Videos Great Dane Breed Information
Alternative names
Deutsche Dogge ("German Mastiff")
Grand Danois (in French)
Country of origin -
Germany (also attributed to Denmark at various historical periods)
Common nicknames -
Dane,
Gentle Giant
Classification and breed standards
FCI:|Group
2 Section 2 #235|Stds
AKC:|Working|Stds
CKC:||Stds
KC
(UK):|Working|Stds
NZKC:|Nonsporting|Stds
UKC:|Guardian
Dogs|Stds
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".
Great Danes are among the tallest dog breeds, along with the
Irish Wolfhound; as of 2007, the
world's tallest dog is a Great Dane.
2. Appearance
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 do
not specify a maximum height or weight. However, a male great dane
will weigh up to 200 lbs (91 kg)[1]. 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.
[4]
There are six show-acceptable coat
colors for Great Danes:
* Fawn:
Yellow gold with a black mask. Black should appear on the eye rims
and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip.
* Brindle: Fawn and
black in a chevron stripe pattern. Often also referred to as a
tiger-stripe pattern.
* Blue: The color shall be a pure steel blue.
White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.
* Black: The color shall be a glossy black.
White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.
* Harlequin: Base
color shall be 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 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 shall be black and white with a solid black
blanket extending over the body; black anus with white cheeks;
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 are not valid for show dogs, they are 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. Ear
cropping for looks only was never done in England. The original
purpose of Ear Cropping was to cut the ears so that wolves and wild
boar (often the objective of great dane hunts) would not be able to
grab ahold of the ear. Now, however, it is used to obtain a more
regal or majestic look in showdogs. The original ear cropping can
be seen on the pictures above.
3. 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). However, some Great Danes have dominance issues, are
aggressive with other dogs of the same sex, or chase small
animals.
4. 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 (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
interior rib lining during routine surgery such as spaying and neutering if the dog or
its relatives have a history of bloat, though some veterinary
surgeons will not do the operation if the actual sickness has not
occurred. Elevated food dishes are often believed to help prevent
bloat by regulating the amount of air that is inhaled while eating,
although one study suggests that they may increase the risk [5] .
Refraining from exercise or activity immediately before and after
meals may also reduce risk. They can live between 8-16 years
(rarely 16 years of age).
Another problem common to the breed is in 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.
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 does not develop and
usually the dog will be either blind or deaf. Many pure white Danes
are deaf.
5. Miscellaneous
The Great Dane is the state dog of Pennsylvania.
The Great Dane is the team mascot at the University
at Albany.
Heisman Trophy winning running
back Ron Dayne was nicknamed "The
Great Dayne" at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Poker player Gus Hansen is known as "The Great
Dane."
Famous Danish
Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was known as "The
Great Dane".
The Great Dane is the name and symbol of a company that
manufactures semi trailers.
5. 1. Danes in popular culture
* Scooby-Doo, a
Hanna-Barbera character. Creator
Iwao Takamoto based this famous
animal character on a Great Dane based on sketches given by a
Hanna-Barbera employee who bred this dog. Technically speaking,
Scooby Doo would be a Mantle. [6] [7]
* 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 [8]
* 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 are able to fight off a tiger.
* Brutus from Disney's version of The Ugly
Dachshund
* The Greater Dane from the 2003 movie "Good Boy!" is a blue male Dane named New
Era - Valentino.
* Angie from Raimuro
Senkitan
* The guard dogs featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake
Eater are Great Danes.
* Ben, a main character in Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin, was a
fawn Great Dane. One of his sons, Ken - a Dane-Saluki mix - is
prominent in the sequel Ginga
Legend Weed.[2]
* Great, a character in "Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin" is a
general in the Ohu army, and an aptly named Great Dane.
* Hougen and Genba/Genshin, the primary antagonists in
Ginga Legend Weed,
were harlequin Great Dane brothers.[3]
* 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.
* Pluto, Mickey Mouse's lovable companion is a Great
Dane.
* Goofy, another Disney character, is a Great Dane.
* Jake, Allan's dog is A Great Dane-Harlequin in "Two
And a Half Men"
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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