BELOW IS BASIC HEIGHT & WEIGHT DATA, FEEDING & SPAY/NEUTER INFORMATION FOR THE NEW DANE PUPPY BUYER. PLEASE VISIT THE GREAT DANE CLUB OF AMERICA'S (GDCA) WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BREED'S HEALTH AND WELFARE, AS WELL AS MORE HELP IN REARING YOU PUPPY. THE GDCA WEBSITE ALSO HAS THIS PDF TO DOWLOAD FOR PUPPY BUYERS:
http://www.gdca.org/GreatDaneAKCArticle08.pdf
HEIGHT & WEIGHT DATA FOR DANES
When reading the below, remember that all pups follow their own guide, and grow at their own rate--other guides
(listed below chart), are better for knowing what is "right" than just ht/wt data.
That said, Here is a general guide:
Birth weight: 1-2 lbs
Week 1: 2-3 lbs
Week 2: 3-5 lbs
Week 3: 4-7 lbs
Week 4: 5-8 lbs
Week 6: 10-20 lbs
Month 2: 15-30 lbs (13-17")
Month 3: 30-45 lbs (17-22")
Month 4: 50-65 lbs (21-25")
Month 5: 65-85 lbs (25-30")
Month 6: 70-100 lbs (27-32")
Month 7: 75-110 lbs (27-33")
Month 8: 80-115 lbs. (27-34")
Month 9: 85-120 lbs. (28-34")
One year: 90-135 lbs (28-36")
Full grown: 100-190 lbs (28-38")
For males: 140-170 lbs. & 33-36" is typical.
for females: 110-140 lbs. & 30-33" is typical.
NOTE: Some danes may actually weigh less/be smaller than this chart indicates & a few may weigh more--but more in this case may mean the pup is being overfed &/or growing too fast. If not, he is may be"overboned"--so then he really then needs to stay slim, as heavier boned dogs can be more prone to joint & bone problems. *Remember the only requirement under the standard is 28" for females & 30" for males (and that was generally intended to apply specifically to adult danes, and most AKC Danes achieve as puppies in the first year). To put this issue in perspective, given the destructive tendency we can have to compare pups, always wanting "more": when there was a weight guide in the standard, that 28" adult female was expected to weigh 100 lbs. & that fully mature 30" male would weight around 120 lbs. Balance is what the standard calls for, not just bigness! And (see below) exaggerations in size (height and/or weight) can carry with it costs (even penalties).
Take home message? LESS IS MORE! when it comes to growth in the first year. All Danes fed adequately
will eventually reach their genetically programmed height & weight. Don't rush to own the biggest dane baby
on the block & don't forget that most people exagerate the size of their pup when measuring & then telling
others how big s/he is. (And some people are not above using these charts to be able to exagerrate, or answering
your "stats" with bigger stats, just to "beat" you.) Also---correct exercise (calories out)
is as important to remember as food (calories in) choices. We tend to forget this in our sedentary society, but
part of proper growth is appropriate exercise for both your dog's age and his weight/body shape.
Chick Newman (Ph.D, DVM) has a very readable article on the general topic: http://www.newmanveterinary.com/large.html#Large%20Breed%20Puppies
Lyn Richard has a site with much info on feeding Danes: http://www.doglogic.com/feeding.htm
Jill Swedlow also has an easy to follow feeding guide for Danes: http://www.sunstrike-great-danes.com/feeding-danes.php
And here's another (Dane-related) take on the same topic: http://www.eng.clemson.edu/~jshea/feeding.html
Keep in mind the feeding chart is only a rule of thumb, some pups eat more, some less. It depends on the food you're
feeding, the exercise the pup is getting and the individual metabolism of the pup. It's a better guide than food
amount to watch & keep a puppy "ribby" & slightly "flanky" (a little on the lean side,
with the ribs, but hipbones not in evidence), as roly-poly puppies are prone to all sorts of growth problems. It
is generally accepted the usual problems with growing giant puppies revolve around too many calories and too much
calcium & growing too fast--too commonly seen especially amongst anxious and loving new "parents."
See the above links for more information.
ANOTHER ISSUE OF GROWTH IS WHEN TO SPAY/NEUTER YOUR DANE. Giant breeds like Great Danes need to have their spay/neutered "delayed" in the sense that the general consensus of both breeders and veterinarians about dogs this size is that 6 mo. is NOT a safe age to spay/neuter, and in fact, a year is a better target date. To read more on this issue, see the following links:
CHRIS ZINK DVM on Spay/Neuter issues on Growth.
The Question Of Neutering and at what age?
Laura Sanborn's review of spay/neuter risks/benefits.
Neutered dogs have twice the risk of osteosarcoma as those intact...
A twofold excess risk (of osteosarcoma) was observed among neutered dogs.
LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
This message written and prepared by JP Yousha for the purposes of education.
All copyrights © remain with the author. However the author is willing to allow reprints/links upon request
for educational purposes.
CHROMADANE 1998. Updated 2002. Updated 2007.