Great Dane Dog Breeds Information, Origin, History, Appearance, Temperament, Health
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Read more about Great Dane dog breed here :
The Great Dane is a large German dog breed known for its giant size. The Great Dane is one of the tallest dog breeds in the world.Due to its huge size, people get intimidated, but in reality the Great Dane is one of the best-natured dog breeds in the world. Indifferent to its size, this is a very gentle and loving breed. The Great Dane, due to its Nobel behavior is also commonly known as a “Gentle Giant”.
Origin : Germany
Avg. Age : 6 to 8 years
Group : Working
History :
Evidences have been found of the presence of dogs similar to Great Dane, in the times dating back to 3000 B.C. and also there is a mention of such dogs in the Chinese literature in 1121 B.C.The breed was cross bred with other breeds and the English Mastiff and Irish Wolfhound or Irish Greyhound is considered to have played a part in the breed’s development.
The breed was big in size, powerful, strong, and very good hunter. They were called as Boar Hounds as these dogs were used for hunting bear, boar and deer. They used to follow the boar and hold it, till the huntsman arrived.The best or the favorite dog was allowed to stay at night in the home and were called as Kammerhunde(chamber dogs). These dogs were pampered and outfitted with gilded collars lined with velvet.
Due to its hunting instinct the breed was aggressive and ferocious in temperament. The German breeders have been considered to have played a major role in converting the breed into a more balance, calm and friendly dog breed. Today, the Great Dane is one of the most friendly natured dog breed.
Appearance :
The Great Dane is a large German domestic dog breed known for its giant size.The Great Dane carries a huge body with great elegance and balance, never giving a clumsy appearance. The head is massive, long and narrow, with a sleek and elegant body. The Great Dane has an athletic and muscular body. With it’s huge size, it does take a lot of space.The Great Danes have naturally floppy and triangular ears. Everything about the Great Dane is huge, which involves its, massive head, long legs, neck and tail. It has an intimidating appearance to be countered by a very gentle and calm temperament. The males have a larger frame and heavier bones in comparison to females.
Temperament :
The Great Dane is a very friendly breed. Due to their massive size and muscular body, people often get intimidated, but these dogs are very calm and gentle. They are also known as “gentle giants”. They have a great desire to please, which makes them easy to train. The Great Dane generally do not show a lot of aggression, but they can, if they feel the need to defend their family. They love to be sitting on or leaning against their owners, which lead them to be called as “world’s biggest lap dog”.
Despite the fact that the Great Dane is very calm and friendly, but it sheer enormous size and power makes it very important that the dogs is provided with proper training and early socialization. It can be a very daunting task to control an adult dog of this massive size and power, who does not understands the master’s commands.
They are generally good with children and other pets, but care must be taken, when they are around. If properly trained and socialized, these dogs are one of the best-natured dog breeds.
Health :
All Great Danes do not get affected by these diseases, but these are some of the most common health issues which this breed faces. So it is important to be aware about them.
Due to their massive body structure they suffer from a risk of hip dysplasia. They have a slow metabolism, which makes them prone to issues like gastric dilatation volyulus( GDV) also known as bloat.Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and many congenital heart diseases are also commonly found in the Great Dane.
Great Dane puppies grow very fast and continue to do so for several more month, even after the age of one year. This puts them at the risk of joint and bone problems. They can get affected by a disease call Wobbler disease, where the vertebral column gets hampered. Due to their rapid growth, their bones in the vertebrae can grow and push up against the spinal cord. This leads to weakness in the legs and other joint issues. This situation can be treated with the help of a good veterinarian.
During their growth period, the puppies must be taken care off, to avoid bone and joint issues as they are weak. They must not be allowed to do a lot a jumping while playing.