The story of two Floridians and their foster Great Danes
If you look around the internet, there are countless lists of things you must have for your dog. “Make sure you have food, bowls, a collar, leash”.
But giant dogs are special (if you haven’t gathered already from the things I write around here) and have “special needs”. If you’re beginning to think about adopting a Great Dane or a Mastiff, read this list. It may open up your eyes to issues you haven’t though about before.
For example: how do you plan on picking up your tiny horse’s massive poops?
Read on, friends.
Gentle giants are messy eaters and drinkers. This might help… a little bit.
An elevated feeder for tall dogs is good for a lot of things, but the most important reason (in my opinion) is to reduce the amount of air that’s ingested, which can lead to bloat. Tip: if you get a puppy, get a feeder that is adjustable so it can be raised as your puppy gets taller.
Giant dogs are generally very powerful, which leads to them tearing apart toys with ease. A favorite among giant dog owners is the Kong Extreme.
Tile floors are slippery. Roxie slips a lot on our tile floors, so that dampens her spirit when she has a case of “zoomies”. Also, I imagine if big dogs slip and fall, they’re more likely to hurt themselves because of their height and weight. So for your dog’s mental and physical well-being, get some rugs.
If you only have one couch and can’t fit your dog on your bed at night, definitely get a giant dog bed. Toddler mattresses work as well.
If your dog is pulling while on a walk (which they shouldn’t be doing anyway), it’s harder to have control of them with the leash attached to a collar versus a harness. Plus, they are more likely to slip out of a collar than a harness.
Regular poop bags won’t cut it. Either use grocery bags or extra-large poop bags. Look at the picture below. It has drawstrings, people!
Lots of them.
*Not really necessary if you have only one giant and no kids. Then you can fit two people and the dog in a sedan.
Extra large dog supplies come at an extra large price.
Honestly, you could get away without having any of these things. But ask yourself these questions:
And most importantly:
Because it’s adorable:
Good info! Especially the elevated feeders and the ginormous dog bed(s). Be stronger than your in-laws and don’t let them them used to sleeping on YOUR bed. You will lose the battle if you don’t start as pups.
Yeah, I reaaaally want to cuddle with the puppies in bed, but you’re right; they’ll get used to it and it will be harder to teach them otherwise.