Looking for opinions...

[greenmagick]

so, as I have posted before, I have been in the planning stages of getting a great dane for a while now. I recently found a breeder I am very happy with and have started a relationship with her in prep for a future pup. Originally I was planning on next spring as my dh was not totally onboard. We have had several heart to hearts and are now on the same page. The breeder had a 4 month old looking for a home that we considered but with all the rehab and garden projects going on, we didnt feel comfortable spending the 1000 on her right now. Our next plan was to save up for her next litter, due in June, ready for homes late Aug/early sept.

Well, of course today on CL I found a 7 month old chocolate dane for rehome. The owner researched breeders and the parents were OFA certified, etc. The dog was sold full disclosure as being a mismark (there was no "ohhh a rare color")and with a spay/neuter contract. He has been raised on a farm and is used to other animals (very important as we have chickens and ducks) and children ranging from 1-18. The owners live on the back of the FILs farm so there is a lot of animal and family traffic. The owners work schedule changed and they feel he is crated too long so are looking to rehome. He is crate trained and knows basic obedience, but does not walk on a leash according to the current owners. They are willing to do a trial week or so to see if he is a good fit.

I am just sitting here debating....I was planning on getting a solid pup from a great breeder. Obviously there are no guarantees, but I was hoping to stack the odds in my favor. Also, chocolate is not my favorite color but that isnt the most important factor. The rehoming fee of this one is obviously way lower than the fee from the breeder, but I dont want that to be the deciding factor. This pup had been on Iams large breed puppy and was early neutered which are also a bit worrisome, but not deal breakers.

Ahhh, I am rambling here....just looking for others to chime in maybe???

[ChristyMarie]

I think maybe I'd want to spend some time with the dog to see how his temperment is? But at 7 months....he's had a lot of time to develop some bad habits. If you are ok with spending a lot of extra time then go for it. I don't think not walking on a leash yet is that bad but you'll want to tackle that one pretty quick. At 7 months he's.....80 pounds? 90? Still manageable but quickly he will not be.

The breeder is very important - if you aren't sure about where this dog is coming from maybe wait for the puppy? And Dane puppies are some of the cutest darn things in the entire world. Puppies are a lot of work but you can set up training and expectations early and avoid problems in the long run. And with this size dog you need to be devoted to training at the puppy stage before they get too big to physically control.

Oh, are the ears done on the 7th month old? Would you do them on the puppy? Something to consider. I always vowed if I ever had another one I'd contact the breeder early enough to make sure the ears were not done.

[mom0810]

It depends on what you want. If you want to be sure of what you are getting, wait for a dog from the breeder. If you want to take a gamble at a discount... then get this dog.

[greenmagick]

yeah, those are basically the things I keep circling around. The CL woman did give me the name of her breeder though so I think I will contact her....though if she is good she should have a clause about rehoming the pup to her so....

Ears are natural and thats what I like. I wouldnt turn down a cropped dog if it was past the taping stage, but I would never do it myself.

I know I shouldnt rush this.

[angie7]

*I'm a current Great Dane owner and have had 4 total and rescued close to 2 dozen and been involved in the breed for several years*
I think I've talked to you before about Danes??? Anyways....

Based on dog food alone, I would run away. First, any good Great Dane owner is going to know that a Dane can not be fed a puppy food, even a large breed puppy food. Danes are a giant breed and require very special dietary conditions. They need nothing more then 20-22% protein and 12% fat. By feeding a puppy a food that is too high in these (which Iams is), it can cause so many growth problems, one is Wobblers. Wobbles is not curable and not anything that you want to deal with. It also can cause many different growth/bone diseases. ETA: The reason the food is bad is b/c it causes them to grow to fast and their joints and bones don't have time to catch up.

Secondly, any good GD breeder is not going to let their puppies go to a home and eat this type of food so that's a red flag as well. Even when I was into rescue work, I had strict dietary rules on my dogs for their new homes.

OFA really means nothing if the proper conditions were not followed and by the information you gave me, it wasn't.

Neutering too soon can also cause problems in the Dane breed. They tend to grow much taller and never really fill out. This can cause problems within the joints as well b/c the dog did not receive the proper hormones to allow proper growth. The best age to neuter and spay a Dane is around a year old. The females are usually encouraged to come into heat at least once before being spayed. Some people will argue this point, and it's not the case with all breeds but with Danes it does matter.

Also the fact that they are selling the dogs themselves. Any respectable breeder will have the owner sign a contract stating that the dog comes back to them. I have that in my contract as a rescuer as well. It's a very standard "rule".

You have a lot of red flags here. Considering that Danes are known as the "heartbreak breed" b/c of their health concerns, I think it's best to set yourself up for the best chances of a good dog and that means going with a truly reputable breeder.

[greenmagick]

Thanks....yeah, my moms Dane had wobblers so I know its no fun. I am supposed to meet the dog tomorrow and then go from there. I am still totally undecided. The breeder of this dog hasnt got back to me yet, and I did ask if there was rehoming clause in the contract because that is bugging me as well. My DH though has such a hard time spending a ton of money of a dog, he is much more gung ho for this one which is not the driving factor, but it helps, ya know?

I told the owner that I was not going to make an quick decision. If tomorrow goes well ( I think she has a couple others looking at him as well) we would then talk about a week trial. I am hoping I can get in contact with the original breeder by then. I emailed the breeder, but I also have a phone number I can try. I googled her name and came up with nothing about danes, but her name is the contact person for an animal rescue group in the area that the dogs from....which doesnt necessarily mean anything as there are shady rescues as well.

[angie7]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

My DH though has such a hard time spending a ton of money of a dog, he is much more gung ho for this one which is not the driving factor, but it helps, ya know?

Well you have to weigh some things here. A bigger expense in the beginning for a dog that has a higher chance of being a healthier dog or, the cheaper dog that already has many things stacked against them for health. Remember, the bigger the dog the bigger the vet bills. Danes are absolutely wallet busting dogs when it comes to health. Just a simple antibotic can set you back a hundred bucks without blinking. Plus you add on the office visit, the testing, etc. You usually do not walk out of the vets office for less then $200-300 bucks and I'm being very conservative.

I can see the appeal in a "cheaper" dog but the intial cost is not the only thing you have to think about. $1,000 for a dog from a reputable breeder is a very reasonable price...

GL in your decision and go with your instinct on this one. I think it's already talking to you, you just need to listen to it....

[greenmagick]

yeah...I am pretty sure I know what my decision is. I still want to meet it because I want to make sure but..... I just told my DH unless its that perfect "click" we are going to pass.

Now, to start saving

[greenmagick]

Really just talking to myself here....but thanks Angie. I decided to go ahead and pass completely on the chocolate dane. I emailed the owner and cancelled the meeting. You totally flushed out the ideas that were swimming around in my head that I was hoping would go away

DH and I had a long talk and we are both more comfortable waiting for the breeder we chose. Part of my problem was that DH was against getting a dog for so long, and then when he agreed to next spring it was good. Then when he agreed to this one now, I was scared to let the moment pass. But, we had a really long talk and worked things out.

[angie7]

I think you did the right thing. He will find a home I'm sure, and you are just stacking the deck in your favor by waiting

[Sol_y_Paz]

Big red flag - If the Great Dane on craigslist was really bred by a responsible breeder, the breeder will have a contract to take the dog back in the event they cannot keep the dog they said they would keep for a forever home. The owners need to honor that contract.

[mom0810]

Originally Posted by Sol_y_Paz

Big red flag - If the Great Dane on craigslist was really bred by a responsible breeder, the breeder will have a contract to take the dog back in the event they cannot keep the dog they said they would keep for a forever home. The owners need to honor that contract.

Yep.

[greenmagick]

:

So the info I got from the owner about the chocolate danes breeder....well I contacted her and she wrote back saying she had no knowledge of this pup. She said she had one litter ever and they are 12 weeks now. So, rightfully so, she wants the info of the owner to figure out who is using her name. (she also does have it stated in the contract to return the pup to her) Now I am in the middle of something very strange indeed.

I went ahead and emailed the owner a copy of the breeder and my correspondence and gave her an update of what was going on. I cc'ed the breeder. I feel funny though as I am not even getting the dog and now I am in the middle of it....very glad I passed!!!!

[graceomalley]

yikes it sounds like you dodged a bullet there! I'd be interested to find out the outcome!!

[angie7]

Definately dodged a bullet! Keep us posted on what you find out!!