FAQ PAGE

Karisma Danes Quality Blue and Black Great Danes!

Are Great Danes good with children?

Are Great Danes good with other animals?

How should I housebreak my Great Dane?

Do Great Danes need a lot of room?

Do Great Danes need a lot of grooming?

Should I get my Great Danes ears cropped?

What is the average lifespan of a Great Dane?

How much does an adult Great Dane eat?

Since Great Danes have short coats, a lot of grooming isn't necessary.  The occassional brushing and nail trim should be sufficient.  However, it is probably a good idea to give your new puppy many baths.  This will allow the puppy to get used to being bathed and will make it a lot easier to bath him when he's full grown.

Great Danes are notorious for being "couch potatoes".  Our Danes prefer to be inside the house (usually on the couch) with us.  They actually make pretty good house dogs.  BUT because of their being prone to being couch potatoes, you might have to encourage your Dane to excercise!

We recommend using a kennel or crate to housebreak your Dane.  Using a crate with your puppy is not cruel.  Puppies like the feeling of their own "den" where they can go and get away when they need to.  Anytime your puppy is in the house and you can't keep an eye on it, keep it in the kennel.  It is important to catch your puppy "in the act"!  If you reprimand a puppy that isn't in the act, they will not understand what they did wrong.  When you catch the puppy having an accident, tell it "NO!" and then put it outside.  With consistency, the puppy will learn where the proper place is to go to the bathroom.

A LOT!!  We have four adult Great Danes and we go through about 300 lbs of dog food a month.  We buy our dog food by the 1000 lb. pallet!

Unfortunatly, the average life span of a Great Dane is only around 8 to 10 years.  Through improved health care and careful breeding, the average lifespan will hopefully lengthen.

Great Danes are excellent with animals of all sizes and shapes.  This is a picture of Voodoo with our miniature Dachshund, Larry.

Whether or not to get your Danes ears cropped is a difficult decision. It is important to know that ear cropping is a lengthy process.  It will take a minimum of a couple of months to as long as a year to get the ears to stand correctly on their own.  I would recommend to any pet quality owner NOT to get the ears cropped since it is a lot of work.  Great Danes with cropped ears are incredibly beautiful.  Another important item to consider is that not all veterinarians are willing to crop ears.  And even if you do find a vet willing to crop ears, they may not do a "Great Dane cut". I would recommend taking pictures from books or magazines to show specifically what you want.  And after all of this, there will be NO GUARANTEE THAT THE EARS WILL EVER STAND!!  If you would like more information on ear cropping, check out this site.

Danes are great with kids.  Their temperments are so gentle and loving that the patience required to deal with kids comes naturally to them.  However, a Dane's tail can inadvertantly slap a young child in the face.  A Dane's tail feels like a whip when it hits bare skin and can leave a whelt.  We actually had one new owner get her puppy's tail docked to prevent this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the circle for more info on ear cropping.

This page was last updated on: July 16, 2004