Since May 20th is National Rescue dog day I thought it would be a good time to discuss the idea of being a multiple Great Dane family. Not only have three of our four Danes came from rescues but we also were a two Dane family for a number of years..
As Selar grew older we decided to add a 2nd, younger dog to the family for us more than for Selar. We hoped it would soften the inevitable loss. It may not soften the loss but it prevents the dog-less house syndrome. We found Varel in the local newspaper insert for animals looking to be adopted.
We took Selar to meet her and brought her home. Selar was fine with her at the rescue but not as thrilled when she started sharing the dog bed with her. If you are going to add another dog from a rescue see if the rescue will allow you to bring your dog along to meet the new dog as well.
We intended to keep Varel as an only dog but she didn’t do well alone. Turns out she really just wanted her humans but we got her another dog instead. Introductions were done at dog beach.
While they did get along there were some adjustments. Selar always let Varel finish her unwanted food. When she walked away from the bowl that was the signal that she was done and Varel could move in. K’Ehleyr did not share! Varel nearly got her ear pierced when she to eat her unfinished food. Varel did learn to use K’Ehleyr’s possessiveness to her advantage. If she wanted the spot K’Ehleyr was in, she would pick up a toy. K’Ehleyr would get up to take the toy which Varel would drop and go sit on the now open bed or couch.
If you haven’t met all our Great Danes yet you can do that here:
Introduction tips
If you are going to add another family member here are some introduction tips. An understanding of dog body language is always helpful knowledge to have.
Know when another dog is not a good idea
Think about the temperament of your Great Dane
While Varel and K’Ehleyr did live together there were times that they didn’t get along. Usually when K’Ehleyr didn’t feel well. She also had dog aggression issues that we learned to manage but were never going to be completely removed. She loved puppies and we could possibly have brought a puppy into the family but bringing in an adult dog was not a safe option. Consequently Martok did not join the family till she had passed.
Know your limitations
If you don’t have a yard you will need to walk your Danes daily.. One person walking 2 (or more) 100+ pound dogs can be challenging if/when they get excited. When K’Ehleyr would see a dog she didn’t like and act up, Varel would try to reprimand her behavior. Of course good training can alleviate those issues. We had a not so good trainer followed by a good trainer but the girls still could be a handful.
How much room do you have? While Great Danes are great apartment dogs they will occupy space that you may want to use yourself. We started with a ‘no dogs on the furniture’ policy but as you can see, that didn’t last.
Don’t forget that your dog is a lifelong commitment emotionally and financially. Think about what is best for you and your Great Dane before becoming a multiple Great Dane family.
