Young Danes are prone to “the zoomies” – a term used to describe their demonstration of wild abandon and sheer glee that involves galloping, leaping, spinning and jumping on or over objects with an endearing expression of pure joy. Great Danes can be as energetic as they are large, especially during the teenage period. This physical and mental combination is the characteristic which gives the Great Dane the majesty possessed by no other breed.” According to the AKC Official Standard, a Great Dane “must be spirited, courageous, never timid always friendly and dependable. As such, balance in temperament and physical traits is essential. However, size and beauty alone were never enough to make the “Apollo of dogs” a suitable representative of his distinguished breed he always needed height, weight, courage, nobility, speed and endurance as well.ĭanes are rarely used as boarhounds today, but instead have transitioned to beloved and affectionate companions and less commonly, estate guard dogs. This took a powerful, intelligent, tenacious and fearless dog, and the Great Dane’s personality and breed characteristics suited him perfectly to this task. Great Danes originated in Germany and perhaps in England (there is no known connection with Denmark), and were bred to hunt the savage European wild boar. The Great Dane is an enormous breed that has been cultivated as a distinct type of dog for hundreds of years.
According to the AKC official standard, a Great Dane “must be spirited, courageous, never timid always friendly and dependable.
Balance in disposition and physical characteristics remains essential in correct representatives of the breed. They easily transitioned to affectionate companions. Great Danes are rarely used as boarhounds today, but instead have been selectively bred for docility, conformation and temperament. The German Mastiff Club of America was founded in 1889, and two years later the parent club was renamed the Great Dane Club of America. The American Kennel Club recognized the Great Dane in 1887. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody apparently was an early admirer of the breed. Great Danes came to the United States starting in the mid-1800s. Italy still calls the breed Alano, which means “mastiff.” In 1891, the Deutsche Dogge Club of Germany was formed and adopted an official standard describing the breed. Shortly thereafter, German fanciers declared that the breed be called the Deutsche dogge, and that all other names be abolished. The Great Dane was declared the National Dog of Germany in 1876. In the 1800s, the breed in Germany began approaching the dog we know today. It is reported that in 1592, the Duke of Braunschweig brought a pack of 600 Great Danes to a boar hunt – supposedly, all of them males. German nobility were so impressed with these dogs that they began to take the best specimens as guard dogs, and ultimately companions, for their large estates. This took a powerful, intelligent, tenacious dog, and the Dane’s personality and breed characteristics suited him perfectly to the task. The Great Dane originally was bred in Germany for the purpose of hunting the European wild boar, which at the time was the most savage of all game on the Continent.
It is widely believed that Great Danes descend from crosses between the English Mastiff and the Irish Wolfhound.
The Great Dane as we know it has been selectively bred as a distinct type for at least 400 years, and perhaps longer. These ancestral Danes were less refined than those seen today – heavier in build and bred for ferocity and fearlessness rather than appearance. Early written descriptions of similar dogs were found in Chinese literature of 1121 B.C. There are drawings of dogs resembling the Great Dane on Egyptian monuments dating to 3000 B.C. The exact age of the Great Dane breed is not known, but it is likely that close ancestors of the breed have existed for thousands of years.
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