Great Dane Exercise Requirements

Great Danes need a moderate amount of exercise. Unlike herding breeds such as German Shepherds, Border Collies, or Australian Kelpies, Great Danes don’t need intense amounts of exercise. A long walk each day, balanced with a proper diet, should be enough. This lack of intensive exercise may come as a surprise for a dog as large as the Great Dane and they could certainly handle more exercise than the required amount.

Great Dane Exercise Issues to Watch Out For

You must remember to not put any great deal of strain on your Great Dane’s bones and joints during exercise, especially when your Great Dane is young. In fact, I wouldn’t suggest doing any sort of jump training or long distance running until your Great Dane is at least two years old and is fully grown.

Not being able to put strain on your young Great Dane may mean that you’ll end up with quite a rambunctious puppy in your dog’s first year or two of life. Make sure that you’re able to spend time with your Great Dane and provide companionship. Here are some exercise ideas for Great Danes which don’t cause too much impact on their bones and joints:

Young Great Dane Exercise Ideas

• Play Catch – toss the ball up lightly so that your Great Dane doesn’t have to perform a huge leap to catch it.
• Play Fetch
• Jog – Take light jogs when your Great Dane reaches 1 or 1 and a half years of age (it’s always recommended to consult with a vet first, however).
• Take your Great Dane to the beach – Take your Great Dane to the beach to play in the water, or a dog beach where he/she can interact with other dogs. Just try not to allow your young Great Dane to leap in and out of your car if you do take it on many car trips. This repeated strain can damage your Great Dane’s growing bones and joints.

If you hope to participate in Agility with your Great Dane when he/she has reached adulthood, you can set up ‘mock’ obstacle courses to train. For example, place straight wooden bars for your Great Dane to walk across, have it step (not jump) through a tire, and place some upright poles at a comfortable distance apart for your Great Dane to “weave” through. These mock obstacle courses can get you and your Great Dane started on the course of learning Agility commands. Competition-sized courses should not be set up until your Great Dane is at least two years old and has been checked up by the vet.

Adult Great Dane Exercise

When your Great Dane is at least two years old, has reached adulthood, and its body is fully developed, you can take up some more intensive workouts and start participating in dog sports like Agility. Get your Great Dane checked up by the vet before competing in sports like Agility, paying close attention to hips and elbows.

Check out this video of a Great Dane running an Agility course:

Great Danes can very much enjoy an active lifestyle – it’s simply important to be mindful of their rapidly growing bodies, which grow faster but develop slower than many other breeds.

When we got onto the bridge between the two lakes, we saw the most gorgeous harlequin Great Dane (whom I later found was named Yogi) loping toward us. His owners were there and I got to speak with them and learn a lot about Great Danes in general. It turns out that the husband in this family had a mother who is a Great Dane breeder and they educated me.

Great Dane Myth #1

I was under the misconception that Great Danes lived only up until about 9 years old – that it was uncommon for them to live to 15 like other more hardy breeds.

This family told me that it’s not uncommon for great danes to live to 15 years old, that a well-bred Great Dane doesn’t have to die at a young age. The husband’s mother, for example, breeds Great Danes who are known to be from healthy and long-living lines.

Great Dane Myth #2

The Great Dane will be 99% likely to develop hip dysplasia.

It is true that Great Danes are at a higher risk than some other breeds of developing hip dysplasia, but with proper breeding and care this condition can be avoided. When buying a Great Dane it’s very important to find a reputable breeder who tests for things like this. The husband’s mother has her dogs tested before breeding and the vet has apparently told her that her dogs have the best hips he’s seen in years. Another thing I didn’t know is that Great Danes aren’t always born with hip dysplasia.

Sometimes their hips actually get dislocated during birth and a breeder who knows what they’re doing can actually ‘nudge’ them back into place. Also, as Great Danes grow you have to watch where you allow them to sleep and lay. Yogi’s owners told me of a person they knew who got a male and female Great Dane from the same litter. One of them always liked to lounge on a straight bench from puppyhood. The female didn’t. As the male grew, he became too large for the bench and would lounge with his hips drooping off of the bench in an unnatural position for hours at a time. The male ended up developing hip dysplasia and the female didn’t – they suspect that the male’s habit of lounging on the bench in an unnatural position contributed to this.

So yes, Great Danes are more prone to developing hip dysplasia, but through proper breeding and care the risk of this can be minimized to a great extent.

Needless to say I learned a lot from talking to Yogi’s owners. Yogi was 16 months old and already stood above my waist – he was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to take a photo. But I did get some photos of Keeda, which you can find below.