Everything about Great Dane totally explained
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The
Great Dane is a
breed of
domestic dog (
canis lupus familiaris) known for its giant size and gentle personality. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Gentle giant" and the "Apollo of all breeds" and is also called a German Mastiff. Great Danes are considered the tallest dog breed along with the
Irish Wolfhound. More recently, Great Danes have been in the Guinness World Records for tallest dog. The Great Dane was named the
state dog of
Pennsylvania in 1965.
Description
Appearance
| Great Dane appearance |
|
| Build: |
Giant and powerful, yet elegant and noble |
| Weight: |
Dogs: 54-90 kg. (120-200 lbs.); female: 45-68 kg. (100-150 lbs.) |
| Height: |
30-40 inches (76-100 cm.) |
| Coat: |
Short, soft, thick, shiny, close-fitting hair |
| Color: |
Fawn, brindle, black, blue, mantle and harlequin (merle not recognized) |
| Head: |
Long and narrow, with an accentuated frontal stop and a rather large nasal canal, rectangular, distinguished, expressive, finely chiseled |
| Teeth: |
Strong, well-developed, with scissors bite |
| Eyes: |
Medium size, deep set, round and usually dark, with a lively intelligent expression |
| Ears: |
Cropped rather long, pointed, and carried erect, or left natural |
| Tail: |
Medium-length, reaching to the point of the hock |
| Limbs: |
Front legs are perfectly straight |
| Feet: |
Round and compact |
| Life span: |
Median ~10 years |
Height and weight requirements for
show dogs vary from one kennel club's standards to another, but generally the minimum weight falls between 100 to 120 lb (46 to 54 kg) and the minimum height must be between 28 and 32 inches (71 to 81 cm) at the
withers. Most standards don't specify a maximum height or weight. However, a male great dane may weigh up to 200 lbs (91 kg). In August 2004, a Great Dane named "Gibson" from
Grass Valley,
California was recognized by the
Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest dog, measuring 42.2 inches at the withers.
Coat colors
There are six show-acceptable
coat colors for Great Danes:
- Fawn: The color is yellow gold with a blue mask. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip.
- Brindle: The color is fawn and black in a chevron stripe pattern. Often also referred to as a tiger-stripe pattern.
- Blue: The color is a pure steel blue. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.
- Black: The color is a glossy black. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.
- Harlequin: The base color is pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred. The black patches should never be large enough to give the appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a stippled or dappled effect. Eligible, but less desirable, are a few small grey patches (this grey is consistent with a Merle marking) or a white base with single black hairs showing through, which tend to give a salt and pepper or dirty effect.
- Mantle (in some countries referred to as Bostons due to the similar coloration & pattern as a Boston Terrier): The color is black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is optional; whole white collar preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking in the black blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar.
Other colors occur occasionally but are not acceptable in the show ring. Because they're not valid for
show dogs, they're not pursued by breeders. These colors include white, fawnequin,
merle, merlequin, fawn mantle, and others. These are sometimes advertised as "rare" colors to unsuspecting buyers. Any coat that includes "mouse grey" is disqualified from show.
Cropping of the ears is common in the United States and much less common in Europe. Indeed, in some European countries such as the UK, Denmark, Germany, in parts of Australia, and in New Zealand, the practice is banned, or controlled such that it may only be performed by
veterinary surgeons for health reasons. The original purpose of Ear Cropping was to cut the ears so that wolves and wild boar (often the objective of great dane hunts) wouldn't be able to grab a hold of the ear. Now, however, it's used to obtain a more regal or majestic look in showdogs. The original ear cropping can be seen on the pictures above.
Temperament
The Great Dane's large and imposing appearance belies its friendly nature; the breed is often referred to as a gentle giant. Great Danes are generally well-disposed toward other dogs, other non-canine pets, wild animals, and humans (including strangers and children). Some Great Danes--as with dogs of any breed--may have dominance issues, may be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex, or chase small animals; however, this is quite rare.
Health
Great Danes, like most giant dogs, have a fairly slow metabolism. This results in less energy and less food consumption per pound of dog than in small breeds.
Great Danes have some health problems that are common to large breeds.
Bloat (a painful distending and twisting of the stomach formally known as
Gastric volvulus) is a critical condition that can affect Great Danes and results rapidly in death if not quickly addressed. It is a commonly recommended practice for Great Danes to have their stomachs tacked (
Gastropexy) to the right abdominal wall during routine surgery such as
spaying or neutering if the dog or its relatives have a history of bloat, though some veterinary surgeons won't do the operation if the actual sickness hasn't occurred. Elevated food dishes are often believed to help prevent bloat by regulating the amount of air that's inhaled while eating, although one study suggests that they may increase the risk. Refraining from exercise or activity immediately before and after meals may also reduce risk.
Another problem common to the breed is the hips (
hip dysplasia). Typically an
x-ray of the parents can certify whether their hips are healthy and can serve as a guideline for whether the animals should be bred and are likely to have healthy pups.
Great Danes rarely live past 10 years of age.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and many
congenital heart diseases are also commonly found in the Great Dane.
Also, some Danes may develop
yeast infections, when not fed all needed nutritional requirements. The
yeast infection may also lead to minor recurring
staph infection(s).
Great Danes also suffer from several genetic disorders that are specific to the breed. For example, if a Great Dane lacks color (is white) near its eyes or ears then that organ doesn't develop and usually the dog will be either blind or deaf. Many pure white Danes are deaf.
History
Some sources state that dogs similar to Great Danes were known in
Ancient Egypt,
Greece and
Rome. Various sources report that the Great Dane was developed from the
medieval boarhound, and of the
Mastiff and
Irish wolfhound lines. It is also reported that the Great Dane was developed from mastiff-like dogs taken to Germany by the
Alans. The breed may be about 400 years old.
Brad Anderson's newspaper comic character Marmaduke.
The Great Dane Bendicò is the family pet in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel The Leopard.
Butler was a fawn Dane that belonged to Capt. James T. Kirk in Star Trek.
Einstein in Disney's Oliver & Company (1988).
Just Nuisance - A member of the South African Navy.
Ace from Batman Beyond.
Mars and Jupiter, two Great Danes from The Patriot.
Duke and Turk, two Great Danes from Disney's The Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film), where they're able to fight off a tiger.
Brutus from Disney's version of The Ugly Dachshund, who is a Great Dane raised by a Dachshund.
The Great Dane from the 2003 movie "Good Boy!" is a blue male Dane named New Era - Valentino.
Angie from Raimuiro Senkitan.
The guard dogs featured in are Great Danes.
Ben, a main character in, was a fawn Great Dane. One of his sons, Ken - a Dane-Saluki mix - is prominent in the sequel Ginga Legend Weed.
Great, a character in "" is a general in the Ohu army, and an aptly named Great Dane.
Hougen and Genba, the primary antagonists in Ginga Legend Weed, were harlequin Great Dane brothers.(External Link
)
Hayabusa and his son Tsubakuro are two Great Dane warriors in the Japanese graphic novel "Kacchu no Senshi Gamu"
Pinkerton, in books by Steven Kellogg.
Duke from Dead Ringer.
Schmeichel, pet of Chesney in British TV soap Coronation Street.
Hamlet, in the movie Head Over Heels starring Monica Potter & Freddie Prinze Jr, was a fawn Great Dane.
In the Scrubs episode My Words of Wisdom Elliot mentioned that she once had a Great Dane named Precious who one day bit her. She didn't want Precious to be put down so said that it was her neighbor's bulldog.
Daisy Mae in J.F. Englert's novel A Dog About Town is a Great Dane.
Astro, in the The Jetsons, is a Great Dane.
Chester, Allan's dog is A Great Dane-Harlequin in "Two And a Half Men."
The school mascot for UAlbany is the Great Dane. The Big Purple Growl, the annual basketball event held in early February gets the name from their mascotFurther Information
Get more info on 'Great Dane'.
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