Goliath...a bit better each day

Goliath skinny after parvo 5 and a half months

Goliath says "You know you are a Great Dane owner when..."

Top 10 things that tell you you own a Great Dane (Goliath in this pic is only 4 months old)

1. You purchase a large screen TV and you still can't see the program when he stands in front of the television
   
   
2. you tell your dog to sit, and he backs up until he finds a chair
3. you have given up on water dishes and you just use the tub
4. you've learned to force a smile when asked "do you have a saddle for that thing?"
   
   
5. the sound of running water makes you jump up and yell, "OUTSIDE!"
   
   
6. your dog can hide an entire tennis ball (among other things) fully inside his lips and give you that innocent look that says, "What? I'm not eating anything!"
7. the pizza delivery people tell you to meet them at the end of the sidewalk
   
   
8. you walk your dog and everyone knows him by name, but you have no idea who these people are
   
   
9. you show a picture of your dogs and kids together, and the first person you point out is your dog
   and finally...
   10.  You own a dog capable of pulling someone out of a port a potty.  

Goliath the Great Dane pup tells you why NOT to neuter too soon

With Great Danes... it IS important to wait until between 10-13 months to neuter...

Its because of growth plates. dogs that are prematurely neutered's growth plates do not close at the appropriate time, causing over lengthening of the long bones in the legs; increasing incidence of orthopedic disorders.

The sex hormones close the growth plates, so the bones of dogs neutered or spayed before puberty continue to grow. This growth frequently results in a dog that does not have the same body proportions as he/she was genetically meant to. if the femur is normal length at 8 months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop in the leg. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the knee becomes heavier (because it is longer), causing increased stress on the skeletal system of the legs.

[cited from a clinical study]

A study by Salmeri et al in 1991 found that bitches spayed at 7 weeks grew significantly taller than those spayed at 7 months, who were taller than those not spayed (or presumably spayed after the growth plates had closed).(1) A study of 1444 Golden Retrievers performed in 1998 and 1999 also found bitches and dogs spayed and neutered at less than a year of age were significantly taller than those spayed or neutered at more than a year of age.(2) The sex hormones, by communicating with a number of other growth-related hormones, promote the closure of the growth plates at puberty (3), so the bones of dogs or bitches neutered or spayed before puberty continue to grow. Dogs that have been spayed or neutered well before puberty can frequently be identified by their longer limbs, lighter bone structure, narrow chests and narrow skulls. This abnormal growth frequently results in significant alterations in body proportions and particularly the lengths (and therefore weights) of certain bones relative to others. For example, if the femur has achieved its genetically determined normal length at 8 months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop at the stifle. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the stifle likely becomes heavier (because it is longer), and may cause increased stresses on the cranial cruciate ligament. In addition, sex hormones are critical for achieving peak bone density.(4) These structural and physiological alterations may be the reason why at least one recent study showed that spayed and neutered dogs had a higher incidence of CCL rupture.(5) Another recent study showed that dogs spayed or neutered before 5 1/2 months had a significantly higher incidence of hip dysplasia than those spayed or neutered after 5 1/2 months of age, although it should be noted that in this study there were no standard criteria for the diagnosis of hip dysplasia.(6) Nonetheless, breeders of purebred dogs should be cognizant of these studies and should consider whether or not pups they bred were spayed or neutered when considering breeding decisions.

[end of cited text]

In Conclusion..basically, neutering before maturity causes the long bones to grow beyond the length they were meant to... and grow much lighter and weaker, so no... it does NOT stunt their growth... many times in fact it actually makes them grow TALLER... but disproportionately and unhealthily... creating a heavy dog atop a very lanky and weak set of legs.

Sharing a bed with a Great Dane

Goliath wanted to show you this Sleep Number commercial.  Sharing a bed with a great dane.  Enjoy.  It is cute.

Goliath loves the Humunga stache and tongue

check these out!  Aren't these great balls? They are called "Humunga".

Goliath tells you NOT to do these things if you are not a dog