Deutsche Dogge – Great Dane

In appearance and nature the Great Dane is one of the most elegant and distinguished varieties of giant dogs. They have mesmerized and appealed to admirers all over the globe. Their sleek outline and sharp disposition combined with 6 different beautiful colours have earned them the title of “Model of Nobility“.Indeed their pacified dignity, coupled with unshakable elegance and smooth sculpted, rather chiseled figure ranks them as Apollo of Dogdom.

The Great Dane is native to Germany rather than Denmark where they are simply referred as “Deutsche Dogge”. In addition to this name they have been loosely called as “Boarhound”, “Tiger Dog”, “Ulmer Dogge”, “Grosse Dogge”, “Sanfanger”, “Hatzrude”, and “Metzerhund” at various urban and rural settlements.

History:

The Great Dane’s ancestors were powerful dogs with swift feet united with strong limbs and their primary use was to hunt wild boars. The wild boar found in Central Europe was a huge and bad tempered beast with sharp tusks weighing around 350 lbs. In medieval times, the elite of the society considered it as one of the greatest sport to hunt hundreds of boars in huge hunts. One such hunt is reported to have taken place in the Reinhard Forest north of Frankfurt back in 1563 A.D that killed or captured around 2600 wild boars. Their ears were customarily cropped short so as to they were not torn off by fierce boars or ripped under forest bush. Count Philip of Hessen was very fond of these ancient boarhounds. The dog that showed the most loyalty and hunting skills was awarded collars of velvet and were titled “Kammerhunde” – meaning Chamber Dogs, and the second best was called “Liebhunde” – meaning beloved dogs.

In 1800 A.D Sydenham Edwards wrote in “Cynographia Brittannica” that the most refined and aristocratic looking specimens were employed as carriage dogs.

“…….no equipage can have arrived at its acme of grandeur until a couple of Harlequin Danes precede the pomp”

The Great Dane was described as the dog up to 31 inch high in conformation between the Greyhound and the Mastiff with colours ranging from sandy red to a white base with small patches of black and gray (harlequin pattern).

In 1880, Dr Bodinus called a meeting of Great Dane judges who reached an agreement that the breed be called as “Deutsche Dogge”. The first Great Dane Club was formed in England in 1885 followed by the German Deutsche Doggen Club in 1888. The Great Dane Club of America (GDCA) was founded in Chicago in the following year. The parent club in Germany adopted the very first standard in 1891. A person from Northern Germany Edward Messter of Nill, bred the brindle dog Nero I 609, born in 1876. Nero is firmly established as the progenitor of the modern Great Dane as every other bloodline, no matter what the colour of the dog is, traces back its pedigree to him.

Early volumes of the magazine published by the parent club showed the huge and strong animals combine with the fierceness that is almost erased by careful selection. The photographs of the earliest Great Danes showed the fixing of type carried on the coarse subjects abundant in those times. Exportation to Britain and USA accelerated at the turn of the century but the WW1 hindered the progress of the breed. Karl Farber bought the brindled bitch Fauna Moguntia, from the refine “Hansa line” and was bred to the fawn dog Ch. Bosko von der Saalburg, which produced the elegant brindle Ch. Dolf von der Saalburg in 1924. The development of the modern Great Dane will always remain indebted to these three extra-ordinary specimens.

Character:

Great size and substance is, as always in the past, the number one priority. But despite their substance, they have remained elegant. When the necessary relationship between the mighty Dane and his master is established, very few who have owned one would be satisfied with anything less royal. The breed is one of the most tolerant of children and very dependable in their company. As they are huge in stature, they need an ample space to run and a nice garden is the best place where young puppies can play at their will, without damaging their delicate ligaments supporting their joints.

Choosing a Great Dane Puppy:

1. Inspect the topline of the litter. Puppies from 10 weeks to 10 months go through a phase where their hindquarters are higher than their withers. It should not be taken as a fault because most of them balance their structure as they mature.

2. Check the bite. The standard requires a scissor bite i.e. the front incisors of the lower jaw touch very marginally the bottom of the inner surface of the upper incisors. Never opt for a level or overshot bite despite old tales that the jaw will grow into it. Great Danes are very strictly judged on the alignment of the teeth also and do inspect for any malformations.

3. See for the “growth bumps” evident just above the paws of the puppy. Go for a puppy that has visible bone mass density.

4. If you have opted for a Harlequin pattern Great Dane, and want a show prospect also, always opt for a clean neck as far as it can be. This means with very little or no black patches. Although neither desired nor mandatory, these small variants prove their worth in the show ring.

Tags: championship dog show, deutsche dogge, dog breed, dog breeds, giant dogs, great dane