Breed Introduction: Great Dane Dog
The Great Dane is a large German breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. The German name of the breed is Deutsche Dogge, or German Mastiff. The French name is Dogue Allemand. The Great Dane is one of the tallest dog breeds. The Great Dane was originally bred to hunt wild boar, but he probably would not be very good at it today. The ferociousness necessity to track down such a large and wily animal was eventually bred out of the Great Dane. The Great Dane is now a gentle soul who generally gets along well with other dogs, animals, and humans. His tail can knock over a lot of things, particularly in a small space. Given the opportunity, they are impressive counter surfers. Luckily, they are not rambunctious or highly energetic.
Drawings of dogs that look like Great Danes have been found on Egyptian artefacts dating back to 3000 B.C. and in Babylonian temples that were built around 2000 B.C. There are evidences that similar dogs originated in Tibet, with written reports of such dogs appearing in Chinese literature in 1121 B.C.
Great Danes originally were called Boar Hounds, because boars were what they were bred to hunt. Their ears were cropped to prevent boar tusks from tearing them. In the 16th century, the name of the breed was changed to “English Dogges.”
Male Great Danes are 30 to 34 inches tall and weigh 120 to 200 pounds. Females are 28 to 32 inches tall and weigh 100 to 130 pounds.
The Great Dane wants to be where the family is. It likes people a lot, including strangers and children, and will welcome visitors happily.
Despite his giant size, a Great Dane is mellow enough to be a good housedog, though they are not well suited to a tiny apartment because he’ll knock into everything.
The six usual colors of Great Danes’ smooth, short coats are:
Fawn (a golden color with a black mask)
Brindle (fawn and black intermixed all over the body in a tiger-stripe pattern)
Blue (steel blue, which is really a sort of gray)
Harlequin (white with irregular black patches over the entire body)
Mantle (black and white with a solid black blanket over the body)
A Great Dane loves children and is gentle with them, especially when raised with them from puppyhood.