New Puppy Pictures!

[Zoey]

So as most of you know I was supposed to get a new puppy on the 7th, well we went and picked him up today and he's currently snoring on my fiances leg, all tired out. Yes he actually snores!!

He tried eating beads, played tug-o-war with a plastic bag and when I came back into the room he had Carmen's (My male Veiled) extension cord in his mouth and was turning around to run..

He's already helping himself to our plates of food and right off found the bag of training puppy treats.

Here are a few pictures.

His name is Luk
He is a Great Dane
and he turns 8 weeks old on Sunday.

 

[spatulars]

Awwww man, so cute! I love dogs so much! Great Danes are awesome. Haha, he'll probably be good at catching crickets too.

 

[tryme]

what a cutie lol

 

[Julirs]

What a cutie! Now watch how fast he grows! Be careful with people food-Great Dane diarhea is so not fun--and no puppy food-stay low protein adult--you want to grow them as s-l-o-w as possible for their joints,muscle,and bones.

 

[Julirs]

Here are some interesting facts on Merle Danes...genetics are interesting!
While merles make lovely pets, the general consensus is that they shouldn't be bred because they can produce defective pups.

Excerpts from an article by JP Yousha on breeding merles:
http://www.chromadane.com/harl2merle.htm


MERLE TO WHITE: 50% deaf (or dead) white is expected; 50% merle, with reduced litter size due to merle-related deaths.

MERLE (or merlikin) TO BLACK (or to Mantle): This is a breeding using TWO mismarked dogs. (Most of the others use at least one parent with correct markings!) Since some harl-bred blacks & mantles can carry harl genes (H-factor) unseen & merles obviously carry the Merle gene, recombining the two can occassionally produce harls. But mostly, again, this breeding produces mismarks: black with white markings & merle dogs. And the dogs used in these sort of breedings are commonly sub-standard in other ways than color.

MERLE TO HARL: This is like breeding harl to harl, except you reduce your chances of getting harls & increase your chances or getting mismarks and various defects by all reports.

MERLE TO MERLE: This is not deliberately done in Danes, although it is occassionally done in other breeds. It is universally discouraged & is against the law in some countries. Vague reports of such breedings in Danes make the rounds from time to time. From what is known, at least 25% or the litter is expected to be defective & there are anecdotal reports (in Danes & other breeds) of merle x merle litters ending in "disaster" (all lethals, all defects, absorbed litters, etc.) More on breeding merles below.

article continued:

THE "WHY" OR RATHER THE "WHY NOT" OF BREEDING MERLES:

1) Merles are a disqualification under all standards for the Great Dane--and have always been. That is enough, in many registries, for a dog to be denied "papers," so this is obviously always been thought a very poor breeding choice. (That the AKC will register a dog does not imply approval of it as a breeding choice--the AKC will register *ANY* dog with two registered parents of the same breed. Any dog.) One must assume, historically, such animals were used & the results generally not good, hence the fact they have always been disqualified. There *are* anecdotal reports that using merles in a harl breeding program not only increases the number of mismarks in a litter, but also results in a much higher number of defective puppies than in a harl to harl breeding. In other breeds which allow the merle (very few BTW), merles are not supposed to be bred to each other, to avoid the production of white merles: those defective, predominately white pups. Merles LACK the necessary genetics on their own to produce harls: noone has ever documented a merle to merle breeding that produced harls. So by all reliable reports, merles as a group do not productively contribute to the harlequin-mantle gene pool.

2) It is certainly and always the case that anyone who has not established a *sterling* reputation & can explain to the general dane fancy's satisfaction the reason to break such a general rule of breeding better be prepared to be considered unethical by most if not all others concerned about ethical breeding. This is a case where making an exception to the rule is better NOT done but for the rarest of cases where the person in question has a long track record of good practices, the production of Champions under ethical constraints, AND who has an exceptional & rare enough situation on their hands to warrant a probably once in a lifetime event. People who sell & breed merles (including so-called merlikins) as breeding stock on a regular basis can simply be generally assumed to be commercial (i.e. for-profit) breeders whose goal is cash cropping harl pups, not breed protection. These dogs are also bred in ignorance by people only casually involved with the breed. Needless to say, however well meaning, these breedings do not contribute to breed betterment either.

3) A boston merle, the most likely choice as a breeding partner to a harl, is essentially a "true" boston (i.e.Mantle), with the added problem of producing deaf white & other defective puppies, which does not occur in a Mantle to Harlequin breeding. So a Mantle is always preferable, on this account, to a merle.

4) "Merlikins," a white base-coated dog with black & grey markings, have been bred on occassion to Mantles to produce harls. But this is a risky breeding for several reasons. Merlikins may be genetic whites (MM), so then are often deaf &/or have eye defects (& without a BAEF/CERF noone can say a dog's eyes or ears "are fine"!), most (Mm) merlikins will NOT produce properly marked harls under any circumstances, & the harls they DO produce are likely the result of their Mantle (boston) mate carrying unseen the factors needed to produce harls. There is significant evidence that some (many?) merlikins are actually (MM) double merles, i.e. genetic whites. There is also a well-established theory that merlikins are simply merles which carry the Tweed gene & the Tweed gene produces that swirly-looking "merli-harl" that is a harlequin mismark. And they are disqualified under the standard. All this means merlikins are established as a poor breeding choice as a rule. So, again, a properly marked animal, in this case a show-marked Harlequin, would be preferable to the merlikin.

5) The long & the short of breeding merles (& other mismarks, for that matter) is, if you have to ask about the whys & wherefores, you probably "can't afford it;" can't afford the disaster & dishonor likely awaiting you. Unless you are dealing with a publically esteemed breed expert really caught in a corner, you can pretty much assume someone using mismarks (e.g. merles, piebalds, and other mismarks) routinely in their breeding program is less than knowledgeable & less than ethical. This *is* a case of guilty until proven innocent.

 

[Zoey]

Awwww man, so cute! I love dogs so much! Great Danes are awesome. Haha, he'll probably be good at catching crickets too.

He's good at catching faces and hands with his sharp little teeth! lol

 

[Zoey]

what a cutie lol

thanks. he's super cute when he's sleeping and avoiding trouble!

 

[Zoey]

What a cutie! Now watch how fast he grows! Be careful with people food-Great Dane diarhea is so not fun--and no puppy food-stay low protein adult--you want to grow them as s-l-o-w as possible for their joints,muscle,and bones.

We didn't give him any people food lol, but man did he try. He was sleeping on the bed when we brought the food in, and when we were almost done, I guess she smelt it and got up and came over and tried to grab something lol. It was pretty cute.

We have him on pedigree Large Breed dog food.

 

[Julirs]

I wanted a Merle so bad-but hubby fell in love with the Fawn! Actually the one I wanted was what they all a Fawniquin. Just wait until he can rest his head on your countertops-no food is safe!
What is the protein in pedigree large breed? You really truly want to stay under 24%. What did the people you got him from feed theirs???

 

[Julirs]

Pedigree label:
Crude Protein (Min.) 22 %
Moisture (Max.) 12%
Crude Fat (Min.) 10 %
Crude Fiber (Max) 4 %


1st 10 listed produts:
ground yellow corn
chicken by-product meal
meat and bone meal (natural source of calcium)
rice
corn gluten meal
animal fat (preserved with BHT/BHA)
natural poultry flavor
dried beet pulp
wheat flour
salt


Its helpful to learn a bit about how to read and interpret the labels on dog foods. Poultry meal and poultry by-products are most definately not the same ingredient. Any ingredient which is designated as "by-products" is most likely stuff like beaks, feathers and feet, basically unusable protein sources for dogs. Poultry meal means that the whole chicken has been utilized.

Also, protein levels can be misleading depending on the source of the protein. A dog food label can list 28% protein but if it's derived from leather dust, the dog will never be able to utilize it. The first ingredient listed on the label must be the highest percentage of the food. Therefore if you see poultry meal as the first ingredient, the chances are that it's a high quality food. If grains make up the bulk of the first ingredients, beware. This is not to say that just because grain is the first listed ingredient, that the food is no good. Many manufacturer's offer different types of foods for different stages of life. The "Senior" foods need to be lower in protein because of kidney problems as dogs age. This almost necessitates using lower protein ingredients such as grains as the bulk of the food.

Soy is to be avoided in foods for Danes, as it can cause gas in dogs. In Danes, gas may contribute to bloat, so foods high in soy should not be used

 

[JimNPHX]

He is such a cutie! I've always loved the merle coloring . . . I had a female merle named Scooby that we lost this past December. She was a wonderful addition to the family. I used to take her to see my parents in their nursing home.She was a great hit after they got over her size

Great Danes are more than great! They are an awesome all around breed that are great with kids too!

I am jealous but very happy for you. You are going to have a wonderful time with Luk.
* I am sure you already know, but be very careful about feeding too much protein while he is a pup. You want to let the larger breeds grow slow so they develop healthy.

Good luck with the training and take lots of pictures!

Jim

 

[questnjurny]

Huge congrats on your puppy! He's very cute. I've just been through two puppyhoods (now 5.5 months and 8.5 months) adn I have to say, I don't envy you those first few months, they are a LOT of work!

Just something I noticed with the dog food...

The "Senior" foods need to be lower in protein because of kidney problems as dogs age. This almost necessitates using lower protein ingredients such as grains as the bulk of the food.

It used to be thought that senior dogs needed low protein foods, this is not the case anymore. Senior dogs should get the same amt of protien (or more!) that they had as a healthy adult. http://www.dogaware.com/seniordiets.html

I am not personally a fan of the high protein diets, but I do think its important to maintain the levels of protien for our seniors.

Pedigree is not a great food. It isnt' a horrible food, but there are far far more foods that are far far better. The problem that you get into with a Dane is the sheer volume of food its going to eat, which makes feeding expense...however Dane owners know this when they get one, and should be prepared for the cost of feeding them a decent quality food...otherwise they should have bought a chihuahuha!

Zoey, I might look at getting him on a higher quality food, at least for his first couple years while he's growing, generally the rule of thumb is that anythign you can buy at a grocery store is not your best choice.

 

[Chase]

Zoey, you told me he was cute but holy crap!!! I can't resist!!!!!

 

[Zoey]

I wanted a Merle so bad-but hubby fell in love with the Fawn! Actually the one I wanted was what they all a Fawniquin. Just wait until he can rest his head on your countertops-no food is safe!
What is the protein in pedigree large breed? You really truly want to stay under 24%. What did the people you got him from feed theirs???

Luks mom ate Pedigree Adult, and he was on Pedigree Puppy. So we went to Petsmart and picked up Pedigree but for Large Breeds the bag says its good for puppies and adults so we figured we couldn't go wrong.

 

[Zoey]

He is such a cutie! I've always loved the merle coloring . . . I had a female merle named Scooby that we lost this past December. She was a wonderful addition to the family. I used to take her to see my parents in their nursing home.She was a great hit after they got over her size

Great Danes are more than great! They are an awesome all around breed that are great with kids too!

I am jealous but very happy for you. You are going to have a wonderful time with Luk.
* I am sure you already know, but be very careful about feeding too much protein while he is a pup. You want to let the larger breeds grow slow so they develop healthy.

Good luck with the training and take lots of pictures!

Jim

Thanks! I picked him out from his ad picture. He was the one in the middle. I didn't care if he was a she or a he, just wanted the middle picture guy. And when we first went to look at him I saw him and I was all "I want" He is adorable.

Went to get him yesterday and the lady was like "some people came to look yesterday and they were like "can't we just take his collar off, the person getting him would never know!!"" and she was all "Trust me she'd know!"

lol wasnt the only one wanting this cutie.

We're having fun watching him run, he looks so funny!

 

[Zoey]

Huge congrats on your puppy! He's very cute. I've just been through two puppyhoods (now 5.5 months and 8.5 months) adn I have to say, I don't envy you those first few months, they are a LOT of work!

Just something I noticed with the dog food...



It used to be thought that senior dogs needed low protein foods, this is not the case anymore. Senior dogs should get the same amt of protien (or more!) that they had as a healthy adult. http://www.dogaware.com/seniordiets.html

I am not personally a fan of the high protein diets, but I do think its important to maintain the levels of protien for our seniors.

Pedigree is not a great food. It isnt' a horrible food, but there are far far more foods that are far far better. The problem that you get into with a Dane is the sheer volume of food its going to eat, which makes feeding expense...however Dane owners know this when they get one, and should be prepared for the cost of feeding them a decent quality food...otherwise they should have bought a chihuahuha!

Zoey, I might look at getting him on a higher quality food, at least for his first couple years while he's growing, generally the rule of thumb is that anythign you can buy at a grocery store is not your best choice.

Thanks for the advice. I normally pick up our pet food at Petsmart. The people working there told me the large breed pedigree would work fine for him. so we're gunna try it out. I mean it is made for large pups

 

[Zoey]

Zoey, you told me he was cute but holy crap!!! I can't resist!!!!!

I know! I have a hard time paying attention to what I'm doing on here, I keep wanting to look at him.


We're already having troubles with him. Turns out the people we bought him from hardly took him outside, so when we did (in the snow and cold) and brought him back in, his foot pads were bleeding, scared me half to death.

We had to go outback and clear all the snow from part of the yard so that hopefully it will melt and we don't have to worry about his paws being so sensitive so much!

 

[questnjurny]

Thanks for the advice. I normally pick up our pet food at Petsmart. The people working there told me the large breed pedigree would work fine for him. so we're gunna try it out. I mean it is made for large pups

True...but Kraft dinner is made for ppl and its not good for you either...same idea. Its not a great food, even though it is made for large breed puppies. Its the ingredients that don't make it all that great. My last puppy came to me on Pedigree, I forgot to take his bowl up (before I switched him to Go Natural) when I let the adults in. They sniffed it and walked away, and these are dogs who will fight over carrots, they eat *anything*. Don't forget that for the most part employees at big box stores don't have much if any knowledge around dog (any pet really) nutrition.

And a huge bonus of the better foods...more food is used by the dog, therefore smaller/less poops! (that would be huge for me if I had a dane). You feed less as well, so the food isn't too much more expensive because you use less. Anyways, something to think about for his next bag, while he's a puppy and growing is the most important time for him to be getting the best food possible.

 

[Julirs]

Go with the Canidae-it is a good premium food and less expensvie than some of the others. The general rule of thumb is that if you can buy it at a big box chain it probably isn't the best food!
Mike agrees by passing out on the couch-he is 9 months old today!

 

[m1ndless]

I could never imagine owning such a big dog, but they look awesome!