Great Dane

Where to Rescue a Great Dane

Overview
Build: Giant and powerful, yet elegant and noble
Weight: Dogs: 54-90 kg. (120-200 lbs.); Bitches: 45-68 kg. (100-150 lbs.)
Height: 30-40 inches (76-86 cm.)
Coat: Short, thick, shiny, close-fitting hair
Color: Fawn, brindle, black, blue and mantle 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

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 considered the tallest dog breed along with the Irish Wolfhound. However, more recently have great danes been in the Guinness World Records for tallest dog. The Great Dane is the state dog of Pennsylvania.
Contents


Description

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 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: 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.

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 have dominance issues, are 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 (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 (Gastroplexy) to the interior rib lining during routine surgery such as spaying or 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[2]. 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.

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.[6] The breed may be about 400 years old.[4] The Bullenbeisser may be its direct ancestor composing about the 40% of its make-up.

In 1749 Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon began publishing his large thesis on evolution called ”Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière”. His uses the large hound as an example of evolution (Book 4) and since he cannot find it anywhere in France or in Germania he seeks it in its home turf Denmark. It is he who for the first time coins the name ”le Grand Danois”. In the English translation of his work by William Smellie (encyclopedist) the same word becomes ”Great Dane”. Up until that time the hound was referred to in England as ”Danish dog” (see "Canine Madness”, 1762).

We know from a thesis by the Dane Jacob Nicolay Wilse titled ”Fuldstændig beskrivelse af stapelstaden Fridericia – efter pålidelige underretninger og egne undersøgninger.” (page 176) and published in 1767 that the Danes called the dog ”large hound”, a terminology continued well in to the 20th Century.

In Germany in 1780 the hound is referred to as ”Grosse Dänische Yagd Hund” or ”Large Danish Hunting Hound” (see Edward C. Ash : Practical Dog Book, 1931, ”The Great Dane").

The first dog exhibition was held in Hamburg 14-20 July 1863. 8 dogs were called ”Dänische Dogge” and 7 ”Ulmer Doggen”.

The records of FCI from this meeting shows that all documentation was published in Bulletin Officiel de la Société Canine de Monaco, August 1937.

At some point, either during or immediately after World War II, the country of origin of the hound is changed from the original Denmark to Germany. FCI would appear to no longer have the records that would be able to explain why that might be.

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 Fawn.
* 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 are able to fight off a tiger.
* Brutus from Disney's version of The Ugly 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 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.
* 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.
* 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"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Great Dane."