German Wirehaired Pointer vs Great Dane: Which Suits Your Home?

The Great Dane towers over the GWP in every dimension — 110-175 lbs and 28-34 inches tall, against the GWP's 60-70 lbs and 22-26 inches — moving the comparison from large to giant size class entirely. A Great Dane at full height can look a visitor in the eye while standing on all fours, something no GWP, itself a substantial dog, comes close to matching. That scale difference carries through to nearly everything else on this page, from doorway clearance and vehicle size to the sheer volume of food and gear either dog requires.

Despite its size, the Great Dane is the calmer of the two by a wide margin: moderate (3/5) exercise need and moderate (3/5) energy level, against the GWP's very high (5/5) on both measures. That's a significant reversal of the usual assumption that bigger means more demanding — the Great Dane's giant frame actually works against sustained high-intensity exercise, particularly while its joints are still developing, whereas the GWP's mid-size, athletic build was purpose-built for hours of fieldwork.

Grooming clearly favors the Great Dane, very low (1/5) against the GWP's moderate (3/5) — a short, smooth coat needs little beyond an occasional wipe-down. Shedding ties evenly at moderate (3/5) for both breeds, so the grooming gap here is entirely about coat texture and upkeep time rather than the amount of hair actually coming off the dog.

Both breeds tie at rock-bottom very low (1/5) apartment suitability, which for the Great Dane is more about sheer physical footprint than exercise needs, and for the GWP is squarely about its very-high energy. Barking favors the Great Dane, low (2/5) against the GWP's moderate (3/5), and alone-time tolerance ties at low (2/5) for both — so whichever breed a small-space owner picks, expect real space and solo-time challenges either way.

The GWP rates high (4/5) for trainability, a step above the Great Dane's moderate (3/5), though both share a low (2/5) first-time-owner score and a low (2/5) alone-tolerance rating. The Great Dane's gentle, patient, dependable temperament makes it easier to live with day to day despite the lower formal trainability number, since much of what a Great Dane needs is calm, consistent handling of its size rather than complex obedience work. Basic manners training matters more for a giant breed than trick training does, since an untrained Great Dane's sheer mass can create problems an untrained smaller dog never would.

The Great Dane pulls ahead with kids, very high (5/5) against the GWP's high (4/5), and with other dogs too, high (4/5) against the GWP's moderate (3/5) — numbers that back up its gentle and friendly reputation despite the intimidating size. Strangers tie at moderate (3/5) for both. Families drawn to the Great Dane's famously mellow disposition around children will find the data supports that reputation directly.

This is where the size difference costs the Great Dane the most: a lifespan of just 7-10 years against the GWP's 12-14, a gap of up to seven years that's among the largest in any comparison on this site. The Great Dane's health list also reads heavier for a giant breed — bloat (GDV), dilated cardiomyopathy, wobbler syndrome, cancer, bone cancer and thyroid problems, on top of hip and elbow dysplasia shared with the GWP. The GWP's own list, while still ten items long, skews toward more manageable chronic issues like allergies, entropion and ear infections rather than the acute, often fatal conditions common to giant breeds.

Cost is the other place size shows up hard: the Great Dane rates very high (5/5) for overall cost, the top of the scale, against the GWP's moderate (3/5). Monthly spending nearly doubles — $200-$400 for the Great Dane versus $110-$220 for the GWP — and first-year costs follow suit, $3,000-$5,000 against $1,700-$3,000. Food volume alone accounts for a large share of that gap, before factoring in giant-breed-sized furniture, crates and vet bills, all of which scale directly with the Great Dane's much larger frame.