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GREAT DANE BREED INFORMATION

Family	livestock dog, mastiff
Life Span	10-12 years
Avg Size of Male:	Height: 30 - 32 inches, Weight: 100 – 120 pounds
Avg Size of Female:	Height: 28 - 30 inches, Weight: 100 – 120 pounds
Original Function:	guardian, hunting large game
Overall Rating (out of 5)	Despite its overwhelming size, the Great Dane is a gentle, loving dog that is dependable and friendly. This breed is usually good with children, though smaller children may be overpowered by the large dog’s affectionate approach. While the Great Dane is powerful, it is sensitive and quite responsive to training. Supervision is recommended around other dogs and pets, although this breed is generally friendly with both. Obedience training is suggested from an early age so this large dog will be more manageable when it’s fully grown.

The Great Dane is a breed of dog known for its large size and gentle personality. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Gentle Giant".

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. 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.

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 gray patches, or a white base with single black hairs showing through, which tend to give a salt and pepper or dirty effect.
Mantle: The color shall be 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 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 Denmark, 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 the wolf would not be able to grap hold of the ear in defence.This was also used to keep wild boar (often the objective of great dane hunts) from shredding their velvety ears. Now, however, it is used purely for a regal and 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). However, some Great Danes have dominance issues, are aggressive with other dogs of the same sex, or chase small animals.

Care

Minimal grooming is necessary with the short coat of the Great Dane. Simply brush, comb, and use dry shampoo when necessary. Bathing this dog is a huge chore because of its size. It’s easier to keep up with the grooming on a week-to-week basis. The Great Dane is considered to be an average shedder. Trim the nails regularly. Daily moderate exercise, such as a good walk or energetic play, is necessary for this breed. It should spend plenty of time outdoors, as it is typically inactive indoors, but it may get cold in the winter and should not be outside for long periods of time. A home with a fenced-in back yard is ideal. The fence should be at least six feet tall to prevent the dog from jumping over it. Inside, the dog should have soft bedding with plenty of room to stretch out and sleep. As with other large breeds, the Great Dane is a short-lived breed: generally having a life span of six to eight years. They also have health problems associated with large breeds such as bloat and hip dysplasia.

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) is a rare but critical condition that affects 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 surgons will not do the operation if the actuall sickness has not occurred. Some ways of preventing bloat are having elevated food dishes. This helps to regulate the amount of air that is inhaled while eating. Also, refrain from exercise or activity before and after meals. 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.

The latest epidemiological research by Dr. Larry Glickman at Purdue, and his coauthors, has found that using elevated food dishes actually dramatically increases the risk of bloat. You can see that it is included as a risk factor in the Purdue web page where you can calculate your dog's lifetime bloat risk, http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/clbr.htm Using the "Home" link on that page, you can find citations and links to the peer-reviewed articles where the details of the studies establishing elevated food dishes as a risk factor. This does go against the conventional wisdom about raising or elevating food dishes, but is backed up by sound scientific procedures.

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 (not 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.

History

Likely the descendent of the old English mastiff and the Irish wolfhound, the Great Dane is a German breed and has been nicknamed the “Apollo of Dogs.” Considered to be fearless game hunters, the ancestors of the Great Dane were used in war and hunting. Because of its speed, strength, and stamina, this breed earned a reputation as skillful hunters of wild boar in Germany by the 14 th century. The Great Dane also became popular with nobility because of its commanding but refined look. The English began calling the breed German boarhounds, but at some point, and for unknown reasons, the dog was called a Great Dane, even though it wasn’t Danish. In approximately 1880, the German authorities proclaimed that the Great Dane should only be called a Deutsche dogge, and this is the name it still goes by today in Germany. This breed came to the United States in the late 1800s, and it quickly gained recognition. To date, this large dog is still a popular breed in America, and its talents include tracking, carting, and serving as a watchdog.