Dogsitting a Great Dane

[JayG]

The wife is a vet tech and we watched a Great Dane overnight while her owner (the vet) worked overnight. His name is Hooch. Got along great with our dog Quiche the Puli.









Our Puli - Hungarian sheepdog with dreads




Makes us think about having two dogs. We have a nice sized yard and there is a chocolate doberman that needs a home at her work. I think he does well with cars since his names is Enzo, in fact that almost prequalifies him for residency.

[Tobra]

two is okay, you get three or more and they tend to gang up on one of the others

[TerryH]

Love Great Danes, but they don't live long. I think the average is well under 10 years. Hard enough to say good bye after 12-15.

My wife and I have had two dogs most of our married life (28 yrs). However, for the last 7 years we've just had one and found we do more with our dog as a single. More car rides, more walks, more of everything basically.

We still talk of getting a second to "keep the other company" when we are out. I'm sure there is some merit to that reasoning, but our mutt seems happy solo even though he loves every dog he meets.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Exactly what I was thinking. Danes are generally great dogs but they tend to have a lot of cardiac problems (and others IIRC, maybe one of the vets can add to this).

Maybe consider the adopt-a-greyhound program?

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Exactly what I was thinking. Danes are generally great dogs but they tend to have a lot of cardiac problems (and others IIRC, maybe one of the vets can add to this).

Maybe consider the adopt-a-greyhound program?

Well we dont want a dane since they are huge, we were just babysitting for a night. Greyhound or the doberman at her work would be free. We used to have two a while ago when she had a mini dachshund but he had to put down from age. The Puli is technically mine and I think she wants "her own" dog as its weird sharing just one when we are laying on the couch.

[TerryBPP]

My mom had a great dane that died. I had to bury that big bastard. Took forever and was heavy as hell.

[Rick Lee]

That Dane looks identical to one of ours, Barney RIP. He and our Bassett Hound were quite the team. But Barney, like the two Danes we had before him, died pretty young. IIRC, kidney issues with all three of them.

[vash]

holy crap! great dog. my brother adopted TWO of those horses! only one is still alive. (her name, ironically is porsche) the one that passed i never had a chance to meet. the poor dog was (get this) molested by the owner repeatedly. the creature was afraid of men, and it took some serious time for her to trust my brother. she died of something. i didnt ask.

now the remaining dog is fantastic! you can tell her joints ache and stuff, but she still acts like a puppy. i love that dog. she is the most loyal animal to my brother. i can wipe a steak on my body and that dog would ignore me if my brother left the room. great animals! too big for my life tho.

[Dan in Pasadena]

A long time ago there was a donut shop I would stop by in the mornings on the way to work. An older man in his 70's would invariably come walking up each morning with his Great Dane, one of the black and white ones. He'd have a leash draped over his shoulders but the dog was off the leash and would obey him like the Almighty himself. I would pet and talk to the dog sitting outside the store and he was super friendly. But he never took his eye off his master through the glass fronted shop and the instant his master turned to walk to the door the Dane sat there quivering until he came out. He absolutely adored his master.

I have always wanted one but the idea of them consistently dying so young would really bother me. Maybe someday if I have a truly piece of property for one.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by TerryBPP

My mom had a great dane that died. I had to bury that big bastard. Took forever and was heavy as hell.

I buried my brother's rottweiler for him. She died on a Saturday, buried her on Sunday. He was all distraught, because he had her 14 years, so he was not much help, took me hours. Guy at Home Depot looked at us really funny when we bought a shovel, some lime and nothing else.

[Seric]

LOVE Danes, my dad has a Dane and she is the sweetest thing on the planet. She is over 10 years old too so she's beat the odds.

[slodave]

I grew up with three (not all at the same time). We fought like siblings. I was a baby with the first one and he would watch over me in the backyard and there are a couple of pics with me riding him. Short lives, but great dogs!

[red-beard]

Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that a woman owns one of those? We had a neighbor in West Stockbridge who owned one and it created endless speculation, most often in the summer when she drove it around in her Jeep Wrangler.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that a woman owns one of those? We had a neighbor in West Stockbridge who owned one and it created endless speculation, most often in the summer when she drove it around in her Jeep Wrangler.

The vet weighs maybe 110 lbs and the dog is pushing 120. Its nuts but the dog stays stuck to you anyway.

[craigster59]

You should probably think about getting a "friend" for your Puli. We've always been a one dog family until a German Shepard puppy came rollin' up at work. I kept it for a co-worker to adopt after he came back from vacation, only to find out the Wife told him she was pregnant while they were vacationing.

So there I was with a new dog. The one we had (who would lay around, tag along as you walked around) now had a buddy and his energy level quadrupled. They can be a little much at times, but they are inseperable. And the male bonded with the Wife, while the female (Shepard) won't let me out of her sight.

[scottmandue]

I had a doberman and she was a great dog, I would get another one in a minute if I had the room (yard) for it.

It was kind of ironic... she was the biggest sissy of a dog I ever met but no one would dare come over the fence when she was out in the yard.

As far as a Great Dane, nice dogs but a little too drooly for me... that and picking up after them... your going to need a BIG shove! Oh and don't leave your sandwich on the coffee table (ask me how I know).

[Ronbo]

We've had Danes for the last 15 years. Wonderful dogs. We had to put our third one down about a month ago due to a spinal cord problem. He was about 11 years old and had a good life. Our first two were brother and sister, and were often a handful when pups. They're pretty easy keepers when they reach a couple of years old. Right now we're dogless, as it's too soon to think about it.

[williecoyote]

Originally Posted by TerryBPP

My mom had a great dane that died. I had to bury that big bastard. Took forever and was heavy as hell.

I feel your pain. I once had a 110# Doberman. When he died, I grabbed my shovel, and took him out in the woods. As I started digging, I was overcome with emotion, and I was sobbing. By the time I had dug a large enough hole to put him in, I was cussing him!!

[Lil Black Car]

I had two dobermans once that were brother and sister, but from different litters, with the girl Tory being a year alder than Mars. He topped out at 140# and became sick when he was 12 yo and started to waste away from bad kidneys. I finally had to put him down and boo hooed like a baby while doing it. I buried him out back with Tory watching and she started hanging out in that part of the yard. Six months later, I walked out there and she was layed out on the spot where Mars was buried as dead as he was. Dug him up and put her next to him. Boo hooed over her too. Good dogs. Wouldn't hurt a flea but people sure would not come into the yard uninvited.

[JayG]

Well we picked up the Doberman tonight. His name is Enzo and he has floppy ears and a docked tail. Our neighbors have a min pin in the same configuration and they love each other.
The puli is not bothered at all, in fact he almost avoids her.

Pardon the red eye.