheas, and cartilage) should already be naturally included in the diet.

    We also recommend the following products, however, be careful not to overdo it! Too much joint support can actually be detrimental.

    Green Lipped Mussel

    Esther C

    Fish Oil

    Talk to your veterinarian about an appropriate diet and supplements for your dog.

    My Story of Angular Limb Deformity

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    We have a small terrier who, at 14 weeks of age had a very tiny ‘greenstick’ fracture in his front limb.

    The injury was very mild and required a cast and crate rest. Our veterinarian said it was fairly common and not concerning.

    His final x-ray showed that he had healed perfectly, and there was no apparent damage left. It was as if it had never happened!

    After having been in a cast, however, his leg was pretty weak. Our veterinarian said this was normal and that it would quickly become stronger as he was able to move, play and be a puppy.

    Two days after his cast was removed, we attended (with veterinary permission) a puppy 101 training class.

    The instructor, who promoted herself as a ‘positive’ dog trainer, didn’t like how he was getting excited and biting his leash.

    To fix it, she spun his collar around her finger until he was choking. Then she grabbed his scruff in the same hand, picked him up off the ground, shook him, and then slammed him onto a concrete floor. She held him there until he stopped screaming.

    Doing this, she caused irreparable damage to his soft growth plate and to the tendons in his leg, which just days before had been considered healed. Her training method is a form of abuse.

    How to Find & Choose an Ethical Dog Trainer

    Within weeks, he began to show signs of Angular Limb Deformity. I had to advocate for him; I didn’t know what ALD was but I knew something was wrong with the foot. His symptoms were very mild at first. By the time he was 6 months of age, I was alarmed.

    We saw three different veterinarians in our journey to find out what was happening.

    What started as a very mild deformity quickly become worse, almost overnight.

    At that point, we were referred to an orthopedic surgeon, who diagnosed him with Angular Limb Deformity. He said that his tendons had also likely been stretched beyond repair by the dog trainer.

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    Which training methods are cruel, and which are not?

    He was a candidate for Orthopedic Osteotomy (plates and screws) paired with Arthrodesis (bone fusion) to support the tendons in his foot.

    We were told that because his bones were so small, there was a 40% chance these surgeries would fail, leading us to additional surgeries or amputation.

    The estimated costs were running upwards of $8000-$10,000, and we were prepped to anticipate 6-8 months of crate rest and rehabilitation if we wanted our best chance at success.

    We we also told that the risks associated with orthopedic surgery included bone fractures, cold intolerance (in the affected limb), and early onset arthritis.

    Jackson was also a candidate for amputation of his affected limb.

    He is an extremely agile and athletic dog; for this reason, we chose (under the advisement of both our veterinarian and our orthopedic surgeon) amputation.

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    This isn’t the correct choice for all dogs, but it was for ours.

    He is fast, strong, fit, balanced, and incredibly happy. Amputating his painful, damaged leg was a gift.

    If you are facing an angular limb deformity diagnosis, don’t be afraid to ask questions and advocate for your pet!

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  • Is Large Breed Dog Food Necessary?

    Is Large Breed Dog Food Necessary?

    Providing balanced nutrition for our large canine companions is a topic close to the hearts of many pet owners. The question often arises: Is opting for specialized large-breed dog food a necessity, or can regular dog diets meet the needs of our large and giant breed dogs?

    In this discussion, we’ll navigate the unique nutritional requirements of large breeds, weighing the advantages of tailored food formulations and considering alternative dietary approaches.

    A few topics we will discuss:

    • Is large breed dog food a marketing gimmick
    • How large breed dog food is different than regular food
    • The nutritional requirements of large and giant breed dogs
    • The best foods for big dogs
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    Large Dog Nutrition 101

    As if choosing dog food wasn’t confusing enough, the truth is that large and giant dogs such as shepherds, Great Danes, and mastiffs have much different nutritional needs than a chihuahua.

    Large and giant formulated dog foods provide necessary and important nutrition that will support healthy growth, healthy joints, and energy for big dogs.

    What is the difference between large-breed dog food and regular dog food?

    A properly formulated large-breed dog formula will have a few key differences when compared to standard adult maintenance or regular puppy formulas.

    The first, and most important difference is the calcium to phosphorus ratio.

    This ratio is very important in growing large and giant breed puppies as it helps control the rate of skeletal growth.

    If this ratio is too high, rapid growth can cause growth deformities and pain from knuckling or panosteitis (growing pains).

    Nutrition for a growing puppy (especially a super-sized one) is a key consideration when it comes to preventing environmental hip dysplasia, poor muscle development, and other orthopedic disorders that are common in big dogs.

    Not to scare you here, but choosing the wrong food can be detrimental to muscle growth and the development of healthy bones.

    What is Knuckling in Puppies?
    Puppy Growing Pains: Does Nutrition Cause it?

    IMG 0416

    IS GRAIN-FREE FOOD DANGEROUS?

    Read more here ↗

    Is large breed dog food needed?

    Large and giant breed dog foods that are well-researched and formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists (DACVN) will also have the correct levels of fat and protein to support their size and energy needs.

    Many will also have added nutrients and supplements for gut health, joint support, and healthy skin such as additional vitamin d, DHA, EPA, Glucosamine, taurine, and the correct balance of fatty acids.

    Small breed dogs do not have the same needs; their bodies grow and burn energy in different ways.

    In other words, choosing an ‘all-life stages’ or ‘all-sizes’ dog food is like trying to fit your entire family into the same pair of one-size-fits-all pajamas – it might work, but is it ideal?

    The best way to ensure that your large or giant breed dog is getting the nutrition he or she needs in its food bowl is to feed a food that has been specifically formulated for its size, age, and activity level.

    9 Things All Puppy Owners Need

    Great Dane Puppy Growth Chart

    photography of three dogs looking up

    Can I feed large breed dog food to a small dog?

    While smaller dogs could eat foods that were formulated for bigger dogs, doing so long-term could be detrimental to their health.

    Small breed dogs have different nutritional needs that should be addressed with a scientifically formulated food that was designed to meet their specific requirements.

    We should also mention that large and giant breed kibbles are often larger in size, which could make it difficult, frustrating or even painful for smaller breeds to chew up.

    Lastly, small dogs typically have a higher metabolism and need more calories per pound than their larger counterparts.

    What is Hypocalcemia in Dogs?

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    Is grain-free dog food good for large breed dogs?

    Grain-free kibble is often marketed as being a healthier, more natural option.

    However, there is no evidence that grain-free diets are any better for dogs than those that contain grains.

    As a matter of fact, grain-free and boutique dog foods are tied to a significant increase in nutritional DCM heart failure, likely because many formulas are unbalanced and often heavy in peas and legumes.

    Nutritional DCM causes sudden congestive heart failure in dogs who often appear robust, shiny, and healthy just moments before their death. Dogs with undiagnosed nutritional DCM are a ticking time bomb.

    While many large and giant dogs may be prone to this condition for genetic reasons, incorrect nutrition is also to blame.

    You should never feed a grain-free or boutique kibble diet to your Great Dane or any other large or giant breed dog.

    Read about this dirty pet food trick

    Does Grain-Free Food Cause Heart Failure?

    What is DCM in Dogs?

    19 1

    Should I Feed My Great Dane Puppy or Adult Food?

    Understanding Dog Food Labels

    It’s important to understand that not all foods are created the same.

    Understanding this can help you simplify your search for the best nutrition for your pet.

    Many dog foods are created from a computer algorithm, created to meet nutritional minimums on paper and look appealing to the buyer.

    Occasionally, somebody with moderate nutrition credentials may help with the formulation, or a veterinary nutritionist may be commissioned temporarily to sign off on the food (indicating that it meets the basic legal nutrition requirements).

    These foods are sold at a premium price with eye-catching ‘natural’ and ‘holistic’ marketing. They often include ingredients such as squash, blueberries, and deboned meats.

    These things sound appealing to the consumer and will drive sales, but often have very little to do with your pet’s health.

    This can make it difficult and confusing for consumers to know how to choose a healthy balanced diet for their pets, especially when we consider the fact that 300-400 new premium boutique food brands hit the market every year!

    When you read labels and look at the ingredients in a bag of dog food, you must look past the marketing.

    “Holistic”, “super-premium” and “human grade” are unregulated terms that have no legal definition.

    Read on below to learn more about how to choose a dog food that was formulated correctly and ethically for your pet’s health and well-being!

    What is the WSAVA, and are they biased?

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    Is Your Dog a Picky Eater? Read Here for Tips

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    The Olly Backcountry treat pouch for Great Danes
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    The Olly smaller treat pouch

    Is the Dog Food Advisor a good source of information?

    The Dog Food Advisor is a click-bait affiliate income blog run by a human dentist. Take that for what it’s worth.

    Your veterinarian (and the board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists and journals that they get their information from) will be a much better source of nutrition information for your pet.

    We have made a conscious effort on our blog to be science-based when it comes to health and nutrition. However, you should still talk to your veterinarian.

    Many ‘highly rated’ foods on Dog Food Advisor were scientifically proven to be associated with multiple cases of nutritional DCM; a condition that can often be reversed in dogs that are put on a different diet.

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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    Large Breed Puppy Food

    Large breed puppy food will be formulated with the correct levels of energy and nutrients to support proper growth and muscle development.

    Unlike adult dogs, puppies need more nutrition. However, it’s important to not overdo it! Don’t overfeed your puppy.

    Most importantly, large breed adult and puppy dog foods will have a calcium to phosphorus ratio that is lower than what you’ll find in many standard puppy foods.

    This is essential for preventing skeletal problems now and down the road. A dog’s risk of developmental growth disorders such as knuckling, pain, HOD, and limb deformities is much higher when a dog eats too much or is offered the wrong food.

    knuckling 8

    IS YOUR GREAT DANE PUPPY KNUCKLING?

    Check out our science-based and constantly growing knuckling resource page.

    KNUCKLING RESOURCES

    What is considered a large breed puppy?

    Large breeds are dogs that are going to weigh over 50 pounds as adults.

    Some popular large breed dogs include the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Boxer.

    Many research-backed dog food manufacturers consider giant breeds to be the same as ‘large breeds’, as their requirements for nutrition are similar. If you have a giant dog, ‘large’ foods will be appropriate as well.

    white dog lying on grass field

    When should I switch from large breed puppy to adult food?

    This largely depends on the manufacturer.

    Many brands will have you switch to adult food once your dog reaches 70-80% of his or her projected adult weight.

    Others may recommend waiting until your dog is a year old or even 18-24 months old before switching them over.

    The best way to determine when to make the switch to adult food is by following the manufacturer’s recommendation and the advice of your veterinarian.

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon Puppy food, for example, should be fed until 18-24 months.

    Royal Canin has a line of foods formulated specifically for giant breed dogs (100lb + adults) with targeted nutrition based on age. Puppy for dogs up to 8 months, Junior for dogs 8-24 months, and adult for dogs 24 months and up.

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    What are the best large breed puppy foods?

    Here is our list of the best large breed puppy foods.

    All of these are also appropriate for giant breed puppies, including Great Danes!

    Click on any to view on Chewy (our favorite place to auto-ship pet foods).

    Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.

    Here is a great article on why dog food ingredients are misleading and aren’t always the best way to make educated decisions about your dog’s nutrition! https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/why-you-shouldnt-judge-a-pet-food-by-its-ingredient-list/

    photo of brown and white boston terrier puppy sitting on grass

    Giant Breed Dog Food

    Giant breed dogs have very similar nutrition needs as large dogs, however, special attention should be paid to their muscle development and orthopedic health.

    What is considered a giant breed puppy?

    A giant breed puppy is one that is going to weigh over 90 pounds as an adult.

    It’s important to note that an overweight large breed dog tipping the scales at 90 lbs is NOT considered a ‘giant breed’.

    Giant breed dogs include Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, Great Dane, Mastiff, and Irish Wolfhound.

    Is there a giant breed dog food?

    As of this writing, there are only TWO research-backed formulas made specifically for giant breed dogs.

    Royal Canin Giant Breed

    This formula is a top-tier food choice for your dog and while it’s pricy, it’s also one of the best options. Because it is so nutrient-dense, you may find that your dog doesn’t eat (or poop) as much on this formula. RC Giant Breed contains by-product meal, which sounds scary, but is closer to being biologically appropriate for dogs than deboned muscle meat.

    Royal Canin is heavily researched and has created a series from puppyhood to adult that is perfect for giant breed dogs, providing correct nutrition for every stage of life.

    Many giant dogs absolutely thrive on this food.

    Royal Canin Giant Puppy (to age 12 months)
    Royal Canin Giant Junior (8-24 months)
    Royal Canin Giant Breed (from age 24 months +)

    Click on any below to view.

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    Feed until 8 months of age.
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    Feed from 8-24 months of age.
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    Adult formula from 24 months on.

    Purina Pro Plan Giant Breed

    This formula is hard to find and may have been discontinued or temporarily suspended (2022). It is for adult giant breeds only.

    Giant puppies should be fed one of the Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy formulas listed below until 18-24 months, and then can be transitioned to the giant formula (if available).

    If you cannot find Pro Plan Giant Breed for your adult Great Dane, consider the following alternatives:

    Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Large Breed (Salmon)
    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Shredded Chicken & Rice (Large Pieces & Chicken Shreds!)
    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Weight Management (Get the weight off)
    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Bright Mind Age 7+ (for Senior Great Danes)

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    Other options:

    Earthborn Holistic makes a giant breed dog food formula.

    Earthborn is not, however, backed by the same level of science, research, and dedication to qualified Veterinary nutritionists as Purina and Royal Canin.

    The Earthborn brand has multiple cases of nutritional DCM associated with it, and we don’t recommend feeding it. It also utilizes several forms of ingredient splitting, to trick you into thinking the food is more natural and nutrient-focused than it is.

    Blue Buffalo now also has a joint support food out with a Dane on the label that they claim is ‘science-based’.

    Unfortunately, Blue Buffalo does not have a good track record, and the veterinary community does not typically recommend this brand for numerous reasons.

    In sticking with actual science and research, we don’t recommend it either.

    19 1

    Should I Feed My Great Dane Puppy or Adult Food?

    How to choose food for your dog

    It’s actually very simple to choose a kibble food for your dog when you look at science and research instead of marketing!

    We only share brands that meet the following 4 basic ethics requirements for manufacturing dog food:

    • Utilizes at least one full-time on-staff board-certified veterinary nutritionist who formulates the food
    • Participates in peer-reviewed research and science for the greater good of companion animal health and to better inform their nutritional formulation decisions
    • Owns and operates their own facilities (no co-packing)
    • Utilizes feeding trials to substantiate their kibbles in real life, not just on paper

    Only a few brands legitimately meet these requirements: Purina, Royal Canin, Iam’s, Hill’s, and Eukanuba.

    https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Selecting-a-pet-food-for-your-pet-updated-2021_WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit.pdf

    Harlequin Great Dane Puppy Standing 683x1024 1

    WHAT IS PUPPY CULTURE?

    Is your breeder making confident puppies? ↗

    The best foods for large breed puppies

    Here is our list of the best foods for large pups who will be over 50lbs as an adult. Click on any to view.

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy
    Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Large Breed puppy – OUR TOP PICK
    Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
    Purina One Large Breed Puppy
    Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed
    Iam’s ProActive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food

    Sad Puppy

    The best foods for giant breed puppies

    Giant puppies have similar nutritional needs to large breeds.

    Any science-backed food from the list below will be appropriate for dogs that will be over 100lbs as an adult:

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy
    Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Large Breed puppy – TOP PICK
    Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
    Purina One Large Breed Puppy
    Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed
    Iam’s ProActive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food
    Royal Canin Giant Puppy Dry Dog food (to age 12 months) – TOP PICK
    Royal Canin Giant Junior Dry Dog food (8-24 months)

    Never feed small breed foods to giant dogs.

    These formulas are generally higher in calories and carbs, plus the small kibble size may make it easy for them to eat too quickly (increasing their risk of bloat, a deadly disease).

    Additionally, the most current research indicates that giant and large puppies should be fed a science-backed large or giant breed PUPPY food!

    We do not recommend feeding adult food to puppies, especially dogs that will be 50-100 or more lbs as an adult.

    While it used to be said that giant puppies should only be fed adult food, this outdated advice was based on speculation and not science.

    Puppies need different levels of calcium, phosphorus, energy, and other nutrients than adults or any size.

    Feeding incorrect food, including adult formulas, to a giant breed puppy, can actually cause developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) due to too little calcium or too much calcium.

    Additionally, adult foods don’t have the calories, protein, and fat that a puppy needs for robust muscle development, brain development, and energy.

    Great Dane pups raised on adult foods are often hopelessly lanky with poor muscle tone. They are nearly malnourished until maturity because of this. We are so excited that new research gives Dane pups the nutrition they need to thrive!

    selective focus photo of three brindle puppies inside brown woven basket

    The best foods for large and giant breed senior dogs

    Senior dogs require lower calories and additional cognitive and joint support. Here is our list of the best foods for mature large and giant senior dogs.

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Weight Management (Get the weight off)
    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Bright Mind Age 7+ (for healthy senior dogs)

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    Common Ingredients in Large Breed Dog Foods

    Here is some information about common ingredients in giant and large dog foods. We hope this helps you dispel some myths you may have read on social media!

    Meat Meals and Meat By-Product Meals

    Many people believe that meat meals and meat by-product meals are lower-quality.

    This is because many humans prefer choice cuts of meat, grilled to perfection…not the bones, organs, fat, and skin that dogs want and need in their diet.

    The truth is that meat meals and by-product meals are highly digestible sources of protein, containing all of the essential amino acids your dog needs.

    Meat meals of any kind, including meat by-product meals, will be closer, nutritionally, to a species-appropriate raw diet than fresh muscle meats will be.

    Meat meals and meat by-product meals are also great sources of calcium, phosphorus, glucosamine, and other minerals. In fact, meat meals are often used as a natural source of these minerals in pet foods.

    Because meat meals are processed and dehydrated before cooking, when they show up at the top of an ingredients list, they stay there after cooking, too.

    So, if you see “chicken meal” or “chicken by-product meal” as the first ingredients in a food, that means there’s likely more meat and more species-appropriate nutrition in the food than if “fresh chicken” was used instead.

    Fresh muscle meat sounds appealing to humans, but it is 70% water and doesn’t contain the same nutrition, amino acids, and joint support that a dog should be getting from bone, connective tissue, and organs.

    Large breed puppies, adults, and giant dogs of all ages need meat and meat by-products in their diet.

    As a matter of fact, foods with meat meals have been shown to help reduce the risk of bloat in dogs!

    What is Ingredient Splitting and is it bad for my dog?

    What is bloat?

    5 Reasons to E-Collar train Your Dog

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    Chicken Fat

    Chicken fat is a necessary and high-quality ingredient for large breed dogs. It’s a natural source of omega-six and omega-three fatty acids, which are essential for your dog’s coat and skin health.

    Chicken fat is also an excellent source of meat-based energy for dogs. In fact, it’s one of the most calorie-dense ingredients in pet food.

    Remember, just because us humans think it’s gross doesn’t mean it’s bad for our dogs!

    Fish Oil

    Fish oil is a natural source of omega-three fatty acids, which are excellent for your dog’s coat and skin health.

    Fish oil is also a great cognitive support ingredient. It’s been shown to improve memory, learning, and attention in dogs.

    Many well-formulated large-breed puppy foods and adult foods contain fish oil.

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    Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate

    Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are natural ingredients found in the connective tissue of animals. Remember the ‘by-product’ meal? Yes, that.

    These ingredients are excellent for joint health. They’ve been shown to slow the progression of osteoarthritis and improve joint function in dogs.

    Many large breed puppy foods and adult foods contain added joint support, either added as a supplement or from the meat meals and by-product meals included in the formula. Look for a brand that tells you what balance of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate is in the finished dry product.

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    Overall, large breed dog foods are necessary for giant and large breed puppies, adults, and seniors.

    They contain more nutrients, calories, and protein than smaller breed dog foods. Additionally, they often have special ingredients for joint health and cognitive support. If you have a large or giant breed dog, be sure to feed them food that is formulated specifically for their life stage!

    We have a lot of articles on this topic and love sharing the most up-to-date research-backed nutrition information you’ll be able to find.

    READ MORE:

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  • Hypocalcemia in Dogs: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

    Hypocalcemia in Dogs: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

    Hypocalcemia in dogs is a dangerous condition, however, it is treatable. Calcium helps with muscle contraction, nerve signaling, and blood clotting.

    When a dog experiences hypocalcemia, it means that they have low levels of calcium in their blood.

    This can cause a variety of dangerous symptoms, which we will discuss in this blog post. We will also talk about the causes of hypocalcemia in dogs and how it is treated.

    Hypocalcemia in Dogs

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    A dog with hypocalcemia may have low energy levels.

    Symptoms of Hypocalcemia

    Hypocalcemia in dogs is a dangerous condition that may begin with mild symptoms. This can make it difficult to diagnose, as many people associate low energy and stiffness with aging.

    The symptoms of calcium deficiency in dogs include:

    • Weakness
    • Low energy
    • Lethargy
    • Lack of appetite
    • Poor coordination
    • Stiffness
    • Cramping or other pain
    • Muscle tremors and twitches
    • Convulsions
    • Seizures

    In severe cases, calcium deficiency can lead to death. If you notice any of these clinical signs in your dog, it is important to take them to the vet immediately.

    My Great Dane Matilda suffered from life-threatening hypocalcemia caused by unbalanced boutique dog food. I’m sharing her story below!

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    Why do dogs need calcium?

    Calcium is necessary to keep a dog’s bones and teeth healthy.

    It is also essential for blood clotting, muscle contraction, and nerve signaling. In large and giant breed dogs, having the correct calcium and phosphorus levels is necessary for bone development and growth.

    Poor blood coagulation is another symptom of incorrect calcium in the blood and can lead to devastating issues during surgery. A full blood panel should always be done prior to even the most routine surgical intervention (including spaying or neutering).

    Dogs get the majority of their calcium from their diet, and blood calcium levels are then regulated by the parathyroid glands. Sometimes things can go wrong and a dog may not be getting enough calcium, even if the parathyroid hormone levels are at an adequate level.

    This can happen for a variety of reasons, including unbalanced nutrition, poor calcium absorption, or deficiencies following whelping.

    A blood test is necessary to determine if low blood calcium levels are the culprit.

    vet vaccinating adult tan pit bull terrier

    How do I know if my dog has low calcium?

    A dog with low calcium may have low energy levels and may begin to act weak or uncoordinated.

    Worsening symptoms include tremors, convulsions, and seizures that may eventually lead to death.

    Low calcium in dogs is a life-threatening, but treatable condition. Calcium plays an important role in the overall health of your dog.

    How is Hypocalcemia diagnosed?

    Following an examination, your veterinarian will likely perform a blood test. This test will look at total blood calcium levels, and some vets may also look at ionized calcium levels.

    Ionized calcium is the form of calcium that is available to be used by the body and is a more accurate indicator of hypocalcemia.

    Your veterinarian may also recommend additional tests, such as a urine test, to rule out other possible causes of your dog’s symptoms.

    If your dog’s symptoms are caused by a low calcium level, the test results will show that. Normal total calcium levels should be around 8.4-11.8 mg/dl.

    The veterinarian may also order additional blood work to look at Ionized calcium levels, which can further verify the diagnosis.

    a man and woman checking a dog

    What causes Hypocalcemia in Dogs?

    It is important to address the underlying cause of low blood calcium in dogs when treating it. For many dogs, addressing the root issue can resolve the problem.

    Poisoning & Low Calcium in Dogs

    Antifreeze poisoning is one of the most common causes of low calcium in dogs.

    Anti-freeze contains a sweet-tasting chemical called ethylene glycol that can tempt dogs (and even some cats) to drink it.

    Ethylene glycol intoxication can result in weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and fainting.

    Even a small amount of anti-freeze can cause serious health problems, including kidney damage and low calcium.

    If you suspect that your dog has ingested anti-freeze, see the emergency veterinarian immediately.

    Parathyroid Gland Conditions Causing Low Calcium

    The parathyroid glands monitor and adjust calcium levels in the blood. If these parathyroid glands are not functioning properly, it can cause low calcium levels in the blood.

    Thyroid disorders have genetic roots, so it’s important to monitor parathyroid hormone levels in dogs that are prone to hypo or hypothyroidism.

    Acute kidney failure (aka renal failure) and certain medications can also interfere with the parathyroid gland’s ability to regulate calcium levels.

    A dog that has chronic renal failure should be strictly monitored.

    Dog breeding and low calcium levels

    After a bitch gives birth, she may have difficulty producing enough milk for her puppies. This can lead to calcium deficiencies in both the mother and the puppies.

    Many breeders give their dogs oral calcium supplements during pregnancy and after whelping to prevent problems.

    If you have a dog that recently whelped and is nursing, it is important to monitor its condition.

    Consult with your veterinarian about supplementation and choosing a food with the correct dietary calcium levels to support breeding while maintaining appropriate levels of blood calcium.

    How nutrition affects blood calcium in dogs

    Nutrition plays a key role in calcium absorption and utilization in dogs.

    A diet that is deficient in calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D can lead to hypocalcemia and low blood calcium on blood tests.

    Even if the food was ‘formulated to meet AAFCO minimums’ and has an appropriate calcium level on paper, there could be underlying issues related to bioavailability and other micronutrients that can affect free total calcium levels in your dog.

    An imbalance between these nutrients can occur if a dog is eating a commercial or homemade diet that is not properly balanced.

    Incorrect vitamin D or phosphorus levels can cause nutritional deficiencies and dangerously low free calcium levels that greatly affect your dog’s health.

    For this reason, we recommend avoiding boutique dog foods, which may not have adequate levels of balanced nutrients to fully support your dog’s overall health.

    Boutique foods are from companies who:

    • Do not have a full-time board-certified Veterinary Nutritionist formulating and testing the foods
    • Do not participate in or contribute to peer-reviewed research
    • Will often only document their nutrition levels on paper; rarely if ever in ongoing feeding tests and appropriate testing

    Common boutique brands include Fromm, Victor, 4Health, Diamond, Nutro, Nulo, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, Instinct, and many, many others who spend more money on marketing than on nutrition science.

    Boutique dog food brands are often heavily marketed as “high quality”, “holistic”, “human grade”, or “super-premium”.

    Veterinarians across the world recommend that dog owners choose only research-backed foods from Purina, Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, and Eukanuba. These brands are the highest quality options that you can choose for your pet’s health.

    (See Matilda’s story of hypocalcemia from “high quality” Nutro dog food below!)

    Our Review of Life’s Abundance Dog Food

    Ingredient Splitting in Dog Food: What You Should Know

    Is Bloat in Dogs Preventable?

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    Acute Pancreatitis

    Pancreatitis in dogs is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas.

    The pancreas is an organ that produces enzymes that help the dog digest food. When the pancreas becomes inflamed, these digestive enzymes begin to attack and damage other organs and tissues, including the liver, lungs, and heart.

    Pancreatitis can be caused by a number of things, including:

    • Eating a high-fat diet
    • Excess weight
    • Certain medications
    • Bacterial infections

    Pancreatitis is also associated with inadequate calcium levels. When the pancreas is inflamed, it can’t do its job properly and calcium levels in the blood drop.

    Pancreatitis is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention, and calcium deficiency is just one of many problems associated with it.

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    How is Dog Hypocalcemia Treated?

    When a dog is diagnosed with low total calcium in the blood, the first thing that needs to be done is to find out the cause.

    If the dog has an underlying health condition, like kidney disease, thyroid disorders, or pancreatitis, that needs to be treated.

    If the low calcium level is due to a nutritional deficiency, then the diet needs to be corrected ASAP. Properly formulated diets do not require the use of a calcium supplement, so be sure to take your veterinarian’s advice on the best brands to feed your dog.

    In most cases, oral calcium supplements or calcium-rich fluids are prescribed as well to help raise the calcium level.

    The dog will need to take a calcium supplement for several weeks or months to correct the deficiency.

    However, we do NOT recommend giving a dog any kind of added calcium without veterinary guidance, as too much calcium (hypercalcemia) can also be problematic.

    In severe cases, where the dog is having seizures or other serious symptoms, calcium injections may be necessary to raise the total serum calcium level to within normal range.

    For dogs with dangerously low calcium levels, it’s important to be aware of the fact that hospitalization and IV fluids may be necessary; plan accordingly, especially if you are breeding dogs.

    Calcium supplementation in some form is often necessary to treat this condition. It is important to follow your veterinarian’s advice and not to stop the supplements or change the dosage without their guidance.

    Low blood calcium is, as you’ll read below, a serious issue.

    5

    Matilda’s Story

    Our Great Dane Matilda is an active, friendly, athletic dog. As she began to age, we noticed her slowing down. She became stiffer, more tired, and didn’t have the same energy as before.

    For months, we chalked this up to her age.

    I became alarmed, however, when she started showing worsening symptoms, including:

    • Screaming in her sleep
    • Not waking up from sleep
    • Poor heat tolerance, panting and pale gums (associated with nutritional DCM)
    • Reflux
    • Bedwetting
    • Extreme weakness
    • Muscle twitching, tremors, and spasms
    • Lethargy

    After completing a thorough physical examination, our veterinarian chalked this up to her being a giant breed dog.

    We assumed that she was just aging and that her joints and muscles hurt.

    Our vet encouraged us to switch her from Nutro Dog Food to a Hill’s Science Diet joint support diet and to seek physical therapy for her muscles. She also ran blood work to look for other underlying diseases and talked to us about the possibility of seeing specialists for her joints, heart, and nutrition depending on the results of her blood work.

    The next day, she called and said that Matilda’s calcium levels were critically low. She told us that she needed better food and nutritional supplements ASAP.

    We were feeding Nutro Ultra and thought we’d been doing the best thing for her by choosing a more “holistic” and “natural” food brand.

    Her thyroid gland was functioning correctly and there were no signs of acute kidney failure or poisoning, so those underlying causes were ruled out.

    Boutique dog food was killing her. Not only did she not have adequate calcium levels, but it was also suspected that her heart was not as healthy as it could have been.

    Nutritional DCM (heart failure) is caused by unbalanced and poorly formulated dog foods.

    If your dog has low energy levels and is eating a boutique food diet, talk to your veterinarian. Do not write it off.

    We put Matilda on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed. Her symptoms quickly improved and within months she had more energy, balance, strength, and joy than she did as a puppy!

    What we thought was aging was actually a dangerous nutritional imbalance, caused by poorly formulated dog food.

    Nutrition plays a KEY role in your dog’s health. Do not fall for boutique food marketing (they spend millions convincing you to buy their product): talk to your veterinarian about what diet they feed THEIR pets, and why.

    Here is our list of recommended foods for large and giant breed dogs:

  • Are Great Danes Good with Kids?

    Are Great Danes Good with Kids?

    Are you wondering if Great Danes are good with kids and babies?

    They are MASSIVE dogs, but are they really gentle with children?

    We believe that Great Danes make great pets for families with children, but you might want to learn a bit about this huge dog breed before committing.

    They are gentle giants and love to play and cuddle, chase, run, zoomie, and…steal kids’ stuffies.

    In this blog post, we will discuss the temperament of Great Danes and whether or not they are good with kids and babies.

    We will also provide some tips on how to raise a Great Dane if you do decide to get one!

    Are Great Danes Good with Kids and Babies?

    Let’s dig in! We’ve included a helpful table of contents below:

    All About Great Danes

    If you are new to Great Danes, you might be wondering what they are all about.

    This breed is loyal, loving, and protective of its family. Danes are an affectionate breed that is also very intelligent.

    Many people believe Danes are couch potatoes. This is a myth! A lot of Great Danes are actually very active, athletic dogs. What they DO have, however, is an off-switch!

    When they aren’t running and playing, they love to lounge and keep the couch (and your lap) warm.

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    Great Dane Temperament

    You may have heard from others that Great Danes are timid, aggressive, shy, or scared of everything.

    This is simply not true!

    Great Danes are gentle giants who love nothing more than to cuddle with their humans. They are also playful and silly and will make you laugh on a daily basis.

    The Great Dane is an intelligent, gentle, breed and they can be easy to train if you start young and help them understand proper behavior.

    The written breed standard for Great Danes states that they should be “friendly and courageous’.

    The truth is that a timid, aggressive, fearful or overly anxious Great Dane is not normal. We’re providing resources below on how to find a Great Dane that will be a great fit for your family!

    How Long do Great Danes Live?

    How do I Potty Train a Dane Puppy?

    Rescue or Breeder? What’s best for me?

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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    Great Dane Size

    Great Danes are the tallest of all dog breeds, and they are also one of the heaviest.

    Males can weigh up to 175 pounds (79 kg) and females can weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg).

    Their height ranges from 28-34 inches (71-86 cm), with males being taller, averaging as tall as 37″ at the shoulder!

    Because they are so big, it is important to work on obedience training so that your new Great Dane and your kids can interact safely. There is nothing worse than having a human-sized dog pull on the lead or jump on guests (or your kids)!

    Danes are highly intelligent dogs that thrive on human interaction. Well-bred, well-socialized, and well-trained Great Danes generally love being around young children and will be calm, friendly, and tolerant.

    We’ve included Dane puppy training tips below so that you can raise a good family dog that is loved by everybody in the house, including the young kids.

    Don’t be afraid of their size, Great Danes truly are gentle giants.

    How to teach a Great Dane to Walk on a Leash

    The Best Toys for Great Danes

    The Hardest Part About Potty Training Puppies

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    Finding a Great Dane for your Family

    Finding the right dog for your family may take some time and effort on your part. It’s important that you do your research to find a reputable breeder who health tests their dogs and raises them in a loving home environment.

    We’ve put together some tips on what to look for when choosing a Great Dane puppy that will be a good fit for your family.

    Choosing an ethical breeder

    If you are looking for a Great Dane puppy to add to your family, choosing the right breeder can mean the difference between an excellent family pet and a nightmare.

    A well-bred Great Dane puppy will be confident, friendly, calm, mature, and easy to train.

    A poorly-bred Great Dane puppy will be timid, nippy, destructive, anxious, and riddled with health problems.

    Choose a breeder that meets the following criteria, with no exceptions:

    • Full health testing of both parents, including heart, hips, eyes, and thyroid. Verify this at www.ofa.org (Pro Tip: MOST breeders will fail at this key point!)
    • Keeps puppies with litter mates until 8-10 weeks of age and utilizes ENS and puppy culture to socialize them
    • Has excellent parents who are beautifully structured and proven in dog shows, obedience/training, or therapy work
    • Will support you and your puppy for the life of the dog
    • Raises the puppies around other animals, children, etc. Not in a barn or on a tile floor with no interaction outside of that.
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    Choosing a rescue Dane

    If you want to skip the puppy phase, consider adopting an adult Great Dane dog!

    There are many great family dogs of all ages in need of homes, and reputable rescues will be focused on finding you the right fit.

    When adopting a Dane, look for a rescue that:

    Takes the time to get to know you and your family before placing a dog with you.

    Has resources to educate you with modern information about owning, loving, and caring for Great Danes, including proper training techniques, nutrition and more.

    Will support you and your dog for the life of the dog, including if things don’t work out for some reason.

    Reasons why a Dog Rescue may Deny Your Application

    Anxiety and stress in Great Danes – What you Need to Know

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    Kids & Great Danes

    As long as you have done your research and chosen the right Great Dane for your family, you will have a beautiful, loving, loyal companion for life!

    Here are some tips to help get your kids and your new dog off on the right foot:

    Introduce them slowly: When you first bring your new dog home (especially a young puppy), do NOT overwhelm it!

    Many people introduce their new pup to their excited, jumping, screaming, hovering young children that want to pick the puppy up.

    If you want your puppy to LOVE the kids (and this interaction is the first one that they have with children), you’ve already made a massive mistake.

    Introduce your new dog to your kids in a calm, positive manner.

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    Teaching kids to be responsible with dogs

    Most kids love dogs, but they also don’t know how to safely interact with them.

    Did you know that most dog bites are from unsupervised interactions between kids and a loved family pet?

    www.stopthe77.com is a great resource for learning more about this.

    We aren’t here to scare you, but you should know why this happens and how to prevent dog bites. Most Great Danes are exceptionally tolerant and gentle, however, they can still accidentally hurt a child.

    Your children’s safety matters most.

    It’s so important to teach your kids how to be safe around dogs, even if the dog is a family member. It’s also important to understand dog body language, so you can intervene before anything bad happens!

    All about Great Danes & Kids Together

    What to Feed a Great Dane Puppy

    A Guide to Bringing your New Puppy Home

    Amazing Pictures of Great Dane and their bond with the kids 41

    Here are some tips on keeping your kids safe around dogs:

    • Teach your children to never sit on, lay on, or climb on your Great Dane. While this may be cute, it can be harmful to your dog and may result in growling, nipping, snapping, and even bites.
    • Make sure your kids never take food, bones, or toys from the dog. They should not be playing in the food bowl or trying to pet your puppy while your dog is eating.
    • Do not allow your kids to approach a dog that is sleeping, as a startled dog may respond aggressively.
    • Encourage your children to maintain a calm presence around dogs. Squealing, screaming, and throwing things can make puppies see them as a threat, or as if they are other dogs to play with and tackle.

    Did you know that the idea of ‘nanny dogs’ is a myth?

    While Great Danes are often gentle and loving with children, you still need to supervise when they are together.

    ‘Nanny Dogs’ is something of a marketing term, used to sell Great Danes (and other powerful breeds) to families with small children.

    The bottom line is that all dogs are individuals. Some will be better with kids than others, and some will have zero patience for them.

    It’s important that you do your research before getting any dog, especially if you have small children in the home!

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    Need ideas for healthy socialization?

    Introducing a baby to a Great Dane

    If you are bringing a baby home, it’s important to get your house (and your Great Dane) ready!

    Make sure your Dane has a dedicated space to get away from loud noises (such as babies crying).

    Put a plan in place to make sure that your dog receives enough exercise and enrichment during the first few weeks of having the baby home. You can hire a dog walker or ask a friend for help.

    Before the baby comes home, play baby noises on your phone at low volume, and toss high-value treats on the ground.

    Your dog will have a positive association with this sound by the time you bring the baby home!

    When it comes time to introduce them to each other, keep your Great Dane on a leash and allow a quick sniff, then redirect, reward, and praise. Do not allow hovering, licking, pawing, or whining.

    Harlequin Great Dane Puppy Standing 683x1024 1

    WHAT IS PUPPY CULTURE?

    Is your breeder making confident puppies? ↗

    Great Dane Puppy Training

    It is important that you work on your puppy training from day one. Never let your new Great Dane practice behaviors that you don’t want to see when they weigh 140lbs!

    This includes jumping, running away, chasing the kids, pulling on a leash, stealing, and counter surfing.

    Remember that good training is 90% YES! If you are spending a lot of time shouting ‘NO’ or STOP’, think about how you can flip that around. Teach more YES behaviors.

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    Need a Great Dane T Shirt?

    5 things all Great Dane puppies should know

    We believe that for Great Danes and kids to coexist beautifully, it’s important the dog is taught a few key things. Great family pets are part genetics, part training. Unwanted behavior from large dogs can actually be dangerous!

    A bored, under-enriched, poorly trained giant breed dog with pent-up energy will be difficult to live with, no matter what. So get out the treats and start working with your new pet.

    We recommend teaching Great Danes from an early age, the following obedience commands:

    • Down (so they don’t hover over and intimidate children)
    • Leave it (so you can redirect them away from children, food, and toys)
    • Off (so you can tell them to get OFF the couch of OFF your lap)
    • Place (so they have a safe spot to go where they aren’t chasing your kids)
    • Come (so they can be off-leash and enjoy family life with you)

    The more time you can spend rewarding these behaviors, the more times your puppy will repeat them and respond enthusiastically to your commands.

    This is how you create dependable dogs who love being with you and become incredible members of the family. It’s all about repetition, training, and positive socialization (check out our popular Great Dane socialization guide below).

    5 Great Reasons to E-Collar Train your Great Dane

    Canine Good Citizen Testing for Dane Puppies

    5 Common Great Dane Puppy Training Mistakes

    Crate Training for Great Danes

    Crate training your Great Dane puppy means that your puppy will be given a safe, kid-free space and YOU will be given a safe, dog-free space, too!

    Overtired puppies will chase, nip, and rough house with children. Positive crate training means that your puppy will have a place to be where everybody is calm and safe.

    Not all dogs love the crate at first; we recommend starting slow and encouraging positive experiences in the crate. Never allow your new puppy to ‘cry it out’.

    Truly calm dogs are secure and confident, not shut down and frustrated!

    Do not let your puppy practice incorrect emotional behavior in the crate. Instead, take a step back and start with shorter, more rewards-focused training sessions.

    The BEST Crates for Great Dane Puppies

    Fast Potty Training Tips

    How to Crate Train a Great Dane Puppy

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    Stop Puppy Biting

    Great Dane puppy biting catches a lot of family members off guard.

    They are so big and their mouths are so BIG!

    The first thing to remember is that puppies bite. It is developmentally appropriate for them as they are teething and exploring the world with their mouths.

    That being said, there are things we can do to help redirect this behavior:

    Encourage your puppy to nap! Over-tired puppies tend to roughhouse and become inconsolably wild. See above where we talk about dog crate training; this is a major reason why!

    Make sure your puppy is getting enough calm socialization, exercise, and mental stimulation throughout the day.

    Provide your puppy with age-appropriate chew toys and bones. This will help redirect their need to mouth on you and your clothes.

    Be consistent with rules and boundaries. Keep your puppy on a leash and redirect them away from puppy biting and playing rough.

    Teach your children (and yourself) to cross your arms, sigh, turn your back, and WALK AWAY from a wild nippy Great Dane puppy!

    The puppy will quickly learn that the biting game means nobody wants to play with them, and the behavior will go away.

    How to Stop Great Dane Puppy Biting

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    1201680655684152 Big Barker 4032x3024 MQ 1.02 2 1600x
    Romp n Roll Red
    Get a FREE Jolly Ball with the purchase of a Big Barker bed.

    Teach your puppy to stop chasing kids

    Great Danes make excellent family dogs but you have to get past the rough play stage.

    While your kids play in the yard, you may find that your puppy wants to chase, nip and jump on them. A puppy must be taught how to behave properly in this situation, as large dogs like this can accidentally hurt children (without meaning to).

    We recommend that you keep your puppy on a leash while they are outside during training. This will help you to control them and stop them from chasing after your kids.

    You should then use LOTS of positive reinforcement to reward calm behavior!

    Practice releasing your puppy to play with the kids gently. As soon as rough play starts, say ‘uh-oh’ and bring your pup back to your side on a leash. After a few repetitions, most Great Dane puppies are smart enough to understand the rules.

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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    Off-leash training for Great Danes

    We recommend that all Great Danes be off-leash obedience trained.

    Harnesses, collars, and long leashes can cause frustration or worse, orthopedic damage. A dog that is responsive off-leash will be safer on-leash, too! This kind of obedience will keep you, your kids, and your dogs safe.

    When you E-Collar train your Great Dane puppy (don’t worry, it’s not a shock collar and we have TONS of resources for you) you won’t have to stress about the kids leaving a door or gate open.

    Pulling on the leash, bolting out of doors, chasing after kids in the neighborhood, and jumping the fence will be a thing of the past!

    Not to mention the fact that Great Dane dogs benefit greatly from being able to move and explore freely and naturally without physical restraint. 10/10, highly recommend.

    Here are some additional resources on E-Collar training!

    5 Reasons to E-Collar Train your Dog
    6 E-Collar Training Myths BUSTED
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    JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

    Do you like modern positive+balanced off-leash dog training, science-based information, life with Danes, educated ownership and chatting with other like-minded people?

    Join our growing Facebook group!

    HELLO DANES ON FACEBOOK

    READ MORE:

    What is the best leash for Great Danes?

  • How to Stop Overfeeding Your Dog: 5 Tips & Tricks

    How to Stop Overfeeding Your Dog: 5 Tips & Tricks

    Do you have a hard time knowing how much food to give your dog? Are you afraid of overfeeding them and making them obese? Or are you in the dark about how much food you really should be feeding your dog?

    We are here to help. Chances are, you may actually be OVERFEEDING your dog!

    Is your Great Dane struggling with pickiness and loose stools? Yeah, about that. We’ll cover it, too.

    In this blog post, we will discuss how to use a scale to measure your dog’s food and make sure they are getting the right amount. This is an important step in ensuring their health and wellbeing.

    Using a scale to measure your dog food can also save you money, resolve chronic loose stools, and put pickiness to bed, once and for all.

    Read on, friends!

    Stop Overfeeding Your Dog

    Here is our table of contents. The headings are clickable for navigation!

    Are you overfeeding your dog?

    Step One: Read the Kibble Bag…

    Responsible dog food companies will give you grams per cup and kilocalories per cup measurements right on the bag.

    Every food company will be different!

    BrandKCALS/CUPGrams Per Cup
    Royal Canin Giant Breed Adult337108
    Pro Plan Large Breed Shredded Chicken35396

    As you can see here, the actual weight of the food and the nutrition per cup can vary!

    A cup of dog food is not the same as a cup of dog food from a different bag, in other words.

    Pro Tip: this is a good reason to use the food chart on the back of the bag for reference, not necessarily generic Great Dane feeding charts!

    a person putting food on a dog bowl

    Using a Scale to Measure Dog Food

    As an avid baker and home cook, I know that weighing flour, sugar, and butter is the only way to create truly consistent and reliable results.

    My famous chocolate chip cookie recipe (I wish I could share them with you through the screen, they are amazing) is all done on a kitchen scale.

    170g of flour

    150g of brown sugar

    50g of white sugar

    and so on.

    Last week I was scooping massive amounts of kibble into bowls for my Danes and got an idea to weigh it out, instead.

    What I found, shocked me.

    Both my eyeball measurement and my cup-by-cup measurements resulted in significantly more food in the bowl for my dog than when I measured the food on a scale.

    As in, I have been way overfeeding my dogs…and you probably are too!

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    The Experiment

    I used two popular types of large/giant breed kibble for this.

    Royal Canin Giant Breed Adult

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Shredded Chicken

    For each one, I documented the information from the food bag regarding how many grams were in a cup of the food, and how many kilocalories were in a cup as well.

    I took two measurements of each food:

    First: I scooped out a cup using a 1 cup measure, as most of us do, and I weighed it on a food scale.

    Second: I used the scale to measure out exactly one cup of food by weight/grams (according to the data from the bag).

    Then I compared the two results.

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    Royal Canin Giant Breed

    This kibble has LARGE pieces!

    According to the feeding chart on the bag, my 2-year-old moderately active Great Dane should have 5.5 cups of food each day.

    IMG 4259
    The measuring cup with dog food shown above is measured out the way most of us tend to do it.
    Scooped out and slightly full to make up for the airy space between kibbles.

    Royal Canin says (on the bag) that the Giant Breed Adult food contains:

    108G per 1 Cup. (Thus, 5.5 cups = 594g of food/day)

    I scooped up a single cup of the nuggets the way that most of us tend to do it: a loose scoop with some pieces sticking out (because they are huge and left lots of air between pieces). I weighed them in an empty bowl on the scale.

    The result? 130 grams. Not 108 grams, as a true cup of this should weigh.

    IMG 4261

    Meaning that my single sloppy cup measure was adding 22 EXTRA grams of the food.

    That was just one cup, not all 5. Now, it stands to reason that this is going to ADD UP quickly. ?

    For a dog that should be eating 5.5 cups, that could mean roughly 120 extra grams of food PER DAY!

    120 grams is a whole bonus extra cup of food, in other words. Which, considering that a cup is around 1/5th of the dog’s daily intake requirement, that’s a LOT.

    Not only that, but over the course of the week, my dog would be receiving 7-8 additional cups of calorie-dense food that they likely don’t even need.

    That is more than an entire day’s worth of nutrition added to their weekly diet.

    8 days of food in 7 days. ??

    Have you ever wondered why there are so many obese dogs? We’ve just found a major clue…

    Is My Great Dane Fat?

    The Best Foods For Great Danes

    7 Deadly Health Risks for Overweight Dogs

    30
    An overweight Great Dane

    Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Shredded Chicken

    For fun, I did this with a second food.

    1 cup of Pro Plan Large Breed Shredded Chicken kibble should weigh 96 grams.

    I used a measuring cup to pull a scoop out of the bag, taking care to not overfill it.

    Then I weighed it on the scale and…don’t be surprised here, folks:

    110 grams!

    IMG 4257

    This means that every cup I scoop is receiving (average) 14 additional grams of the food.

    For a dog that should receive 6 cups of Pro Plan, that could mean that they are being overfed by 84 grams each day.

    Just like the Royal Canin, an 84-gram daily overage (almost a full cup of food) amounts to roughly 6-7 additional cups of food each week that the dog likely doesn’t actually need.

    IMG 4258

    The Problems with Overfeeding Dogs

    When we overfeed our dogs, we are not loving them. We are slowly killing them.

    We are shortening their life spans, and making them more likely to suffer from a myriad of health problems, including:

    Cancer

    Heart Disease

    High Blood Pressure

    Arthritis & Joint Issues

    Diabetes Mellitus & Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

    ‘Allergies’ and ongoing loose stools

    I’ve outlined some common ones below!

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    Chronic Loose Stools

    Chronic loose stools are a common symptom of overfeeding in Great Danes! When you provide too much nutrition or unbalanced nutrition, it literally goes straight through them.

    A lot of people misdiagnose chronic loose stools as ‘food allergies’ or ‘chicken intolerance’, however, most of the time these are actually related to poor gut health, too much food switching, unbalanced boutique dog foods and you guessed it, overfeeding!

    Veterinarians across the Country cite a massive increase in health problems in dogs, including loose stools, heart problems, and low energy that they attribute to the popularity of untested, poorly formulated boutique dog foods.

    Choose a well-balanced large or giant breed kibble instead, measure the food, and stick with it.

    I recommend the following formulas, which are heavily researched and thoroughly tested, for large and giant breed dogs:

    Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.

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    Should I Feed My Great Dane Puppy or Adult Food?

    Obesity in Dogs

    Weight gain is common, especially following spay or neuter surgery (which causes your dog’s metabolism to decrease).

    Allowing your dog to pack on the pounds can shorten its lifespan, on average, by about 2 years!

    Being a stocky, oversized ‘Euro’ Great Dane is no excuse for being overweight and heavy, either.

    Great Danes are a lean, muscular, athletic breed and it’s important, for their health and well-being, that we honor that.

    We’ve included some dog weight loss tips below, as well as the following resources:

    Is my Dog Filling Out or Getting Fat?

    Should I feed Grain-Free Food?

    The Health Risks of Obesity in Dogs

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    An active, healthy-weight dog

    Over-nutrition and Growth Disorders

    Growth disorders such as Pano (aka growing pains), HOD, flat feet, and knuckling are a direct result of over-nutrition, especially when feeding incorrect, unbalanced foods that have too much calcium or missing nutrients.

    Great Dane puppies, especially young ones, require a LOT of food and for many reasons, we recommend feeding young dogs on a loose free-feeding schedule so that they aren’t underfed. However, as they mature, you should transition to a 2-3x/day feeding schedule.

    You can learn more about this in our Ultimate Great Dane Feeding Chart post!

    Feeding too much of the wrong thing can and will harm them.

    We’ve included a list below of the only appropriate foods to feed a large or giant breed puppy, as well as some resources for understanding why those foods are highly recommended!

    What are WSAVA Guidelines for Dog Food, and Do They Matter?

    What is Ingredient Splitting in Dog Food?

    Is Life’s Abundance a Good Food For My Dog?

    Check out THE GIANT DOG FOOD PROJECT to compare brands and values.

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    THE HELLO DANES GREAT DANE PUPPY RESOURCE PAGE

    Everything you need to know! ↗

    Pickiness

    Many Great Dane owners believe that their dogs have become picky because they are turning their noses up at their food.

    These dogs are most often actually just FULL!

    In the interest of getting them to eat more, people tend to switch foods and start adding toppers and other forms of nutritional bribery.

    The dog learns that if they ignore their food, interesting and fun things come to them.

    “Picky eating” is a bit of a popular myth that is literally caused by humans! It’s ok for a dog to not eat their entire meal.

    Picky dogs are not usually picky, they are literally just training you to give them treats. Many picky dogs are actually overweight and need less food, not more!

    A healthy dog will not let itself starve to death, and if it does? Switching foods isn’t going to help. That’s a dog that needs medical attention.

    Bloat and Gut Health in Dogs

    Is Gentle Giants a Good Dog Food?

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    ‘Allergies’

    Once a dog has been sent down the path of ‘picky eating’ where different kibble brands are changed often and treats and toppers are added to encourage eating, their gut health suffers.

    Poor gut health also means being intolerant to the environment and yes, symptoms may then show up indicating that the dog has allergies.

    These symptoms include loose stools, a dry coat, and itching.

    Dogs with lighter coats may be more prone, and some dogs will continue to suffer from environmental allergies no matter what (just like humans). It’s important to set all dogs up for success!

    Some allergies are legitimate and life-threatening to dogs. The ONLY way to diagnose these types of allergies in dogs is to complete a food-trial elimination diet with veterinary supervision.

    Legitimately diagnosed food protein and grain allergies are extremely rare. It’s important to note that blood and saliva tests are inaccurate and often a waste of money.

    Most dogs suffering from allergies are actually experiencing intolerance to environmental allergens, not food!

    PRO TIP: Use a wet towel to gently wipe dander and pollen off your pup daily, and wash their feet to remove irritants.

    Many health issues like this are made worse by constant food switching and the use of untested, poorly formulated boutique diets that lack the correct balance of micro-nutrients and amino acids.

    Stop food switching to “find something that works”, measure the food, and let your dog’s gut health heal!

    We highly recommend Olewo Carrots and Olewo Beets for added fiber and to soothe the tummy, in addition to Fortiflora or Probios Probiotics.

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    OLEWO CARROTS. See them on Amazon HERE.

    Weight Loss Tips for Great Danes

    If your dog needs to lose weight, there are things you can do!

    Vet check? Check!

    If you are concerned about your dog’s weight, it’s important to ask your veterinarian for advice!

    Some dogs have weight problems because of thyroid issues or other medical conditions that can be easily managed with medication or a change in diet.

    Be sure to rule out any possible underlying health issues, including heart problems and thyroid disease, before starting a weight loss plan for your dog.

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    Get a FREE Jolly Ball with the purchase of a Big Barker bed.

    Change the diet

    The one time we DO recommend a diet change is when you are not feeding quality food, and when your dog needs to lose weight. The following weight loss formula is recommended for at-home use:

    Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula

    Your veterinarian may also be able to prescribe a diet from Hill’s or Royal Canin that will help your pooch cut the calories. Royal Canin has put together an amazing healthy-weight resource page for dog owners:

    https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/weight

    Measure the food on a scale so that you don’t overfeed!

    Be aware of the fact that many boutique foods use ingredient splitting to make you believe their food is ‘meat first’, when the truth is you may be feeding your dog an expensive bag of ‘human grade peas’.

    It’s no wonder so many dogs are overweight and struggling with low energy!

    What is Ingredient Splitting?

    DCM in Dogs: What You Need to Know

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    Tread cautiously with toppers

    Toppers and treats can help your dog or they can hurt them.

    Too many can lead to over-nutrition (and thus, obesity).

    Some people say to add green beans or pumpkin to your dog’s bowl to offset some calories; while this can help your dog feel more full, it’s important to keep these toppers to 10% or less of the diet.

    We recommend well-balanced raw food as a healthy, fresh-foods topper.

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    Olewo Carrots, Olewo Beets, and Dr. Harvey’s are also fantastic choices for adding wholesome fibers to your dog’s diet; as above, keep these to 5-10% or less of the diet.

    Pro Tip: A little goes a long way! If you are helping your dog lose weight, take it easy on the Dr. Harvey’s.

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    Get ready to move…naturally

    An off-leash dog can burn up to 300 calories in an hour!

    That’s a significant amount! We recommend off-leash training for all large and giant breed dogs, including Great Danes.

    This will allow them to zip, zoom, run, spin, explore and gain enrichment and physical movement that they are not receiving on a leash, long-line, or in a harness.

    With this kind of activity, your dog will be building muscle, shedding fat, and working its brain!

    Many dogs will benefit greatly from receiving their exercise and enrichment this way, however, you must be smart about it.

    Dogs that are extremely aggressive, fearful, timid, or wild need professional help with this, and you should never let your dog off-leash unless you can fully rely on them not to approach people and dogs uninvited.

    E-Collar training and educated ownership is the best way to give your dog this freedom of movement outside of your fenced yard.

    If this isn’t for you, it’s still important to get your dog moving! Talk to your veterinarian about physical therapy, including the use of water treadmills and pools to help your dog burn calories.

    READ MORE:

    Off-Color & ‘Designer Color’ Great Danes

    Find a Great Dane Rescue