History of Great Dane, the making of one of the world's largest
dog breeds in history.
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of Great Dane
History of Great Dane ::
THE GREAT DANE The origin of the Great Dane, like that of many
other varieties of dogs, is so obscure that all researches have
only resulted in speculative theories, but the undoubted antiquity
of this dog is proved by the fact that representatives of a breed
sufficiently similar to be considered his ancestors are found on
some of the oldest Egyptian monuments.
History of Great Dane :: He was commonly referred to as
the Boarhound, or the German Mastiff, and for a time the breed had
to undergo a probationary period in the "Foreign Class" at dog shows,
but it soon gained in public favour, and in the early 'eighties
a Great Dane Club was formed, and the breed has since become one
of the most popular of the larger dogs. The Kennel Club has classed
the Great Dane amongst the Non-Sporting
dogs, probably because with us he cannot find a quarry worthy
of his mettle; but, for all that, he has the instincts and qualifications
of a sporting dog, and he has proved himself particularly valuable
for hunting big game in hot climates, which he stands very well.
Respecting the temperament of the Great Dane and his suitability
as a companion writers have gone to extremes in praise and condemnation.
History of Great Dane Training
It is not sufficient to teach him in the haphazard way which might
be successful in getting a small dog under control, but even as
a companion he ought to be trained systematically, and, considering
his marked intelligence, this is not difficult of accomplishment.
The Great Dane attains his full development in about a year and
a half to two years, and, considering that puppies have to build
up in that time a very big skeleton and straight limbs, special
attention must be given to the rearing of them.
History of Great Dane Breeding
The dam whelps frequently eight puppies, and sometimes even a few
more. Mr. Larke's Princess Thor had a litter of seventeen, but even
eight is too great a number for a bitch to suckle in a breed where
great size is a desideratum. Not more than four, or at the outside
five, should be left with the bitch; the others should be put to
a foster mother, or if they are weaklings or foul-marked, it is
best to destroy them. After the puppies are weaned, their food should
be of bone-making quality, and they require ample space for exercise
and play. Nothing is worse than to take the youngsters for forced
marches before their bones have become firm.
History of Great Dane Characteristics
The general characteristic of the Great Dane is a combination
of grace and power, and therefore the lightness of the Greyhound,
as well as the heaviness of the Mastiff, must be avoided. The head
should be powerful, but at the same time show quality by its nice
modelling. The eyes should be intelligent and vivacious, but not
have the hard expression of the terrier. The distance between the
eyes is of great importance; if too wide apart they give the dog
a stupid appearance, and if too close he has a treacherous look.
Another very important point is the graceful carriage of the tail.
When it is curled over the back it makes an otherwise handsome dog
look mean, and a tail that curls at the end like a corkscrew is
also very ugly.
History of Great Dane Appearance
The orthodox colours are brindle, fawn, blue, black, and harlequin.
In the brindle dogs the ground colour should be any shade from light
yellow to dark red-yellow on which the brindle appears in darker
stripes. The harlequins have on a pure white ground fairly large
black patches, which must be of irregular shape, broken up as if
they had been torn, and not have rounded outlines. When brindle
Great Danes are continuously bred together, it has been found that
they get darker, and that the peculiar "striping" disappears, and
in that case the introduction of a good fawn into the strain is
advisable. The constant mating of harlequins has the tendency to
make the black patches disappear, and the union with a good black
Great Dane will prevent the loss of colour.
The following is the official description issued by the Great Dane
Club:-- * * * * * GENERAL APPEARANCE--The Great Dane is not so heavy
or massive as the Mastiff, nor should he too nearly approach the
Greyhound type. Remarkable in size and very muscular, strongly though
elegantly built; the head and neck should be carried high, and the
tail in line with the back, or slightly upwards, but not curled
over the hind-quarters.
Elegance of outline and grace of form are most essential to a Dane;
size is absolutely necessary; but there must be that alertness of
expression and briskness of movement without which the Dane character
is lost. He should have a look of dash and daring, of being ready
to go anywhere and do anything. TEMPERAMENT--The Great Dane is good-tempered,
affectionate, and faithful to his master, not demonstrative with
strangers; intelligent, courageous, and always alert. His value
as a guard is unrivalled. He is easily controlled when well trained,
but he may grow savage if confined too much, kept on chain, or ill
treated.
HEIGHT--The minimum height of an adult dog should be 30 ins.; that
of a bitch, 28 ins. WEIGHT--The minimum weight of an adult dog should
be 120 lbs.; that of a bitch, 100 lbs. The greater height and weight
to be preferred, provided that quality and proportion are also combined.
HEAD--Taken altogether, the head should give the idea of great
length and strength of jaw. The muzzle, or foreface, is broad, and
the skull proportionately narrow, so that the whole head, when viewed
from above and in front, has the appearance of equal breadth throughout.
LENGTH OF HEAD--The entire length of head varies with the height
of the dog, 13 ins. from the tip of the nose to the back of the
occiput is a good measurement for a dog of 32 ins. at the shoulder.
The length from the end of the nose to the point between the eyes
should be about equal, or preferably of greater length than from
this point to the back of the occiput. SKULL--The skull should be
flat rather than domed, and have a slight indentation running up
the centre, the occipital peak not prominent. There should be a
decided rise or brow over the eyes, but no abrupt stop between them.
FACE--The face should be chiselled well and foreface long, of equal
depth throughout, and well filled in below the eyes with no appearance
of being pinched.
MUSCLES OF THE CHEEK--The muscles of the cheeks should be quite
flat, with no lumpiness or cheek bumps, the angle of the jaw-bone
well defined. LIPS--The lips should hang quite square in front,
forming a right angle with the upper line of foreface.
UNDERLINE--The underline of the head, viewed in profile, runs almost
in a straight line from the corner of the lip to the corner of the
jawbone, allowing for the fold of the lip, but with no loose skin
to hang down. JAW--The lower jaw should be about level, or at any
rate not project more than the sixteenth of an inch.
NOSE AND NOSTRILS--The bridge of the nose should be very wide,
with a slight ridge where the cartilage joins the bone. (This is
quite a characteristic of the breed.) The nostrils should be large,
wide, and open, giving a blunt look to the nose. A butterfly or
flesh-coloured nose is not objected to in harlequins.
EARS--The ears should be small, set high on the skull, and carried
slightly erect, with the tips falling forward. NECK--Next to the
head, the neck is one of the chief characteristics. It should be
long, well arched, and quite clean and free from loose skin, held
well up, snakelike in carriage, well set in the shoulders, and the
junction of head and neck well defined. SHOULDERS--The shoulders
should be muscular but not loaded, and well sloped back, with the
elbows well under the body, so that, when viewed in front, the dog
does not stand too wide.
FORE-LEGS AND FEET--The fore-legs should be perfectly straight,
with big flat bone. The feet large and round, the toes well arched
and close, the nails strong and curved. BODY--The body is very deep,
with ribs well sprung and belly well drawn up.
BACK AND LOINS--The back and loins are strong, the latter slightly
arched, as in the Greyhound.
HIND-QUARTERS--The hind-quarters and thighs are extremely muscular,
giving the idea of great strength and galloping power. The second
thigh is long and well developed as in a Greyhound, and the hocks
set low, turning neither out nor in.
TAIL--The tail is strong at the root and ends in a fine point,
reaching to or just below the hocks. It should be carried, when
the dog is in action, in a straight line level with the back, slightly
curved towards the end, but should not curl over the back.
COAT--The hair is short and dense, and sleek-looking, and in no
case should it incline to coarseness.
GAIT OR ACTION--The gait should be lithe, springy, and free, the
action high. The hocks should move very freely, and the head should
be held well up.
COLOUR--The colours are brindle, fawn, blue, black, and harlequin.
The harlequin should have jet black patches and spots on a pure
white ground; grey patches are admissible but not desired; but fawn
or brindle shades are objectionable.
Note's:: This is the end of the History of Great Dane page,
you may also be interested in a general overview of the History
of Dogs.
Learn about the history
of the English Bulldog
History of the Englilsh
Mastiff
Learn about the history
of the English Bulldog in this interesting article.
The history of the
Newfoundland dog.
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