Exercising your Great Dane Puppy

Exercise

Now this is a minefield out there and this is personal to us. It what works for us.

This goes by age of Dane as you can walk your dog from 12 weeks. Not just in the garden but she will greatly benefit from the training there.

No forced exercise at all till 6 months and as much as free play as they want they will tell you when tired.

JUMPING

No jumping is allowed at all not till he is over 18 months because of joints.  Please this is important over jumping and climbing of stairs as in not allowed as you can and will damage the bones as they are soft and pliable so easily broken.

I ask you to put up baby gates where there is stairs as precaution as puppies are naturally nosy and will climb up to see what is there.

Do not allow your Dane to jump on couches, chairs or beds as their joints are still pliable. No jumping up on you either is to be encouraged as again it can damage the joints.

If in a flat please be aware of the stairs and supervise at ALL times. If bouncy put him on lead and take down slowly and same back up.  Make sure that the flooring you use isn’t of the slippy kind.

Not to frighten you it will cost you in excess of £2-5,000 for fixing broken limbs a long stay at the vets and a long haul of recovery. 

Over exercise is not on either as again you can hurt the joints of your pup.  Please do not walk and walk with your Dane Pup if you have a long walk planned take into account the age of Dane and go accordingly.  As in lots of breaks for him and drinks too.

Please do not run with your puppy either again this is to do with joints and growing.  Running isn’t allowed till he is also over 18 months.

Zoomies are when they have a mad 10 minutes if they go OTT stop them with a firm no and even standing near them remember to jump out of the way now though.

                                         House flooring

If you have wooden or marble flooring I ask you to put rugs down in case your dog falls as this will damage tendons and joints over time if he does it a lot and we know Danes love doing zoomies so rugs are a must that don’t slide about.  This will save you in the long term on vet bills.

Our Puppy Questionnaire

▪   Name:

▪   Address:

▪   Phone (home):              work:

▪   Referred by:

▪   What reference

▪   Materials have you read?

▪   How many individuals of this breed are you acquainted with?

▪   Type of dwelling:      house       flat   mobile home

▪   If renting, please give name and address of landlord:

▪   Name, address and phone number of your veterinarian:

1.   Who will be the primary care giver?

2.   Where will the puppy be kept during the night?

3.   Where will the puppy be kept during the day?

4.   Is anyone home during the day?

5.   How many hours on the average will the puppy be left alone?

6.   Will there be someone available to feed and exercise the puppy during the day?

7.    Have you ever owned a dog before?

8.     Do you have any other animals?

9.     Do you have any children? If yes, what are their ages.

10. Does anyone in your household have allergies to animals?

If yes, to what and how severe?

11.          Are you interested in a male or female puppy?

12.          At what age do you wish to get the puppy?

13.          How did you hear about this breed?

14.          What do you expect the activity level of this breed to be:

very high    high     moderate     below average

15.          What kind of floor surfaces will the dog be on in the house?

16.          How many hours a day will the puppy be kept outside?

17.          How will he be confined when he is outside?

18.          Do you have a fenced yard or suitable pen?

19.          Have you ever house trained a dog before?

20.          How long have you lived at this address?

21.          Will you be attending any training classes?

22.          If yes, at what age will you start, which activities or competitions are you interested in, who is the trainer?

23.          How long did your last pet live? What were the circumstances of its' death?

24.          Have you ever returned a pet to the breeder? Rescue? Given away  If so, what were the circumstances?

25.          Are you interested in showing the dog?

26.          Are you interested in competition in performance events such as obedience, agility, showing etc.?

27.          A Great Dane now lives till they are, on average 10 are you willing to take that on board?

28.          Will you feed a premium diet?

29.          Will you be willing to spay/neuter depending on gender and age? (unless shown)

30.          Will you love your chosen Dane unconditionally even when they are being a pain in the arse?

31.          Will you read the booklet cover to cover that comes with your puppy?

32.          Will you stay in contact?

Some are personal, some can be funny and this will most likely get updated a lot as the years go on. 

These are not meant to offend but some are and that is their choice but do remember these furbabies are reared by us with care and love first. 

Blue Great Dane

Culseandanes Brutus Blue

aka Leo

Still needing to grow into that body as he is a big lad. 

A few facts about Blues 

both parents must carry the recessive "blue" gene to have blue pups. 

black x blue breeding will produce both colours but if there is ones with more white its to do with what is in the ancestory of the past from both parents not just one. So watch out for an odd coloured one. 

Blues have harder nails than the other colours.

Blues take longer to grow and mature.

Blues are prone to ear infections. 

White on the chest and toes is allowed in the UK but frown upon in other countries. 

Miscellanous fact for all breeds

 In Germany pups are not shown till 9 months unlike the 6 months in the UK and 4 months in Ireland. 

Interview Questions

Where did you find out about the breeder? Responsible breeders will breed only once or twice a year and will have a waiting list. 

Are both parents at least two years old and no more than 6 for the dam? 

Have both parents been health tested and no we dont mean from the vet but hip and elbows, sometimes heart and eyes too. 

How often is the dam bred? Use your common sense. The dam should only have 4 litters or less in her lifetime. 

Do all four grandparents, siblings of the parents and any other puppies that they have produced have any problems.  A responsible breeder will be able to discuss any problems that they are aware of. 

Ask if the breeder is willing to provide you with references and telephone numbers of other people who have purchased puppies from them. They will be happy too.

Will the puppy have endorsements? A breeder who cares enough about the breed to insist on these is likely to be a responsible breeder.

On what basis was the sire chosen? If the answer is "because he lives right down the road" or "because we were owed a stud" it may be that sufficient thought was not put into the breeding.

 Will the breeder take the dog back at any time for any reason if you cannot keep it? This is the hallmark of a responsible breeder and should be part of the contract.

Does the breeder have a contract you have to sign? Ask your breeder to see a copy of their contract.  All reputable breeders should have a contract that covers both Buyer and Breeder.

 Is the breeder knowledgeable about the breed? Is (s)he involved in competition with their dogs (showing, handling, obedience, or agility)? Yes, Great Danes can do all these.

Are the puppy's Sire or Dam available for you to meet? Normally the sire will not be available as he will probably live at other premises but you can ask for a photo of him which a breeder will be happy to provide.

Have the puppies been raised in the home or a kennel and are they clean?

Is the breeder knowledgeable about raising puppies, critical neonatal periods, and proper socialization techniques? Puppies that are raised without high exposure to gentle handling, human contact and a wide variety of noises and experiences or removed from their dam or littermates before 7 weeks may exhibit a wide variety of behavioual problems!

Does the breeder provide you with a 4 - 5 generation pedigree, a contract to sign, copies of any health tests the parents have had, health records of the puppy and material to help you with feeding, training and housebreaking?

Have the puppy's temperaments been evaluated and can the breeder guide you to the puppy that will best suite your lifestyle?

Do the puppies seem healthy, with no discharge from eyes or nose, no loose stools, no foul smelling ears? Are their coats soft and clean? Do they have plenty of energy when awake?

Have they been wormed?

Does the Breeder belong to any Great Dane Clubs? They should belong to at least one but most belong to 2 or more.

Do you feel comfortable with the breeder as you are entering into a long-term relationship?

Are you under pressure? If so keep looking.

Growth Chart

Giant breed puppies grow so fast that it's almost unbelievable!

Their most rapid puppy growth rate takes place between birth and about 5 months of age.

They may reach maturity/adulthood by 2 but most Danes dont finish growing till 3 as the last year is the filling out part. I find for me, my blues dont mature till 4 years old. 

Please also remember that the weight on average for,

a Dane is only 100lbs for females at a height of 28in

120lbs for males at a height of 30in

These can fluctuate of course as in a female of 140lbs at 30inches or a male at 100lbs at the same height. 

Genetics play a big part in the height and weight of your fully grown Dane 

Large/Giant Breed Puppy Weight Chart

Puppy weight is in pounds. 

This is only averages and all Danes can and will be different and surprise you. Feed a good quality kibble or raw diet and you will set him up for life. 

Remember Danes grow slowly so dont rush in putting weight on as you can damage his joints and body structure. 

Questions to ask yourself before getting a Dane

Take full responsibility for this dog and all its needs for the next 10 - 15 years?

Invest a large amount of time, money and patience. It takes time to train a dog to be a good companion.

Always keep the dog safe?

Make sure the dog gets enough attention and exercise?

Live with shedding hair and slobber?

Spend the money it takes to provide proper veterinary care? Care is not limited to vaccines, spaying or neutering and annual boosters.

Become educated about the proper care of the breed, correct training methods and how to groom.

Keep the breeder informed and up to date on the dog's progress?

Take your questions to the breeder or any other problems before it becomes out of hand?

Have patience to accept and enjoy the trials and tribulations of puppy hood; this can last up to 5 years.

Continue to accept responsibility for the dog despite inevitable life changes such as new babies, kids going to school, moving home, returning to work; the list is endless.

Resist impulse buying; instead have patience to make a responsible decision?

Take into consideration all aspects of caring for a puppy. He will not always be that little bundle of joy that you see first, he will grow into a fully developed dog. Traits that are cute when a puppy are not so cute as an adult and you, as owner, are the person responsible. You can have a well trained dog or a lunatic, so who is to blame?? (You)

Visitors

VISITORS

You are more than welcome to come and meet our Danes and discuss the breed and colours of them or just for a plain old blether about them too. 

Visits are Strictly by appointment only. 

We confidently offer our babies for sale in the hope that they will find their forever homes.

If we have puppies available, there is no obligation to buy. If we have doubts about your suitability we will tell you.

PLEASE phone before setting off to let us know you are still coming and to confirm your arrival or your ish times for arriving. I know schedules do change because of family commitments same as us but its nice to know these in advance.  

!!!!!!  A WORD OF WARNING !!!!!!

It is not a good idea to arrive in your best clothes. Our dogs are not kept in immaculate show condition all the time, they are first and foremost our pets and companions, what you might in fact call free range.

Introductions to visitors can be very paws on. So all great fun so slobber and mud are very normal here. If the thought of this puts you off don't buy a dog never mind a Dane.   

Our breeding programme is aimed not at the commercial market but at establishing and maintaining our bloodlines for years to come and we are always looking for our next show dog from our Danes. 

We confidently offer puppies & home reared youngsters for sale, either for the serious exhibitor or purely as companions. 

We also have on the rare occasion  a youngster or adult Great Dane returned to us for re-homing. Yes we always take our dogs back whatever the reason and at any age. 

If you need help, advice or further information about our Great Danes, waiting lists, reserving a puppy, deposits required etc. please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Proud owners of Mantles, Harlequins, Blues and a Fawn

champdogs

I can be contacted on the above