Great Dane Pitbull mix, also sometimes called Great Danebull are lovely and affectionate dogs having Great Dane and Pitbull as its parent breed. Though they look giant and are offspring to two active and strong parents, this dog is very calm and friendly.
If you are thinking of getting this dog, then read further to know all about Great Dane Pitbull mixes, so that you can make a better choice.
Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
Quick breed summary of Great Danebull:
| Height | 24 to 30 inches |
| Weight | 60 to 100 pounds |
| Lifespan | 10 to 15 years |
| Colors | Black, white, brown, chocolate, brindle |
| Intelligence | Fairly intelligent |
| Breed type | Mixed breed |
| AKC Breed Popularity | Not recognized by AKC |
| Temperament | Affectionate, playful and friendly |
| Daily Food Consumption | 3 to 6 bowl of food every day |
| Common Health Issues | Tumors, bloat, heart problems, dysplasia |
Facts about the Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
This dog has a Great Dane ancestor named Zeus who holds the record of being the tallest dog, measuring 44 inches from paw to shoulder. Zeus died in September 2014. After him, the record holder for the tallest living dog is another Great Dane named Freddy who is about 40 inches in height.
Pitbulls are not a single breed, rather they represent two categories of dogs, namely “American Pitbull Terrier and “Staffordshire Bull Terrier”.
Being a mixed breed, it is not recognized by the American Kennel Club.
About the Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
Great Dane Pitbull mixes are bred by cross-breeding Great Danes and Pitbulls. Though they look fierce and enormous, yet they are very adorable and calm.
They have a strong build, yet are very careful towards children. Their appearance is unpredictable as both the parent breeds have quite opposite attributes. But you can be sure that your dog will grow up to be very strong and that, because of their thin coat, you would not have to worry about grooming their coat much.
You do not have to worry about bringing them home even if you have children, as these dogs do great with them. They can play with your children, keep them entertained, and also take care of them very well. But since they are giant dogs, it is recommended that children should not be left alone with them, to avoid accidents.
Great Dane Pitbull mixes are susceptible to bloating and joint problems, so you have to keep a check on their diet, make sure they get enough nutrients and are not overeating.
These dogs are quite responsive and do well with training. If you give them treats and avoid punishing, then you will be able to train them easily.
The appearance of the Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
There is no standard appearance of the Great Dane Pitbull mix. Being a mixed breed, of two breeds having very different physical attributes, it would be really hard to expect what your Great Dane Pitbull mix will grow up to look like.
About Great Dane’s appearance; these are giant dogs having a standard height of 30 inches for males and 28 inches for females and weigh about 100 pounds. They have floppy ears that were cropped in the past, to prevent injuries while hunting. Nowadays, this is still practised in certain places for traditional and cosmetic reasons, but is banned or is under control to be performed only by veterinary doctors. They come in a variety of coat colours like fawn, black, blue brindle, harlequin, etc.
Pitbulls are not such giant dogs as Great Danes. They grow up to 21 inches in height, weighing from 30 to 60 pounds. Though Pitbulls have a short stature than Great Danes, yet they have a muscular and strong body.
So, there is a wide range of possibilities of looks for a Great Dane Pitbull mix. The dog can be either tall and skinny like the Great Dane or short and muscular like Pitbull. There are endless possibilities of coat colour of this mix. They can have any solid colour like black, brown, steel blue, or bi-colour like harlequin or even tri-colour. It can either have a long narrow muzzle like the Great Dane or a shorter muzzle like that of a Pitbull.
But what is common is that the dog would have a short and shiny coat that would not have much grooming requirements. Also, the offspring is bound to grow into an active and powerful canine.
History and origins of the Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
In order to get a proper insight into what to and what not to expect from a Great Dane Pitbull mix, it is important to know about its parent breeds and their histories.
GREAT DANE:
Great Danes are one of the largest tallest breeds of dogs. There are many ancient paintings depicting Daane type large dogs hunting wild boars.
The elites from various areas of Europe imported long-legged dogs from England which were believed to be combinations of English Mastiffs and Irish Wolfhounds. This happened in the middle of the 16th century. These dogs were of various sizes and there was no standard breed to categorize these dogs. They were initially called English Docke, English Dogge, or Englischer Hund, simply meaning, “English Dog”. With the beginning of the 17th century, the German nobilities started breeding these dogs.
These dogs were kept in princely courts, were used generally for hunting boars and bears, and were also allowed to be in the prince’s room at night, for protection.
Later, as there emerged various weapons for hunting, these dogs lost their importance and started disappearing. In those times, these dogs could only be found with the elites who kept them as a luxury.
The dog started getting new names in the 19th century. In Berlin, a committee was formed which changed the name to “Deutsche Dogge”. Then the dog was called “German boarhound” in the English speaking countries. There were some German breeders wanting to sell the breed as a luxury dog and not a working dog, tried to introduce names like “German Mastiff” or “German Dogge” in the English markets.
Finally, the dog came to be known as the “Great Dane”, named after the grand danois after Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon’s Histoire Naturelle.
PITBULL TERRIER:
Pitbulls are a mixed breed, formed to enhance the gaming abilities of sports dogs.
It started in the early 1800s when blood sports like bull baiting had gained a lot of popularity among the people of the United Kingdom. They used to make bulldogs and bulls fight with each other for the sake of entertainment.
A few years later in 1835, there came an act called The Cruelty to Animals Act, 1835 which prohibited the animal baiting.
As a result of this, people came up with another sport called “ratting”, which involved rats in place of bulls. Dogs were made to compete to kill rats in the minimum amount of time. Rats were trapped in a pit to prevent them from escaping. This is where the term “Pit” of “pitbull” came from.
As the sport became more and more popular, so increased the need for stronger and more competitive dogs. This requirement was fulfilled by crossing previously used Bulldog with Terrier, which was believed to pass its genes of agility to its offspring.
This led to the emergence of the mixed breed called “Pitbull”.
As time passed, these dogs were introduced to the American households, where they began being used as farm dogs and guard dogs for protecting livestock and families.
Thereafter, these dogs have gained popularity as loyal and wonderful family dogs.
Is Great Danebull dog with children?
Great Dane Pitbull mix is known to be a gentle breed, because of its Great Dane genes. These are careful dogs who bond with children very well. But it would be best to socialize them from an early age to bring out the best in them. Also, being a large though careful dog, it is possible that they hurt your toddlers unknowingly. Hence, supervision is advised in the case of very young kids.
Care of the Great Dane Pitbull Mix:
To make a better decision on whether to bring a Great Dane Pitbull mix home or not, it would be good to know what your life would be after the dog is home. For that, read further, to know all about how you will invest your time and energy in taking care of the dog.
Food requirements:
Great Dane Pitbull mixes are large dogs who can feed on 3 to 6 cups of dry food daily. But, their large size should not be misinterpreted to have the requirement for more and more food. Dogs have a tendency to get bloated, so it is better to not have them overeat.
The best way to feed your dog is by splitting your dog’s daily food portion into 3 or 4 meals and saving some as treats to give throughout the day.
These dogs do great with fish oil supplements. This helps them to maintain their weight and keep their coat smooth and shiny.
You can try various types of food for your dog and choose what is best or you can simply consult a doctor. You can either give him raw food but you have to be careful of avoiding germs and bacteria and wash their food properly, or you can give them homemade food that might demand your time and effort or you can simply give them premium dog food easily available in markets which do take care of all the nutrients that your dog requires. If you are opting for the last option, then make sure to buy good quality food.
Exercise requirements:
Pitbulls need quite a good amount of exercise while Great Dane does not need as much exercise as Pitbull. A combination of these two, the Great Dane Pitbull mix does need a fair amount of exercise to have good health.
An hour of exercise a day is enough for them. The best approach would be dividing your dog’s exercise time into 2 to 3 sessions of playing or going for long walks, etc.
It is not a good idea to leave your dog unattended for a long time. Such dogs can end up adopting destructive behaviours like excessive chewing or barking. Exercising and playing with your dog, taking him to dog parks and playgrounds can be a great way to keep your dog active all the time.
It would be best for your dog if you have a large backyard where your dog can freely roam and jump around and keep himself active throughout the day. If there is no such backyard, then it would be best to find out a nearby ground where you can take your dog frequently.
These dogs do well in the presence of humans and other animals if they are trained well. Yet a little supervision is advised when you take him to an unknown place.
Training requirements:
It is known that Great Dane Pitbull mixes respond well to proper training. So, if you are looking for a responsive and fats learner dog, then the Great Dane Pitbull mix might be the best choice.
Though being great with training, it is possible that your dog does not understand something or is not able to learn something or makes some other mistakes. In such cases, you should remember not to punish your dog in any way as it only influences your dog to have negative behaviours. The best rule to train your dog is positive reinforcement. You need to be firm but not harsh.
You can train your dog various commands and make them disciplined by giving them rewards and treats as they accomplish a task.
You can play various games with your dog which will not only be a good physical activity but also help in keeping their brain stimulated. Playing “hide and sniff”, seeking games, or playing with a ball will be good for both their body and brain.
It is important to note that the training sessions are not so long that makes your dog bored. Long training sessions can lead your dog to lose interest. So it is better to keep 2 to 3 sessions for the entire day. This will help keep the dog engaged all day long, and also make him keep up his interest.
Grooming requirements:
Great Dane Pitbull mixes are short-haired dogs who do not need much grooming. Brushing their coat once a day would be fine to keep their coat smooth and lustrous. During the shedding season, you might have to deal with cleaning your house.
You can bathe your dog, just when it is required.
It is important to invest in a good shampoo that will suit their skin and will not be harsh on their body’s natural oils.
Dental hygiene is an important aspect of their health to be taken care of. Do invest in some good dog brush and toothpaste and brush their teeth to keep them away from dental problems.
Long dirty nails and unclean ears can be breeding ground of germs and can be an invitation to infections. So, remember to trim their nails occasionally and keep their ears clean and dry.
Common health issues
All this caring and grooming your dog is to give him a healthy life, free of any disease or discomfort. Unfortunately, there are chances that your dog inherits some genetic disorder or you make some mistake by chance in their caring which pts them in a problematic health situation. To prevent such situations, it is good to be aware of the possible health conditions they might have to suffer and know what to do if such a situation occurs.
Bloat is a common and dangerous condition in which there is a build-up of gas in their gut. This can occur due to improper diet, overeating, lack of enough exercise, etc. this can be prevented by keeping a proper check on their diet and giving them enough exercise.
Just like any other large dog, these dogs are prone to hip dysplasia which can also be taken care of with exercise and a nutritious diet.
Some other common health issues include heart disease, cancer, infection, etc.
In any case, consult your veterinary doctor as soon as you suspect anything unusual about your pooch’s health.
Summary:
Great Dane Pitbull mixes can be a wonderful addition to your family if you socialize them well and give them lots and lots of love.
They are friendly, playful, loving, and get along with children very well. All in all, they can grow up to be a favourite member of your family.
So, if you have decided to bring a Great Dane Pitbull mix home, then get ready to have a best friend in your life.
Dr. Aram Baker has been with Santa Clarita Animal Hospital since 1995 and his special interests include behaviour medicine and dermatology. He graduated from the Cleveland Humanities Magnet Program in Reseda, CA and attended California State University at Northridge where he received a Bachelor’s degree in biology. He went on to pursue his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis. He also spent time in the zoological medicine department at U.C. Davis during his Junior and Senior years. He is dedicated to caring for all pets big or small, young or old with compassion, patience, kindness, and love.