I've always wanted a great dane. I was hoping that maybe some users on this site might have one and know a little about them. I've gotten a thousand opinions from people about these dogs.

I heard they are great apartment dogs. Is this true? Do they tear things up? How much do you usually spend a month on dog food for it? I imagine they can eat quite a large amount.

How much do you usually spend a year on vet bills for him/her?

I want to make sure I can afford having a great dane before I get one. Otherwise, I'm just some idiot that brings a pet to the pound because I can't handle the responsibility.

Any tips/suggestions are welcome!

Also, should it be a male or a female? Which are more loyal? I would not go into this without training the animal. I want it to obey me and me only.

Bump

not sure if srs

You can always visit the AKC website for great information about breeds as well as good contacts for any questions about a specific breed.

No, they are not typically a good apartment dog, they are a very large dog that needs exercise.
They do not typically live more than 7-8 years (this is common among most the very large breeds)
There are a handful of breed specific health issues that can become extremely expensive within the breed, refer to the AKC site for specifics. (Hearts are a big problem)

Every breed of dog will tear things up if they are not provided with adequate exercise and attention.
Better quality dog foods require you to feed less food, but can be substantially more expensive. They will typically provide your dog with a longer and healthier life however and are worth it in the long run. It can certainly be tempting to go with the 50lb bag of shit food for $15 compared to a 30lb bag of good foor for $45.
Again, the amount of food will vary by quality of food, brand, actual size/activity and metabolism of your dog.

Vets in different areas/regions can have hugely different prices. You can plan on having a yearly physical done (anywhere from $15-75+) and plan on being charged for every little thing in addition to that, ie: vaccinations, flea/tick/heartworm preventative, fecals, bloodwork, urinalysis, toe nail trims, ear cleaning, etc...
Most of which will not have to be done to a healthy, well maintained dog.

You never want a dog to obey you, and only you. And fortunately most dogs will never get to that extreme point.
You do want a well behaved dog that is willing to listen to you, especially a large dog like a Dane.
Most areas have obedience training classes availble throughout the year, a good breeder should be able to point you in the right direction. There are a lot of crackpot 'trainers' out there that can potentially be harmful. (Idiots like Caesar Milan is a well known example).
I would recommend finding a local kennel club within your area, as they tend to host training classes with experienced trainers.

If you are within the USA I would be glad to help you in your search.
I am a delegate to the AKC, a vet tech, a trainer and have been actively involved in conformation events my entire life.

Glad to see someone willing to do some research before they just jump into it.

for the official breed description:

http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/235gb2002_en.doc

and yes you can keep them in an apartment but then you will have to take longer walks with them
do they eat a lot?
with a minimum height of 2'5" (females) and 2'8" (males) what is your guess?
had a neighbour who had two of them, the smaller was ~180lb and the larger over 210lb (and there are even larger ones)
are you sure you can handle a dog of that size (when you buy a puppy you don't really know how big it will be)?
the bigger they are the more prone they get to heart problems (comment re your question on vet costs)
and one distinct disadvantage imo is that few live longer than eight years
if you really set on getting one i would recommend going for a female
especially since males can become a little unpredictable with age

Thank you Caulder and brmv. Obviously I know they eat a lot, I do not know why I typed that. I just wanted more of an average of how much.

I'm going to do some research on local dog trainers and breeders (Missouri). My apartment is not the biggest in the world, but I do have plenty of spare time and enjoy being outdoors. Walks would not really be an issue.

I'm also a bigger guy (I played rugby for five years), so I can handle my own with a great dane I'm sure.

But thank you so much guys for the information. I still need to calculate whether or not this is the best option. I really want one, but I want to see if I would be good for the dog or not.

Be careful where you get them. Missouri is one of the worst states for puppy mills and backyard breeders. (however dane's are not typically used by millers for obvious reasons).

you'd be surprised how much power an athletically built dog can put to the ground
i am ~6'3" and ~220lb and my ~80lb dog can nearly pull me off my feet
so with the size of a great dane you will have to consider choke chains or similar (something i dislike)

as said my major deterrent would be the short life span
but good luck with whatever you decide
and don't forget that it might not be the best option right now for you
you can always pursue your dream later
one last comment, i would not like to have a dog someone else trained

Interesting point, brmv. How hard is training a dog yourself? It can be done if I find the right reading material, correct?

That also interests me about that dog pulling you around. I don't like the idea of choke chains. I guess with the right training, they will walk beside you, correct?

Caulder, yeah. I know about Missouri and the puppy mills. The backyard breeders that I have seen around my area are usually very nice. I mean, I've only seen three or four, but I haven't seen anything that would be cause for alarm.

you can train your dog yourself, there are puppy-training classes you jointly attend in plenty places (i guess in the usa as well, just check around or ask 'caulder' he might know) and as you mentioned there is reading material available too (but for a first i would recommend to atttend at least a few of the mentioned puppy-training classes - especially since it allows your dog to become socialised with other dogs from a young age) but you have to invest quite some time for your own training of a great dane (i prefer breeds which do not require too much training)

most of the time a dog reasonably trained will behave well, ie as you want BUT
- if a non-desexed male (like mine) gets the scent of a female in heat
- any dog gets destracted by eg a cat or similar
- another dog shows aggression
it can always happen that you need to hold on to your dog
(everyone who tells you that he/she has 100% control over his/her dog's behaviour and will never need a leash is delusional
with the best training it will be well over 99% but it will never be 100%)

my own experience with "backyard breeders" is diverse, those which have one female (or two) they keep constantly pregnant are horrible
but those which are "regular" breeders just on a small lot can often be better than the fancy breeders with lot's of space, the care for the dogs is what really counts
what i consider more important is to have a look at the pedigree of the parents (any reliable breeder should have those on hand) which shows you one more generation than the pedigree of the pup you'll be buying - and i definitely want minimal inbreeding