Summer Safety!

So it's summer and we all want to get out and enjoy the sun with our families and that includes our Great Danes. But let's talk about heat stroke for a moment. Your Great Dane has a short coat that is not very dense, leaving it very susceptible to hyper and hypothermia. So for this, they do not make a good outside dog. But since it's summer let's talk about hyperthermia, or heat stroke.

Unfortunately our Danes and all dogs in general, don't know when enough is enough outside in the hot sun, at least not until it's too late. So as the owner, we are responsible to monitor their exercise and fun in the sun. And being a larger dog, heat stroke can come on even faster than a smaller dog. Even in 80 degree weather, your Dane could suffer heat stroke. Signs include excessive panting, wide eyes, a thick "glue" like drool, rapid heart rate, staggering, and even vomiting. If any of these signs are displayed it's time to cool your dog off! Avoid using really cold water, as this will close capillaries necessary to vent heat from your dog, so hose them or sponge them down with cool water, and get cool water to the mouth and throat area. Take them into shade immediately or an air conditioned house or car. Do not allow them to drink too much water as this can cause stomach discomfort and vomiting, and even bloat. Small amounts of cool water every few minutes is fine. If your dog still seems in distress take his temperature rectally. It's always good to have one of these thermometers handy if you intend to be outdoors a lot with your Dane, and always remember to take one camping or hiking. Normal temperature is between 101 and 102 degrees..even 2 or 3 degrees higher than this can be serious, so if efforts to cool your Dane down are not working, take him to the vet immediately.

Remember too that it is never a good decision to leave any dog in a car while you run in somewhere, even if it's just for a few minutes. This is really a no no for Danes because of their size. Their large body mass adds to the heat of the small surroundings of a car and can actually help to raise the temperature even faster. Leaving windows down is not going to help your Dane stay cool either, so just don't take your dog with you in the summer to run errands. Your Dane will thank you!

So I hope everyone will be safe out there this summer and enjoy some fun with your Danes while keeping them comfortable and safe too! If you have any questions, or any concerns with your Dane after signs of heat stroke, please make sure you call your vet.

Colors!

Now people ask me if there is any difference in the color of the Dane and oh yes there is! Now this is my opinion and observation from owning a wide range of colors and working in Dane rescue, nothing that is EXACT truth for every Dane...they all have their own personalities. :)

Harls- Clowns! Total clowns and not the brightest in my opinion. Definitely not the Apollo of Dogs, more like the Court Jester!

Fawns- PERFECT example of the breed's temperament and personality! Absolutely regal and definitely an "Apollo"! I think this is why we seem them most often as best in breed winners in dog shows! I recommend them and the Brindles, since they are pretty close in my opinion in temperament, to first time Dane owners! Look at Russia in this picture...you wouldn't know it but there is chaos going on around her and she isn't bothered one single bit! Now it's not her age...she has always been even keel like this, same with our Cowboy (fawn) that we lost to cancer earlier this year...I just LOVE the fawns! :)

Blacks- A little "odd", seem to have a bit more problems with being skittish, or reclusive...my Roxy is a little of both...she LOVES people, but at the same time she enjoys spending most of her time by herself at home. Example...the picture above is Roxy with Diesel when he was 3 months old...look at her ears...she is not happy about having him lay so close...she likes her space! LOL...And she "spooks" really easily! Haven't met a completely "stable" Black before...but then again this is just from my observations and experience! No offense! LOL :D

Mantles- Haven't honestly been around too many...the ones I have were in rescue...but they seem more like the Blacks to me, but that could be they were in a rescue though, so please correct me in the comments if I am way off on this one!

Blue- Now I can honestly say I haven't been around but 2 of these dogs, so again, not much to report here from me! Seem really outgoing though, and stoic, so I'm leaning not so much toward the Black side, but a more stable Fawn in personality? Don't really know.

And lets just say something about my Fawnequin...totally dumb! He really is! He has been the hardest puppy to potty train and I have done my fair share of that!!! Danes are usually really quick learners...him...not so much! I was HOPING he would have more Fawn in him than Harl, but he just seems to be a really dorky dog...Harl to the extreme! But he's really cute!!!!

So this is just a generalization...nothing in stone here folks! Just an opinion from me! So no hate comments! Remember...I own one of all of these beside the Mantle or Blue! :D

You Know You're a Great Dane Owner When...

This was a post from about a year ago that I just love, so I figured I would repost! Hope you get a laugh! LOL :D

So, you know you're a Great Dane owner when...

# the sound of running water makes you jump up and yell, "OUTSIDE!" (thankfully I don't have this problem...mine are very much potty trained!)

# you tell your dog to sit, and he backs up until he finds a chair (or couch in my house!)

# it takes 3 people to get your dog on the scale at the vets!

# you walk your dog and everyone knows him by name, but you have no idea who these people are.

# you can carry on a conversation with a dog's muzzle firmly in your crotch.

# your dog can hide an entire tennis ball (among other things) fully inside his lips and give you that innocent look that says, "What? I'm not eating anything!"

# you carry a tape measure with you when shopping for a new vehicle (done this!)

# you keep at least one color-coded "drool towel" in every room of your house.

# after banishing your husband, the snoring in your bedroom still keeps you awake (LOL...every nite it seems!)

# you are hiking with a friend who later suggests that you ought to have an environmental impact statement done on your dog!

# visitors enter the house holding their privates protectively.

# you toss your dog a ball and cringe when he almost hits his head on the top of the doorway!

# you take your dog for a ride and he rests his head on your arm, causing you to make random right turns.

# you have given up on water dishes and you just use the bathtub (or sink in our case)

# your two dogs decide to play in the house, and they end up pulling the ceiling fan down -- for the second time!

# you have to move over when brushing your teeth because your dog wants a drink. (Been here!)

# you show a picture of your dogs and kids together, and the first person you point out is your dog. (I might have done this once or twice)

# while stopped at a stop light, everyone stares as your car rocks back and forth because the dog is panting out the window. (People stare no matter what when I have my dogs in the car!)

# you go to vacuum your car and most of the fur is up on the ceiling.

# you avoid the dogs on your way out the door, so they won't smear your makeup.

# you've learned to force a smile when asked "do you have a saddle for that thing?"

# the monthly dog budget exceeds your home mortgage payment.

# Your veterinarian has been able to put in a swimming pool, build a large home, buy jet skis and a personal plane!

# you have had to train your dog not to lick dishes, and the dishes are in the sink.

# the donuts you put on top of the refrigerator are gone when you get home and your dog has powdered sugar on his nose (nothing is safe on the fridge at our house!)

# your dog can see what you're cooking, and he tries to assist you in the preparation. (ALL the time!!!)

# you're holding him straddled between your legs when the doorbell rings, you take a short (but fast!) ride straight to the door! LOL

# the pizza delivery people tell you to meet them at the end of the sidewalk. (hehe...they do!)

# your dog stands in your lap and reaches over you to stick his head in the drive-through window at McDonald's and nearly gives the cashier a heart attack when she turns around to give you your change!

# you purchase a large screen TV and you still can't see the program when he stands in front of the television. (Sooooo true! Down in front! LOL)

# after surgery, your bored pup decides to get up and cruise around the vet's office-- pulling the rolling IV stand behind him.

What's in a name?

So someone asked me how we came up with Turbo's name. And it got me thinking...there always seems to be a good story behind how you name your dog. So let me start by telling you the story behind my Dane's names and then I would love to hear yours! :D

Roxy 6 1/2 year old Black Female- She was my first Dane puppy and when we were walking back to my car after picking her up at the breeder, I saw my Roxy sticker in my back window, and being from San Diego, it just was perfect.

Russia 10 1/2 year old Fawn Female- She actually was a rescue when she was 6, so she already had that name and was used to it, but I absolutely LOVE her name!!! Her previous owners suck because they abandoned her at the kennel I was grooming at, however, they did good with her name! :)

Diesel 8 month old Harl Male- When I worked for the animal hospital we had a client who had a beautiful male Dane named Diesel and I just loved it and swore I would name my next male Dane that,...so I actually copied that one! :D

Turbo 2 1/2 month old Fawnequin Male- Well we already had Diesel...so Turbo just worked perfect! Now we have Turbo Diesel! Perfect for Danes I think! LOL :D

Puppy Cuteness!!!!!

Just some cute pics of Turbo on my bed I took this morning! Everyone have a great Monday!!!! :)

Don't judge a book by it's cover...

Should you buy a dog based solely on what it looks like? The answer is obviously no, yet it seems like time and time again I see people (family members) buying dogs on the basis of how cute they are, and nothing else. For example...

My mother-in-law thought Westies were just so cute! She loved everything about they way the looked, their size, the color of the coat, big brown eyes. So she bought one. Well, now she can't stop talking about how "crazy" the puppy is and how much energy he has, and all the trouble he gets into. She asked me when this puppy stage would be over, and I told her never! It's a terrier...what did you expect! Their brains are always going, and they have unlimited amounts of energy! "I didn't realize" was her response. Don't get me wrong terriers are great and make the best pets for the right kind of people. But you need to make sure the dog you are looking to buy fits you and your lifestyle. Someone who likes to have a quiet lap dog that obediently listens, and just sleeps the day away while their gone shouldn't have bought a terrier! LOL :D

And then there's my sister-in-law...her and her boyfriend wanted to get a dog for themselves, and they live in an apartment. The breed they decided to get? A Boston Terrier. I love Boston's, but for a first time dog owner living in a small apartment, this was the wrong choice!!!

Working at the animal hospital we would hear these same stories over and over. "I didn't realize that Labs have such a long crazy puppy stage!" or "No one told me my Jack Russel wasn't going to be calm act like "Eddie" on Fraiser." We would just laugh!

So when looking for a dog, don't base your decision on the size or look of the breed, but the actual temperament and personality of the breed. Look at Great Danes for example...I hear time and time again, I can't believe you have dogs that big in your house! Well what's that supposed to mean? If it was a big dog with the attitude of a terrier, us Dane owners would be in trouble! But people don't realize what couch potatoes they are and how the just want to be where ever you are in the house. For my lifestyle I would rather have 10 Danes in my house than one Terrier!!! LOL :D

Anyone else know someone who got their dog based on looks and nothing else? I'd like to hear. :)

Potty Training! Uggggh!

Since I have a puppy and have started potty training again, I thought it fitting to blog about! LOL...It's been so long since I've had to do this, since Diesel was already potty trained at 3 months when we got him and our last puppy before him was 4 years ago!

Anyways, I completely forgot how much time it takes to watch a puppy going through potty training...it's like having a 2 year old kid all over again!!! The method I use is what we recommended at the vets office. Basically it goes like this...

Make sure you always are able to watch your puppy, so you can catch them in the act, as finding a mess later is not a good opportunity to discipline the puppy and they won't catch on to what they are doing wrong. If you can't watch the puppy, like when you're cleaning, tending to kids, etc...put the puppy in his kennel. Always let the puppy out at regular intervals. An easy way to know when it's time for puppy to go out is take his age in months, and that's how many hours they can hold it. So a 2 month old puppy will need to go out at least every 2 hours and so on. But then of course they need to go out after eating, sleeping, getting out of the kennel, and playing. So you could actually be taking them out every 15 minutes! LOL...the joys of potty training!

Try to make a point of waiting for the puppy to "go" outside so you can praise them for a "job" well done. They will catch on quicker than you just letting them out and then going back 5 minutes later to let them back in. Overall it is a tedious process, but one that works well. I have been using this process for my new puppy and at 10 weeks he is already pretty much done potty training!

So good luck and don't forget to have a handy bottle of carpet cleaner to get those accidents cleaned up well! And just as a side note...I've used the ShamWows to dab up the potty and they are AWESOME! Waaaay better than using a towel, or paper towels to get it soaked up.

Do you have some helpful tips that have worked for you? Let me know! I love getting new information to share! Thanks for reading!!!