THE PUPPY'S SLEEPING ACCOMMODATION

The puppy must have a own mattress (7-9 cm thick and minimum 80 x 110 cm, so it can stretch out when it is full grown).
Are you in possession of an old sofa, is this a real joy for a GD. Body contact with the owner is highly appreciated. The dog can easily distinguish between the dog sofa and the guest sofa.
The puppy should be left in peace to sleep minimum 16 hours a day. Remember that the puppy grows when it sleeps. An examination showed that was a dog kept awake for 48 hour, it simply would die.

THE FEEDING PLACE

You have to get an adjustable food-rack for the puppy/dog so you increase the height in time with the growth of the puppy. When you feed the dog high, it will swallow less air while it's eating. Air is one factor that can provoke a Bloat (Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus), which is more widespread in large breeds than in smaller breeds. When the dog suffers bloat you can always tell, the dog is restless, tries to vomit all the time, it whines and the stomach swells up like a balloon. You must call the vet as soon as you find out, because it can be a matter of minutes to save the dog. Another factor is heavy exercise before and after the feeding time. The dog needs to rest 1-2 hours before an after being feed. It has to rest so you might as well teach the dog that when it is a puppy.
A third factor is the consistence of the feed. Dry feed gives more gasses than feed softened in cold water in 2 minutes. Do not use warm water this will “drag” out the vitamins etc. from the feed. We feed our dogs with Henne Pet Food, www.henne-pet-food.dk  It is based on salmon, which is easily digested (see Protein scale on Henne Pet Food’s website) and gives the dog a marvellous shiny coat. Further more is the feed also without artificial colouring and preservatives.
If you change the brand of feed do it gradually, by mixing the new in with the "old" over a period of 8-10 days. Begin with one handful and then increase the dosage gradually. Normally it will cause a slight upset stomach. Here is a curdled milk product useful to regain the normal intestine level. Leftovers such as potatoes, rice, vegetables, meat gravy (avoid very spicy things), can be given as an extra treat in the feed. But be careful not to give the dog too many treats. It might turn out that it will only eat the feed with treats in it. We never give treats in the feed just right after dinner. We give them the next day so the dog doesn’t think it comes from the dinner table but from the refrigerator.
You should feed your puppy 3-4 times a day, and when it is around 6 months feed it 2 times a day (morning and evening) or when it fits into your programme.
Do not use PUPPY FEED!! The protein level is way too high. An adult feed with protein level about 25% is sufficient enough for this fast growing breed. Most puppy feeds contain typically about 35% protein which makes the puppy growing even faster and can actually cause permanent bone damages.
If your dog should get an upset stomach it is a good idea to put it on a light diet until the worst symptoms are over. A good diet is boiled rice with boiled peas/broccoli/carrots and fish, chicken or lamb. The ratio should be 1 part of each ingredient. But remember that 2.2 lbs dry feed equalizes 13-15 lbs light diet food. This means it is necessary to feed the dog more times in this diet period.
Besides all the above there must be peace around the puppy/dog when it is eating.
Make sure the dog always has access to fresh water.

FEED SUPPLEMENT AND VITAMINS

As an extra feed supplement we recommend the Salmon oil from Henne Pet Food, which strengthen the immunity, the fertility of the bitch and gives a shiny coat.
All vitamins are included in a quality feed but sometimes some dogs can have a need for more C vitamin. This in shown in a slight flat and soft paw. The paw should be firm and tall like a cats paw. In this case give the dog an extra dose of C-vitamin until the paws have gained the normal appearance. . 

BONES AND TOYS

Use always only Ox collarbones. Pig, lamb or chicken bones are FORBIDDEN since they splinter and makes damages in the stomach.
Bones of ox-hide are also good but a real bone is in the end better for teeth brushing. Real bones though often give a slight upset stomach.
As toys is a hard ball of proper size good (make sure it can’t be swallowed), a knot bundle of an old sock or rope is also good. But REMEMBER!! Do not pull rope with your puppy before it is over 1 year old. It gives irreparable teeth damages.
 

COAT TREATMENT

Frequently brush your dog with a special rubber glove which can be bought in all pet stores.
Do only wash the dog with shampoo once a year. More is not good for the skin it’ll dry out. Always use a proper dog shampoo and never just your own.
The claws must be kept short. Use real nail-clippers for dogs (the largest), so you prevent frayed claws. Another good factor to prevent frayed claws is to soften the claws in 5 minutes time in lukewarm water. If you begin cutting the dogs claws from the puppy stage, you avoid getting any problems cutting them when it grows up. As breeder we begin cutting in week 2-3 and cut weekly after this until they moves to new homes.
The ears of grown dogs should be rinsed at least once a month. Puppies do not produce so much ear wax as adults but getting used to having the ear rinsed from the puppy stage is a good idea. It’ll pay off in the end since it is tough job handling a 175 lbs heavy guy while rinsing the ears. Do you not rinse the ears the dog gets a fungous infection which results in heavily head shaking and frequent scratching of the ear.
At vets you can get a softening remedy which you add to a peach cotton wool when rinsing the ear.
Besides you should check your dog frequently for “abnormal” things.

VACCINATION AND TREATMENT FOR WORMS

The puppy needs to be vaccinated at 12 and 16 weeks of age. After this one time yearly. Earlier one vaccinated at 8 weeks but now it has been proved that the puppy can not produce antibodies before it is 12 weeks old.
As breeder we have given the puppy a treatment against worms in week 3 and 7. This should be repeated two times more before the puppy is 6 months. After that once a year. Remember that the treatment against worms always gives a slight upset stomach.

UPBRINGING/TRAINING

Always use short commands as:
NO – HEAL – LAY DOWN – COME –GO AWAY
As breeder we begin using the word NO straight-forward with your puppy. Have you said No when the puppy is 5 weeks old it knows the command when it’s ready to move to a new home. At the same time with the NO we give the puppy a firm pull by the scruff. This equalizes the dog mother’s own upbringing.
Never learn your GD puppy to SIT – this is not good for the back/body.
Always be consequent with your puppy. It is important already from the beginning to train it well so you can live with it when it grows big.
Never scold your GD puppy/dog too severely. Though it has a big body the mind is very soft. You may not have a grudge against the dog the rest of the day. The dog’s mentality cannot handle this, since it is very affectionate and devoted to the owners.
Always show the dog that you are the leader and not visa versa.
Socialisation with other dogs is also an important part of the upbringing. This can be solved by attending special puppy motivation courses or obedience training.

If you get an indoor peeing problem with your puppy remember always only to scold the puppy when is has been taken in peeing indoor. Pull the puppy outdoor by the scruff and say NO in a deep firm voice. Leave it out side for while and let it indoor again. When the puppy comes to you greet it with love never show a grudge against it. It has been punished for the peeing already. Also remember to rinse properly with chlorine to inhibit the smell of urine.

EXERCISE

In the first year of a puppy’s life it is very important not to exercise too much. A daily walk of 15 minutes is sufficient. It may be aloud to make a run over the field but do not let your puppy have free access to playing around with other puppies/dogs over a larger area. This will overstrain the bones and can give permanent damages. Have in mind how fast the GD puppy grows. About 6.5 lbs and a little over an inch per week until they are 8-9 months old. The puppy has to get rid of the overload of energy if not it’ll seek other methods to use it such as damages on the home/house.
Do not let the puppy walk on staircases the first year. By this we mean from one floor to another floor several times a day. This can provoke a HD to be developed.
Do not teach you puppy to jump up after a stick or ball. This is not good for the back and hip.

This is our good advises, should you have need for further advise please do contact us.

Marianne Valente