Crating a Great Dane?

IceAngel

Training dogs to be okay in a crate when you go out or to bed are essential, i was wondering though, do they make crates for a fully grown Great Dane?

Answer
They sure do make crates for adult size Danes.

Post neuter recovery of a Great Dane?

jane

Hello All,

We had a surgery this past Friday and while we were told that some swelling is expected, I didn't anticipate seeing so much...
the scrotum area seems to be fairly swollen with a base of the penis looking like a bloody bruise (i do have some pictures but not sure I should upload all of these here...) the Doctor recommended we give him 2-25 mg pills of Acepromazine, which, after having read the side-effects we felt was ok...
little did we know....Thor was restless, his eyes were red and it looked like he had bags under the eyes, he couldn't find a place to sit/lay, or stay in for more than a minute...he was confused (this was a second dosage of the 2-25 mg Acepromazine about 6.5-7 hours after the first dose) We decided against any more pills, he was ok without Rimadyl either...) i am waiting to hear back from the doctor; in the meantime, however, is there anything I can do to stop the swelling or to bring it down? Our pup is almost 14 months old, he does want to move all the time so we are definitely trying to limit his walking around...He was not licking the area, there is no loss of appetite and he is drinking...he just wants to play all the time...which tells me that he is most likely not in pain but I worry that the sack may rupture...Is there a way to distinguish between the fluid filled scrotum vs. hematoma? I sent the pictures to the vet and am awaiting their response, should I ask that they drain the scrotum?
The incision area does not seep or leak, there is absolutely no discharge or foul smell...he is back on Rimadyl and is currently resting. Thank you for all responses!
[URL=http://s1308.photobucket.com/user/janekrbv/media/Thor%20May%202014/photo43_zpsfea51f20.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s613/janekrbv/Thor%20May%202014/photo43_zpsfea51f20.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://s1308.photobucket.com/user/janekrbv/media/Thor%20May%202014/photo17_zpsb6cc8596.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s613/janekrbv/Thor%20May%202014/photo17_zpsb6cc8596.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://s1308.photobucket.com/user/janekrbv/media/Thor%20May%202014/photo3

Answer
Your dog is large, and is most likely being too active after surgery.
Using a crate or keeping him on a leash would help. We apply ice immediately after surgery, but I doubt he'll let you do that. Another way besides ice would be something that has been in the fridge but not the freezer. We use the freezer gel packs that come with our vaccines --- we leave them in the refrigerator

Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory drug, so I would not have stopped that. It does relieve pain, but by reducing the inflammation. Your dog's scrotum is definitely inflamed.

I would not ask your vet to do anything, but instead you should ask him what he thinks needs to be done. You would not necessarily drain, especially if it isn't the right thing for your dog at this time.

Until you hear back from your vet (he probably needs to see your dog, although photos are good) keep your dog calm, at least.

Ace is a difficult drug. Dogs that have taken Ace do look just so hang-doggie. Their eyes droop and seem red. They just act scary. But Ace does keep them from moving around too much, which was the point.

The dosage on Ace is tricky. It takes a little experimentation, and it may be that the dose for your particular dog was a little more than he needed. You might try at the next due dose to give half to 3/4 the prescribed dose. It is an extremely safe drug, even though it doesn't seem that way when you see your pet almost comatose!

Trust your vet. Neutering such a big boy does come with extra risks, but you still have done the right thing, as dogs that are neutered have been proven to live longer lives.

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My dog won't stop chewing my furniture, she's too big to crate, any suggestions?

racinggirl

I'm thinking about a muzzle when no one is home. I give her all the bones and chew toys but she prefers the furniture. Help

Answer
no dog is too big to crate. they make crates for great danes, old english mastifs, irish wolfhounds, etc.

There are two major causes of destructive behaviour: boredom and separation anxiety. Separation anxiety
is a term used to describe the insecure behaviour of a dog who is too dependent on his owner and thus becomes destructive in his owner's absence.
Separation anxiety is also common in dogs who have been abandoned or mistreated
Too many dogs are given up for adoption because of destructive behaviour, usually without any effort by their owners to change or improve their pet's behaviour. Accepting the responsibility of owning a dog means being prepared to deal with such situations.
The suggestions listed below will help you and your dog get right back on the good behaviour "track":

Have your dog spayed or neutered.

Give your dog rigorous, tiring exercise before you leave your home. This will require more time and effort on your part, but it is necessary to help your dog.

Make all home departures and arrivals uneventful. Avoid exciting your dog at these times.
Most destructive behaviour occurs within the first and last half hours a dog is alone. This is due usually to anxiety brought on by the excitement that often surrounds this time.
Plan a play session for your dog half an hour after you arrive home.

Never reprimand unless you have caught your dog in the act of being destructive.
Punishing your dog on your return for something done in your absence will serve only to increase its anxiety and confusion, and will hinder any progress you have already made.

Purchase a crate for your dog to stay in while you are away from home or are unable to keep an eye on your dog (this is comparable to placing a toddler in a playpen). Line the crate with a blanket and provide a variety of safe and suitable chew toys for your dog.
Never use the crate as a form of reprimand. Make the act of entering the crate enjoyable.
This method is commonly referred to as "cage" or "crate training", and emulates a natural habit of dogs, which is to go into a den for a safe and secure place to rest. Once you feel your dog can be left on his own, you can practice leaving him alone for short periods of time.
Allow your dog access only to certain areas of the house and, as with children, make sure breakables and dangerous items are well out of reach (also keep in mind that your dog may just prefer to stay in its "den"). You may wish to read The Toronto Humane Society Fact Sheet "Crate Training" for more information.
Before leaving, switch on a radio tuned to a soft music/talk station. The sound of soft human voices and music has a calming effect on dogs.

Consult a veterinarian about your dog's diet. Foods that are too high in protein and/or lack other necessary nutrients may have an effect on your dog's behaviour.

Make use of the experience of others. Many excellent books are available.

Most behavioural problems can be solved with the right amount of love, time and patience. Don't give up! The love and devotion your dog has for you will make it all worthwhile.

What is a good dog food for a great dane puppy?

Melissa N

We have a 12 wk old dane girl she is fawn with a black mask just so sweet and goffy. I've read a lot about not feeding any type of puppy food. 24% or less of protien and 12% or less of fat. Is this so? I want the best for her and only adult foods what is good and where can you get it Petsmart...Wal-mart and so on. Our last dane we didn't know this and feed him puppy food until he was 1yr old the breeder said puppy LG breed. Now I'm reading different. Which that was 10yrs ago also. And what size crate / pet taxi should I buy now I don't want to have to buy a new one every month.LOL I know most people keep the danes outside but our girl is a house dog!!!! She has natural ears and just that dane look. We are teaching her how to sit now and I hope to start with her to heal next. We have 2 small children and we want her to know she can't jump on you. Any other dane info will help a lot thanks so much to you all and Happy New Year and God bless.

Answer
For a crate, I would recommend one that will fit your dog's adult size, but has a divider so when the puppy is smaller, you can let it be in half the crate instead of the whole thing. Then, as the puppy grows, you can remove the divider. That way, you don't have to keep buying crates every months.

I don't own giant breeds, but I believe they are usually put on adult food instead of puppy food. Puppy food makes a giant breed grow too fast. There are a few giant breed puppy formulas out there, but not many.

Below the double line is my general dog food choosing shpeel. Again, this is general information, and giant breeds have different 'rules' they follow, so that will require some more research on your end to make sure the food your choose is acceptable to feed a giant breed.
=== === ===

Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food.

Here is my "short list" of rules when I am looking at dog ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don't want to see any byproducts.
4) I don't want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don't want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don't want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don't want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don't want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as "meat" or "poultry".)

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn't mean it will jive the best for your dog.

What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on.

Here are some examples of high quality foods:
* Artemis - http://www.artemiscompany.com/
* California Natural - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/california-natural.asp
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Chicken Soup - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp
* Fromm - http://www.frommfamily.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Taste of the Wild - http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
* Timberwolf Organics - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. "Hill's scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine" (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all higher quality foods, but most of the foods aren't.)

Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

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Crating a Great Dane?

IceAngel

Training dogs to be okay in a crate when you go out or to bed are essential, i was wondering though, do they make crates for a fully grown Great Dane?

Answer
They sure do make crates for adult size Danes.

What should I do when my great dane puppy is escaping from his crate?

TG

My great dane puppy has been crate trained since before we got him at 2 months. He didn't mind it at all and was perfect in it until about 2 months ago (6 months old). We bought him a bigger crate because he was getting too big for his old one. At first he was fine. After about a week he started relieving himself in it. We made it smaller with a divider but didn't change the behavior. A friend suggested putting him back in his old crate just to see and he was fine despite initially getting in it. Then he started moving his crate around (with him still inside) and then full blown breaking out. He can get out of both crates and hurts his snout doing it.
We felt awful so decided to try him without the crate while we were at work. He was ok at first. Just moving rugs around. Yesterday he took the couch cushions off the couch and started tearing out the foam.
What should we do? We love him to pieces! He's 8 months old now and over 90 lbs

Answer
How long do you crate him?

Great Danes are very Velcro type of dogs and just love their people. When you're gone it is torture to them. If you crate him for more than 5 hours you're can't expect much. As a Dane owner, I down right refuse to have any of them left alone or crated for more than 4 hours.

If you're gone longer than that, I highly suggest you dedicate a room to them and dog proof everything completely. Don't leave anything out you wouldn't want destroyed. A laundry room, bathroom, etc. Get a neighbor, friend, or professional to check in on him, let him out, and maybe play a bit.

Lastly, exercise before leaving. If you let him romp around a field with a ball for awhile (30-40 mins) he'll be too tired to be up and pacing but rather will be inclined to sleep.

Good luck!

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What kennel do you recommend for a great dane?

dog crates great danes image

germadirk

I just adopted a 1.5 yr old great dane, and I was wondering what Kennel is best suited for this type of breed. He won't be outside, only in the kennel when I'm gone to class.

Any suggestions?

Answer
Check out this site: http://www.dogkennels.com/ They have great quality kennels at a great price! As great danes are very large dogs, you will probably need to buy the extra large crate size. This article says that dogs up to 80 lbs would fit in a large crate but anything greater will need an extra large one so they have enough space. http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/dogcratesizesarticle.cfm I posted a few possibilities for you below. Good luck!

http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/wire-dog-crates/midwesticratefoldingdogcrate.cfm
http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/wire-dog-crates/midwesticratefoldingdoubledoordogcrate.cfm
http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/wire-dog-crates/22inlifestagesfoldcarrydogcratewdivider.cfm
http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/wire-dog-crates/22inlifestagesfoldcarrydoubledoordogcrate.cfm

If I crate train my puppy can I stop when she is house broken ?

kajaloona

I am crate training my great dane puppy but I just want to do that until she is 100% house broken . Is it a problem to remove the crate when she is house broken ?

Answer
You will not regularly need the crate forever, no. However, the dog is likely to be housebroken-meaning she knows to eliminate outside-well before she is actually reliable in the house in terms of chewing and destruction.

So you'll want to use the crate until the dog can safely be left alone and unsupervised both to protect your possessions and to protect the dog from ingesting harmful items.

Once she's learned how to reliably behave in the house without your constant supervision, it's fine to put the crate into storage if you prefer. A crate is always handy to have, even if you don't use it regularly. Sooner or later, you'll need one. A few examples: the dog is ill or injured and needs to be on strict rest; you visit someone else's home with your dog and need a place for it to feel comfortable and be confined; you have some sort of workman, repairman, meter reader, etc. in the house and must confine the dog due to their rules and to prevent surprise escapes as they go in and out of your house every few minutes; you're doing something that could be dangerous to the dog, like painting a room; if you ever get a second dog, you may want to separate them when they can't be supervised; etc.

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How to get a dog in a crate?

dog crates great danes image

won_smart_

My dog, Faith, is 3 years old and has never been in a crate before. But for 4H which is Showmanship, obedience, and agility i need her to get in a crate between classes. Like someplace she can relax.

She is a Great Dane so i cant go in the crate with her.

Answer
Well, I would start by just setting the crate down and just letting her sniff it and get used to it. Make it a fun place to go; place rawhide bones, treats, toys, anything she enjoys inside so she knows it is not dangerous. I would put a blanket with your scent on it inside so she can always feel comfortable alone. Now that's getting her to go inside. Once she is inside I would close the door (leaving some sort of entertainment object inside with the dog) and leave the room. Maybe for just a minute at first. Then come back in (to show her you wouldn't leave her) and praise her with love and treats. Over time increase the time were you are gone from the room.
Hope this helps!

How mch does it cost to own a great Dane?

germadirk

I may be adopting a 1 year old great Dane. I'm curious to see how much the expenses are? Yes I will be giving him hwt medicatio , and won't be feeding him generic brand diets!

Answer
A good quality food will cost anywhere from $35 -$65 every couple of weeks depending on brand you feed...some great choices Taste of the Wild, Orijen, Acana, Merrick, From 4 Star, Canidae ALS, Canidae Grain Free, Earthborn just to name a few..I feed my Danes Taste of the Wild.... TOTW is a highly recommended food with many Dane owners/breeders as is Orijen.(Eagle Pack is not as well received or recommended as it use to be..fewer & fewer Dane people feed or recommend it any more. It has fallen out of favor since it was bought out and the formula changed..there are far better and more highly recommended foods out there now.)
Heartworm preventative depends on weight of your Dane, brand used and cost at a particular vet practice...so it can range from $100 - $200 per year Flea product again depends on size of your Dane, brand & vet practice...anywhere from $110 - $ 220 for 6 months worth.
Toys, beds, crates etc...depend on how many you buy, what you get, where you get them, etc so these can end up being as cheap or as expensive as you make it...obedience classes can range from $75 to over $100 There is no cut and dried cost to Dane ownership it depends on way to many factors....if the Dane came from a rescue or an irresponsible breeder then you could be looking at health issues at some point..
***a well bred well cared for Dane can live a good healthy life into their teens, many do just that. The average life of a Dane is 10 years which is the same for many breeds of dog...people are so use to seeing ill bred Danes that are unhealthy and shortlived that they automatically think this is the norm...it is NOT...also a well bred Dane is no more prone to health issues then any other breed/mix.Danes do NOT have health issues because of their size!!! The truth is Danes are less prone to hip dysplasia then Labs & Goldens, Less prone to heart disease then Dobermans, no more prone to bloat then any other deep chested breed...**********

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