Great Dane — breed guide
The apartment-friendly giant: a couple of walks, then hours of leaning gently on your furniture and you.
At a glance
- Group
- working
- Size
- Giant
- Weight
- 50–79 kg (110–174 lb)
- Life span
- 7–10 years
- Coat
- Short, smooth coat
Living with a Great Dane
- Low energy — happy with gentle daily exercise.
- Almost no grooming.
- Moderate shedding.
- Trainable with consistency.
- Quiet.
- Can do well with children, with care — easier with older kids than toddlers.
- Gets along with other dogs.
- Typically lives happily with a cat.
- Not well suited to a flat — space, exercise need or voice works against it.
- A reasonable choice for a first-time owner.
- Average heat tolerance.
- Feels the cold.
Temperament
Gentle · Patient · Dependable · Friendly
Health to watch
- Bloat (GDV)
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Hip dysplasia
- Osteosarcoma
Owner-logged information shared via Leash Life is not veterinary advice; ask your vet about screening for these.
Did you know
Zeus the Great Dane stood 1.12 m at the shoulder — the tallest dog ever recorded. Scooby-Doo is one, too.
Questions people ask
Is a Great Dane good with kids?
With care. Great Danes generally do well with older children who already know how to behave around a dog; with toddlers, supervise every interaction and give the animal somewhere it can retreat to.
Is a Great Dane good with cats?
Usually yes. Great Danes typically settle well with a resident cat — introduce them slowly and give the cat a high perch and a way out of the room.
How much exercise does a Great Dane need?
A gentle daily walk.
Can a Great Dane handle hot weather?
About average — use normal hot-day sense.
Leash Life keeps a Great Dane's day — walks, meals, meds, weight — in one shared feed for the whole household, and warns on the walk weather this breed can't take. Free to start.