Your Great Dane Puppy Comes Home!

Routine grooming is just as important for your Great Dane as it is for you. Cleansing of your Great Dane will improve their overall appearance, prevent disease and infection, and contribute to their overall mental and physical well-being. Our Great Danes become members of our family, and like any member of our family – we must love them and care for them. The following tips are to be used as a guideline to ensure proper care of your Great Dane:

Bathing
Unlike humans, who shower on a daily basis, your Great Dane should be bathed on a “as needed” basis. The frequency of bathing varies depending on the individual pet. Naturally, you’ll want to wash your Great Dane when his appearance is unkempt or when he starts to give off an odor. In the colder months, never wash your Great Dane and let him go outside afterwards. Make sure that he is completely dry first, as this will prevent him from getting sick. NEVER use shampoo intended for human use. Dog shampoos are specially formulated for your Great Dane’s skin, which is very sensitive. Human shampoos can cause excessive drying and skin irritations. Take precautions when washing your Great Dane to make sure shampoo doesn’t get in their eyes.

Brushing
You should introduce a dog brush to your Great Dane when he is a puppy. Let him get comfortable with brushing early and he’ll look forward to it as he matures. Brushing your Great Dane will prevent matted hair and remove excess fur. It will also remove pet dander, preventing build-up on your Great Dane’s skin and coat.

Ears
Examine your pets ears regularly for dirt and wax. Use a soft cotton ball on the ear. Never lodge the cotton ball into the ear. NEVER stick a Q-tip in your Great Danes ear. The cotton applicator can damage his ear drum to an irreparable state. If you’re unsure how to clean your pet’s ears, ask your veterinarian to demonstrate for you.

Nails
It’s very important to keep your Great Dane’s nails trimmed. Remember, there are veins in your Great Dane’s nails. If you’ve never clipped a dog’s nails before, take him to a groomer. When you feel more comfortable you can purchase clippers and do it from the comfort of your own home. Failure to keep your Great Dane’s nails clipped can result in painful in-grown nails. Prevent your Great Dane from experiencing such pain and/or infection by keeping up with their nails.

When you bring your great dane puppy home for the first time, a new section of both of your lives begin. Here are some tips to help you facilitate your work:

Try to be enthusiastic. Training puppies can be exhausting, but motivate yourself to be patient with your great dane puppy. Puppies are just like human babies! They’re very curious and they require a lot of attention. For the first few months your puppy will cry when it’s hungry, scared, cold, bored, or when it has to go to the bathroom. Never yell at your great dane puppy for crying, this will only frighten him/her and make him/her cry more.

Your Great Dane puppy has emotions just like you! When your great dane does something good (like urinate or make a bowel movement outside) praise him/her.

Giving your great dane puppy a treat is always nice. Nevertheless, a treat is a treat. It should be given as a reward when your puppy does something very special.

Be prepared for mischief! Just like the ‘pokey little puppy,’ your great dane puppy is interested in everything in your home. He/she may poke into things that are not to be touched. Don’t scream at your puppy. A simple, stern “no” will suffice. Don’t expect your puppy to know what the word “no” means within the first week. These things take time.

Your puppy will look to urinate after napping, playing, drinking, and getting excited. Take your great dane outdoors to do his/her ‘business’ as often as possible. This will prevent accidents from occurring in your household. It will also teach puppy to ‘go’ outside.

Designate eating and sleeping areas for your great dane. Do not switch these areas around, as it will only confuse the puppy. If you decide to crate train the puppy, never use the crate for punishment. This will only make your great dane fearful of the crate. If the crate is the puppy’s ‘bed,’ refer to it as his/her ‘bed.’ As the puppy gets older, phrases like “it’s time for bed,” will inform your great dane that he/she should go to their crate.

Try to set a schedule for feeding. If you feed your puppy at 7 AM, 12 PM, and 5PM on Monday, make sure you follow through with the routine schedule.

All work and no play makes for a sad great dane. While it is important to teach your great dane puppy to be obedient, you still need to provide lots of love and attention. Shower your great dane puppy with affection and he/she will never leave your side.