when you're ready to own a Great Dane?
I've been mulling this over for ages. I always had a dog when I was a kid... dachsunds, schnauzers, a shepherd/irish setter mix, a german shepherd, a belgian shepherd... Have wanted to get a dog for the past 10 or 15 years (yea, I know... I'm a little slow). There was always an issue... living in an apartment, long commute, unstable job, not home enough, etc.
Now I'm getting that itch again... would be nice to have another heartbeat around the house- and my situation is about as good as it's going to get. I've always gravitated toward the giant breeds. Among those, the Dane is most appealing for their beauty, grace, and general temperament... (and short coat)
The particulars: I'm single, 44, own a small 3 bedroom, 1800 sq. ft. single-story home... it has a backyard, albeit a rather small one. It's about 20' deep by about 60-80' wide I'm on a hillside overlooking the valley, & the hill drops away at about a 45 degree angle. Halfway down the hill is fenced about 6 feet high. The entire back yard is either fenced or blocked at least 5 feet high. I have an in-ground spa in the back yard (~ 3' deep), but am in the process of building a hard cover for it (to keep the raccoons out). There is a dog run on one side of the house (previous owner), bordered by the house on one side, a 5' block wall on the other, a fixed 5' wood fence at one end, and a latching wood gate at the other. It's maybe 3' wide & 40' long & could serve for brief periods, but I feel it's too small for a Dane. I DO get my fair share of wildlife on occasion... raccoons, possums, gophers, squirrels, cats, etc. in the back yard, so that's a consideration.
My job is approx. 3.5 miles from home (sub-10 minute commute, yea!), so would be relatively easy to dash home at lunch for a quick "walkies". There is a dog park less than a 10 minute walk from my house (can see it from the deck in the back yard), which could help with proper socialization, & hopefully reduce the incidence of zoomies. Financially, I think I can handle the costs of Dane ownership...
For me, the biggest issue has always been that when I'm not home, there's no one home... and I know how lonely/bored dogs can get destructive. This would definitely be an inside dog... I had outside dogs when I was a kid & I swore I'd never do it to a dog again. (the Dane's coat is too thin anyways). Although I'm not thrilled about leaving a Dane unattended inside all day either, with free reign of the household. I'm home most of the time when I'm not at work... and when I'm gone, it's usually not for very long (about 90 minutes to hit the gym 3x per week) I take maybe one vacation a year that would require boarding a dog for a week. Other than that, it's mostly just long weekends & a lot of activities that the dog could probably accompany me on.
While I'd love to have a puppy, I don't think I can devote the necessary time to its needs & instead look to rescue an older dog (not too old). Reading through the adoption applications, I think I qualify... was surprised to see how stringent the requirements actually were- but it also shows how much the rescues care. Have been frequently looking at the Gentle Giants Rescue website, as they're only an hour or so away. And the upcoming holidays would be a good time to bond with a new dog, as I'm off between christmas & new years.
I guess I'm nervous about getting a dog because it's been so long since I've had a dog... and if I do it, I want to do the best I can, should I be selected to adopt a rescue dog. I just don't want to make a mistake (either for me OR the dog). What do y'all consider to be the requisite qualities for a good (great) Great Dane owner?
Thanks-
I've been mulling this over for ages. I always had a dog when I was a kid... dachsunds, schnauzers, a shepherd/irish setter mix, a german shepherd, a belgian shepherd... Have wanted to get a dog for the past 10 or 15 years (yea, I know... I'm a little slow). There was always an issue... living in an apartment, long commute, unstable job, not home enough, etc.
Now I'm getting that itch again... would be nice to have another heartbeat around the house- and my situation is about as good as it's going to get. I've always gravitated toward the giant breeds. Among those, the Dane is most appealing for their beauty, grace, and general temperament... (and short coat)
The particulars: I'm single, 44, own a small 3 bedroom, 1800 sq. ft. single-story home... it has a backyard, albeit a rather small one. It's about 20' deep by about 60-80' wide I'm on a hillside overlooking the valley, & the hill drops away at about a 45 degree angle. Halfway down the hill is fenced about 6 feet high. The entire back yard is either fenced or blocked at least 5 feet high. I have an in-ground spa in the back yard (~ 3' deep), but am in the process of building a hard cover for it (to keep the raccoons out). There is a dog run on one side of the house (previous owner), bordered by the house on one side, a 5' block wall on the other, a fixed 5' wood fence at one end, and a latching wood gate at the other. It's maybe 3' wide & 40' long & could serve for brief periods, but I feel it's too small for a Dane. I DO get my fair share of wildlife on occasion... raccoons, possums, gophers, squirrels, cats, etc. in the back yard, so that's a consideration.
My job is approx. 3.5 miles from home (sub-10 minute commute, yea!), so would be relatively easy to dash home at lunch for a quick "walkies". There is a dog park less than a 10 minute walk from my house (can see it from the deck in the back yard), which could help with proper socialization, & hopefully reduce the incidence of zoomies. Financially, I think I can handle the costs of Dane ownership...
For me, the biggest issue has always been that when I'm not home, there's no one home... and I know how lonely/bored dogs can get destructive. This would definitely be an inside dog... I had outside dogs when I was a kid & I swore I'd never do it to a dog again. (the Dane's coat is too thin anyways). Although I'm not thrilled about leaving a Dane unattended inside all day either, with free reign of the household. I'm home most of the time when I'm not at work... and when I'm gone, it's usually not for very long (about 90 minutes to hit the gym 3x per week) I take maybe one vacation a year that would require boarding a dog for a week. Other than that, it's mostly just long weekends & a lot of activities that the dog could probably accompany me on.
While I'd love to have a puppy, I don't think I can devote the necessary time to its needs & instead look to rescue an older dog (not too old). Reading through the adoption applications, I think I qualify... was surprised to see how stringent the requirements actually were- but it also shows how much the rescues care. Have been frequently looking at the Gentle Giants Rescue website, as they're only an hour or so away. And the upcoming holidays would be a good time to bond with a new dog, as I'm off between christmas & new years.
I guess I'm nervous about getting a dog because it's been so long since I've had a dog... and if I do it, I want to do the best I can, should I be selected to adopt a rescue dog. I just don't want to make a mistake (either for me OR the dog). What do y'all consider to be the requisite qualities for a good (great) Great Dane owner?
Thanks-
Attending 2-3 days a week were
plenty sufficient for my dog.
GRIZ
