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Questions to Ask Breeders Before buying.
1. First and foremost DO YOUR RESEARCH! Contact the Great Dane Club of America or your local rescue and ask for breed information. Ok, so that really wasn't a question, but it will help you learn about the breed, what kinds of answers to expect when asking the questions. If at anytime you get that "gut feeling" something isn't right, LISTEN to it and leave. Contact your local rescue, they can offer LOADS of information as to who is responsibly breeding their animals and who just wants some extra cash to buy that cool new car.
2. How long have you been in the breed? If they are new, do they have experience with a similar breed? What others have you bred?
You probably want to avoid anyone who has "switched" breeds every couple of years, from popular breed to popular breed. Otherwise, look for someone with some experience with the breed you are interested in.
Also, be very wary of people who have multiple dog breeds. It is not uncommon to find people breeding more than one kind of dog, but a breeder producing litters of many different breeds of dog is not going to be your best source, and probably should be suspected as a puppy-mill or disreputable breeder.
3. What kind of congenital defects are present in this breed? What steps are you taking to decrease these defects?
Avoid anyone who says "none", or "not in my dogs!" There are genetic problems that are present in almost every breed. Do some research here, and make sure you know what kind of answer you should be getting from the breeder.
A reputable breeder should be able to tell you what kinds of problems might be present in the particular breed (for example, hip dysplasia, bloat, thyroid problems, etc) and what kind of testing is available to find it. It goes without saying that the breeder should be doing those tests on all their breeding stock. Any dogs that are showing signs of any of these problems should not be bred -- avoid anyone who is breeding dogs with genetic problems, or who is not testing their dogs and bitches. A breeder that can't tell you what kinds of things affect their dogs isn't going to be breeding to avoid them.
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