Today we are talking about how to stop a Great Dane jumping up. These are large dogs that can easily hurt somebody, even if their intentions are friendly.
This behavior is often based in excitement and friendliness but it must be discouraged.
Does your Great Dane jump:
On you or kids?
All over guests or strangers?
Over and onto other dogs?
It’s time to put a stop to jumping once and for-all! Read on.
HOW TO STOP A GREAT DANE JUMPING UP
Jumping up is frustrating, however it does not have to be. We’re going to make this very simple:
To stop jumping, you must do three things:
a. Manage the behavior
b. Teach and reward the correct behavior
c. Make the incorrect behavior less rewarding
STEP ONE: MANAGE THE JUMPING UP BEHAVIOR
Practice makes perfect! A dog (or a puppy) that has been asked to jump up or encouraged to do so is a dog that is practicing the wrong behavior. If you want to stop your Great Dane from jumping up, you must first prevent the behavior.
Manage the environment so that your dog isn’t regularly put into situations where jumping happens.
Lower anxiety, stress and excitement levels by keeping yourself calm, too.
This temporary restriction to freedom is necessary so that you can break the cycle and your dog can no longer practice jumping.
Management may mean putting your dog behind a gate or on a leash when guests come over, and never asking the dog to jump up onto your shoulders ‘just for fun’.
(Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do that again once your dog understands the difference between jumping up on command and jumping up at will).
STEP 2: TEACH AND REWARD THE CORRECT BEHAVIOR
Before you can fairly fix the jumping problem, you must teach and reinforce (reward) the correct behavior. Instead of jumping, what should or could your Great Dane be doing instead?
Run to a crate and lay down in it when the doorbell rings
Sit politely on your right or left side
Grab a toy
Touch their nose to the palm of your hand
All of these behaviors are easy to teach using positive reinforcement. Use treats, praise and play and make it fun. Do short training sessions and end on a positive note.
If you are properly e-collar training and have fully conditioned your dog on an EZ or Mini-Educator, you can also layer in gentle negative reinforcement to further strengthen the correct positively-trained behavior.
Here is a great video from Tom Davis (Upstate K-9) on teaching the ‘Place’ command with positive reinforcement:
A Great Dane in a solid ‘place’ is calm, confident and cannot jump on guests
STEP 3 – MAKE THE JUMPING UP BEHAVIOR LESS REWARDING
Once you’ve reduced the behavior through management and spent time thoroughly teaching your dog the correct behavior, you can fairly and humanely correct the jumping. We’ve included 5 appropriate corrections for jumping below!
The goal with this step is to balance things so that it is more rewarding for the dog to go to a place or sit by your side than it is for them to jump on guests.
When your dog begins to jump:
Immediately turn your back and walk away. Jumping = no attention.
Sharply say ‘AH’ and apply a quick leash correction/pop. When the dog is then doing the correct behavior, praise and reward. This correction MUST be quick, snappy and deliberate. Constant pressure and escalating frustration will not work and will be a sign that the dog doesn’t know what to do instead.
Bring a knee up to make it uncomfortable for the dog to jump. (Do not whack or knee your dog in the chest! Just bring the knee up and pair that with ‘Ah Ah’, then reward when the dog chooses the correct behavior).
Walk into the dog as he/she starts to jump. This will allow you to use body pressure to discourage jumping before it starts.
Great Dane puppies need to learn how to have calm interactions with people so that a jumping habit doesn’t develop.
Never allow a stranger to come up, squeal in excitement and rile your puppy up! This is how you teach and encourage excitement and anxiety about people.
Advocate for your puppy.
Make sure that people are only giving your Great Dane puppy attention when they are calm and your puppy is calm. These interactions should be positive and gentle!
Do you have a jumping Great Dane? Share your story below!
Messy home issues aside, letting your dog get dirty may actually be one of the best things for them!
Great Danes LOVE mud and many dogs have a hard time keeping out of it.
There are actually biological and behavioral reasons for this! When your dog refuses to stay clean, they aren’t being stubborn. They are simply satisfying a desire to enjoy the moment.
SHOULD I ALLOW MY GREAT DANE TO PLAY IN THE MUD? MUD IS NATURAL PLAY FOR DOGS
So many dogs are not getting the physical and mental enrichment that they need.
A few rubber toys and a leashed walk on pavement is the human equivalent of living in a basement and walking on a treadmill. No wonder so many Great Danes are anxious, destructive, frantic and ‘stubborn’!
1000’s of years ago, dogs would roll in the mud to mask their scent from predators.
These days, dogs find this behavior to be very fun and enriching. The mud is cool, fun to play in and feels great on their paws!
Dirt and mud are full of unique and interesting smells. It feels good on paws and feet and provides an incredible opportunity to exercise the shoulders, hips, pasterns and core while digging, running and playing.
Dogs that dig up the garden and the lawn have given themselves an important job to do!
Pro tip: If you don’t want your dog digging up your garden, use supervision to prevent the behavior and make sure your dog is getting plenty of enrichment outside of the yard. You can also dedicate a ‘digging spot’ and redirect your dog to it until they understand that they are allowed to dig there.
Remember, lean & fit dogs live on average 2 years longer than dogs that are allowed to become lazy and overweight. Not only that, but the stress reduction can mean a reduction in bloat risk, too!
Once you’ve let your Great Dane enjoy the mud, you have to get them clean again.
Here are a few tips:
Make baths and cleaning part of a positive routine. If your dog is resistant, start slow and work up to making baths ‘no big deal’ by using treats, praise and fun. We recommend this Natural Dog Company Shampoo.
Use a MUDBUSTER; keep this by the door and train your dog to calmly wait while you wash each paw. Simply plunge their paw into the cup and watch it come out clean. This is GREAT for people who have muddy yards!
Use a microfiber paw dirt catcher mat.These feel great on paws and will pick up loose dirt, snow and water quickly as your dog runs over it.
Pro tip: Don’t use squirt bottles as a training method; all they do is teach your dog fear being sprayed with water (which they need when they are muddy)! (What is Great Dane Dominance Training?)
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. We do our best to present the most up-to-date research, however it is up to the reader to make decisions regarding the health and well-being of their dog. We make no claims here to prevent or treat bloat, Panosteitis, DCM or any other condition related to Great Danes. Find a veterinarian with GIANT breed experience, and chat with them.
Some of the products we list on our website contain affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, we may receive a small commission for referring you. We only recommend products that we truly believe in. This commission does not affect the price of the product and is used to fund our content and expenses related to operating this website.
Recall for Great Danes is the difference between you screaming at your Great Dane while they run off at the terrified mailman and you enjoying a nice, peaceful walk.
Coming when called is arguably the most important skill you can teach your Great Dane.
Having off-leash freedom means that your dog will be able to move, explore and exercise without the use of frustrating physical restraints such as long leashes, harnesses and collars.
Does your dog:
Bolt out of doors
Jump fences
Run away
Ignore you when you say ‘COME!’, often blowing you completely off?
Make you chase them
Lunge and pull on a leash
Have to always be on a long leash
This post is for you. We’re going to show you how to take your Great Dane from running away to being completely OFF LEASH!
RECALL FOR GREAT DANES: BUILD A FOUNDATION
Good recall starts with a good foundation.
Use positive reinforcement to teach your dog that when you say ‘COME’, good things happen!
Positive reinforcement means treats, praise, play, fun, games, attention, affection and access to things such as freedom, a car ride or a room they want to be in.
Practice in a low distraction area such as the living room or backyard.
Don’t let your dog off-leash until you know you can count on them.
Incorporate food rewards heavily if your dog is learning.
Never scold your dog for blowing you off; you’ll only teach them to run farther (and faster) away from you next time.
E-Collars work by causing a barely perceptible muscle stimulation that feels like a tickle or a twitch, which is much more gentle than the constant pressure and restrictions offered by a harness or leash.
E-Collar training is one of the most responsible and humane things you can do as the owner of a giant breed dog! Think of it like a walkie-talkie; with it, you’ll be able to communicate even when you are in a noisy environment (the beach) or your dog is far away (on a hiking trail).
Even if you think modern E-Collars are ‘abuse’ (they aren’t) and even if you plan to use ‘only’ positive reinforcement (works for some dogs, not all), we encourage you to read and learn!
We do not stand behind the practice of using cheap shock collars on ‘beep, vibrate or shock’ as an easy-button training method. If you are waving a remote at your dog as a threat so they stop and run away, you’re doing it wrong. The goal is to make your dog WANT to come to you.
Quality E-Collars are typically $175 or more. They are waterproof, rugged and use modern technology.
Cheap shock collars from Petsmart and Amazon are not the same and cannot be used for this.
We use and recommend E-Collar Technologies. The Mini-Educator is a perfect simple easy-to-use collar, while the Easy Educator is great if you have multiple dogs.
The sensation from this collar feels like ants crawling around or a gentle tapping. It does not hurt or punish. This stimulation is so gentle that dogs are enthusiastic and responsive at levels that humans cannot feel.
HOW E-COLLARS WORK FOR RECALL
E-Collars work by giving the dog a tactile cue to return to you.
Instead of shouting COME, your dog will feel the sensation and run to you. It should not make them feel afraid or fearful.
In the introduction phase, the dog is taught through positive reinforcement that the neutral muscle stimulation means treats, praise, play and fun. Because they have a positive association with this new sensation, they are enthusiastic and want to learn!
For dogs that are more interested in the environment than coming when called, the stimulation can be used at a higher level. This higher level will get their attention, exactly how you may have to turn your cell phone up, or how somebody may have to shout to get your attention at a loud concert.
When your cell phone rings, you answer it. The ringing may be mildly annoying but is not painful or punishing. Answering it makes the sound go away, and you are rewarded by the voice of your friend on the other end of the line. A modern E-Collar is a cell phone, a long leash is a land line, and a dog wearing nothing at all is a liability.
GETTING STARTED
We are linking some resources below for you to get started with E-Collar and recall training for your Great Dane! Before you get started, we encourage you to watch as much positive E-Collar content (two trainers we recommend are below) as possible, and work with a modern E-Collar trainer who uses positive methods.
Here is a video of a trainer (Tom Davis, Upstate K-9) using an E-Collar on a client so they can see how ‘shocking’ it is. Fast forward to 2:52 to see that part of the video, especially if you are new to E-Collars or believe they will hurt!
Teaching recall to a dog using an E-Collar with Tom Davis:
Positive-Balanced Great Dane Trainers
Larry Krohn is an expert on modern E-Collar use. All dog owners should watch his content.
Larry Krohn on Youtube, demonstrating the E-Collar on his daughter:
Larry Krohn’s book, ‘Everything You Need to Know About E-Collar Training’
What Makes a Great Dane Breeder Good? Choosing the right Great Dane breeder for your next puppy can be the difference between having a dog live a long, robust, active life and having a timid or aggressive dog that suffers from heart and structural problems.
Not all Great Dane Breeders are created equal! Today we’re talking about what makes a Great Dane Breeder good. If you are looking for a Great Dane puppy, you need to read this list!
What Makes a Great Dane Breeder Good?
The reality here is that there are a million things a breeder can do wrong, and only a few they can do right.
Abusive breeders with sick puppies are generally easy to spot, but the reality is that they aren’t in the majority.
So what about the others? What makes a Great Dane breedergGood?
Where are all of these aggressive, fearful, poorly structured dogs coming from? Why are the rescues full of dogs with questionable health, poor temperaments and terrible former home lives?
The ‘friendly’ backyard breeders with nice websites and who ‘health test’ are super sneaky and easy to fall for. Yet, they are actually the ones responsible for the majority of health, temperament and rescue problems in Great Danes!
A sick puppy from our bad breeders list, produced by a ‘reputable’ friendly backyard breeder.
HOW TO SPOT A GOOD BREEDER FOR GREAT DANES
Here is a list of the top 5 things that your Great Dane breeder should be able to prove to you before you consider purchasing a puppy from them.
Keep in mind that the ‘sneaky’ backyard breeders will be friendly, will have a nice website and will make you think they are reputable. Verify everything!
1. FULL HEALTH TESTING OF BOTH PARENTS, NO EXCEPTIONS
Many ‘friendly’ backyard breeders will tell you that they ‘health test’, but this testing will stop short. Verify that both parents have completed the following:
Hip & Elbow x-rays, OFA or PENNHIP certified
Eye exam with a board-certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist (OFA)
Echocardiogram (OFA)
Thyroid panel (OFA)
Genetic screening as needed for color and genetic disorders such as bloat and IMGD
A thorough study of the pedigree, which should be healthy and robust
Pro tip: remember, fear/aggression, bloat and heart problems are largely genetic AND are just three of the primary reasons that Great Danes ‘don’t live long’.
The breeder you choose can greatly impact your new puppy’s lifespan and overall health.
The pedigree should be free bloat, seizures, heart failure, thyroid disease, megaesophogus, poor structure, fear, anxiety, aggression, Wobblers, Von Willebrand’s and clotting disorders. Ask the breeder to verify this, and don’t take excuses for an answer.
Breeding dogs together because they ‘are great dogs’, are ‘Euro’, have a neat color or AKC papers is not enough.
One the left: A rescue Dane that originated with a backyard breeder. On the right, a well-bred brindle Dane. On the left, a Harlequin Great Dane from a ‘friendly and reputable’ backyard breeder. She is aggressive and has health problems. On the right, a well bred champion Great Dane. The dog on the right is more likely to live a long, robust life, pain-free life and make an excellent family pet.
Perpetuating genetic, structural and temperament problems in Great Danes through careless, profit-driven breeding ‘friendly backyard breeding’ practices is extremely unethical.
3. PUPPY CULTURE SOCIALIZATION
It’s not enough to expose a litter of puppies to the yard and some kids or goats.
Good Great Dane breeders learn from others, study, understand basic behavior and training concepts and implement dedicated practices such as Puppy Culture and ENS.
These programs are designed to socialize the puppies and teach them to be confident, adaptable, people-focused and trainable. Puppy Culture and ENS can take already outstanding, thoughtfully bred dogs and make them amazing family pets that are calm, focused, easy to train and a joy to be around.
Puppies should be deliberately exposed to a variety of handling, sounds, people, obstacles and experiences, and kept with the litter for a minimum of 8 weeks.
Stress is a leading contributor to bloat risk, so this one is important.
4. DEDICATION TO THEIR DOGS
A good breeder is dedicated to their dogs. They provide them with robust, enriched lives and maintain their health and well being with an appropriate diet, training, teeth & nail maintenance and access to socialization experiences.
You will also find that good breeders title their dogs. Titles can come from conformation (show), obedience, tricks and sports.
Ask about previous puppies and their experience! If the breeder is selling puppies to dedicated, caring and deliberately chosen owners those puppies will also have received titles such as CGC, trick titles or even conformation and show titles.
Contrary to popular belief, showing dogs is not just a ‘snobby hobby’. Show dogs prove that the breed health and structure is being maintained. Proving a dog’s conformation in the show ring is in the best interest of the breed as a whole, and puppies from show dogs with proven, AKC CH. pedigrees are more likely to have robust structure, health and temperaments.
A sickly, timid looking double-merle (‘Merlequin’) Great Dane puppy from Petland, a store that sells puppies from unethical breeders and puppy mills.
5. LIFETIME SUPPORT
Good breeders care about every puppy they produce and will never allow a single one to end up in a shelter or rescue.
They will support buyers through hard times, take puppies back at any time for any reason and are available to puppy buyers for questions and advice.
A Great Dane from a thoughtful, careful and diligent breeder is not a dog that will ever clog the rescue system; this reason alone should be enough for people to understand the importance of choosing carefully before giving money to a ‘friendly’ backyard breeder.
WHAT GOOD BREEDERS DO NOT DO
Good breeders:
Never use their breeding program and contracts to promote, sell and profit from MLM commission products such as Life’s Abundance or NuVet; these products promote the idea of breeding for profit and are not fully tested nor are they formulated by board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists.
Will never stud their dogs out to random other ‘breeders’
Don’t use social media to sell entire litters of puppies; this is a sign that a breeder bred dogs together before finding dedicated potential owners, and is willing to sell to anybody with $$.
Will not cut corners on health testing (heart, hips, eyes, thyroid) or make excuses for why they only did some of it.
Good breeders often have terrible, outdated and sketchy looking websites! Good breeders are out working with their dogs and their puppies, not wasting time making pretty marketing.
Will not simply/easily ship a puppy to you or sell it to you with a ‘buy now’ button.
Are affiliated with the parent club (GDCA) in some way, either as a member, in the community as a breeder that is showing their dogs, or as a breeder who is mentoring under and learning from a member of the club while building their program. Their reputation is positive in the Dane breeder community, not just in the Dane pet-owner community (where most friendly backyard breeder referrals tend to come from).
Will never allow owners to breed their puppies without extreme diligence, and will not allow any puppy from the litter to go to a ‘breeder’ home.
Are choosy about potential homes.
Are extremely unlikely to allow you to purchase littermates/multiples at the same time.
For Centuries, humans have continually adjusted and tailored dietary guidelines to align with the latest trends, science, and research. The current fad of excluding grains, carbs, and processed foods from human diets has extended to pet foods, with grain-free options gaining popularity. However, the decision is more complex when it comes to whether Great Danes should have grain free food or not.
You may have heard from your veterinarian, a friend, or on social media that grain-free or boutique (“BEG”) foods are bad for Great Danes. Alternatively, you may have heard that grain-free kibbles are “higher quality”, have “more meat”, and can help resolve allergies.
It’s hard to know what to do when you hear so many conflicting opinions, so here at Hello Danes we’re going to run with science.
In the interest of saving you some time here, I will cut to the chase. Of course, we’re going to deep dive into this below, but here is the low down: most, if not all, grain-free kibbles are a bad choice to feed your Great Dane.
The information in this blog post is important and may save your dogs life!
The Problem with Grain-Free Dog Food
All extruded kibbles require some kind of starch to bind the meat together. Without it, the food would be dust.
In grain-inclusive dog foods, this starch is often some form of rice or oats.
In grain-free dog foods, grains are replaced most often with ingredients such as peas, lentils, and potatoes. These are starchy carbohydrates that may also be used to replace meat-based protein.
(A benefit of ingredients such as rice, oats, or lentils is that they add fiber to your dog’s diet, which may decrease the risk of bloat. )
Grain-free foods are NOT carb-free! Lentils, peas, and potatoes have lots of carbohydrates.
Now it’s also important to understand that ‘Fresh meat’ is roughly 70% water and doesn’t have the same robust nutritional profile that bone, organ meat, and cartilage has.
Compare that to a concentrated meat meal or meat by-product meal (which sounds gross, but is made of bone, organ, tissue, and cartilage), and is packed with protein and amino acids. Meat meals are only 10% water.
Many grain-free kibbles after extrusion, especially those with ‘fresh meat’ and multiple starch sources, are nothing more than meat-flavored peas or lentils.
Even if you personally see no correlation between grain-free dog food and DCM (more on this below), you have to admit this is a huge problem.
What is DCM in Dogs?
Now for the fun part.
Grain-free and improperly balanced or pulse (legume) heavy boutique brand foods are implicated in a notable increase of deadly DCM (heart problems) in pet dogs.
By implicated, we mean that there is a strong correlation that is actively being studied. Check out any veterinary or breed-specific group and you will see stories of dogs dying this way. Lots of them.
DCM (aka ‘Dilated Cardiomyopathy) is a devastating disease that results in an enlarged heart. The larger heart has to work harder to pump blood and as a result, the valves can leak.
Over time, the heart cannot keep up.
Fluid builds up in the chest and abdomen and eventually, the heart will give out.
Left untreated, many dogs eventually suffer from congestive heart failure and will die, often suddenly.
Unfortunately, DCM is often a ‘silent killer’, often undetected until it is too late.
Great Danes are genetically prone to DCM (deadly heart problems), especially if the breeder isn’t fully health-testing the parents. So their risk of developing DCM is even higher than it is for other dogs.
Many people have what they think are ‘perfectly healthy’ young Great Danes with shiny coats and perfect stools. These dogs die suddenly while sleeping or playing.
Some of them have genetic DCM.
Many of them have secondary DCM, however. This is caused by unbalanced, poorly formulated foodand nutrient deficiency.
Once a dog is diagnosed with primary (genetic) or secondary (nutrition-related) DCM, or the early signs of it, things must happen quickly.
The veterinarian will typically:
Recommend that the diet is immediately changed to food that meets WSAVA guidelines
Prescribe medications and supplements if needed
Encourage certain restrictions to exercise
Give you a list of signs and symptoms to watch for that indicate worsening Dilated Cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure
4-6 months later, the dog will be checked again via echocardiogram.
For dogs with primary DCM (genetic), the condition may not improve.
With secondary DCM (nutrition-based), assuming that the condition was caught soon enough and the dog was switched to a properly formulated science-backed food, improvement is often noted. Some dogs go on to live full, normal lives.
A large majority of food-related DCM cases go undocumented.
Many dogs pass suddenly of a ‘heart attack’, during anesthesia, or in their sleep. Expensive (and often heartbreaking) post-mortem testing for it isn’t always done.
Great Danes do have a genetic predisposition to primary DCM that may be at play here.
This makes it even more important to be informed about the roll that diet may play, and to ensure that all breeders are thoroughly testing their dogs (OFA Heart / Echocardiograms, etc.) prior to breeding.
If you feed grain-free, are thinking about feeding grain-free OR are ‘on the fence’ about this debate, read on.
Should Great Danes eat Grain-Free food?
The potential link between grain-free foods and DCM was brought to the attention of the FDA when Veterinary Cardiologists were noticing an increase of suspicious heart problems in dogs.
Secondary DCM was showing up at an alarming rate; higher than the typical genetic incidence, and they were growing concerned.
Their investigation revealed (and still reveals to date) that an alarming majority (90%) of the dogs experiencing secondary DCM were being fed boutique dog foods.
Kibbles from small dog food companies such as Fromm’s, Orijen, Diamond, Victor, Nutrisource, 4Health, and Acana are taking the brunt of this potential correlation, primarily because among ’boutique’ and smaller food brands they have the largest market share.
More fed dogs = more sick dogs.
But there are 1000’s of brands and formulas on the market. Not being on that list doesn’t magically make a diet “safe”, and consider this:
Purina, Royal Canin and Hill’s feed more dogs than any other brands. Purina alone leads the market with over 16 billionin revenue (2021, and growing).
That’s a lot of dogs. Many more than are fed Fromm, Victor, or otherwise and yet…the millions of Purina-fed dogs are not turning up with nutritional-DCM.
The fact that any are turning up at all in smaller brands is alarming.
Since the time of the original DCM reports, the grain-free DCM debate has become a hotbed of opinions, frustration, and concern between professionals, credentialed nutritionists, raw feeding enthusiasts, and dog owners.
At Hello Danes, we believe that a grain-free food from a small company, that has a lot of peas, lentils, legumes, or potatoes in the ingredients list is dangerous to feed.
People don’t want to hear that the food they believed to be ‘holistic’ and ‘high quality’ may actually be killing their beloved pet. It’s easy to want to believe that something more ‘natural’ is best, but it’s not always the case, unfortunately.
Does adding taurine to Grain-Free food prevent DCM?
In response to the FDA warnings about DCM and grain-free dog food, people began to believe that adding taurine or grains to a dog’s diet would solve the problem.
This concept doesn’t actually have science to back it up; it was only a theory that as of this writing still has no merit.
Regardless, many boutique manufacturers responded by adding taurine to their formulation. They then took the opportunity to market their brand as being ‘scientific and thoughtful’.
Of the DCM cases being studied by the FDA, many of the dogs suffering from DCM had normal taurine levels.
If there is any merit or science behind a taurine-DCM link, current research is indicating that it’s likely related to formulation problems in the food that may be blocking the synthesis and bioavailability of taurine.
Dr. Jennifer Larson, Veterinary Nutritionist U.C. Davis
Does adding grains to dog food prevent DCM?
Adding grains (such as rice or oats) at home to a grain-free kibble only serves to further unbalance the food and load the dog up on carbs.
This too has been done with no scientific backing. Doing so is not safe, effective or healthy.
Do not add rice, millet, oats, or other grains to your Danes boutique diet to ‘prevent DCM’. There is no science behind that theory at all, and it may do more harm than good.
Additionally, choosing the ‘grain-inclusive’ version of a boutique dog food brand does not make it magically ‘safe’.
Nutritional DCM has been seen in dogs on boutique diets of all kinds, both grain-inclusive and grain-free.
While ‘grain-free’ foods and boutique brands specifically have been implicated, it is believed that the problem may actually originate with boutique kibbles that are formulated with a lot of pulse, legumes, peas and potatoes.
Remember, manyGrain-free kibbles heavily utilize peas, pulses, lentils, garbanzo beans and potatoes in their formulation.
In other words, just as the FDA stated (see below) that it’s not necessarily grain-free that is the problem, it’s boutique foods that are:
Heavy in pulses, peas, potatoes, and legumes
Not formulated by an on-staff board-certified Veterinary Nutritionist
Manufactured by brands that don’t participate in peer-reviewed science, research and feeding trials
Many of these types of diets tend to be grain-free.
So can Great Danes have grain-free foods? Sure, but should they? Probably NOT.
When you read something that says ‘the FDA finds no evidence that grain-free diets cause heart disease‘, don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that your ‘grain-free boutique kibble’ is safe.
Read that statement for what it is. It’s not the lack of grains that is the problem.
It’s the replacement of essential meat-based amino acids and proteins with pulses, peas, potatoes, legumes, and other plant-based carbohydrates, often done by boutique brands with no board-certified veterinary nutritionist on staff to formulate, research and test the food.
Research is ongoing and all of us should be alarmed, not defensive.
Read the Label on your Dog Food Bag
Read the ingredients list on the back of your grain-free kibble, ‘fresh’ or ‘human-grade’ dog food bag. Do you notice a lot of the following? It may be worth changing your dog’s diet as a precaution, especially if you noticed multiple forms of the same ingredient (aka, Ingredient Splitting).
Peas, Pea protein, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Pea Flour
Other similar non-grain ingredients including pulses and legumes
We also recommend avoiding the following dog food brands altogether (this list is not exhaustive).
Despite making up only a small market share of dog food sold, these brands (and brands like them) are responsible for 100% of nutrition-related DCM cases (and likely many, many more health conditions including chronic loose stools, itching, hyper or hypocalcemia, growth disorders and more):
Fromm
Victor
4Health
Diamond Naturals
Costco
Nulo
Nutro
Nutrisource
Earthborn Holistic
Acana
Orijen
Zignature
Solid Gold
As pet owners, we don’t have enough professional knowledge to evaluate ingredients list pros and cons.
We tend to default to what ‘feels right’ or ‘seems healthy’, especially when boutique food companies use catchy, unregulated words such as ‘holistic’ and ‘super-premium’.
What are ’boutique dog food diets’?
Boutique food diets for dogs come from small companies that use catchy terms in their marketing.
New research (in 2022) indicates that the DCM and Grain-Free foods issue correlates STRONGLY to boutique food brands where no board-certified veterinary nutritionist is on staff to formulate the foods.
Hallmark traits of boutique dog food diets:
Offers very little if any contribution to canine nutrition, health and veterinary research
Does not support veterinary nutrition, health and research organizations (such as WSAVA)
Does not participate in full, legitimate AAFCO feeding trials to prove formulations
Only formulates their food to ‘meet the nutritional requirements’ on paper
Does not employ a board-certified Veterinary Nutritionist to formulate the food; may ‘contract’ with a professional that has lesser degrees
May or may not own and operate their own manufacturing facilities
May use ‘exotic’ ingredients with very little research behind them, including kangaroo, bison and unusual carbohydrates such as millet.
The following brands are just some of the popular boutique dog foods. Check these brands against the manufacturer report above and see how they rate.
Victor
Nulo
Diamond
Costco/Kirkland
Fromm
Nutro
4 Health
Roosevelt
Life’s Abundance
Nutrisource
Olly
The Farmer’s Dog
Earthborn Holistic
Ketona
Spot and Tango
The problem with boutique dog food marketing
When you start looking into it, you may be surprised to find that MANY boutique kibble brands do not employ a legitimate, board-certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate, research, test and update their foods.
As a matter of fact, a lot of ‘natural’ kibble brands only appear healthier because of their impressive dedication to packaging and marketing.
FROMM, for example, is a brand that has been implicated many times in DCM. There have been many Fromm-related cases where dogs had their secondary DCM symptoms reversed by switching to a more professionally formulated diet.
FROMM family foods are formulated by a chemical engineer; not somebody with a credible background in actual nutrition and current research. But their marketing makes you belief in their ‘family owned’ mission of ‘healthy’ nutrition.
There are more dogs, more dogs eating kibble and more veterinary resources at our disposal now; so it stands to reason that this has always been a problem, but we are just now starting to really see it.
DCM is often a silent killer. MANY dogs will die suddenly of a ‘heart attack’ without warning. In this case, owners rarely seek answers (a post-mortem autopsy is expensive) and as a result, DCM is never diagnosed or tied to the food that had been fed.
Is the Dog Food Advisor Blog a good place to learn about dog food?
Many people reference the dog food advisor blog for nutrition information for their pets.
The owner of that blog is a human dentist with no background in veterinary nutrition.
The rating system is made up.
We can do so much better than this when choosing large breed dry dog food for our beloved dogs, right?
What is the best dog food for Great Danes 2021-2022?
After much research into this ourselves, we believe that if you are going to feed kibble you should choose a brand that is fully backed by top-level research and veterinary nutritionists.
The best dry food for Great Dane dogs is going to be backed by research and science, not opinions and marketing.
Look past the ingredients list and research the company itself.
Do they employ a dedicated, on-staff board certified veterinary nutritionist (ACVN or DACVN)?
Do they manufacture the food in-house, from carefully sourced, chosen, and tested ingredients?
Do they participate in university-level research and nutrition study for the advancement of companion animal health?
Do their foods undergo AAFCO feeding trials, or are they just formulated to meet minimums on paper?
Do they support the non-profit World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) or give you reasons why they don’t?
Marketing has unfortunately taught us that the heavily researched, professionally formulated science-backed dog food brands such as Purina, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba are ‘full of fillers and cancer-causing junk‘. ,
That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Take note of the people you tend to hear that kind of misinformation from; none of them have any credible, boarded, science-backed veterinary background in canine nutrition. None. Most stand to gain, financially, from making you believe these things, too. Follow the money!
Millions of dollars of actual health and nutrition-based research are done by the ‘Big 5’ brands, who use that information to formulate and then fully test the foods that they sell.
We recommend Purina Pro Plan, however, a large or giant breed formula (puppy or adult, depending on your dog) from any of the following brands is an acceptable choice: Purina, Eukanuba, Iams, Hills, Royal Canin.
The majority of veterinarians in the U.S. are going to recommend one of the following brands of food:
Purina
Royal Canin
Eukanuba
Iams
Hill’s Science Diet
Some people will argue that veterinarians have very little nutrition education and that their education comes from companies that incentivize them to take the class and promote their food.
Then it is believed that the veterinarians stand to profit from the sale of foods in their office and are making tons of money marketing these ‘billion-dollar cancer nuggets’.
a. The companies sponsoring nutrition classes at the top veterinary schools are the same companies that spend millions on nutrition research and canine health science. They know a lot more about canine nutrition than boutique food brands, so if our vets are going to learn about nutrition, it should probably be from them right?
b. A veterinarian that has taken a few nutrition classes during the course of their study has still learned a lot more about canine nutrition than somebody who sells pet food at a boutique pet store. For some reason, people are more willing to listen to a sales rep with 7 days of training or a dog trainer than to somebody with a studied, professional veterinary background!
c. Some veterinarians go on to obtain additional certifications in canine nutrition. Every single one of these highly-studied veterinarians will still recommend the science-backed and heavily researched food brands listed above and no, they often don’t make a dime on those recommendations. Kickbacks are actually ILLEGAL in the U.S.
d. Veterinarians are often approached by companies to market food brands and make brand recommendations. There is a reason we don’t see veterinarians promoting boutique brands for affiliate income (even though they totally could); they simply don’t believe in those foods.
e. If a veterinarian profits from the sale of science-backed, professionally formulated dog food, why is that so bad? The boutique pet store profits too from selling you ‘healthy and holistic’ pet food diets made by companies with no nutrition research backing their food.
There are plenty of opportunities for veterinarians to use affiliate links to promote ’boutique’ food brands. They don’t, though. Ever think about why that is?
You’ll notice that we use affiliate links in our promotion of certain food brands. We could choose any brand to promote!
Do we make a few pennies if you purchase through our affiliate link? Sure. Anytime you buy food, somebody will profit no matter what.
Question if the people you are listening to are promoting that food because it’s backed by actual science, or because it’s backed by opinion and boutique marketing.
The truth here is that boutique food brands earn millions by using marketing, fancy words, and pretty packaging to make you believe that the unproven, untested food they make is healthier.
The food-profit incentive is not isolated to veterinarians who make pennies on the sale of a bag of food. Stop blaming that. Everybody profits somewhere. Put your money where the science is.
Pinterest and a crock pot full of overcooked meat, veggies and rice is NOT balanced nor is it magically healthier for your pet.
If you are planning to home cook meals for your dog, work with a credentialed, studied veterinary nutritionist to develop a recipe specifically for your pet.
You may hear from dog trainers or ‘holistic’ pet care professionals that cooking food at home is the healthiest choice, however these people don’t have expertise in canine nutrition.
Below we’ve linked our favorite resources for learning more about homemade feeding.
Note that anybody can pick up the ‘nutritionist’ title. Being a dog or ‘nutrition’ enthusiast, or working in a pet store as a brand rep or salesperson does not make somebody an expert.
Look for University level degrees & certifications in canine nutrition, not non-degree ‘certifications’ from small unaffiliated organizations.
An appropriate Great Dane kibble offers meat meals in the first ingredients and offers appropriate protein and calcium/phosphorus ratios for the life stage of the dog.
Examples of fresh-food toppers that can be used for up to 10% of the total diet include:
The following foods for Great Danes are heavily researched, backed by legitimate nutrition science, and are fed to millions of robust, healthy dogs worldwide.
When choosing a kibble, you should ideally choose a company that follows the guidelines recommended by the non-profit World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) regarding manufacturer standards.
These are nothing more than recommendations and the WSAVA does not ‘certify’, ‘approve’ or profit directly from the sale of brands that meet these standards. If you are unsure whether your kibble is meeting these guidelines, call the company and ask them directly to answer these questions without giving you the run-around:
The company should fully employ at least one dedicated nutritionist with a Ph.D in nutrition or a veterinarian boarded in nutrition (DACVN). If they simply consult with these professionals in lieu of employing them, they don’t likely have complete oversight of the formulation, formula changes or otherwise.
All formulas should be formulated by the above person; somebody who is truly qualified to create foods that are balanced not only nutritionally, but functionally as well. Being a general practice veterinarian, pet expert, dog lover or having a background working in ‘pet nutrition’ isn’t necessarily a qualification that meets this recommendation.
All diets should undergo extensive feeding trials and then meet or exceed AAFCO standards. Foods should exceed these standards both in formulation and following a rigorous analysis. Meeting these guidelines ‘on paper’ by formulation or anecdotal evidence only is not enough.
The company/manufacturer should own and operate their own facilities and laboratories and thus, maintain full oversight and control of the production process including control and diligent monitoring.
They should be transparent and open about their testing, process and recall history. (Note that recalls are a positive sign that a company is making ethical choices; not a sign of poor quality control. A company with no recalls is actually a red flag.)
The company should be involved in transparent and rigorous peer-reviewed and published testing and research. Ideally, this dedication to nutrition would not just be of their foods, but of canine nutrition in general. This is especially true if they make health claims or create unusual formulations that are outside of the industry standards. Claiming to have a ‘proprietary’ formula is a red flag.
Having ‘no recalls’ is a RED FLAG If a company is relying on the ‘no recalls’ tactic for marketing purposes, they are unlikely to recall a food for minor reasons; reasons that could ultimately be devastating for a percentage of dogs fed that food.
Recalls show that a company is diligent about avoiding mistakes and willing to hold itself accountable for problems with formulation or its supply chain. Be worried when a company says they have had ‘no recalls.
We occasionally like to pick a random pet food brand or gear and do a review. On the list, today is our Life’s Abundance Dog food review. This popular food is often recommended by breeders (who receive kickbacks for selling it), however, it is rarely if ever recommended by veterinarians. I wanted to dig into why that is!
Many breeders will offer and promote Life’s Abundance puppy food to puppy buyers, and may even require it as part of your contract or health guarantee!
This is not your typical review! We are not a dog food clickbait site – you won’t see us breaking down the merits of a food solely on its ingredients, but rather, it’s manufacturing process, formulation practices, and overall ethics.
Let’s dig in!
Life’s Abundance Food & Great Dane Breeder Recommendations
It is really important to understand first that Life’s Abundance Food is an MLM Marketing Scheme.
That means that it’s often sold through a hierarchy of distributors (often breeders) who make a profit on the sale of the food. They can also profit by building teams through the recruitment of ‘Field Representatives’.
Simply put, the promotion of Life’s Abundance dog food is done in a similar way to other MLM brands such as Herbalife, Scentsy, Mary Kay, and Young living Oils.
Because their ability to profit from this product is directly tied to their ability to sell it to buyers and recruit other sellers, breeders are greatly motivated to produce more and more puppies to uphold their income stream.
This may be done without regard to health, structure, or diligence to breed type.
The Great Dane Breeders who are successful in selling lots of puppies will often be fanatic in their promotion of Life’s Abundance because, for them, it’s a winning numbers game.
More puppies produced = more food sales.
This creates an environment where unethical breeders are encouraged to breed more and more in the pursuit of ongoing commission-driven profits from puppy buyers.
Life’s Abundance is NOT a Dog Food Manufacturer or Company
Life’s Abundance is an MLM that sells nutritional supplements, cleaning supplies, and randomly…dog food.
Life’s Abundance is NOT a dog food company, and as of this writing, they do not manufacture or pack their products.
Additionally, the company does not make AAFCO Nutritional or formulation information easy to find.
As far as we can tell the brand is not involved in ongoing peer-reviewed nutritional research or legitimate testing. Despite this, their marketing relies heavily on the promotion that they sell a ‘proprietary’ blend of ingredients.
Without extensive testing and feeding trials, there is no proof behind the ‘health’ claims that this brand makes.
Life’s Abundance reps love to talk about how the brand is ‘free of recalls‘, however, this is intentionally misleading marketing. It can also be wildly unethical (see our study on Victor dog food, which had no recalls until November 2023 when it was discovered by a 3rd party that they had been selling contaminated food for months with no accountability).
‘No Recalls’ is a red flag. Recalls are a positive sign that a brand is making efforts to uphold standards and mitigate formulation and production issues within its product.
A brand with no recalls, that wishes to uphold that record for marketing purposes is likely to ‘hide’ minor formulation and quality control problems instead of recalling them publicly.
In other words, ‘no recalls’ is NOT a key indicator of quality and safety. Recalls can happen for several reasons and many are not catastrophic.
Life’s Abundance Dog Food and Breeder Ethics
Many breeders who promote and profit from this product will offer a more robust health guarantee to buyers who keep their puppies on this food.
Some will even require that the food and/or supplements be purchased, no matter what.
The health guarantee and breeder support may become ‘void’ if the food’s auto shipment is turned off, and these breeders may even require that you return the puppy to them if you don’t support their food commission scheme.
It is not uncommon for puppy buyers to feel pressured into keeping their puppies on Life’s Abundance foods and supplements despite knuckling, chronic loose stools, stomach problems, allergies, flat feet, heart problems or low energy.
All of these are health problems where nutrition, especially nutrition from a company that has no legitimate scientific backing, may play a key role.
It is extremely unethical for a breeder to require the purchase of Life’s Abundance food and/or supplements. We consider this practice a key red flag, as it often rides in tandem with other unethical breeding practices such as inadequate health testing and breeding dogs with questionable structure.
Life’s Abundance Quality
Life’s Abundance makes it difficult to find their ingredients list; on their website, you can expect a list of ingredients within the food, but not in any particular order.
We are not board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists, so we have no business commenting on the specific ingredients, formulation, or health claims.
Coincidentally, neither do the breeders, ‘Dog Food Advisor’, or any other ‘food rating’ website.
Not to mention the fact that Life’s Abundance is not even formulated by a credentialed, board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVN).
A DACVN is one of the only people qualified to completely formulate kibble dog food and judge ingredients. (Read more here: https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/why-you-shouldnt-judge-a-pet-food-by-its-ingredient-list/)
The person in charge of creating the Life’s Abundance recipes is a ‘holistic’ veterinarian whose writings and focus seem to have been on…cats. While some people may take no issue with this, consider this.
The current FDA warnings about grain-free foods and boutique diets causing heart problems indicate that the problem is strongly correlated with boutique diets that are not formulated and rigorously tested by a credentialed veterinary nutritionist. So yes, that should alarm you.
Life’s Abundance is a marketing company, not a pet nutrition expert company.
The nutritional analysis of protein, calcium, and phosphorus in some Life’s Abundance formulas appear to be appropriate for Great Dane puppies, however, we are unable to definitively say if the correct balance of other nutrients (including key meat-based amino acids) is present.
For a 40lb bag (the typical size needed when raising Great Danes), you can expect to pay nearly $100.
As with all MLM products, the price is high to support the commission-based business model, not necessarily because it’s a higher-quality product.
We do not recommend Life’s Abundance dog food and encourage you to tread cautiously with any breeder that is heavily promoting, selling or encouraging this brand.
The same can be said for Life’s Abundance supplements and NuVet Vitamins, which we will cover in another blog post.
Do you sell or use Lifes Abundance dog food? Leave your comments below! We are open to friendly, polite, scientific dialogue on this topic.
If you are looking for a Great Dane puppy, or are just interested in the breed, you may be curious about a lot of things. A very common question that we get is “What does Euro mean in Great Danes?”
There are actually a lot of misunderstandings about ‘Euro’ vs. ‘American’ Danes, and we’re going to clear that up. Fair warning, we like science and the written standard.
What Does Euro Mean in Great Danes?
There are many Great Dane breeders in the U.S. who breed ‘Euro’ Great Danes. Occasionally they come from European lineage, however, more often they are simply dogs who have the ‘Euro’ look.
In other words, being ‘Euro’ and ‘European’ is not necessarily the same thing.
Common features of the ‘Euro’ type Great Dane include:
Shorter, bulkier, and stockier structure
Heavier weight
Slower movement, less athletic
Larger, more dome-shaped or apple-shaped head
Bigger jowls
Heavy ears that may be long and set low on the head
Larger feet
Mastiff-like features
Wide-set eyes that are often droopy and may have red haw showing
Euro is a look, produced by breeders who intentionally breed for these traits. Many of these traits, especially those related to heft, movement, eyes, ears, jowls, and head shape are considered faults in the written standards for Great Danes.
No matter what you think about the different, heftier look of ‘Euro’ Great Danes, it’s important to note that many FCI European Great Dane breeders are actually pretty frustrated that so many people think all European Danes are droopy and heavy.Interested in more information about ‘EURO’ Dane breeders? Read here.
This ‘Euro’ Great Dane below is suffering from poor structure related to breeding for size, heft, and the ‘Euro’ look.
Euro vs. American Great Danes
Every purebred dog has a written standard. The idea that there is a huge difference between American and European Great Danes is a myth.
According to these standards, a Great Dane from Europe should look very much the same as a Great Dane from the U.S., as both standards are nearly identical on paper. A Great Dane is a Great Dane.
Below is a well-bred European Great Dane (used with permission).
Well-bred dogs have good structure, health and type (they look like the breed standard)
Just as ‘Euro’ might imply that a dog is heavier and drooper, many use the word ‘American’ to imply that a dog is lighter and more ‘greyhound’ like.
Neither the ‘Euro’ nor the ‘American’ type dog meets the gold standard or goals for the breed as a whole.
To compare, here is a well-bred Great Dane from the U.S., bred with the standard in mind. He is neither too refined, nor is he droopy and heavy. He is still a large, well-built dog.
Bruce and the European-bred dog above are nearly the same.
What does Ethical Great Dane Breeding Look Like?
In many ways, the deliberate pursuit of some exaggerated ‘Euro’ traits is unethical and problematic.
Great Danes are already huge dogs and should not be intentionally bred for larger and stockier frames, droopier eyes, and larger jowls, especially if structural health, eye health, heart health, and longevity are casually ignored as a result.
If you are looking for a Great Dane breeder, Euro or not, verify the following:
Both parents have excellent structure, including neat eyes, tight feet, straight backs (no ‘roach’ or sway), well-developed chests and well-angled limbs.
Both parents have excellent temperaments, free of aggression, fear and anxiety.
The breeder will support you for the life of the dog.
It’s ok to prefer a Great Dane with larger stature. Unethical backyard breeding practices, however, have led many to believe that all ‘American’ Danes are ‘refined’, which is just as unfortunate as the practice of intentionally breeding for size and droop, regardless of health.
To put it simply, the word ‘EURO’ is a term associated largely with ‘friendly backyard breeding’ . Many of those breeders are more focused on size, heft, and profits than they are on robust health and breed standards.
Use the slider below to toggle between a poorly bred EURO (hyper type) and a poorly bred AMERICAN (hypo type) Great Dane. Neither of these dogs meets the breed standard.
For comparison, below are some very well-bred Great Danes that could fit any proper written standard (GDCA/U.S., GDCC/Canada, FCI/Europe).
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?
Great Danes come in a range of beautiful colors. Brindle, merle, black, mantle, fawn, blue, and harlequin are the 7 colors typically accepted in the written breed standards. Deviations from the breed standard can result in a range of coat colors not traditionally associated with Great Danes. There exists a prevailing concern among breed enthusiasts and experts regarding the intentional breeding of off-standard and designer color Great Danes.
Merlequin, Brindlequin, Fawnequin, Lilac Merle, Tan Point, and chocolate are popular ‘off-standard’ colors, to give you some examples.
Many Great Dane owners are drawn to breeders who focus on creating eye-catching coat patterns in their puppies. Read on to learn more about this controversial practice!
What is an Off-Standard Color Great Dane?
This is a big one folks, buckle up!
What is an off-standard color Great Dane, or “designer color’ Great Dane?
Mis-marked versions of the accepted colors (for example, a Fawn with no black mask or a Brindle with a white chest are always a penalty in the show ring, and any color that isn’t one of those seven is automatically disqualified from the show altogether. Most can be registered, however!
Color Purists vs. Color Enthusiasts
There are two major schools of thought on this one.
Color Purists & Breed Preservationists
This group believes that purposefully breeding Danes in off-standard colors is bad and that new colors should only be added to the accepted color code following diligent research into the color and its benefit to the preservation and health of the breed.
They believe that breed color families should rarely be mixed.
Color Enthusiasts
Believe that if a color is naturally occurring in the breed, it should be allowed to be bred and allowed in the show ring and that it’s in some ways discriminatory to exclude quality Danes that come in colors outside of the 7 outlined in the written standard.
They believe there is no problem with mixing color families.
How do Great Dane Color Families Work?
Without getting into the nitty gritty of genetics, it’s important to understand that as a general rule there are only a few ‘color’ families:
The color purist breeders will mix and match within those families. They may pair a fawn and a brindle together or a harlequin with a mantle, for example. Their goal is to create colors that meet the breed standard.
The color enthusiast breeders will mix them up, choosing to pair a harlequin and a brindle or a blue and a merle, for example.
If you are a geek about this stuff, we encourage you to visit the fun coat colors group on Facebook!
An all-white double-merle Great Dane
Is Breeding Off-Standard Colors Ethical?
Now of course, we can look at this and think ‘well, what’s wrong anyways with pairing a harlequin and a brindle together? Brindlequin dogs are so neat looking!’
The issue is actually more complicated than many think.
Many color enthusiast breeders will intentionally pair already off-color-standard dogs with other off-color-standard dogs.
For example, fawnequin + lilac merle or chocolate + mantle-marked brindle to see what neat colors come from the pairings.
The result? Tons and tons of ‘new’ and interesting markings on litters of Dane puppies. Great Danes are very special this way.
In many cases, the off-standard litters being born are a FUN surprise for the breeder and those interested in the puppies! It’s incredible for social media AND for sales. That right there is a major red flag.
This practice of creating off-standard colors is naturally rewarding because of this. The problem? These breeders are being rewarded for focusing on color first, not temperament, structure, and health.
A sickly merlequin Great Dane puppy
Off-Standard Colors are Fun
Here is the problem, though.
Off-standard colors are excluded from being shown.
Say what you want about show dogs, but dog shows are one of the only ways a breeder can verify that the dogs they are breeding are structurally sound.
What we are seeing as a result?
100’s of Great Dane breeders so focused on creating fun designer colors that they cannot see the forest for the trees.
Great Dane health & structure are suffering.
Yeah, we’re going to go there.
When a breeder is choosing dogs to breed, they should be first focused on structure and health.
Ethically, they must choose full health testing of both parents (hips, heart, eyes AND thyroid) and seek feedback from peers (in dog shows and otherwise) to make sure that they are breeding dogs that have excellent genetics.
Unfortunately, many (of course, there are exceptions) ‘color breeders’ are so focused on color that they disregard the original form, shape and function of the Great Dane….often to the detriment of their health.
What ends up happening is the creation of 1000’s of Great Danes in ‘unique’ colors, made to sell easily to unsuspecting buyers, that come from breeders who don’t have the best interest of the puppies in mind.
Basically put, that’s a lot of Great Danes that are contributing to an increasingly alarming problem of poor overall health, temperaments and structure.
Extremely droopy eyes, flat feet, roached backs, bloat, wobblers, cancer, cardiac problems, cataracts, entropion, seizures and thyroid problems plague Great Danes. While one individual puppy may be ok, over time these incremental changes are problematic.
Because off-standard colors cannot be shown, there are no checks and balances for breeders that focus their breeding program on color.
Basically put? It’s a free-for-all.
Some breeds have addressed a similar problem by creating a scoring sheet that can be used to evaluate if a single dog is breeding quality, without the breeder needing to get into the show circuit.
That’s not happening in Danes that I am aware.
Some Off-Standard Dane Colors are Especially Bad
All or mostly white Great Danes and Merlequin Great Danes (looks like harlequin but with merle patches, no black ones) are most often the result of unethical spot-spot pairings.
Also known as Double Merle Great Danes, white Danes may be deaf or blind and many have internal health problems (autoimmune disorders, seizures, allergies, etc.) and poor temperaments.
These dogs are 100% preventable through thoughtful breeding practices & genetic color testing.
Double Merle Breeding in Great Danes
What’s so interesting about double merle Great Dane dogs is that it’s a problem for both color pure and color enthusiast breeders!
Color Purist breeders
These breeders may pair Harlequin + Harlequin to create ‘show marked’ Harlequin dogs.
They often cite that there aren’t enough quality black or mantle studs to use, so this is the only way. They know that double-merle puppies are a consequence of that, and some will even euthanize those puppies before 5 weeks of age. The GDCA condones this practice.
At least these puppies DO tend more often to come from well-structured, well-tempered proven dogs, and some breeders who do this see to it that the DM dogs from these litters live long, healthy lives in carefully selected homes.
Advances in genetic screening and our understanding of the Merle gene have made this practice safer, too.
Color Enthusiast breeders
These breeders often end up with double-merle puppies because they weren’t aware it could happen (for example, if they pair a fawnequin with a lilac merle, which sounds cool but is a really, really bad idea), or because they didn’t color test and know that a solid-color dog in their program was a cryptic merle (a black Dane, for example, that recessively carries the merle gene), or they did it intentionally because they know they could get the super popular color puppies (which may also be deaf or blind).
Great Dane Coat Color and Health
Double Merle puppies will nearly always have some kind of health issue, mild to extremely serious.
There is some information bouncing around that modifying the black spots to fawn on a Great Dane (Fawnequin) for example may impact internal health, though we’d like to find more information on this.
If that is truly the case, there are many off-standard colors that would be extremely unethical to pursue off-standard colors for this reason alone. More research is needed.
Off-Standard Colors in Well-Bred Litters
Ethical breeders who work within the outlined standard color families can and do occasionally get a surprise off-standard color puppy.
Some are mis-marked, heavily marked, or the result of recessive genes.
Unlike dogs from color-focused backyard breeders, however, the random off-standard pup in a litter will never be sold for breeding, will have come from well-structured dogs, will not be sold at a higher price as ‘rare’, and will be supported for life.
We will continue to repeat this:
Ethical breeders focus first on structure, genetic health and temperament. If the focus is first on creating unique colors, there is a problem.
Off-Standard Colors and ‘Racism’
Some backyard breeders, when faced with those that don’t support intentional off-color breeding, will say that those people are being ‘racist’.
We cannot think of a more tone-deaf statement, to be honest. Comparing human skin and human experiences involving racism and discrimination to dogs’ coat colors is extremely misguided and ignorant.
The Honest Truth About Intentional Designer Color Breeding
Take a look at this sickly designer color puppy above while you hear us out.
There are two kinds of Great Dane breeders.
BREEDER #1
Cares very much about the puppies they produce. Profit is not the goal, health is.
Temperament, longevity, and structure matter to the point where they are willing to NOT breed a dog that doesn’t meet their standards.
They support buyers for life.
They spend a lot of money on health testing, genetic screening, training and socialization.
They invest hours of blood sweat and tears into their dogs and care very much about every puppy they produce.
Breeder #1 is breeding dogs to better the breed and to ensure that those who share their lives with that puppy are presented with an animal that has every opportunity to be a happy, healthy, friendly and robust family pet, in ANY color.
BREEDER #2
Cares mostly about profits and fun.
They may be friendly and even caring towards owners and the puppies they produce, but they are willing to cut corners.
They may only partially health test the parents (choosing to do only hip scans, for example, so they can tell you that they are ‘reputable and health test’)
They are often blind to the structural problems they are passing on.
Droopy eyes, roached backs and a mild problem with aggression towards dogs or people may be common.
They don’t always support buyers for life
Breeder # 2 has learned that there is no reason to fully health test the parents or ask for honest feedback on their structural health when they can paint the puppies ‘Lilac Merle Euro‘ and sell them at a premium, basically.
Now be honest…knowing that this is how it often works for ALL Great Dane breeders (standard colors or not), which breeder would you rather support?
Off-Standard Colors can Muck Things Up
We are already having a huge and growing problem in Great Danes when it comes to longevity, health and temperament.
So when breeders intentionally pump dogs into the system that don’t meet the breed standard for structure and come in a range of neat colors, things get messy.
This is especially true if breeders are selling off-standard color dogs to other breeders.
This practice is introducing a massive range of new color genetics (dominant and recessive) as well as perpetuating common structural & health problems.
Over time, this could mean that it becomes more and more difficult for breeders to find and use quality dogs for breeding.
Many say that additional colors are necessary to diversify the gene pool, and we don’t necessarily disagree. It honestly seems pretty silly to exclude a healthy, well built dog from a breeding program or dog show just because it’s not a ‘standard’ color!
However, those additional colors need to be ethically produced. As it stands right now? Most really aren’t.
Dare we say this?
Off-standard color breeding is largely a practice of backyard breeders. This is a sad and unfortunate truth that needs to be addressed if more off-standard colors are to become a reality in the Great Dane color code.
Adding New Colors to the Great Dane Breed Standard
Merle was added to the GDCA color code in 2019 when it was recognized that this color was a common and natural by-product of ethical pairings, served to help diversify the gene pool, was being bred with outstanding health and structure and wasn’t resulting in notable health problems.
Mantle was added in 1999, for the same reasons.
Chances are, additional colors can be added to the color code and eventually shown as well, especially if those colors are a natural byproduct of thoughtful dam/sire pairings.
Unfortunately, backyard breeders are not going to be able to make that happen. As long as their focus is on color and not health, the breed club has no legitimate interest in listening.
The currently accepted colors are there for a reason, while the off-standard colors are not…for a reason. Those reasons need to be addressed.
How Do We Fix This?
How do we encourage ALL color-focused breeders to choose ethics, and to focus on the breed as a whole before focusing on color-driven profits? Here is what we would love to see:
No more cutting corners. FULL health testing of both Dam & Sire, no matter what. Heart, Hips, Eyes & Thyroid, no excuses.
Genetic screening and pedigree study for color genes and common genetic issues (bloat, Von Willebrand’s and IMGD, for example).
Submit dogs for structural evaluation. While off-standard pups cannot be shown, there is no reason to hide them from the world. The Great Dane Conformation Clinic on Facebook is a great resource.
Be willing to wash dogs from the breeding program that don’t pass health testing or meet basic standards. There is no excuse in the world for breeding a dog that has flat feet, a roached back, narrow hips and a genetic history of aggression, bloat or wobblers!
Stop selling ‘designer’ color puppies to other backyard breeders. Be choosy!
Stop marketing off-standard color puppies as ‘unique’, ‘designer’ or ‘rare’. It’s misleading to buyers who want a healthy, robust family pet and believe they are receiving a ‘premium’ dog.
Only breed parents that have excellent temperaments.
Title the dogs! Train them and get CGC or trick or dock diving titles. Prove them in some way. Stop hiding them from the world. A lilac merle or brindlequin Dane with exemplary structure and temperament kicking butt in obedience and sports would go a LONG way towards encouraging positivity towards off-standard color breeding!
Stop hoarding dogs; if there are too many for each to have a rich family life, enrichment and loving retirement, it’s not ethical.
Support puppies and buyers for life. Keep those babies out of uneducated or abusive homes and out of rescue, please.
Don’t breed spot-to-spot, especially if the result is that the sick pups will be euthanized or dumped into rescue or into abusive and dog hoarding situations.
We’d like to think that none of this is all that difficult, but we understand that for many profits and fun will always trump ethics.
Our hope is that buyers see this, know the difference and choose which breeders to support accordingly.
See it yet?
It’s not the color of the puppy itself that’s the problem.
It’s the unethical corner-cutting profit-driven breeding practices that led to it.
We understand that off-standard color puppies are fun and unique.
It’s so simple. Meet the basic standards of ethics. Prove us wrong! Show us that breeding for off-standard colors can be done right ethically
Want a Great Dane in a Designer Color?
Don’t feel guilty about that. Danes come in some really unique colors!
This fawnequin (from a breeder on our ‘bad breeders list’) is a classic example of backyard breeding, and exactly what you want to avoid, however. The pursuit of this color meant that aspects of health and structure were grossly disregarded.
Look for and verify that the breeder you are interested in is FULLY health testing both parents (hips, heart, eyes, thyroid), is supporting buyers for LIFE no matter what, is fully socializing the puppies and keeping them until at least 8 weeks of age, and that the pedigree is free of heart problems, wobblers, bloat, dysplasia and aggression.
If they cannot answer those questions or share that information, look elsewhere. We can paint puppies any color we want to, but it the color won’t matter if they are sick.
If you have an off-standard pup, get out there and love the CRUD out of it! All Great Danes deserve the best home ever. We love all Great Danes, no matter what color they come in!
We will never fault a Dane owner for the dog they have and love; after all, these beautiful creatures become loved family members no matter what they look like!
Our hard stop is on the bad breeding practices though. That needs to be brought to light…so where we are. Please share this post. Dig deep! Re-evaluate what you think you know about off-standard colors and hold breeders to a higher standard!
It is time to BUST some myths about bloat and Great Danes!
This post is going to shake up EVERYTHING you think you know about bloat, GDV, torsion, and gastropexy, and we cannot wait to share it with you.
How do you prevent bloat? Are some dogs at higher risk of bloat than others? Does Gastropexy prevent bloat? Do I need to rest my Great Dane before and after meals?
Let’s get started!
Myth #1 – Raised Feeders Prevent Bloat
Many people rely on raised or elevated bowls with the belief that it will help prevent bloat. The theory is that the dog will swallow less air and will be more comfortable eating.
HOLES IN THIS MYTH: In 1994 a study was done of over 1900 dogs with no prior history of bloat. They were surprised to learn that the dogs with raised bowls were 110% more likely to experience bloat than other dogs in the study that had bowls on the floor. Ruh-Roh.
Want to see more information on this study? Read it HERE.
Sure, Hello Danes. Whatever. Correlation does NOT mean causation, right?
We agree, which is why we believe more studies are needed here, but also that this information may be alarming AND valuable regardless!
When we look at dogs eating from raised bowls, we see dogs having to hold their neck straight outward and then bend their head at the jaw to eat.
This makes us question if it’s really ‘more comfortable’ than a dog that drops their head to the ground (and thus has a straight line from the teeth up into the esophagus). Dogs put their noses to the ground all of the time to graze, sniff and explore. It may look uncomfortable to us humans, but it’s not an unnatural position for a dog of any size to be in.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are MANY other risk factors associated with bloat, and this specific correlation requires more study to be truly conclusive.
It is fascinating, however, that this advice continues to hang on despite information that raised bowls may increase risk and that as of yet, it’s never been proven (only theorized) that raised feeders do anything to reduce risk or prevent bloat at all.
Our advice? Do what works for your family, but especially if your Dane has other major bloat risk factors (genetics, anxiety or aggression, poor gut health and IBS), you might consider putting those bowls on the floor.
This is probably the most common bloat prevention recommendation for Great Danes. This advice is so common that it’s to the point where many Dane owners experience significant anxiety if their dog eats anything and then jumps off the bed or goes for a walk, run or zoomies in the yard.
MYTH BUSTING: As of this writing (May, 2021) studies indicate that there is actually very little, if any correlation between exercise and bloat!
Dogs can and do bloat at ANY time, and rest or exercise may have very little to do with it.
As a matter of fact, a majority of dogs that experience bloat do so while resting or in the middle of the night on an empty stomach.
There is actually no conclusive scientific evidence that resting before or after meals can prevent bloat; and when we did the research for this article we observed something really interesting. Nearly every source we found (that supported rest before/after meals as a ‘preventative’) was a blogger, and none had a study to cite supporting this claim.
Let me repeat that. As of this writing, we cannot find a SINGLE scientific source that shows resting before/after meals can actually prevent bloat, or that exercise CAUSES bloat. Only opinions that have been passed along.
Test this theory! Ask dog owners that have experienced bloat what was happening when their dog bloated. Many times it was late at night, and quite often 2-3 hours AFTER a large meal.
The heartbreaking part of this is that bloat is happening to dogs whose owners have lovingly and diligently rested them before and after meals for YEARS, leaving the owners heartbroken and frustrated. Because this advice has become so common, many Dane owners are stressed if their dog eats and then moves around, and that’s not fair.
This is a big yikes in the Dane community, in my opinion.
Here we go with the whole correlation/causation thing again, too: for those did bloat while exercising, it may have just been a matter of chance and timing…or the dog was actually experiencing anxiety, stress, or other medical problems (example, a trip to the dog park or a long walk in the heat) and/or had significant other contributing factors.
As above, there are MANY, many other risk factors for bloat. Rest your dog if you feel it makes a difference, but don’t give yourself anxiety over your dog walking around the yard with a few treats on board.
Dogs that spend too much time in a crate can become bored, weak and overweight, which isn’t good either. So find a healthy balance between eating, rest and living life.
Stomach tacking/Gastropexy is considered a ‘prophylactic’ procedure, in other words, a preventative. It involves suturing the stomach to the abdominal wall, and is usually done during spay/neuter surgery. Read our blog on the gastropexy HERE).
MYTH BUSTING – Gastropexy does NOT prevent bloat. We cannot say this loud enough.
If you have chosen Gastropexy for your dog, your dog is STILL susceptible to risk factors and may still bloat, however, bloat will be less likely to kill them.
Gastropexy helps prevent torsion, the dangerous part of a bloat event.
Torsion is what happens, during bloat, when the bloated stomach turns over on itself. Torsion is extremely serious, painful and deadly.
So really, this myth is a matter of semantics. Language. Gastropexy doesn’t really prevent bloat, but it can help prevent torsion…and that has merit.
Preventing torsion could mean that you have more time to get to the veterinarian before the bloat becomes more deadly than it already is. It is believed (though not formally studied, that we’ve seen) that Gastropexied dogs have better overall outcomes when bloat does happen.
We highly recommend this procedure, but only if you are working with a well-researched veterinarian that has a lot of experience doing it. Full pre-op screenings are a must.
For dogs that do bloat and successfully receive medical attention, gastropexy is highly recommended moving forward.
At Hello Danes, we believe in Gastropexy and consider it a safe, minimally invasive, and extremely beneficial option for all Great Danes when done by an experienced veterinarian.
Myth #4 – Only Large or Overweight Dogs Bloat
Many people with lean, fit, healthy dogs believe that their Great Dane is much less likely to suffer from bloat, heart conditions or otherwise.
While we 100% believe in keeping Danes lean, fit and active, read on:
MYTHBUSTING: All dogs are susceptible to bloat. As a matter of fact, some studies indicate that lean dogs have a slightly higher risk!
It is believed that unlike lean and fit dogs, overweight dogs have fat in the abdomen that protects and cushions the stomach.
Basically put, don’t believe for a moment that your dog is safe from bloat just because your dog is fit, active and lean. One of the most famous dock-diving Great Danes succumbed to bloat recently, which goes to show that any dog is at risk.
The benefits of keeping Great Danes lean and fit FAR outweigh anything else.
Overweight dogs have shorter lifespans, are less likely to be able to handle anesthesia (a key aspect of treating bloat, cancer and otherwise), are more likely to suffer from arthritis, diabetes and thyroid disease, and have more problems with their heart. No thanks!
Myth #5 – Food Causes Bloat & Large Scheduled Meals Prevent It
Many Dane owners maintain a rigid feeding schedule so that they can also make sure to rest their Dane before and after the meal. This practice comes from a fear that food itself is the enemy for Great Danes.
A lot of people who support this practice also believe that grazing is exceptionally dangerous, and will say that it’s better to minimize eating and meals by only allowing food intake once or twice each day.
MYTH BUSTED: Studies show that large meals (heavy, full stomachs) actually INCREASE the risk that a dog may bloat!
Yikes!
Why is bloat seen more in dogs fed single large meals? The large meal puts a lot of strain on the hepatogastric ligament, which holds the stomach in place. Over time, chronic stretching may cause this ligament to become elongated and weak; a common feature in Danes that succumbed to bloat.
Not only that, but dogs that are restricted to one large meal/day may feel anxious about food and scarf the meal down as fast as possible, which are also major risk factors for bloat.
We believe in moderation here. Smaller, more frequent meals offered in a low stress environment and a puzzle feeder (to slow down eating) are MUCH healthier.
Myth #6 – Gulping Water Causes Bloat
Gulping water causes blurping (burps that bring up water), a belly ache, and maybe a parasite from drinking dirty pond water…but the great news is that studies show almost no correlation between water intake and bloat!
Many Dane owners have anxiety when their Great Dane plays in the water, swims, snorkels, runs in the sprinklers or splashes around.
These activities are fun and enriching to dogs and like all fun and enriching things, carry some risk.
Aspiration pneumonia is a common example.
However, dogs that are acclimated to water and swimming (those that have safe water skills, in other words) are not at increased risk of bloat just because they are playing in the water.
As above, find a balance between stressing out when your Dane eats and moves, and letting your Dane be a dog!
Myth #6 – They Don’t Know What Causes Bloat
Many Dane owners feel hopeless and frustrated when they hear this. The good news is that studies are ONGOING!
MYTH BUSTING: While there is no scientifically conclusive information on what actually ‘triggers’ a bloat event, there is a lot of science into why some dogs succumb to it and others don’t.
Bloat has three primary risk factors: GENETICS, TEMPERAMENT and GUT HEALTH.
Not all Great Danes have the same risk factors. Some have MUCH more risk of developing bloat than others do!
Bloat is a disease of large, deep-chested breeds and is most commonly seen in dogs that have a genetic link (parent, sibling, etc. who also suffered from it), who are anxious, fearful or aggressive, and/or who have poor gut health (IBS, excess gas, etc.).
All dogs are at risk, unfortunately. Use our guide below to assess the risk factors for your individual dog, and minimize the risks associated with bloat!
BLOAT RISK FACTORS
We may update this list when additional research comes available. At this time, the following items are known to contribute to bloat risk; they are on the list because they are backed by at least some scientific inquiry and research (not just tall tales). Research is ONGOING!
Give your dog one point for each item. How many points did your dog get? Remember, ALL DOGS are at risk, and some dogs with high risk never bloat!
Your dog is a Great Dane
Your dog is over the age of 2 (risk increases with age)
Your dog is over the age of 5
Your dog has experienced bloat before
Your dog has a 1st-degree relative that has experienced bloat (Parent, Sibling, etc.)
Your dog has had or also had any other relative that experienced bloat (Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, etc.)
Your dog has an unknown or unstudied pedigree
Your dog was tested and carries 1-3 of the known risk alleles (see more HERE)
Your dog has a timid, fearful, or shy temperament
Your dog is under-socialized
Your dog is poorly trained and generally “difficult”
Your dog is anxious (may present as severe separation anxiety, reactivity and nervousness)
Your dog is often aggressive, snippy, or reactive
Your dog has a strong tendency to resource guard (food, toys, bones, beds, etc.)
Your dog suffers from IBS /Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Your dog has chronic poor overall gut health (allergies, loose stools, diarrhea that you struggle to resolve)
Your dog has heart/cardiac problems (which can cause a poorer prognosis if bloat happens)
Your dog is eating a dry food that is heavy in peas, lentils, potatoes, or legumes (which can damage the heart and make a bloat prognosis worse)
Your dog eats meals quickly and scarfs food down
Your dog is anxious while eating or worries about food
You use a raised feeder/bowls that are elevated more than 6-8″
You serve a single large meal each day, in lieu of smaller more frequent ones
Your dog is easily stressed by boarding, training, socializing, etc.
Your dog has experienced a stressful event (including rehoming, boarding, moving, a party, kids, etc.)
You often use harsh/punitive punishment based training (hitting, intimidation, kicking, scolding, etc.)
You only feed a dry kibble diet (no fresh or wet food toppers or treats)
Your dog is on a low-fiber diet
Your dog has an exceptionally deep and narrow chest compared to others
You feed a dry food from Victor, Fromm, Diamond, or 4Health that has fat in the first 4 ingredients
Your Great Dane is from a breeder that is not invested heavily in genetics, structure, health, temperament and longevity
LEGITIMATE WAYS TO DECREASE BLOAT RISK
Support only ethical breeders that understand genetics and are focused on health, temperament and longevity. Ask your breeder for a full history of the pedigree and verify no presence of bloat within at least 2 generations.
Choose Gastropexy
Work with a qualified behaviorist if your Dane is aggressive, anxious, fearful or timid. A veterinary behaviorist may be the best option for dogs with severe temperament problems
Know the signs of bloat and share that information with pet sitters, family and friends!
Don’t breed Great Danes unless you are willing to fully study genetics, structure, temperament and health (including full health testing, structural evaluation and genetic screening to better the breed as a whole and reduce genetic risk)
READ THE STUDIES
We’re not going to tell you all of this and then run off and not provide the studies we read!
Definitely check this out, and remember. ALL GREAT DANES ARE AT RISK, no matter where they are from, and what you do.
As much as we want to prevent bloat, it’s not 100% possible. Even a dog with little to no known risk factors can suffer from bloat and torsion!
We prefer to look at bloat prevention in terms of minimizing risk. When you think of it that way and address the small things, positive changes can happen for the Dane community as a whole.
Get out there and enjoy your dog!!!!
The information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. We do our best to present the most up-to-date research, however it is up to the reader to make decisions regarding the health and well-being of their dog. We make no claims here to prevent or treat bloat or any other condition related to Great Danes. Find a veterinarian with GIANT breed experience, and chat with them.
Some of the products we list on our website contain affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, we may receive a small commission for referring you. We only recommend products that we truly believe in. This commission does not affect the price of the product and is used to fund our content and expenses related to operating this website.
We love to see Great Danes and kids together! Understandably, people have a lot of questions about this though. Because Danes are SO big, they can be seen as dangerous or unsafe to have around babies and children. While there is some truth to that (a jumping Dane is dangerous), Great Danes are often wonderful with children!
How to develop safe and healthy relationships between Great Danes and children
To answer a few quick questions, yes Great Danes can make wonderful family pets. They are still, however dogs and giants at that. Read on for ideas to keep your kids from being squished, trampled, knocked over, and growled at!
Are Great Danes Good for Families with Kids?
If you are considering a Great Dane for your family, here are some tips for choosing one that will integrate beautifully and be wonderful with kids.
Work with a rescue that can match you with a dog that has a known temperament, OR choose an ethical breeder. There is no middle ground here.
An ethical breeder will pair dogs with outstanding, kid and family-friendly temperaments, will fully socialize the puppies using Puppy Culture or a similar program, and support you for life if something isn’t working for you.
Most rescues are interested in lifetime placement: be honest with them about your lifestyle & needs.
Backyard and unethical breeding practices are nearly fully responsible for the reason why so many Great Danes have unstable temperaments (fearful, timid, aggressive, hard to train, out of control) that make them unsuitable for family life.
We highly recommend reaching out to local Great Dane rescues as well. Inquire about fostering, volunteering, adoption, and donations.
Training a Great Dane
Even a well-socialized, well-bred Great Dane puppy is going to need a ton of socialization and training!
Children run, scream, throw things, and fuss which makes them really, really fun for puppies to chase, nip, tug, and tackle.
This is NOT dominance and has nothing to do with ‘pecking order’. It’s simple puppy language. Puppies are immature, don’t yet know how to interact with humans, and do what feels good.
Chasing and tackling kids FEELS good. It’s super fun and then kids tend to naturally reward the behavior by squealing and trying to shout, tug back or run away.
As the adult in the room, it’s up to you to manage this behavior. Do not allow it to develop or be practiced. Crates, gates, leashes, a mat, and a pocket full of treats (to reward calm indifferent behavior towards children) are key. If the dog is playing gently with the kids, allow it. If the dog amps up, immediately leash up and redirect.
If you are trying to fix this by repeatedly scolding the dog, shocking it, squirting it, pinning it to the ground or shouting you risk teaching the puppy to associate kids with punishment. Yikes!
That wildly incorrect training method relies on the dog being allowed to practice the behavior first, and that’s the problem. Don’t allow practice. Teach, manage, and train your Dane.
Training Children Around Great Danes
Kids sitting on Great Danes is NOT CUTE.
You will not change our mind on this one. It is never appropriate or safe to let children, even toddlers and babies, use Great Danes as a jungle gym, a horse, or pull their tails/ears/etc.
Most dog bites are from known family dogs, to children, and are often labelled as ‘out of the blue’.
Great Danes and Kids 101
This is why, and it results in children being harmed physically and emotionally. Otherwise, wonderful dogs end up in rescue or worse, euthanized. For more information on dog body language and appropriate child-dog interactions, visit www.stopthe77.com and watch the video.
Encouraging children to wrestle with the dog, hug it, lay on it, pin it down, take its food, and pull on the tail and ears so that it ‘gets used to it’ is a dangerous and misguided idea. Instead of asking an animal to tolerate being mishandled, teach your children how to appropriately interact with dogs.
A dog that has a positive relationship with children and has been taught how to play politely with them is much more tolerant of accidental mishandling. It’s that simple.
Never allow children to take food, bones, or toys. Resource guarding (which quickly leads to aggression) tends to become worse when the dog is taught through repetition that they should worry about their resources (especially food) being taken from them.
If a child (especially a friend or neighbor child) is trying to lay on, hug, scold or chase your Great Dane, step in immediately.
Do not allow children to crawl or lay on your Great Dane. Even the most tolerant Dane can eventually snap, especially when older age means more pain and arthritis, or when your child tries that on a much less tolerant other dog they meet.
Teach children how to freeze and become bored if a puppy starts to amp up. This will give you time to step in and redirect the puppy to something more appropriate.
Teach children how to use praise, treats, and toys to interact with, train, and develop a positive mutual relationship with your Great Dane.
Socialize your Great Dane around lots of kids! Socialization means positive exposure. Watch kids playing at a park. Hang out and watch kids riding bikes, playing tag, or swinging. Work on your basic obedience skills (sit, down, touch, look at me, leave it, wait, stay, come) while the children are playing.
If you are worried that your Great Dane puppy is being aggressive and not playing, we’ve put together a huge blog post with information for you.
How to Handle a Great Dane that Growls at Kids
If you have a Great Dane who is growling, snapping, or barking at children, this section is for you!
Many factors can lead to this including poor socialization, bad past experiences, abuse, health, bad training methods, mishandling, and yes, genetics. It’s important to take it seriously.
If you have a Dane that has shown any signs of aggression, fear, or frustration towards children, seek out the help of a behaviorist as soon as possible. We also recommend reaching out to your breeder or rescue and letting them know.
Many trainers can do online consultations, which may cost less if you are on a budget.
If you have a Great Dane that looks uncomfortable around children, lifts a lip or even offers a growl, step in immediately. As above, crates, gates, leashes, and in this case, muzzles are valuable and important tools.
We do not recommend exposing a growly dog to children so they ‘get used to it’. Forcing a dog into a situation they don’t want to be in is called ‘flooding’, and can easily make the problem much, much worse. Not to mention, it’s dangerous for the dog and children involved.
If your dog is unstable around children or the behavior is new/out of the blue, start with a vet check. Pain and other problems, including thyroid disease and eye problems can lead to aggression.
There is no quick fix where your Dane will be magically ‘safe’ around kids. Using a cheap shock collar to punish the dog for growling, reacting, and being unstable around children is not the answer here. You MUST address the root cause. A good balanced trainer will use science-backed behavior modification and management methods, especially before layering in e-collar training.
We believe Great Danes make wonderful family pets! Both of us have our Danes around children and their relationship is beautiful.
They play beautifully in the yard together and our intact male Great Dane (3 years as of this writing) LOVES to hang out with them while they play catch, dig in the sandbox, swing on the playset, and build forts out of snow.
Our adult Great Dane is a rescue that had a horrible puppyhood, she too is wonderful with kids. She’s a dog that enjoys and seeks out children to snuggle with her.
Socialization, training, and genetics go a long way here! Be diligent, be the adult in the room. Recognize what your Dane is capable of and manage the environment. Help your children build a positive relationship with your Great Dane!
Rescue Great Danes & Children
Many rescues will not adopt Great Danes to homes with children under the age of 8 or 10. This can be disheartening, but there are many reasons for it:
Some rescue Danes simply aren’t good with kids.
Because children are the most susceptible to being bit, and because so many people allow children to treat dogs inappropriately, the Dane rescues may set dogs up to fail when they send them into homes with young children.
Danes are GIANT breed dogs that can easily knock over a kid, whack them with a tail, or squish them accidentally.
The rescues must place dogs for life. Child-free applications may receive priority.
The Danes that come into the rescue with amazing temperaments that will be great with children are also the ones that tend to receive a lot of applications. These aren’t the dogs that typically or often sit waiting for a home. Many of them are snatched up by fosters (foster fail or foster to adopt) and never become available.
The rescue wants NO chance that the dog will be returned to them and need rescue and re-home again, and they have to make choices that aren’t always understood by individual adopters.
If you want to adopt a Great Dane and have young children, develop a relationship with the rescue! Volunteer for them. Show them that you have Giant breed experience and are a dedicated, thoughtful, and educated dog owner. Be there when those dogs come into rescue, instead of waiting for one to pop up and throwing your application into the mix, then getting upset when they don’t choose you.
Don’t just run to the nearest backyard breeder out of frustration, it’s one of the worst things you can do for the breed as a whole. There is absolutely nothing wrong, however with finding and choosing an ethical breeder to purchase a puppy from, especially if adoption isn’t going to work for you right now.
