Great Dane Puppy ~

[Jen]

Rrat, here is another pic of her. I've been reading the links you sent, all the merle gene stuff has bees in my head.

So is this dane a harlequin, or is she a white, or....? She is the one standing

I can definitely see that she and her brother are hungry

[Riverrat]

They are Piebald the white hair is clear with no pigment black has pigment the white amd grey you are seeing is  skin pigment or color under the hair.  As she gets older you will see more and more spots on her skin through the hair

[Jen]

Okay, thanks Rrat, I did get it then 

Also, because they are short hair dogs, and their skin is pink, does that mean she will be sensitive to sun exposure?

[Riverrat]

Okay, thanks Rrat, I did get it then 

Also, because they are short hair dogs, and their skin is pink, does that mean she will be sensitive to sun exposure?

We havent had any issues with sensitivity from sun

[Jen]

Good to know, Thanks. The owner of the dogs has told me a bit of history of this sister and her brother. Seems they weren't being taken care of by the previous owners. I can see that in that the ribs are showing on the brother. The present owner bought them and is trying to get them back to health. She's having trouble with separating the brother and sister, wants them to stay together.

If I had a larger house, and a bit more land, I would take both. The brother is not hearing or vision impaired so she's asking $1000 for him, but is giving away the sister, because she's deaf. So I'm not sure if I will get her or not.

Awe shucks! life gets complicated. More than anything I hope the right situation happens for the dogs.

Thanks for all your help everyone 

[Riverrat]

$1000 is way over priced for a piebald dane.  They will be lucky to get $250 to $300 for him as a 8 week old pup. and even far less at the age they are. The danes look a bit spindly but do look healthy.  Danes at about that age usually look thin.  They wont put on weight until they are well over a year old.  They go through growth spurts that cause this.  She should really consider splitting them up if they are going to good homes

[Jen]

You're really helping me out here Rrat, appreciate it ~

Now, does piebald mean... mm... defective? and that would not change my mind about raising her. But in the link you sent it mentioned a breeding glip per say. Something like, you don't want to make more 'white' danes, but it's okay to make more 'harlequins', which have much more black splotches to offer.

Which would make sense if you are buying danes to breed. That whites are not as desirable.. mainly because of the deaf/vision thing..?

[Riverrat]

White or piebald is not a color recognized by the AKC as an acceptable color for a great dane
http://www.gdca.org/colorcode.html

Most AKC danes that go for $1000 are a recognized color AKC registered to a pet home.  A dane with breeding rights will go for more. 

There was a lady here locally trying to sell a piebald started at $600 as a 8 week old pup registered and with shots think she finally got $300 if that and had the dog for several months we gave $250 for theo as a pup.  The white or piebald is a mutated gene from breeding a merle to a mantle somewhere back in its bloodlines.  It is considered a defect.  You can AKC register a Piebald but cant show it. Which in your case is no big deal.  In short people who know danes will not pay full price for a pup that one has a defect and 2 not registered.  I am unsure of how well you know the owners but it appears to me they are trying to make a buck which is sad if it is the case as the main concern should be getting the dogs to a good home

[Jen]

I see. Very interesting. This sheds a whole lot of light on this situation.

Did Theo come registered to you?

So, if this current owner bought her and her brother and they didn't come to her registered... then she cannot register them right?

I don't care if this dane is registered or not, but it has made me think about it.

[Wandering Man]

We got a small piebald 3 years ago. We paid about $40 for him at a rescue center. Yeah, he's a lot smaller than a Great Dane, but he's given us more love than you can imagine.

[Riverrat]

I see. Very interesting. This sheds a whole lot of light on this situation.

Did Theo come registered to you?

So, if this current owner bought her and her brother and they didn't come to her registered... then she cannot register them right?

I don't care if this dane is registered or not, but it has made me think about it.

Theo is not registered.  He is full and both parents was registered.  I really don't see any since in registering unless you intend on breeding or showing.  In order to register you would have to go back to the original breeder.  On another note most all Dane pups that go to pet homes come with a 2 year health guarantee and breeder support and all shots and vet checked it is part of the $1000 you pay.   I would be interested to know what the guy paid for these pups it appears to me they took them in with dollar signs in their eyes and are pretty uneducated on Danes.  They should be able to easily answer all the questions you asked here and more.   I'm wondering also where the original breeder fits in on this most reputable breeders keep track of where there puppies are and how they are doing.  Most have a clause in the puppy contract when they sell the dog that if dog is to be re-homed it has to come back to the breeder to insure that they go to a good home.  Most of all don't let any of this discourage you from trying to take in the little gal its not her fault and all shes wanting is a home that she can be a normal goofy dane for her new humans.  And 2 danes are better than one they require very little room and are ideal house dogs so 2 aint much more than 1 when it comes to space

[Jen]

Oh Wman! Look at that face! He's is as sweet as... well.. honey LOL, I love the pieball markings.

All of our dogs were rescue dogs except the one we have now, Katy, I offered to take her from a friend who just couldn't get along with her. she was a menace with her brother, but as soon as we separated them she's been the best dog.

[Jen]

Rrat ~ "I really don't see any since in registering unless you intend on breeding or showing."

Agreed! I know nothing about becoming a full on breeder any way, after your explaination it sound like another job. I already have enough irons in the fire.

Now ya got me thinking...

If I could get her to drop her price on the brother to $300 or less, who doesn't have a hearing/vision issue, it might be a consideration. Because now I know that the brother will not call a $1000 price, except for maybe to an uneducated buyer.

I would have to pay to have them both spay/neut, and their shots and examinations. I would have to have both danes examined for the defect as well, just to be sure, so I know how to train them. That's going to run up a few hundred dollars right there. I have to keep this in perspective.

[Gypsi]

dogs are definitely not cheap to keep  (but lots cheaper than humans...)

[Riverrat]

Jen.  You sure you want a dane.  The daughter wanted a selfie with theo and this is what she got

[Perry]

Something tells me if you have a dog that size you want to make sure it never goes hungry!

[Jen]

Hahahaha! It would be this afternoon snack that I would be afraid for

[Chip Euliss]

True story.  My sister had a Great Dane and my dad gave it away right after I was born because the dog (a male) was aggressive towards me (understandable but I was an infant ).  Anyway, a farmer dad knew took the dog but he later put him down because he killed a pony!  I don't know how big the pony was but even small ones are pretty big!  I don't know that anyone knew the dog's motivation.  I didn't trust the breed for many years as a young man but I've since learned that they aren't an especially aggressive breed--towards humans, at least AND, I love dogs.  I have 5 right now but I'm not replacing them as the older ones pass so the number of dogs er own will decline over the next few years as 3 are very old.  Wife and I want fewer so it's easier to travel in our retirement years.

[Jen]

Hi Chip    I have heard of another tragic dane story as well, two danes took down a deer here locally, many years ago. But that is the way nature is, once in a while any breed of any animal is going to cast out a mean one. Same with bees. I'm not patient with mean hives, I try first to understand what is going on, if I can't find an answer, that hive goes down river.

Thanks for your honesty    I too am a big dog lover

[Chip Euliss]

Jen, I suspect that such cases are the result of innate traits that were desirable when the breed was being developed.  I read that Dane's were bred as hunting dogs for large game like boar and deer but later became more of a gentle breed for the wealthy as a sign of prestige.  I used to be a passionate waterfowl hunter and owned a couple of Chessies.  Great dogs but one of the traits selected for when they were being develop was to protect the possessions of market hunters.  Mine were both very protective so I had to take precautions so nobody got bit!  I loved those dogs and would have them again if I only hunted waterfowl.  The past 20 years, I've mostly hunted upland birds with pointing breeds (I'm a big Brittany fan) and I continue to be amazed at their innate characteristics.  I've had more than 1 pup point birds when they were only 6 or 7 weeks old.  The oldest dog in my kennel is 14 now.  She pointed partridge at 7 weeks out by our garden one evening.  I took her to Canada when she was 12 weeks and she pointed partridge every afternoon when I came in from hunting with my older dogs.  I used a blank gun to condition her to noise that week and shot a bunch of birds over her points that next week.  I love watching them develop their passion to hunt.  Some of my best friends are dogs