Roxy, has she picked Allanah up yet

She went home at 3.30, so I had the dog for 5 hours. The woman was saying she still hasnt made her mind up yet. I told the woman I wasnt a dogsitter and she got a bit shirty, dont want to get on wrong side of her in case she just gives the dog to someone else unsuitable.

"dont want to get on wrong side of her in case she just gives the dog to someone else unsuitable."

Guess you had better hope that she, or someone she knows, doesn't see this thread then!

That puppy is much too thin for a dane and looks very leggy to me too.

Also - if she is part dane she should not be walked over a ten minute stroll on lead until at least 6 months - walking any more than a gentle stroll or allowing the pup off lead is a no-no in the dane world as it is proven to put strain on fast growing joints and causes signficant problems in later life.

I hope you get her Roxy because she is going to grow up a very poor specimin being raised the way she is now. If she has any dane in her she needs an adult complete food - not a puppy mix - 500mg of Vit C a day (essential), raw green tripe, scrambled eggs and raw eggs (with shells) and Naturediet to build her - and she should be on 5 meals a day at the moment looking as thin as that. Vegetable oil in the bottom of the dish will encourage her to lick the bowl clean too. But definitely no walks, at all, until at least 4 months - socialising should be done through carrying her around. Good luck.

Chloe

You really know your stuff regarding Danes. I hope someone gets that pup though, because she looks terribly thin to me too.

Karen

Thanx for the info Chloe, I didnt know that about not walking her until she was at least 4 months, she is 3 months old now. Although when she has come for a walk with me I havent taken her far and I have let her off her lead once but she didnt run at all, just walked next to me. If I do acquire her the first thing will be to get her to the vet for her innoculations and to be weighed. Also I will take your advice Chloe on her diet and exercise.

Hi Roxy

My info is just stuff a good breeder would tell the new puppy owner - this poor little mite clearly hasn't had a breeder who gives two tosses, or the original owner didn't listen! The walking advice is really to give a guideline and discourage folk from taking their new puppies for long sunday afternoon hikes (we've all seen them!) which Danes just cannot cope with at that age - the walks she's been on with you won't have hurt her. The thinking behind it is that because the dog is already growing so fast, extra exercise and muscle tone puts added pressure on already delicate joints - and thats why we don't give puppy food too...anything to try to slow down the process! Puppy should not be fat either - again, puts extra strain on the joints, but should have a reasonably round belly with no ribs. Its a real worry, raising a dane, but when they grow and you get past that first stage its well worth it, and you will have such a loyal puppy...

also - final hint (god, I sound obsessed!) vets will usually try to encourage pups onto Hill/a n other Puppy Diet for Giant breeds... again, we avoid these because they are still too high protein for a dane. The recommended diet uses Natural Protein to aid growth (tripe, eggs, tuna - all the dinner scraps) as opposed to the protein they use which is of uncertain origin...

I really hope you get her, will be lovely to watch her thrive from such a bad start

Thanx Chloe, she is a lovely natured puppy. I dont really know the owner is feeding her at the moment but if I do get her will take your advice.

As to the breeder, well I have heard shes just in it for the money.

I have met on my walks a woman who owns two 9 month old pups from the same dam and sire, so the poor bitch must have had one litter and quite literally at her next season had another. The 9 month pups I saw were stunning dogs though, both resemble Gt. Danes rather than Bullmastiffs. Obviously to an expert they would have seen the differences.

Chloe, that was a good tip to put vegetable oil in the bowl to make them clean up. Bet she is just feeding a tin food, there is no goodness in tins and they are full of rubbish I have seen what goes in tins it is not good quality meat.