Nice railroading this thread guys .................
Great Danes are great dogs, and usually very sweet tempered. Big couch potatos!
I would recommend checking local rescues and seeing if their is a Dane rescue nearby. Go check out the breed in person.
You mentioned in your other post letting the dog in your bed I believe? That is up to you, I personally do not let them sleep in my bed ('cept for my Chi sometimes) because once you allow the dog in your bed, you better accept that he will be in your bed! That is true for any breed of dog, so think carefully about house rules. Same thing for furniture, I do allow mine on the furniture, but it is very hard to break a dog of that if you decide in the future they now are not allowed on the new couch or on the new bed comforter. And a dane can take up a good amount of the couch!
If you want a puppy remember big puppies, bigger stuff they chew up. They also are great at counter surfing, tales are a good height to knock things of end tables, so dog proofing a house entails a bit more than with average size dogs.
Bigger dog, bigger food bill. I feed all my dogs a raw diet and have a freezer just for them.
Lifespan is shorter for any of the giant breeds. That is the downfall to the gentle giants. I am striving for a longer quantity of life as well as quality of life by natural rearing all my dogs.
Danes are short coated dogs, so they are not outside dogs, so they can't be left outside in the snow. They do need to be walked and exercised, but a huge back yard is not a requirement as long as they do get regular walks.
Big paws can leave big paw marks, something to consider if you have light furniture or rugs.
Depending on their "lippage" they can be minimal drooly or big time droolers. My female is not as lippy as my male and never drools. Emmett my male on the other hand, you do not want to get within range after he drinks water or shakes his head on a walk!! I have to clean my ceiling from drool slingers!!
Something else to consider with any dog, but may be more problematic with giant breeds, is what to do if you go on vacation? Will someone be willing to watch a giant dog for you? Cost to board, etc.
I'm just tossing stuff out here, feel free to ask specific questions.
I have been a Dane lover for years and years. We have had several of them in our family and even more in the extended family.
I agree, they are wonderful dogs...I would never go with any other breed. They are gentle giants for sure, and for the most part very well-tempered and very good with kids. I have only seen one dane in my life that was aggressive with other people, and I am not sure what caused it, but it is definitely the exception rather than the norm with these dogs. They are MAJOR couch potatoes!!
All of the things that flower said are important to consider when deciding on whether to get a great dane.
Their size makes them a little more "high maintenance" than most dogs. It's almost like having a child LOL.
Everything costs about double because you are dealing with double the dog. Food, medicine, all of it...so be prepared. My dane needed an x-ray once to see what was going on with his digestive system, and it actually took TWO x-rays to cover the entire area.
They can reach countertops and table tops and have been known to clean food right off of them if you are not careful! One of our danes took an entire pork loin off the kitchen counter and ate it before Christmas dinner one year...
They are totally worth it IMO, even though they are expensive and short-lived. They are sweet, loving, fun, and entertaining dogs to have, and I would never consider any other kind of dog.