Just like the BFG (Great Dane)

Member Name: LoolooMe

Product:	Great Dane
Date:	10/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Adorable. Stands out in a crowd.

Disadvantages: IQ is far too low.

Initially I was very wary of this breed as I prefer intelligent dogs, however one did end up coming into my life.

Sam (the great dane), was an adorable puppy all legs and feet with far too much skin than was mean for his tiny frame and I could see why people would buy Great Dane puppies only to abandon them when they grow to their true height (Very big around 80 cm). As a puppy he required a lot of work and a lot of food with four feedings a day of two to three big scoops of puppy food. He got bored easily and was a nightmare to toilet train. As he grew older a personality started to appear one which could only be described as clueless. If he was a person he would be the sort of friend that forgets where he said he would meet you or that he had left the keys in the car or the oven on. One of the biggest challengers was that he quickly became the dominant dog due to his size rather than character and was getting in constant fights with another dog some of which were quite serious. Over time they have worked out their natural order but I think that fact that a stupid dog is more dominant than the intelligent dog just doesn't work that well, and I would recommend them with a very dominant dog or other great danes. One surprising aspect of the breed is that they don't need much exercise and in fact after 45 minutes walk he is ready to go home. You also must restrict their exercise until they are 18 months due to their bodies being quite weak as they grow so quickly.
Sam has been able to learn basic commands and preforms particularity well when there is food around although may forget half way through sitting what he was supposed to be doing. Great Danes are great with children and don't have a vicious bone in their very big body, however as they are so big then they don't know their own strength and as always children and dogs need to be supervised.

I would recommend this breed to any one with the time and money to raise one, and even though they don't need very big walks they will need a big garden to run around in when they need to. They are very conscious of their body and will often back out of a space instead of turning around. One major flaw is the lack of intelligence.

Another draw back is that they only live for around 8 years and will most probably have hip problems.

Summary: Before buying this breed I would go out and spend some time with them.