Our Gentle Giants

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.

1. Dog bowls with splash guards

Gentle giants are messy eaters and drinkers. This might help… a little bit.

 

2) An elevated feeder

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.

 

 

3) Strong, practically indestructible toys

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 4) Rugs if your home has tile floors

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.

 

5) Giant dog bed

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.

 

6) A harness instead of a collar

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.

 

7) Giant poop bags

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!

8) Hand towels

Lots of them.

 9) A large car*

*Not really necessary if you have only one giant and no kids. Then you can fit two people and the dog in a sedan.

 

10) Money, and lots of it

Extra large dog supplies come at an extra large price.

• More food per month
• Large collars
• Large crates
• Large bed
• Large doses of medicine calculated by weight
• Basically anything

Final thoughts

Honestly, you could get away without having any of these things. But ask yourself these questions:

• Do you really want to buy toy after toy because your dog is too strong for regular toys? Or should you invest in a few durable toys?
• Would you rather pay for a cheap rug or a hip replacement surgery?
• Are you really okay with your Mastiff crushing your child to death in the backseat of your sedan?

And most importantly:

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE POOP?

Bonus

Because it’s adorable:

 

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