Our average has been 12 years. But, the question really is:
How well are you going to care for him?
A good Dane in a good home should live to be about 10 to 14 healthy happy years.
Every Dane I had lived well past 10 years, some past 12 years. My last one died while visiting a farm, a truck accident that should have never happened. He was a healthy close to 11 years old at the time, very healthy, sharp and active with no single case of medical history other t than vaccinations.
Having said that, his brother who was adopted at the same young age of 3 months by a businessman in Toronto, lived only to just over 7 years ... almost half Columbo's age. I'll explain why.
Columbo, my last Dane, was loved, shown love, well fed and exercised right.
His brother, "bouto", was over-fed with too much fat ... and under loved and under exercised. The owner used to leave him all alone all day by himself.
The two pups were from the same litter. One lived past 11 years old and the second died young, never made his 7th birthday.
I know of another identical case in St.Catharine's, Ontario. 2 male pups of the same litter went to 2 houses. One with a child, a farm and a very active 40 years old farmer. That dog died of an infection - not of old age, at age 11 years old. His brother went to a young man in Hamilton city and that pup - I was told, was never walked, always confined at the house, and he died at age 7.
Of course there are cases of Danes with physical problems. A man called me last month looking for a pup and told me that in his area there is a breeder "but his Danes don't live past 6 years and they are known to have a heart problem" !!! my-my!!!!!
A Dane with a heart condition should never be bred!
Many people get a Dane not realizing the major personality and emotional needs of a Dane. They think, well, all dogs need attention. Yes, but, No. Not like the Dane.
The number one killer in Danes is the emotional stress.
Danes live to see you pleased with them. So it is not enough to love your Dane, he must see it. You must show it. You must take the time daily several times to talk to him, play with him, watch TV with him. Yes!
And ... walk and run with him ... He is a child in the family.
So, our Danes are healthy, their parents are healthy, the record shows that the healthy relatives who were shown made the championship and lived long healthy lives ... but ..
You can take a healthy Dane pup that with proper care would have lived over 9, 10, 11 or 12 years happy and healthy, and with lack of emotional and physical care, you can kill that dog at a younger age.
Let me make this statements:
These are the factors that decide the length of a genetically healthy Dane's life:
1- emotional conditioning. In other words, making the Dane happy and stress free.
Yes, this is number one. You can re-arrange the rest of the factors in any order
depending on certain factors.
2- fitness exercises. Daily walks and making him run and play several times a day.
3- diet. A well balanced long term diet.
4- health care, including vaccinations and supplements and regular preventative exams.
Love- exercise- Food- Medicine is what a Dane needs for a longer healthy life.
Love first. Danes would rather see you happy with them, giving them attention and
affection, than giving them food.
People can understand how a healthy man under stress would have a heart attack and die
young. Yet, they don't see it when it comes to Danes. Well, it's very true.
A physically healthy but sad and stressed Dane can have a heart attack just like we do
when we are stressed and depressed.
You purchased a Dane because you realized he is unique. Unlike any other dog, he is
another person in the family. He (he means he or she) is exceptionally affectionate.
He is your friend.
Surely on average a smaller dog such as the so called toy dogs may live longer, if you can compare the Dane's company to any other animal; but again, a cat may live even longer. So don't be discouraged by the "giant breed" shorter life span theory! I never found it to be a factor! You can make the Dane's life a long and healthy - and very enjoyable long term. As I said, the average life term of my Danes has consistently been 10+ years ... 9-12 years life span over three decades of Dane experience.
You want your Dane to live a happy healthy long life? don't take it for granted that he will just do because his parents are healthy. You need to show him love, make sure he is happy, exercise him, feed him right and have him checked and treated from any problem that he may encounter fast. You do that, you'll have many years of happiness with your Dane.
It worked for me.
