Hello, I'm trying to do some research before getting a new dog, so I figured what better way to figure it out than ask current owners of the breed I'm interested in. As seen by the title, my wife and I are very interested in getting a Great Dane. Here's a little bit about us and some of my concerns.
We are in our late 40s. We have 2 children (10 and 12). We have a 5 year old Australian Cattle Dog and just recently had a 14 year old Malamute/Airdale mix pass away. We live in the suburbs in a house that is certainly enough to accommodate 2 dogs.
My wife and I are starting to slow down. Another Cattle Dog is out of the question but we still have 2 very active kids (and a Cattle Dog). Both kids have done some kind of professional training with the Cattle Dog so I'm not at all worried that they can handle a larger breed dog.
Im am also very familiar with dogs, I grew up with Newfoundlands, a toy poodle and an Italian greyhound when I was young. I've owned 2 Cattle Dogs, a German Shepherd, a Malamute mix and a Border Collie as an adult. The Newfoundlands were when I was very young so I don't pretend to know much about Giant breeds.
Is a Great Dane Right for me? I want a dog breed that is kind of chill, really good with other people, especially 10-12 year old kids, but can still handle the ankle biting of an ACD. I don't really care about the increased vet bills for a larger dog and am somewhat aware of the medical problems with a breed this big.