Forever Homes
We strive to find permanent, happy homes for all of our puppies. Please do your research on Great Danes before making the decision to purchase a puppy. This is a very special breed and may not be the right fit for everyone. We prefer that puppies go to homes with fenced yards and live inside as members of the family. In the event that a buyer can no longer keep their Dark Water Danes puppy/dog, the puppy/dog MUST be returned to us so that we can find him or her a new, suitable home.
AKC Registration
Puppies are sold with limited registration to approved forever homes as pets/companions with a spay/neuter contract in place. Limited registration allows your puppy to compete in companion and performance events such as rally, obedience, agility, barn hunt, scent work, lure coursing, etc., but precludes your puppy from showing in conformation dog shows. This is because the purpose of conformation dog shows is to evaluate how closely a dog conforms to the breed standard in order to measure his or her suitability for breeding. This is also why mixed breeds and spayed or neutered purebreds are ineligible to compete in conformation. Any puppies produced from a limited registration would also be ineligible for registration with the AKC. An exception to our limited registration policy may be made for a select number of puppies should several qualifications be met by both the puppy and the buyer. The puppy would need to meet specific AKC breed standard characteristics and exhibit potential for a successful show career, and the buyer would need to be actively involved in showing and have some level of experience with the breed in order to be approved for a show-quality puppy.
Included with Your Puppy
Your puppy will be ready to leave mom and littermates at the age of 8 weeks. Puppies go to their forever homes with AKC registration paperwork, puppy contract, microchip, Florida health certificate, collar and leash, toy, blanket that smells like mom, initial supply of food, and complete medical records.
Age of Spay or Neuter
Females are not to be spayed before they are 12 months old, and males are not to be neutered before they are 18 months old. Gastropexies are not to be performed before the dog is 12 months old and it is recommended that this procedure be done at the time of the spay or neuter.
Diet
Your puppy will be weaned onto a mixture of raw food and Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult dry food. If you are planning to feed kibble, you will need to continue to feed this particular kibble for the first year of your puppy’s life. If you are planning to feed raw, please let us know so that we can go over your raw diet plan.
Vaccinations
There is an increasing level of concern regarding unnecessary vaccinations, and we strongly encourage you to research this topic before vaccinating your puppy. While vaccinations can protect your puppy, many popular vaccination protocols involve bombarding a young dog’s immune system with numerous antigens to many different diseases simultaneously and frequently – often 3 or 4 times before a puppy is 4 months old! Over-vaccinating can be extremely dangerous and is not necessarily effective. Repetitive booster shots are almost always unnecessary, as research is showing initial vaccines to be effective for a minimum of 7 years, if not for the life of the animal. Despite the risks, it is sometimes necessary to vaccinate against particular diseases depending on your specific situation.
Here are some recommended guidelines regarding vaccinations:
- Never vaccinate against multiple diseases simultaneously, e.g. 5-way or 7-way combos.
- Do not vaccinate prior to 8 weeks of age. Antibodies passed from the mother with almost always protect the puppy, and vaccinating too early may actually inhibit proper development of the puppy’s own immune system.
- Determine which vaccines are absolutely necessary. Prevalence of different disease, hence your puppy’s risk, vary significantly depending on location, climate, and social factors. Talk to your local veterinarian about any particular disease outbreaks in your area to help gauge your puppy’s risk.
- Once you determine which diseases you feel you absolutely must vaccinate against, plan out your vaccination schedule to allow adequate time for your puppy’s immune system to recover between vaccinations. We recommend 3 or 4 weeks between vaccinations.
- Never vaccinate a sick or unhealthy puppy. Be sure that your puppy is in good health prior to administering any vaccine.
Dark Water Danes puppies will be vaccinated for Parvo and Distemper at 8 weeks of age, prior to going to their Forever Homes. Boosters should be given at 12 weeks and 16 weeks of age. At 1 year of age, we recommend doing a titer (a simple blood test) to check for immunity to the initial vaccinations. If immunity is high, there is no need to vaccinate again. If it is low, a repeat vaccination may be necessary.
Rabies vaccination is required by law in Palm Beach County by the age of 4 months, although we recommend waiting as long as the law allows in your area.
Your puppy will also be periodically dewormed (typically every 2 weeks) and will be verified parasite-free via fecal test at health certification.
Returns
If for any reason you cannot keep your Dark Water Danes puppy/dog for the duration of his or her life, you are required by contract to return him or her to us at your expense. Selling or re-homing your Dark Water Danes Great Dane without our written authorization is a direct breach of contract.
Click here to complete the Puppy Questionnaire.