Great Dane Accessories to think about

If a Great Dane is coming into your life you'll need to think about the Great Dane accessories and supplies you'll need to ensure your pet stays happy and healthy.

Dog Food Bowls

Obviously, you'll need a couple of dog bowls to feed your new puppy. Not too many rules about these, except never buy plastic, always get stainless steel. Plastic bowls are harder to clean and they hold bacteria over time. Stainless steel bowls are easy to clean and much more hygenic. One of the related basic Great Dane accessories some "old school" Dane people still believe in is the necessity of a raised platform for food bowls. The thought process behind this was that because of the size of the Great Dane, it was too hard for this particular breed to have to reach down to floor level and swallow food and get it "up" to its stomach. Some made a connection between this and the incidence of bloat Long story short, there is no connection and there is no need to raise food bowls for Great Danes. I guess it doesn't hurt, but we never have and the Great Dane Club of America (and Canada) do not recommend it. This is one Dane accessory that is not required.

Great Dane brush, Nail Clippers and Tooth Brush

Every dog needs a brush and although Great Danes are short haired, they are no exception. This is a basic tool in keeping your Dane groomed, looking good and healthy. And he'll love the daily attention!

Any dog brush from your local pet store will do the trick. We normally get a soft to medium brush (the Dane coat doesn't need a hard needle variety).

dog nail clipping Nail clippers are another Great Dane accessory that you can't go without. Don't go cheap with these because they won't last. You'll need the large size and keep in mind that a Dane's nails are extremely hard. Honestly, go for quality with this one - otherwise you'll be back in the pet store getting another pair sooner than you think. Another option might be to get a groomer to do the nails every month or so. Remember, neglecting nail care will lead to health issues.

A tooth brush is another Great Dane accessory you'll need if that is the way you intend taking care of your Dane's teeth. Too many dogs have horrid breath - particularly as they age - and the reason for that is because their owners don't take care of their teeth - which means regularly cleaning them. Dog tooth brushes can be picked up at any pet supply store, along with tooth paste.

Now, having just announced that the tooth brush is an important Great Dane accessory, we also have to say we don't use them! We let him do his own teeth when we give him a raw meaty bone to knaw on about once a week. Not only is it a treat, it's excellent excercise and the chewing action basically scours all the plaque away. Clean teeth, no bad breath, no mouth disease, no problem! But if you don't do that, you'll need a dog tooth brush.

dog leash Dog Collar and Leash

Another very basic dog accessory you'll need is a leash and collar. The Great Dane is about as big as it gets, so you'll need a sturdy one. There are generally two types of day to day collar - nylon and leather. We prefer a leather collar although we've used nylon as well and both are sturdy (provided you buy good quality). As your Dane grows, you'll need to change collars to ensure the correct sizing. From pup to full grown dog is usually about three collars in our experience.

Sizing is extremely important as is always checking to make sure the collar isn't too tight. You should always be able to get your fingers comfortably under the collar without causing tightness to your Dane's throat.

There are a fair number of dog trainers that use slip collars and/or prong collars as well. A slip dog collar (sometimes known as a choke collar) is designed to be worn only for training serials and does not replace the dog's main collar. It is normally a chain collar and is desinged to tighten on the dogs throat when the Dane moves the wrong way or when the trainer tugs on the leash to apply a correction to some behaviour.

The prong collar is used in the same way except it literally has "prongs" on the inside of the collar that are designed to dig into the dogs neck when a correction is applied. We've used a slip collar in the past (long ago past) but never a prong collar. Today, we don't use either and never will again. Positive Reinforcement training techniques don't require this type of correction and in order to control our Dane while on the leash, we prefer the use of a halti.

A This accessory goes around the Dane's snout and is attached to the leash at the end of the nose. This allows control of the Dane's head which means with just a little pressure, the Dane doesn't pull and will move in the direction you need. You can buy halties in most pet stores. Perfect.

Great Dane accessories don't stop here though. There are still a few other items to think about. On the next page, we've included some of our thoughts on more Great Dane supplies including Great Dane crates, harnesses, Great Dane clothing (that's right - clothing!) and beds.