The great danoodle has some really amazing qualities from both of their highly intelligent parent breeds. The great danoodle is one of the calmer more relaxed doodles. They are super loving and loyal and relatively quiet gentle giants. 💗  The great danoodle has a sweet disposition; they are incredibly affectionate and great with children and other pets. 

The great danoodle can also be a really great guard doodle who has a deep and loud bark. This doodle will definitely make an intruder think twice before breaking into your home. 🥷

Let’s take a quick look at the parent breeds of the great danoodle and how those traits make up this giant doodle package. 

The Great Dane was originally bred and used to hunt wild boar. 🐗 The Great Dane was used by Germans to help hunt down this formidable prey. The Germans needed a dog that was fast and powerful enough to take on the wild boar of Europe. These early Great Danes would have their ears cropped very short, much shorter than ear cropping nowadays. The reasoning for this was the Great Dane would end up having its long ears shredding while hunting the formidable wild boar, usually due to sharp boar tusks. These hunting ear injuries would become infected and create medical issues for the Great Dane. 🤕

Later in the middle of the 1600s German Noblemen started selecting the largest of the Great Danes to be taken to their estates as protection dogs. This was the Great Danes first move into a protection and companion role. They were soon laying by open fireplaces wearing fancy collars and eating better meals. After their increased popularity with the German Nobles they were eventually named the Deutsche Dog or German Dog. 🇩🇪

The Great Dane was introduced into the American Kennel Club in 1887.

Let’s take a quick look at the other half of the great danoodle hybrid.

The Poodle is called Pudel in Germany 🇩🇪 and Caniche in France 🇫🇷 . Both of these names are a nod to the Poodles original breeding use as a water retriever. The German Pudel name translates to puddle or splashing water . The French Caniche name translates to duck dog. 🦆

The Standard Poodles were originally bred as hunters of wildfowl to retrieve the game out of the water. The Miniature Poodle was also bred in France as a talented circus performer 🎪 . These Miniature Poodles were trained to walk tightropes and even perform card tricks and skits. 

Both the Great Dane and the Poodle have long histories as hunting dogs and companion dogs. 

Sizing it all up

The great danoodle is a very large doodle. They can weigh about 70 to 100 pounds. The great danoodle is about 22 to 27 inches tall. It can be confusing knowing when the great danoodle is completely full grown. The Poodle reaches full maturity at the age of 1 year. The Great Dane reaches full maturity at the age of 3 years. I think that the best estimate for the great danoodle to be fully mature would be at the age of 2 years. 👍

Color Coding, Fur Real

The great danoodle is a hybrid of the Poodle 🐩  and the Great Dane which can have multiple different outcomes when it comes to coat textures and colors. The great danoodle can have longer hair or shorter hair but it is usually wavy to curly. The color of the great danoodle can be any combination of their parent breed colors. These colors include black, white, blue, gray and different shades of brown. They can also have a variety of different markings including spots and possibly a darker face mask. 

The great danoodle will need to be brushed daily or every other day to prevent their fur from matting. They will also need a bath 🛁 once per month but be careful choosing products for them because they can have sensitive skin and also possible allergies. The great danoodle will need to have their hair trimmed about every 4 to 6 weeks either by a groomer or owners can learn the grooming skills on their own and groom their doodle themselves. 💈

A quick note on hypoallergenic and what that actually means. 

 The AKC states that “there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog”. Unfortunately people with dog allergies are usually allergic to the dog dander 🦠, not the dog’s fur. Granted the dog fur can be a carrier for the dog dander it is not the cause of the allergen. The old school of thought was that less dog hair = less allergen. So breeders would attempt to have as many Poodle genes in a dog breed to lessen dog hair shed. Unfortunately, this does not change the level of dander. Please be cautious regarding the labels of “hypoallergenic” if you have dog allergies. If you would like more info on this please read 22 Hypoallergenic Doodles. 🤧

Working it out

The great danoodle has a moderate exercise requirement per day. They need to have between 30 to 45 minutes of exercise per day. It would be best for them to have a good sized yard. 🏡

They can be a really great fit for owners that are moderately active. A great danoodle would love to go hiking, swimming or just playing fetch. 🎾

⚠️ One word of warning, it is not recommended to have your doodle participate in highly strenuous activities prior to the age of 2 years due to underdeveloped joints and bones. ⚠️

Come, Sit, Stay

The great danoodle is a highly intelligent doodle that is easy to train. Both of the parent breeds, the Poodle and the Great Dane are both very intelligent and love to please their owners. They can be trained to do quite a few things to include agility and obedience.  🥏

One word of warning, the great danoodle can be prone to separation anxiety and they don’t like to be left alone for long periods of time. If they are left alone for a long period of time they can become bored and destructive. The great danoodle can start a habit of barking, chewing or digging. ⛏️

As with all doodles, the great danooodle needs early socialization and early puppy classes in order to develop healthy habits for life. 

Quality of Life

The great danoodle is a relatively healthy doodle that can live between 8 to 10 years. Being a hybrid of the Poodle and the Great Dane they can still be susceptible to the same medical issues 🩺 that both of their parent breeds are prone to. These medical issues include joint issues, heart issues, eye problems and allergies to name a few. Your veterinarian may be able to test for some of these issues for your great danoodle. 🧪

So now you want a Great Danoodle….

If you are thinking about getting a great danoodle you must make sure that you are in love with any combination of traits that a doodle surprise can offer. 🎁 Your doodle may look exactly like a Great Dane but act exactly like a Poodle. Would you be ok with that? What about the other way around? If you can love 💗 ALL of the traits of both parent breeds then DO IT! Doodles are the best! 

I would check at Poodle rescues and also at Great Dane specific rescues, they may have a mixed breed/hybrid there as well. Also check regular rescues. Just realize that if you want to rescue you may have to wait to find your dog or travel to pick it up. But there are great benefits to rescuing instead of buying. 👍👏

If you decide to buy a puppy please do your research on the breeder and don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. And good luck to you! I hope you find your forever puppy! 🥰