Dane pup’s first rainstorm… and medical update

Princeton looks happy at the park at age 7 months. This is a rare shot of him looking out of his left “ghost eye.”

Our Dane pup Princeton saw rain for the first time this week and went wild. He loved racing around the backyard getting wet and barking at puddles. Then the next morning when it was still raining he watched it from the doorway with a puzzled look, then lay down right next to my feet, not wanting to get wet again.

Princeton was neutered 10 days ago and came through surgery just fine. He’s recovered quickly -- you can’t even see the scar anymore. He weighed in at 94 pounds! And he’s 29 inches at the shoulder. I wonder how that compares to his brothers? He's not 7 months old.

The vet also checked his eyes because he acts like he can’t see as well out of his left (lighter colored) “ghost eye.” The vet turned out the lights and shined a flashlight into each eye. No problem with the right eye, but when she shined it in his left eye he kept squirming to get away, then finally bit her! (Not hard.)That’s not like Princeton! He’s usually very friendly and never bites (except in play). So that side is a lot more sensitive to light, but the vet couldn’t see any differences other than the color of the eye. She said we should see a specialist (ophthalmologist) if we want to pursue it. It seems to be a genetic condition because he's a merle color.

My partner asked the vet how big she thought Princeton would get. She said it was hard for her to estimate because they don’t have any other Great Dane puppies in the practice. Then she added, “There’s probably some other clinic nearby that’s getting all the Great Dane puppies.”

“Every profession has its conspiracy theories,” my partner teased, and we all started laughing.

When I walked Princeton in the weeks leading up the neutering, I kept feeling like he was a stallion prancing and resisting as his handlers try to get him into the starting gate for a race. I wonder if he will still be like that after neutering. Our neighbor’s nickname for him is “Bounce” because he’s so bouncy.

Magnificant Dane pup on mountain trail

I captured Princeton in all his glory on our walk in the park today. This photo is sure to become a classic. He's almost seven months old.

Great Dane pup dances with lemon

Here’s a fun video of my Dane pup Princeton dancing with one of his favorite toys -- a lemon!

This was actually taken about a month ago. He’s even bigger now! But he still loves lemons.

His obedience training is going well. But it keeps me busy enforcing rules and practicing “sit” over and over. (He knows the command, but he doesn’t know how to obey it EVERY time, even when HE doesn’t feel like it.)

Dane pup is in training

Princeton running with one of his dog friends

Princeton has started a real obedience class -- much tougher (and more effective) than the “puppy kindergarten” that he did before. I don’t have much energy for blogging left after being so strict and vigilant with Princeton all the time, so don’t worry if I don’t post here very often.

Maybe this class seems so much tougher because Princeton is much bigger (29 inches at the shoulder) and stronger. Plus he now has the moody, sometimes defiant attitude of a teenager. He’s 6-1/2 months old.

Yesterday he lost what looks to be his last baby tooth while playing with his friend in this photo.

Pup may have vision problem

Princeton likes to grin from his right side

Princeton’s vision may be significantly worse in his left eye. Our Great Dane pup tends to cock his head at look sideways at you. I’ve always thought it was cute how he gives a three-quarter view of his face and gazes slyly out of one eye.

However, some people complained that he seems distracted or even blind. I improvised some vision tests and he always passed, except that he doesn’t have much depth perception.

I kept focusing on how Princeton’s eyes look different. His left eye is blue-green and surrounded by white fur, while his right eye is darker with black and grey fur around it. Finally it hit me. His eyes don’t just look different, they might work differently, too.

Sure enough, when I paid attention, it was obvious that he ALWAYS looks with his head turned with his brown eye forward. Both eyes respond to bright light, but I finally realized that maybe he can’t see as well in his light-colored eye, the one with the white fur around it. Merles are known for such genetic defects. Click here for an excellent summary of merle Dane genetics and related vision problems.

I’m going to ask the vet and the breeder about it. He gets around just fine, but it does explain some of his quirks. For example, he’s run into me or my partner a few times when he was galloping at top speed. Maybe he misjudged where we were?

This also explains why he keeps wanting to “heel” on the wrong side -- so he can have his good eye on the outside to watch for danger. He keeps wanting to move from my left side to my right side. It’s not just him being naughty, either. He does it when he’s on his best behavior, and he doesn’t pull or act up when he does it. I think he wants to have his “good eye” on the outside to see what’s happening. I’m going to try modifying his leash training with this in mind.

Princeton has never been able to catch something that’s thrown to him, unless it’s huge. My old Dane mix used to love catching apple peels, but toss one to Princeton and it just hits his snout every time. This may just be a Dane thing. I had another Dane lover test her 5-month-old puppy, and he couldn’t catch treats, either.

Interestingly, my favorite baby photo of Princeton from the breeder is one where he is looking out sideways out of his good eye with a mischievous expression at age two weeks. It’s still my screen saver. I post it below.

That photo is one reason that we chose to adopt Princeton. I thought that any puppy with that cute sideways mischievous look must be a lot of fun and have a special outlook on life. And it’s true.

Princeton already had his classic sideways glance at 2 weeks old
(photo courtesy of Shabrea Great Danes)

Great Dane pup loves to jump

Princeton loves to jump -- not over fences, but straight up in the air. He jumps for joy. I’ve noticed three occasions when he jumped for joy:

1. When a friendly stranger asked for his kiss -- and he knew what to do. It happened when we took Princeton to a street fair. One woman bent down and commanded, “Kiss!” That’s a command that we’ve been teaching Princeton daily for months. He responded by kissing her, to her delight -- and his! Then he leaped high in the air for joy, ecstatic that he could communicate with a stranger. It was like he finally understood why we were saying, “Kiss” over and over and giving him a treat when he licked our hands. It was like that classic moment when Helen Keller figured out that the hand sign for water was a word.

2. When a little boy surprised him with a playful jump of his own. We were at an outdoor concert where we met a six-year-old boy who LOVED playing with Princeton. The boy crouched down on the ground and rolled up in a ball -- then sprang up to his feet, surprising Princeton and making our puppy leap for joy.

3. When he noticed that I was wearing my walking shoes. I changed my shoes in another room, then found Princeton to take him for a walk. My puppy sniffed my shoes and jumped for joy!

Last night Princeton jumped like a frog onto our bed -- no running head start, just leaped straight up in the air with all four legs and landed on our bed. I was amazed. He looked quite proud of himself, but got down as soon as we yelled, “Off!”

An update: His eyes are turning brown, and he has lost almost all his baby teeth. One sharp little fang in front left to go.

Great Dane pup loves to run

Princeton on the go

Our Great Dane pup loves to run now. When we first got him, he was rather uncoordinated. He looked like a rocking horse when he ran. Now at five and a half months old. he’s poetry in motion.

I tried to capture Princeton running in this photo. I love how his ears fly when he gallops at top speed!