Great Danes are the gentle giants of the dog world. They are so named because they are a giant breed of dog and they are incredibly affectionate, mediumly active, intelligent and make fantastic family members with their tendencies to guard and protect their pack.
Many times, someone will decide on a specific breed of dog and then they need to decide if they want to adopt a cuddly male or female puppy.
There are few differences between male and female Great Danes but you can read on to discover which of the two will fit best for you and your family.
Does Size Really Matter?
Great Danes are a giant breed of dog and there is some difference between the size of the male and female, but not that much difference.
You can expect your perfect pooch to reach between 30 and 32 inches tall and weigh between 140 and 175 pounds if he is a male Great Dane.
The females are a bit smaller at a final height of 28 to 30 inches and a weight between 110 to 140 pounds.
As you can see, the difference in height between males and females is very minimal. The males do weigh more as they are usually a bit broader in the chest, more muscular, and have larger bones than females to support their overall size.
Great Danes mature slowly as all larger dogs and they won’t reach maturity until between 18 and 24 months of age.
All Great Danes eat considerably more food than other breeds that are smaller because they need a larger quantity to support growing bodies as puppies and to maintain their weight as adults.
You should realize the difference between a male and female adult Great Danes’ food consumption is about 2 cups a day more for males because they are larger and heavier.
Females at maturity eat between 6 and 8 cups of food a day, while males will eat anywhere from 8 to 10 cups of food a day.
The amount also depends on the activity level of your pooch, but when feeding a Great Dane, there isn’t that much difference in the cost between a male and a female.
Male vs. Female Great Dane Temperament Differences
For the most part, all Great Danes are sweet and good-natured with great confidence and a will to please their family members and handlers. They love children and are very gentle with them so as not to harm them. A dog’s temperament is determined by heredity as well as its training and socialization.
Male Great Danes Temperament
The male Great Dane is easygoing and gets along with all his family members no matter what age they may be. The males will bond with the entire family and not just one family member.
If a male Great Dane–just like any breed of dog–realizes that a female is in heat, he will be distracted and he can hump people’s legs and act oddly with pacing activity and more vocalness than normal.
Neutering your male Great Dane could solve this issue. Great Danes are usually neutered between 6 and 9 months of age.
Males and females are easily trained and very smart pets. However, their male counterparts generally get distracted very easily and need more training time to get the right results.
Male Great Danes as a whole are more aggressive and bolder in character. They often want to mark their territory, which can be outside in the yard or often inside your home, leaving urine marks on your furniture. For many families, this is a deal-breaker.
Female Great Danes Temperament
As in most cases, the female Great Danes mature faster than the males do. This can make them easily trained as they are mature enough to listen intently and give you their undivided attention with a longer attention span in all.
Female Great Danes can be moody, as all-female dogs can when they are in a heat cycle, or pregnancy because of hormones.
This is the case in all females but needs to be mentioned when you are deciding which sex of puppy to choose. The first heat cycle can start between 6 months and 1 year of age and it lasts about 20 days. This will happen about twice a year.
Female Great Danes are also very loving of their family members, but some females will bond intensely with one family member and not as much with others as males do.
If you aren’t planning on breeding your female, you can have her spayed to discourage odd behavior due to hormones.
Usually, vets will want a female to go through one heat cycle before the procedure is performed to help her blood clot better and recover from the surgery quickly with fewer complications.
Spaying your female Great Dane and neutering your male Great Dance does have some benefits because it can help them to avoid certain types of cancers that are associated with their sex hormones.
Spaying or neutering your Great Dane can lower the chances of your particular pooch of either gender so they will be less dominant, territorial, and aggressive.
Male vs Female Great Dane Training
You should start training your Great Dane puppy as soon as you take it home. You may think 8 weeks old is too young, but, in fact, this breed of dog is exceptionally intelligent. Teach the basic commands of sit, stay, come, heel, lie, and down.
You should also immediately start training your playful pup how to walk correctly on a leash because they will soon be a very large package and you need to be in control when walking them.
All puppies are easier to train than adult dogs. As long as you use consistent commands and positive reinforcement such as praise, treats, food, or toys, you will have a very trainable breed of dog.
If you choose a female pup, it will take less time to train her and you may be pleasantly amazed at how fast she learns new things.
If you choose a male puppy, it’s best to train him where there are no distractions at all in the beginning, because he is easily distracted not only by noises but by sight as well.
A fenced backyard with a solid fence so he can’t see out of the yard makes a great training area for a male Great Dane.
Male vs. Female Great Dane Socialization
Both genders of Great Danes have the same needs when it comes to socialization. Both are equally as easy to socialize as they are very friendly to their families, other pets, and even strangers.
Take your puppy with you to introduce it to a wide variety of places, people, and situations. Dog parks are a great place to socialize your Great Dane–after it walks pretty well on a leash–and don’t let it off the leash until it has mastered the come when called command.
Remember that some dog parks will not allow unspayed or unneutered dogs to keep from having issues between dogs at the park.
Invite people over to your home so your newfound friend understands that people coming to the home are friendly and like dogs.
You should also keep all your scheduled vet visits so your pooch grows up knowing that going to the vet is not a bad thing.
Male vs. Female Great Dane Health Issues
Both male and female Great Danes have a pretty short lifespan of 7 to 10 years, because they are a giant breed of dog and larger dogs live shorter lives.
Both genders are susceptible to some health issues that are common to the breed. These include bloat, in which they overeat and the stomach fills with foam, gas, and fluids and it can be life-threatening.
Avoid this by spacing out your Great Danes meals into at least 3 to 4 meals as a puppy and 2 meals as an adult.
Another health issue that your Great Dane may have is hip dysplasia. This is a malformed joint in the hip that is very common in giant and large breeds of dogs. Extra supplements can help with this health issue.
Great Danes are also susceptible to hypothyroidism and bone cancer. You should ask the breeder for paperwork on the parent dogs to show they had none of these issues and, since they are inherited, the chances of these issues are very small if the parents were medically screened and negative for them.
There is really no difference in the health of male or female Great Danes.
Male vs. Female Great Danes and Children
Great Danes absolutely love children, from babies to toddlers to teenagers as well. They are very gentle with kids as if they know they are young and they need to be careful around them.
Female Great Danes are more nurturing towards children and more careful not to knock them down than males though.
It’s probably the mothering instinct that is seen in all-female dogs, no matter what breed they are. Females are also much more tolerant of new additions to the family, such as a newborn baby.
Teach your small kids not to disturb your dog while eating and not to jump on them or pull their tails.
You should also keep an eye on smaller children if your Great Dane is not fully trained yet. Great Danes like to lean on people and they can knock down a small child easily or their tail can wag in a child’s face and scare them.
Final Thoughts
There really aren’t that many differences between a male and female Great Dane puppy. You can ask the breeder to help you choose a puppy based on its personality to help you get the best one for your family. A large dog comes with a large responsibility for its lifelong commitment.=
Both the male and female Great Dane make loving family members, but you should base your choice on their personalities and needs.
Your pooch will treat you the same way that you treat it. In a calm and loving home, a dog will be playful, loving, and calm while very loyal and protective of its family members.
