OWNING A GREAT DANE

When you acquire a Robessa Great Dane he/she will soon become a member of your family.

Great Danes are gentle in nature and respond best to gentle but firm training as puppies. They are fast learners and very eager to please. Each Dane has his or her own personality of course, but there are definite traits of the breed which include, sitting on your lap, constantly giving you their paw, and leaning against you, these are examples of the way in which they make it their business to get your attention, just in case you forget they are around!

In short, your Dane will just want to be with you, as much as possible, and will join you at the dinner table if you let them. They will also sit in your armchair or on your sofa. But there is another side to the Great Dane. They are incredibly intelligent, and possess an almost regal air about them. They are strong, yet dignified. Giant in size but elegant in stature. Spirited, yet friendly. All in all, the Great Dane takes some getting used to merely because of his size.  But trust me – his heart and soul are every bit as big. 

They are extremely inquisitive and love to sniff everything. They love to be around their family, so they are definitely indoor dogs. They are very graceful considering their size but they can overturn coffee tables and other household items when galloping through the house in play.

A Great Dane is not for everyone. They require and deserve a great deal of love, attention and time. If you're willing to give all of those things to this breed, you will find it reflected right back at you every time you look at your Dane. Most people are not prepared for how much the Great Dane slobbers and drools, especially after eating or drinking. Some Great Danes have looser jowls than others, and when they shake their heads, you will be towelling saliva and slime off your clothes and furniture. So it is not a good idea to arrive in your best clothes. Introductions to visitors are very "paws on". Slobber is normal here.

If the thought of this puts you off don't buy a Dane!

BUYING A GREAT DANE PUPPY

You have just acquired a wonderful friend. Treat him kindly and he will reward you tenfold. Please remember that however exciting and happy the occasion is for you, the puppy's move from his place of birth to your home can be, for him, a traumatic experience. His mother and litter mates will be missed. He will be awed or frightened by the change of surroundings the person on whom he depended will be gone. Everything should be planned to make his arrival at your home pleasant, and to give him confidence, to help him realise that yours is a pretty nice place to be after all. If you have youngsters make sure they clearly understand that puppies are fragile and can easily be hurt. Make sure the puppy has a warm dry bed, somewhere he can retreat to, Great Danes do not thrive left out in the garden on their own this can lead to behavioural problems GREAT DANES ARE FAMILY DOGS and do best in the home environment. They are very clean dogs and are better off living and sleeping indoors.  

Due to the size the Great Dane, temperament should be of prime concern when buying a puppy. As with all other breeds, you must be able to see the Mother of the puppies when visiting a litter, but not necessarily the Father, and the Mother's temperament may give you some indication of the likely outcome of the pups. Check there are plenty of toys for the puppies to play with, and that they do not back away from you when you go to greet them. If they do, it is unlikely they have been correctly socialised.  

You should not be able to buy a puppy under the age of 8 weeks old. They are not mature enough to leave their Mother and siblings any earlier than that. Puppies should have been given a regular worming programme, and the breeder should advise you when the puppy next needs worming. Dull coats, weepy eyes or runny noses, will be an indication that all is not well with the puppy. The puppy should look plump and well fed; Better to be marginally over than under-weight at this stage of life. 

All breeders should at the very least, offer you a puppy feeding guide and most good breeders will provide you with a guide on looking after your puppy and after-sales support.

Finally, whether you buy for pet or show you should receive a Pedigree (at least 3 generations) signed by the breeder. A Kennel Club registration certificate - or at least something in writing to say that registration has been applied for if the registration certificate is not to hand when you take the puppy. A diet sheet giving clear feeding instructions and details of what food the puppy has been fed. Also a chart showing all worming dates and what wormer was used. A sales agreement. This should be explained to you before you sign it and a Puppy Pack.We also supply 6 weeks free insurance

Please remember NOT to change the diet for the first few weeks. If you must change your puppies’ diet it should be done very slowly, mixing the new food in with the old in small amounts at first, then increasing the new/decreasing the old until the changeover is complete. If you do it too quickly you will have a puppy with a very upset tummy!

One other thing I would like to add to this is please take out pet insurance for your Great Dane because Great Danes vet bills can be like the dog itself. Big!

BREEDING GREAT DANES

Breeding Great Danes (or any other breed) is not something one should undertake lightly - it's not an easy way to make some extra cash as breeders will tell you, you will be lucky if you break even. It is never just a case of putting together any dog with any bitch and leaving them to get on with it - doing this could cause one or both dogs to be injured and could also result in puppies with health or temperament problems. If you would like to breed your bitch simply because you would like another puppy with her personality and looks, then it would be easier to buy another puppy from your bitch’s breeder! I have heard so many dog owners say that their bitch should have one litter before she is spayed. WRONG! There is absolutely NO medical, physical or emotional reason that a dog or bitch needs to reproduce itself except to continue the breed. The kennel Club registers thousands of puppies each year and there is probably the same amount again which are not registered. Contact your local Great Dane rescue centre and see the sad results of many litters born for just this misguided reason.

Great Danes can have very large litters anything from 2-17 do you have the finances to properly care for and raise the litter and to handle any unforeseen emergencies that may arise.

Do you have the facilities and finances to properly house and care for a bitch and a large litter even if the puppies are still residents at 6 months of age?

Or are you not only willing, but insist in writing in the contract, that if, for any reason should your circumstances change in the future and you become unable to keep your Great Dane (at whatever age) you will take it back or assist in finding the right home.

 This doesn’t just apply to the Great Dane it applies to all breeds.

When enquiring about one of our Great Dane puppies or a future litter do ring at a reasonable hour dog breeders are usually very busy people who often have other family commitments try and ring during office hours or at least no later than 7pm.