Frequently asked questions.

Two, occasionally three. Every litter is raised in the house, underfoot, and we cannot do that honestly with more. If you find us at a moment when nothing is available, the answer is to wait — not to be sent elsewhere.

Yes. Every approved family is welcome to meet the dam, and the sire when he is ours. We ask for the approval conversation first, because the dogs live in our home with our children and we do not take drop-in visits.

Yes. Both parents of every litter are AKC registered, and puppies go home with AKC limited registration. Full registration is available only by prior written agreement with breeding-suitable adults.

Every adult in the program is cleared for hips, elbows, cardiac (advanced echo, not auscultation), and thyroid through OFA, plus a DNA panel. Merle-carrying dogs also have BAER hearing tests. We never pair two merles. All results are on the Our Danes page and in your puppy's file.

No, and we never will. Double-merle breeding produces a high rate of deafness and blindness. Every merle litter we raise is merle crossed to a non-merle, non-harlequin partner, and the puppies are BAER tested before they go home.

Two rounds of core vaccinations appropriate to age, worming at two, four, six and eight weeks, a microchip, a full veterinary exam within the week before travel, and a written record of all of it. See the Vaccinations page for the schedule.

A written two-year guarantee against life-limiting congenital and hereditary defects — including hip and elbow dysplasia, dilated cardiomyopathy and congenital heart defects — plus a 14-day cover for communicable illness. Read the full terms on the Health Guarantee page before you reserve.

Informed, not frightened. Gastric dilatation-volvulus is the single most common cause of sudden death in Great Danes and it is an emergency measured in minutes. We send every family home knowing the signs, and we discuss prophylactic gastropexy with you. Read the Bloat & GDV page — it is the most important page on this site.

Honestly: 8 to 10 years, and anyone promising you more is selling something. Careful breeding, lean growth in the first year and a good diet all help. The breed's short life is the hardest part of loving one, and you should decide with your eyes open.

A big yard helps but is not essential — an adult Dane is famously a couch dog. What you do need is floor space for a very large animal to lie down without being stepped over, and the willingness to walk twice a day in all weather. What does not work is a small flat with no outdoor access and nobody home.

Very, when they are bred and raised for it. The risk is not temperament, it is physics — a happy adolescent Dane will knock a small child over without meaning to. We teach sitting for greetings from week five and expect you to keep it up.

Budget realistically: $120–$180 a month in food, large-breed doses of every preventative and medication, and insurance that a giant breed makes more expensive. A gastropexy is $500–$1,500. A bloat emergency is $3,000–$8,000. This is not a cheap dog to own well.

Much less than people expect, and over-exercising a growing giant is genuinely harmful. Short, flat, gentle walks until the growth plates close at 18–24 months — no forced running, no stairs where you can avoid it, no jumping down from heights. The Training & Socialization page covers this properly.

Start with the puppy application. We read every one, then call you. If it is a good match on both sides, a $500 deposit holds your puppy and comes off the balance. The balance is due before travel. Nothing is held on a verbal promise.

No. We do not charge to put your name down and we never have. If nothing is right for you this season, you go on the list for the next one at no cost.

Age-appropriate vaccinations and worming, the microchip and registration transfer, AKC limited registration papers, the full health record, the written health guarantee, a starter bag of the food your puppy is already eating, a scented blanket from the litter, and lifetime access to us by phone.

We place puppies in the United States and Canada only, and never in the cargo hold. Travel is either pickup in person, or an in-cabin flight nanny who carries your puppy on their lap and hands them to you at the airport or at your door.

Yes, regularly, and we will tell you why. Usually it is a mismatch of lifestyle rather than anything personal — too little time, too little space, or a household that needs a smaller dog. We would rather lose the sale than place a puppy badly.