All of our Great Dane’s have been adopted from rescues except K’Ehleyr who’s owner was looking to re-home her directly. Selar was my first Dane and my first big dog and there was one item I didn’t know we would need which I will get to later in this post. But first here are some tips on adopting and preparing your home for your new family member
The first things to consider before adopting a Great Dane
Is a Great Dane the right dog for you? Take a look at “So you want a Great Dane” to get some background on the breed and what to expect.
The second thing is to find a rescue. Do your research! I know we want to believe that everyone who is working to find dogs new homes is doing it for the right reasons but there are some bad actors out there.
Some of the questions you should think about when looking at rescue organizations are:
- What is the application process and requirements?
- How much is the fee?
- Will they provide a vaccination record if the pup is old enough to have been vaccinated?
- What are their spay/neuter policies?
- Are there any reviews online of the rescue (Google it)?
At the rescue think or ask about these things:
- How clean is the area the dogs are kept in?
- Does the dog you are looking at have any known medical conditions and do they have the veterinarian records?
- Why was that particular dog given to the rescue (i.e. escape artist, social issues, constant barker or just not a good fit for the family)?
- Have they evaluated the dog’s behavior with other dogs, cats, kids….?
- What food were they fed?
- Crate trained, potty trained?
- Do they have a microchip?
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Bringing home your newly adopted Great Dane
Now that you have found your perfect new pup you want to get off on the right paw. To help you start off in the best way possible, here are some simple tips I’ve learned about what to tackle during your first days with your new Great Dane companion:
Pet proof the home
I had small dogs before we adopted Selar. I didn’t have to worry about counter tops being in reach or cabinets being opened. With nothing being out of reach in mind I pet proofed the kitchen. I installed childproof latches for the pantry and under the sink where the trash is kept. It turned out that Selar wasn’t the curious type and didn’t nose around much. The only thing she learned to open was the sliding door onto the patio.
Give your new pet a once-over
Peek in their ears to check for dark crust that indicates ear mites and ruffle their fur to make sure they are free of fleas or specks of flea dirt. It is best to tackle a flea problem before it becomes an infestation which can lead to flea bombing the entire house. Varel showed up with mites. We did notice her scratching but didn’t recognize the seriousness of the problem till the mites infested Selar who had an allergic reaction to them.
Be ready to supervise
There will be lots of exploring initially and the new smells may encourage some scent marking of their own (ie pee-ing). Taking some time off to be home for the first few days will help your new pup get used to you and the new home. If they are especially young they will need more frequent trips outside.
Schedule their first veterinary appointment
Our vet offers a free initial examine for rescue pups with a copy of the paperwork from the rescue. Give the vet any vaccination records you acquired rom the rescue. I always keep digital copies on a cloud service so I can call them up when we are traveling.
Pay attention to poop and the signal to poop
While a change in diet might cause a young pet’s stool to be loose, don’t ignore diarrhea, mucus, blood, or poop that is very dark or very pale. Bring a stool sample to your pet’s first veterinary visit. You should probably have a good carpet cleaner on hand, (we use Unique Pet Care Products). Even a house broken dog may not know how to tell you he needs to go out.
Martok and I had a communication problem for a while. He would come in and act crazy, jumping and grabbing. I thought it was him trying to play or get the zoomies out. I think it was how he got himself kicked out into the yard of his first house. He now just comes over to me and stares with a little whimper added if I don’t notice. K’Ehleyr was more subtle, she would go stand by the front door. Of course this only worked if there was someone in the front to see her by the door. She wasn’t the brightest pup in the litter but she sure was pretty.
Make their crate an everyday haven
Having room for a crate big enough for a Great Dane is a challenge for us. As K’Ehleyr got older she got more frightened of just about every noise and would try to hide in closets or bathtubs. So we ended up setting up her crate and covering it with heavy blankets to make it dark and safe for her to hide in with the door always open. To get a new dog used to a crate add a comfy blanket, toys, and treats to their roomy new crate. Leave it open for them to explore, so they’ll cuddle up for a nap or retreat to it when they are frightened.
Praise instead of punish
Your puppy will learn more quickly – and love you more strongly – if you reward them when they do right instead of swatting or yelling at them for mistakes. Your new pup has been through a lot of changes being left at a rescue and then taken to another new place. It can all be stressful so be patient while they figure things out.
A book recommended to me but I have not read it personally yet is Your Puppy and You: A step-by-step guide to raising a freak’n awesome dog .
Be gentle but consistent with potty training.
If you adopt an older dog you might not have to deal with this. Most of our dogs were already potty trained or at least close to it. If they aren’t, then frequent trips outside followed by praise. Learn their body language so you can get them outside in time.
Create consistency with family rules
New pets thrive on consistency. Everyone in your household needs to be aware of feeding times, potty breaks, and training cues, so as not to confuse your Great Dane as they learn to successfully navigate their new life with you.
So what that first item I didn’t know I would need with our first Great Dane?
When we adopted Selar we were told she was ~2 years old. Two different veterinarians said she was probably closer to 4. We were never given her vet records as promised. (I hadn’t done my rescue research well) Either way, she was supposed to be already house trained. Instead I think she spent a lot of time outside on hard surfaces. The calluses on her joints supported that idea. Anyway, she peed on the floor a lot! She did eventually learn not to but for a while the amount of towels and laundry for those towels we were going through was huge. You know how much a Great Dane bladder can hold. It took a bath towel for each accident.
So the first investment was a Bissell Spot Lifter, today’s models have a new name. It got used so much that the brush cartridge broke and I almost got rid of the entire vacuum but in the end just bought a new brush cartridge and still have it.
What were the first steps you took to make your Great Dane welcome? Was there anything you needed that you didn’t expect to need or that made your life with a Great Dane easier? Do you have any experiences with Great Dane rescues you would like to share?
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments for this post.
