Anyone who is looking to buy or adopt a Great Dane puppy will naturally wonder how much do Great Dane puppies cost.
It is rightly said that dogs are man’s best friends, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are small and cuddly, while some of them are giant and fierce.
Smaller dogs mostly remain indoors and serve as great showpieces. The larger breeds are mainly used for arduous tasks such as hunting, military role, guarding properties, bomb diffusing, and dog sport.
One of the biggest breeds of dogs is the Great Dane. As big as they are, these giant pooches are just as expensive to purchase. Surprisingly, the Great Danes are one of the friendliest and well-behaved breeds of dogs even though they were initially bred in Germany to hunt wild bores. Their size is what makes them grab all the attention, which is also the downside.
As discussed above, purchasing a Great Dane is expensive, and looking after them is even more costly. But, how much do Great Dane puppies cost?
In this article, we shall talk about how much do Great Dane puppy cost compared to a fully-grown dog, so you can get a better understanding of what you are about to bring in your home.
How Much to Pay for Your Great Dane Puppy?
If you are planning to adopt a Great Dane Puppy, the price might not be too high. However, if you are going to purchase a purebred Great Dane puppy from a dealer or a breeder, things can get a little costly.
A purebred show line Great Dane comes for somewhere around $3000. The price of a purebred Great Dane Puppy depends heavily upon the place of purchase.
If you compare a show-line Great Dane with a pet-quality one, the latter will be far cheaper to purchase. However, that is just the price comparison. The cost of owning a Great Dane puppy, raising it, and looking after it is an expensive hobby altogether.
Rescuing a Great Dane puppy from a shelter can cost somewhere around $300-$400. However, as discussed in the previous paragraphs, purchasing a Great Dane puppy from a breeder can widen the price range to a great extent.
Buying a Great Dane puppy from a breeder can easily cost somewhere between $600 and $3000. The price of a show line Great Dane from a professional breeder falls between $2000 and $3000. On the flip side, you can get yourself an excellent pet-quality Great Dane for as much as $1000.
Regardless of whether you are planning to buy or adopt a Great Dane puppy, its price will vary according to the location, pedigree, and breeder.
In most cases, the price of purchasing a Great Dane puppy from a famous breeder operating in a posh locality is far more than what it would cost if you buy a similar pup from a local backyard breeder, who lacks knowledge of the dog’s pedigree.
Watch this video before buying a Great Dane puppy.
What Are Great Dane Puppy Adoption Costs?
Depending upon the age of your Great Dane, the adoption charges differ. However, if you are adopting a dog from a rescue shelter, the purchase might not be as costly. Usually, the adoption charges of a Great Dane fall somewhere between $200 and $400.
Adopting a younger rescued Great Dane is less expensive than adopting a rescued puppy. From a rescue shelter, you can purchase a Great Dane for somewhere around $300, whereas buying a rescued puppy can cost around $400.
The Great Danes you find at rescue shelters are reasonably sophisticated and well-behaved. If you have a family with infants, you can easily find a suitable Great Dane at one of these rescue shelters. However, if you have infants and little kids in the house, bringing in an untrained and relatively wild Great Dane can be quite a gamble.
Furthermore, adopting from a rescue shelter can be a favorable proposition. These puppy shelters function purely on donations, without the slightest government funding. Adopting from these rescue shelters will not only allow you to own a Great Dane, but it will also enable you to play your part in supporting these puppy shelters, and the dogs they have.
To find the best Great Dane puppy or dog of your choice, you can visit the American Kennel Club or AKC.
What Are Great Dane Puppy Breeder Charges?
As discussed above, the price of buying a Great Dane from a professional breeder can be as much as $3000. However, some breeders will sell you a similar dog for $600. The price of the dog varies from one breeder to another.
Some dealers will give you a good quality Great Dane for somewhere around $1200-$2000. However, pet-quality Great Dane puppies are far cheaper to purchase that show line Great Danes.
The trickiest part about purchasing a Great Dane puppy, regardless of the type and pedigree, is to find a reputable breeder. The Great Dane breeders pay extra attention to their dogs’ health and also maintain a comprehensive record of the puppies they breed, as well as the stock they have. With this information, they provide a complete health overview of what you are about to purchase.
On the contrary, most backyard dog breeders are careless with their practices and mostly lie to you about the health condition of the dogs they sell. When purchasing a pet as expensive as a Great Dane, you must always demand a comprehensive health overview of the dog. Most fraudulent dog breeders sell puppies that are off-colored and mis-marked.
In such cases, it is not difficult for you to get fooled by the lies told by a backyard breeder. Regardless of whether you are purchasing a show-line or pet-quality Great Dane, make sure you buy it from a reputable and trustworthy dog breeder. Otherwise, you won’t be able to minimize your chances of getting tricked.
How to Find a Trustworthy Great Dane Puppy Breeder?
Up until now, we have talked about the benefits of buying from a reputable breeder, and the downsides of being fooled by a fraudster. But how can we find the right one? Let’s find out.
Let’s take a look at some tips that will help you find a good Great Dane breeder.
- Before zeroing in on the best Great Dane breeder, make sure to conduct thorough research. To shortlist the best Great Dane breeders, try having a detailed conversation about the issue with Great Dane owners in your locality, or your circle of friends.
- When searching for a reputable Great Dane breeder, you can use the daily newspaper for help. Specific newspapers advertise from time to time advertise dog breeders who sell Great Danes.
Now that we have discussed the ways to find a good Great Dane breeder let’s take a look at some of the traits a Great Dane breeder must possess.
- A breeder must take extra care when documenting a dog’s age, lineage, as well as its family history.
- When breeding their dogs, professional dog breeders must follow legal and moral principles. They also follow the best breeding practices, which are legal and medically safe.
- Morally strict breeding kennels only use the healthiest Great Dane studs and females for breeding purposes.
- To makes sure their Great Dane remains healthy and lives long, a good Great Dane breeders put their dogs through ample testing.
- These Great Dane breeders inform the buyers about the health condition of the dog, at the time of the purchase. They also don’t necessarily hide the health flaws, if any.
Watch the video below before deciding to buy a great Dane.
What Are Monthly Food Cost for a Great Dane Puppy?
The cost of your dog’s food depends upon the kind of food you are feeding them, as well as the number of times they are fed.
Usually, the raw diet costs far more than dried food. The average food expenditure for a healthy Great Dane should be somewhere around $80-$250 every month.
The comparison between raw and dry Great Dane food is mentioned below.
A. Monthly Cost of Kibble or Dry Food for Great Dane Puppies
Compared to other dog breeds, the food consumption of a Great Dane is much higher. Its robust appetite has a lot to with it being a large dog breed.
A Great Dane puppy needs around 8 to 10 cups of food daily. By the time a Great Dane is three years old, its food consumption decreases. A Great Dane that eats 10 cups of food a day when still a puppy tends to eat 6 cups of the same meal a day.
To feed your dog sheer amounts of premium quality dog food, one needs to have a lot of cash on hand. The monthly cost of kibble for a Great Dane is somewhere around $80-$100.
The quality of food that ends up in your dog’s tummy should be premium quality. Make sure not to feed your dog low-quality or ordinary kibble available in the marketplace. The kibble fed to your Great Dane should contain low-fat content and the right mix of proteins and calcium.
By the size of a Great Dane, one can conclude the pace at which a puppy transforms into a fully grown dog. It is a no-brainer that a Great Dane doesn’t require any growth-boosting diet unless it is suffering from an unfavorable health condition impeding its growth.
Feeding too many calcium, vitamins, and proteins to your Great Dane can be detrimental to its growth and health in general. Furthermore, the substandard dry dog food available in the stores can prove harmful to your dog’s natural growth patterns.
B. Monthly Cost of Raw Food for Great Dane Puppies
Raw food is considered a wholesome diet for Great Dane dogs. The dogs munching on fresh food appear healthier, have a beautiful shiny coat of fur and are less prone to allergies and diseases in general. Interestingly, feeding an excellent natural diet to your dog costs almost the same as feeding them high-quality kibble.
On a monthly average, a Great Dane’s raw diet costs around $200-$250. The cost of the raw diet depends upon the distributor, as well as the locality you are buying it in. It also depends upon the raw meat, bones, and organs that you are feeding your Great Dane.
To keep the cost of raw food under control, it is better to buy the meat, bones, and organs from your local butcher. Buying meat in bulk could minimize the amount of money you have to pay. You can even buy meat and organs from suppliers, which have a sale going on.
What Are Great Dane Puppy’s Health Costs?
In the sections above, we discussed how much do Great Dane puppies cost to buy. Now let us discuss the health cost of a Great Dane puppy.
When planning to get a Great Dane for your home, keep in mind their medical charges. A majority of the diseases they catch are due to their large size. Let’s talk about some of the health conditions your Great Dane might suffer from, and how much is spent on the treatment.
In Great Danes, bloating affects the circulation of blood in their bodies. As a result, all the vital tissues are deprived of dissolved oxygen and blood, thus resulting in the death of cells.
Bloating also affects the digestion of a Great Dane, while damaging the wall of the stomach. If left untreated, prolonged bloating in a Great Dane can result in death.
According to some reputable pet health organizations, the diagnosis and treatment of bloating in Great Danes cost anywhere between $1000 and $8000. If bloating goes out of hand, there is no other option but to operate, which costs $500.
Just like any other dog breed, Great Danes are also prone to heart diseases. They suffer from a heart disease called cardiomyopathy, in which the size of their heart increases.
Great Danes aren’t the only ones to suffer from such a disease. There is a variety of bigger dog breeds that suffer from cardiomyopathy. As detrimental as this disease is, treating it is just as expensive.
Treatment of cardiomyopathy in Great Danes can cost up to $1500 every month. To get a better idea about the costs of this treatment, watch the video below.
If you want to provide your dog with the right vaccines on time, the costs may differ. The cost of vaccination depends heavily upon the vet you go to, the locality you live in, as well as the immunization you go for. The average cost for vaccinating your Great Dane ranges from $100-$500.
One of the most dangerous health conditions affecting the mobility of your Great Dane is hip dysplasia. In this health condition, the lower part of your dog’s body and especially the limbs are most vulnerable. As a result, the most playful dog becomes passive and loses its natural willingness to play around and even move.
Depending upon the dysplasia, the treatment may vary. During the early stages of diagnosis, doctors try to avoid surgery, but if the condition worsens, surgery is inevitable. The cost of surgery for hip dysplasia ranges from $2000 to $5000, depending upon the severity of the condition.
The cost of X-Rays for a Great Dane depends upon the severity of the condition. If the X-Ray is conducted for something as dangerous as osteosarcoma costs around $200. However, simple X-Rays cost no more than $50.
One of the most common infections in Great Danes is those of the ears. To treat these infections, the antibiotics may cost somewhere around $50-$200 depending upon the specific medicine and the dosage.
What Are Great Dane Puppy Comfort Expenses?
Up until now, we have discussed the medical costs of keeping a Great Dane. Now, let’s shed some light on the comfort expenses of maintaining a Great Dane.
Dog feeders aren’t as expensive to purchase. However, puppy feeders from reputable brands might be a little heavy on your budget. The cost of Great Dane feeders ranges from $20 to $70 on average.
The costs of crates and the bedding for your Great Dane are almost the same. You can find a reasonable crate for your Great Dane for $200. As far as crates are concerned, try to go for the costly ones. First of all, expensive crates and sturdy, and secondly, they are durable and can remain useful for a long time.
Bedding is one of the essential accessories for dogs. If not given the right kind of bedding, a dog can develop bone and joint problems. In the marketplace, you can find comfortable bedding for your Great Dane for not more than $150-$200. However, before you buy your dog’s bedding, do your research and go for the best dog bedding out there.
The Bottom Line on How Much Do Great Dane Puppies Cost
By now, you must have gotten the answer to the question, “how much do Great Dane puppies cost?” Unlike other dog breeds, having a Great Dane as a pet is an expensive hobby. However, there are a few things you can’t afford to compromise.
First of all, make sure your dog maintains optimum health. Therefore, refrain from skimping on your dog’s regular visits to the vet.
Secondly, make sure your dog remains as comfortable as possible and doesn’t develop any stress-induced health conditions.
Lastly, make sure to keep your dog as active as possible. Take them out for walks, play with them, and, most of all, spend quality time with them.
