Great Dane Puppy

Shanao

Hey there, I'm hoping to get a great dane puppy some time in the near future and I was wondering if anyone knows of any good, reputable and responsible breeders who are expecting a litter? I live in Cork but wouldn't mind travelling as far as galway or dublin if i have to, though obviously some place in Munster would be preferrable.

andreac

Try this lady, i know her personally and i highly recommend her. She has fab dogs and is a very reputable breeder. Im nearly sure she has a litter at the moment but not sure if they are all sold or not.
http://www.freewebs.com/ballyfrawleygreatdane/

Shanao

Hey thanks for the link, only problem is that I'm looking for a litter that will be available mid-october - early-november. We're moving house in a few weeks so we'll finally have the room for one. In rented accommodation at the moment, so I wouldn't be able to get the pup until we move. And I know I shouldn't be so picky but I would love a harlequin or a blue. I suppose it's probably best if i go through the IKC or the Irish great dane club.

andreac

To be honest, the chances of finding a litter at exactly the time you want is slim.

Good breeders will only breed every so often and do not have litters regularly so you might have to wait for a while for the right pup with the right breeder.

Why not pop along to a show in dublin and talk to the great dane breeders and see whos planning litters in the near future.

Theres a show in swords on bank holiday monday 25th October if you are interested in going.

Shanao

That's what I was figuring, though it's pretty much anytime after the end of October that I'll be looking. I'll try and get onto some reputable breeders; see if they have any idea of any litters coming up. Course, we were considering maybe getting two together but not sure whether we're looking at two danes, or maybe a dane and an english mastiff or wolfhound. So I'll be searching for some good breeders for a while I'd say to try and get two pups around the same time. Thankfully we'll have plenty of room and I work with animals and have worked with giant breeds so I'll be well able to deal with two.

andreac

To be honest i wouldnt recommend getting 2 pups at once. It is really best to get one, get that trained and settled in and maybe get another a few months later.

Its hard enough training and managing one puppy without having 2 on the go. Most experienced dog handlers/owners wont recommend you getting 2 and even more so if they are litter brothers/sisters as they can develop a thing called Littermate syndrome where they form a very strong bond with each other and then you can find it hard to bond with them and train them.

I would get a pup, get the hpuse training and basic training sorted and then look into getting another when the first is about a year old or bit older.
Also you might find a breeder might not necessarily sell you 2 pups from same litter but you could always put your name down for a pup from their next litter planned.
Hope this helps.:)

Shanao

Oh yeah, no worries about that. Sorry, I'm not the clearest when i say things. I didn't mean two right in the same week, we would leave a couple of months between them. Same time to me means within the same year.:D
And there's no way I'd get siblings, I've had to deal with sibling aggression already after I took in two rescued pups last year for fostering. I didn't have trouble training them though; pretty much got them straight into it and it wasn't too bad. Had to seperate them to rehome them though; they were fighting for dominance far too much.
So anyway, I'll keep looking. Any thoughts on two danes, or a dane and another breed though?

hadook

I have a 6 year old Dane and based on her puppyhood I'd strongly recommend waiting at least a year before getting a second one.

Danes take a long time to mature and the last thing you want are two puppies feeding off each others bad habits while you try to teach them the rules. And they will and then some!

Besides, if you have one dog it gets all of your attention. And, as you'll soon find out, a Dane deserves (and demands) all your attention

Shanao

They are attention hogs alright, did a volunteer day with one of the shelters where they had a dane. After I spent a few minutes getting to know him, he decided to follow me around for the rest of the day in the outdoor pen to check everything I was up to. Fell in love with the breed right then and have met a few since that I absolutely adore. Getting one, and one from a responsible breeder, is the next thing. Gotta be careful; apparently some people are breeding from merles now, even though you're not supposed to!!

At the moment, I'm thinking of getting an english mastiff down the line as the second pup (big slobs, just cant help loving them).

cjf

I heard Danes and Dobermans are supposed to be soulmates!! I have a dobie fella and anytime we have met a dane he is beside himself wanting to play and cant get over the fact he has met someone bigger than him!! Rescued all mine and when getting my 2nd rescue there were no danes available so we adopted a smaller boxer x and they best friends! Dont think they judge on looks, breed and appearance the way we do! Just want pal on the same wave length as they are!! Also have small furry foster doggie at moment and he bosses the other two around the place and gets stuck into all activities despite the fact he only up to the other dogs ankles!!

Shanao

Ah I'd love a dobie, there's so regal looking, but such complete slobs. Rotties too. The only thing is the fact that they're restricted. Not that I'm saying i'm frightened of any dog, far from it; i've walked right up to rotties barking their heads off at me, but I'd hate having to muzzle my dog in public. I would love to walk him freely and let him have a gallop off lead, but unfortunately, that's just not possible with an RB. Which is really annoying, cos I love bullmastiffs, shepherds, dobies, rotts, english bull terriers, staffs and akitas, and every single one I've met has been nothing but a teddy bear.
It'll probably be a mastiff in the end I'd say.
It's pretty sad, but I have pretty much everything I need for a pup so far; just need to buy a crate and I'll have everything. Yeah, I tend to get well-prepared in advance; even if that means I've been buying stuff for this dog that we dont even have since last January.:D

One other thing I was considering down the line was adopting a greyhound once the pup is a year or so older. We have cats and ferrets though, so I was wondering if they'd be alright together; I know some greyhounds can be rehomed with cats but I was just wondering if anyone else here has an ex-racer with cats and how they're getting along?

cjf

Greyhounds can make super companions for bigger dogs! The Orchard Greyhound Rescue is brilliant for matching the dogs to their new homes cats and all!! I love Greyhounds!!