What are the Best Dog Foods for Great Danes?
The elegant Great Dane is well renowned for its immense size, a trait that is only transcended by its incredible heart. A wonderful family companion, the Great Dane, like many giant breeds, has a shorter life expectancy than average. To help promote optimal health and wellness in this gentle giant, the Great Dane should be fed a diet that has been formulated specifically to address the challenges faced by breeds of this size. Whether you're feeding a puppy, an adult, or a senior Great Dane, you’ll find our list of top diet recommendations has something sure to keep your pooch in tip top health.
AKC Classification: Working Group
Exercise Required: 30-60 minutes/day
Ideal Weight
Healthy Male: 120-200 lbs
Healthy Female: 100-130 lbs
Breed Summary
Though a swift and skilled hunter, the Great Dane has a soft temperament that makes it well-suited to life as a family pet. A breed with moderate activity requirements, the sweet and gentle Great Dane needs room to roam, and thus, is not an ideal candidate for apartment life.
The Great Dane has often been referred to as a gentle giant, a handle that fits this breed quite well. The breed is affectionate and loving towards its family. Though the Great Dane loves people, its imposing looks and bark make it an excellent choice for a guard dog. Great Danes will eagerly guard their home and hearth, protecting those he or she loves most from harm.
The Great Dane is not typically predisposed to weight gain. However, free feeding is strongly discouraged. A high quality diet based on lean-meat based proteins is ideal to keep this sleek and sophisticated dog looking and feeling its very best.
Physical Traits
Strong, short-coated, muscular, giant, athletic
Personality Traits
Affectionate, gentle, friendly, loving, alert
Health Considerations for Great Danes
Sadly, the Great Dane is a breed that is naturally predisposed to a number of health conditions, many of which are life-threatening. A high quality, well-balanced diet based on lean meat-based proteins can help lay a foundation for good health for the Great Dane.
Among the health problems that can plague the Great Dane are bloat, hip dysplasia, anterior cruciate ligament injuries, cardiomyopathy, and wobbler’s syndrome.
Bloat (Gastric Torsion)
Bloat, a life-threatening condition that is often fatal, is a problem that can be common to the Great Dane. Though it is not known what factors must combine to result in this condition, experts agree that eating too rapidly and too much may contribute to the development of the problem. For this reason, a giant breed food formulation is often recommended. Among the suggestions we have are:
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia is a condition that occurs when the hip joint does not rest properly in the socket, leading to degeneration of the bone. This problem can be extremely painful and will potentially lead to lameness in the Great Dane. Dysplasia is generally hereditary, but keeping the Great Dane at a healthy weight can help mitigate hip dysplasia discomfort. A healthy, well-balanced diet fortified with supplements to support joint health can help a lot. We recommend diets contain:
ACL Injuries
Cruciate tears in the back legs can be a common problem in large breed dogs like the Great Dane. Maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in regular, appropriate exercise can help prevent this type of injury from occurring.
Heart Health
Every dog deserves a healthy heart, and there's a lot of nutritional science still developing around heart conditions and their ties with diet. But overall, we do know that certain diet attributes and ingredients are especially good for the heart in canines, which include:
Complete a nutritional assessment to view individualized diet recommendations specifically for your pet.
Foods We Recommend: Great Dane Puppies
How long do Great Danes need puppy food?
Until they're 24-36 months old
The Great Dane puppy enjoys a long puppyhood, not reaching full maturity until the dog is between 24 and 36 months of age. To help this breed grow at the correct rate and enjoy optimal health and wellness, the Great Dane puppy should be fed an appropriate large breed puppy diet until the pup reaches 12 months at lest, ideally longer, of age or 75 percent of its full adult size. At this time, the dog should be transitioned to a suitable adult food.
Puppy foods for the Great Dane pup should have moderate amounts of protein and fat. Also of great importance is that any diet selected for this giant breed pup contain the correct proportions of calcium to phosphorous to support a healthy rate of growth.
Foods We Recommend: Great Dane Adults
When do Great Danes become adults?
24-36 months old
An adult Great Dane can require up to 3,000 calories per day. The best diets for mature Great Danes contain moderate amounts of lean, meat-based proteins and high quality, healthy fats. For optimal health in the adult Great Dane, we recommend any of these top picks from our nutrition team:
Foods We Recommend: Great Dane Seniors
When do Great Danes become seniors?
Around 5-6 years old
During its senior years, the Great Dane becomes less active and requires fewer calories each day to maintain a healthy body condition. However, senior Great Danes can benefit from additional nutrients to support heart and joint health. A probiotic is also recommended to boost digestion.
Affiliate Disclosure
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.