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How Much Do Great Danes Drool? Common Causes & Prevention

Written by: Ed Malaker

Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by Ed Malaker

How Much Do Great Danes Drool? Common Causes & Prevention

Great Danes make fantastic family pets, but due to their large size, many would-be owners worry that they would have to deal with large amounts of drool. Fortunately, Great Danes are not excessive droolers and are only considered to be “moderate droolers” by most experts.

Keep reading while we explain how much drool you can expect, along with several other interesting facts to help determine if this dog breed is right for you.

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What Causes the Great Dane to Drool?

Most Great Dane owners will describe their dog as a moderate drooler that produces plenty of slobber, but not as much as other breeds, like Saint Bernards. It’s also important to note that some Great Dane dogs don’t drool at all.

Great dane drooling
Image By: black-pearls, Pixabay

Flappy Lips

All dogs salivate to stay cool and regulate body temperature. The Great Dane has large flappy lips that create pockets that can catch and hold the saliva until it starts to overflow. Once it pours over, it becomes drool, and there is no real way to prevent it.

Temperature

Since salivating is your dog’s way to cool down, you can expect more as the temperature rises, which will cause the lip pockets to fill and overflow faster and more frequently.

Medical Issue

If your pet is experiencing a medical issue, it can cause them to drool more. One clue that the slobber is due to a medical problem is that it comes on suddenly, regardless of temperature, and the drooling is more than usual.

Hunger

Many dogs will start drooling more excessively when hungry and in the presence of food, similar to the way humans might experience a rumbling belly.

Teething

If your dog is still a puppy and you notice it drooling more than usual when it’s about 4 months old, there is a good chance that new teeth are to blame. Once all of the permanent teeth come in, it’s possible that the amount of drooling will decrease.

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How Can I Stop My Great Dane from Drooling?

Unfortunately, there is little that you can do to stop your Great Dane from drooling. Instead, the flappy lips around the mouth will continue to collect saliva until it pours over, but a few things might help a little.

  • Keeping your dog cooler by keeping it inside with air conditioning can help reduce drooling by making it easier for your dog to maintain its body temperature on hot summer days.
  • Take your dog for regular medical checkups, as some health issues can lead to more drooling.
  • Take your dog for regular dental checkups and brush your pet’s teeth as frequently as possible to help slow the progression of dental disease, which might lead to heavier drooling.
  • If your dog becomes nervous, it can drool more. Proper socialization when the dog is still young can help it feel more at ease around people and animals, which can reduce nervous behavior. Letting it in the house when a storm is coming, fireworks are going off, or the mailman is going by can also help the dog feel less nervous, possibly resulting in less drool.
close up of a black great dane with its mouth partially open and drooling
Image By: Rana Lokos, Unsplash

Do Dog Toys Make My Dog Drool More?

While chewing on dog toys might look like it’s causing your dog to drool, the toy could simply be squeezing drool already present out of the pockets. Regardless, toys are an important tool for your dog to fight boredom, and they can help it feel more comfortable and less nervous, which might work to decrease the amount of drool your pet produces.

Taking the toys away might cause your dog to chew on other items, like the furniture, or cause it to engage in other bad behavior.

How Can I Clean Up My Great Danes Drool?

Cleaning up dog drool is a never-ending job for many of us. Luckily, it’s not that difficult, and you can wipe down most surfaces with a moist towelette to remove the drool. You can even use towelettes to help clean up the dog if you need to.

What Dog Breeds Drool the Most?

According to the American Kennel Club, the following breeds drool the most.

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Conclusion

The Great Dane is considered a moderate drooler because the flappy lips around the mouth form small pockets that catch and hold saliva until it overflows. High temperatures and high-stress situations can cause the dog to drool more, and most people notice the drooling increase when the dog is near food.

Medical and dental issues can also increase drooling, so it is important to have your pet checked over frequently. However, despite all the worry, the Great Dane is not even on the list of the top 10 drooling dog breeds.


Featured Image Credit: Annette Shaff, Shutterstock

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