The Great Dane, a member of the Working group, was developed in Germany to hunt wild boars. This physical and mental combination is the overall characteristic that gives the Dane its majesty which is possessed by no other dog breed known today.
This is a large, beautiful and elegant breed of dog. Generally they stand between 30 to 34 inches in height at their shoulder and weigh in between 120 and 165 pounds at adulthood. A Dane must be spirited, courageous, and never timid, and always friendly and dependable.
The Dane combines its regal appearance with dignity, strength, elegance and with great size and a powerful, well-formed, smoothly muscled body.
It is one of the giant working breeds, but is unique in that its general conformation must be so well balanced that it never appears clumsy, and shall move with a long reach and powerful drive.
It is particularly true of this breed that there is an impression of great masculinity in males, as compared to an impression of femininity in females.
The male shall not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32 inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height.
The female shall not be less than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 30 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height.
Watch a short Dane video
Their coat is short, glossy and low maintenance but it does require regular brushing. Another thing to keep in mind, the Great Dane can get cold easily, so do not keep him outside too long during the winter months. He needs a blanket or a bed to lie on to prevent pressure sores as well due to his lean physique.
There are six acceptable showable coat colors for Danes:
Fawn: Yellow gold with a black mask. Black: White markings are not desirable. Brindle: Fawn and black in "tiger" striped pattern. Harlequin: Base color is pure white with black torn patches irregularly distributed all over the entire body. Blue: A pure steel blue. White markings are not desirable. Mantle: Black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body
Great Danes need a large house with a big yard with a fence at least six feet high and time to exercise this giant breed must be given to it everyday.
As a giant breed, these dogs mature very slowly. Keep in mind that just because a six-month-old will be huge that it will still have the mind of a puppy and that you need to treat it like a puppy.
One last thought, feeding requirements for these dogs are rather large when compared to many breeds. A Great Dane will easily eat eight to twelve cups of food a day. These dogs can easily suffer from bloat after a large meal so avoid feeding him huge meals all at once.
Country of origin: Germany Lifespan: 6-9 years Colors: Fawn, brindle, solid black, blue, harlequin and mantle Known health problems: Wobbler syndrome, bloat, osteosarcoma, hypothyroidism, heart disease Famous Danes: Scooby-Doo cartoon character; Astro on The Jetsons; the comic character, Marmaduke
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