Will a great dane be ok for 9 hours with nothing to do?

GatsbysMom · 11-07-2009, 09:00 PM

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Originally Posted by RBark

Okey dokey, time to define what I mean by big dog. By big dog, I'm talking about dogs like the English Mastiff, Great Dane, and so on. I'm not talking about dogs in the 40-80 pound range, which most working dogs are.

And I never commented on whether dogs are a luxury or a right for people. Your opinion is that the fact he doesn't want to pay for a dog walker being a red flag is far more a criticism than anything I've ever said. So let's not try to point fingers at who is more critical than the other, and who is just stating opinions, etc.

Yikes. I feel that I've been fairly respectful and resigned to agree to disagree. There are a lot of points I can make to refute yours, but we'll just be going in circles. Again, I agree to disagree. You do not, judging from this post you've made and others from the past. This is not especially fruitful for either of us, nor the OP.

You really do not back down or allow for any kind of graciousness in your responses on this forum, especially when you disagree with someone. I can see that I will continue to just go in circles with you while you become increasingly offended/defensive, so I will just leave you be from now on.

RBark · 11-07-2009, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatsbysMom

Yikes. I feel that I've been fairly respectful and resigned to agree to disagree. There are a lot of points I can make to refute yours, but we'll just be going in circles. Again, I agree to disagree. You do not, judging from this post you've made and others from the past. This is not especially fruitful for either of us, nor the OP.

You really do not back down or allow for any kind of graciousness in your responses on this forum, especially when you disagree with someone. I can see that I will continue to just go in circles with you while you become increasingly offended/defensive, so I will just leave you be from now on.

It's interesting that you take my disagreement with you as me being offended or defensive. You made a point, I refuted them. I have not once attacked you, I disagreed with your ideas. If you want to agree to disagree, then just end the conversation. Don't try to have the last word before you leave, which you've done several times now. Nobody is forcing you to debate with me. But yes, I'm going to disagree with something I feel is wrong, that's natural.

Sorry if you don't like how I talk, but again, I've made no disrespect to you, only disagreed with the points you've made.

Laurelin · 11-07-2009, 09:19 PM

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The big red flag for me is that the OP doesn't want a dog walker due to "security and cost." Any reasonable person living in any big city, whether it's Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City who has done the most basic research into dog care would realize (a) there's no reason to be concerned about security with dog walkers (b) pretty much everyone has one (c) it's a necessary cost for big dogs in small apartments without backyards.

I would not hire a dog walker for security reasons either. I am very paranoid about my dogs and I really don't let other people walk them, even when I lived with other people.

You don't NEED a dog walker even with high energy breeds in an apartment. There's other ways to make things work like taking the dog to the park before you leave and then taking it again after you get back. And besides danes are not what I'd call high energy dogs. Most giant breeds are not. My next door neighbor has two saint bernards in his apartment and manages just fine.

lizziedog1 · 11-07-2009, 09:36 PM

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My next door neighbor has two saint bernards in his apartment and manages just fine.

I hope it isn't the same person you mentioned has a BC in her apartment. That would make for a crowded apartment.

Laurelin · 11-07-2009, 09:53 PM

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Originally Posted by lizziedog1

I hope it isn't the same person you mentioned has a BC in her apartment. That would make for a crowded apartment.

No she's a few people down. She also has an Aussie.

I live in a very dog-friendly apt complex.

Marsh Muppet · 11-07-2009, 10:18 PM

It is a fact that giant breeds are pretty low on the energy scale. Danes are probably higher energy than Saints or E. Mastiffs, but they are easy keepers. My personal feeling is that it's best to provide as much exercise as a dog will tolerate. Flabby muscles do not help with joint problems or heart problems. Young dogs need more exercise than older dogs, but by the time a Dane is 3 years old they are quite happy putting in their 20 hours per day on the couch.

My dog (and most others I've had) goes 8-9 hours, every day, between his morning run and his evening trip to the ablutionary. I am home for him to wake me up if he needs to go out, but he almost never does.

Purley · 11-09-2009, 08:33 AM

I am not an expert on any of this either, this is just my observation.

I live in a small city. I have a big garden and I have had various breeds of dogs over the years. My observation at the present is that my Golden who lived to be 15, all her life mainly loafed around. I was not working most of the time. I admit that most of the time I was often too lazy to take her for a walk but we would play chasing the ball in the back yard, or if I did take her for a walk - it was a "walk" not a run. Apart from that if I was outside, she was lying around on the deck. She did think it was her job to bark at every kid on a bike that went down the back alley, but I didn't let her do that as is was annoying. So, most of the time she didn't race around the garden on her own - she lay around.

I now have three shih-tzus. When I am outside they wander around if I am wandering around. If I am reading a book on the deck - they are snoozing on the deck.

I have my son's five month old Goldendoodle. I often go to bed at around 10 and watch TV for a while. Cooper is in his crate. They all go out for a pee around maybe 10.30 and then they all sleep until anywhere from 7 to 8 am depending on when I feel like getting up. In the winter I get up later than in the summer. That means they are sleeping from 9 to 10 hours at night. None of them have any problem with that - even Cooper.

So my assumption from all this is that even if the owner is home - if the owner is reading a book or watching TV or generally sitting around - so is the dog - no matter what the breed. I think they can adapt to any schedule.