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GREAT DANE
Official U.K.C. Breed Standard
Revised February 1, 1999
History
The ancestors of the Great Dane include British
mastiffs and possibly wolfhounds, brought to Europe,
first by the Romans and later by German aristocrats
seeking to improve their hunting dogs. Despite its
name, the Great Dane is a German breed. During the
15th and 16th centuries, German forests were filled
with game, and hunting wild boar with dogs was a
favorite pastime of German nobility. Each lord kept
large numbers of boarhounds, which they carefully
bred to improve their size, power, and endurance.
When game in the forests began to dwindle, the large
breeding kennels disappeared but the Great Dane
continued to be a favorite with German aristocrats.
Great Danes were exhibited at the first German Dog
show in 1863, and the first Danes were imported into
the United States not long thereafter. In this
country, Great Danes are popular family companions
for people who admire their regal appearance and
affectionate personalities.
The Great Dane was recognized by United Kennel Club
in 1923.
General Appearance
The Great Dane is a very large, short-coated dog
with smooth, well-defined musculature. The body is
square, but bitches may be somewhat longer in body
than dogs. The length of the front leg (measured
from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately
equal to one-half of the dog's height at the
withers. The head is long, rectangular, and finely
chiseled. Ears are medium in size, high set, and may
be drop or cropped. The tail is a natural extension
of the spine, thick at the base and tapering to a
point. Gender differences are apparent in this
breed. Typically the dog is proportionately taller
and heavier than the female. The bitch appears
feminine in comparison to the dog. The Great Dane
combines great size with dignity and elegance,
giving rise to its nickname, the Apollo of dogs.
Characteristics
The Great Dane is spirited, courageous, friendly,
and dependable. Great Danes are easygoing dogs,
affectionate with family members and self-confident
with strangers. The Great Dane has a stable, easy
going nature, preferring to lounge on the couch near
a loved one to almost any other pastime. They are
good with children but their great size makes them
more suitable for older children and teenagers.
Great Danes are easily trained but need consistency.
Head
The Great Dane head is proportionate to the size of
the dog, long, rectangular, and finely chiseled,
especially below the eyes. Viewed from the side, the
skull and muzzle are of equal length, straight,
parallel to one another, and joined by a strongly
pronounced stop. Viewed from above, the planes of
the skull and foreface are parallel and the bridge
of the nose is very broad. Gender difference is
readily apparent. A correct head is essential to
Great Dane breed type.
SKULL -- The skull is broad, long and nearly
flat, with parallel sides. Cheeks are clean and
cheek muscles are not prominent. Supraorbital ridges
are well developed.
Faults: Narrow or short skull.
MUZZLE -- In profile, the muzzle is long,
equal in length to the skull, and deep. The
underline of the lower jaw is nearly parallel to the
bridge of the muzzle. The end of the muzzle is
blunt, and almost perpendicular to the upper and
lower lines of the jaw, forming a distinctly
rectangular muzzle. The bridge of the muzzle is very
broad, so that the end of the muzzle, viewed from
the front, appears almost square. Mouth is dry.
Removal of whiskers is permitted but not preferred.
Faults: Muzzle too long or too short; loose,
fluttering lips.
TEETH -- The Great Dane has a complete set of
evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors
bite.
Minor faults: Crowded lower incisors; level bite.
Serious faults: Overshot; wry mouth.
Very serious fault: Undershot.
NOSE -- The nose is black, except for blue
Danes where the nose is a dark blue-black. A black
spotted nose is acceptable, but not preferred, on a
harlequin Dane.
Fault: Pink nose
Disqualification: Split nose.
EYES -- Eyes are medium in size, almond-shaped,
tight, and dark brown. A slightly lighter shade of
brown is acceptable, but not preferred, in the blue
Danes. Light-colored eyes, eyes of different colors,
and walleyes are permitted in the harlequin Dane but
not preferred.
Faults: Round or protruding eyes; yellow eyes; eyes
too close together.
Serious faults: Visible haw; obliquely set Mongolian
eyes; functional abnormality of eyelids or
eyelashes.
EARS -- Ears may be cropped or natural, with no
preference. Ears are high set and of moderate
thickness. Natural ears are medium in size and fold
forward close to the cheek. The top line of the ear
fold is level with the skull. Cropped ears should be
in proportion to the size of the head and stand
erect, but a dog with properly set ears must not be
penalized for an imperfect ear crop.
Faults: Any deviation from the standard that
contributes to a hound-like appearance.
Head
The neck is long, well arched, and muscular. From
the nape, the neck gradually broadens and flows
smoothly into the shoulders. The underline of the
neck is clean.
Faults: Short, thick neck; ewe neck, goose neck.
Forequarters
Shoulders are strong, smoothly muscled, and securely
attached to the rib cage. The shoulder blades are
long and well laid back. The upper arm appears to be
equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it
at an apparent right angle. The elbows are close to
the body. A line drawn from the upper tip of the
shoulder blade to the back of the elbow joint will
be perpendicular to the ground. The forelegs are
straight with strong, slightly sloping pasterns.
Faults: Toeing in or out; down in pasterns.
Body
The Great Dane is a square dog. Its height, measured
from the withers to the ground, should equal its
length of body, measured from prosternum to point of
buttocks. The length of the forelegs (measured from
point of elbow to the ground) should approximately
equal one-half of the dog's height. The topline of
the Great Dane flows smoothly from the withers to a
short, level back. The ribs extend well back and are
well sprung out from the spine. The loin is short
and broad, with a well-defined tuck-up. The chest is
broad, well muscled, and deep, extending to the
elbows. The forechest is well developed but without
a pronounced sternum. The body underline is tightly
muscled.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strong, broad, and muscular,
with hocks well let down. The croup is broad and
very slightly sloping. The angulation of the
hindquarters is in balance with the angulation of
the forequarters. When the dog is standing, the
short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the
ground and, viewed from the rear, parallel to one
another.
Faults: Steep croup; lack of rear angulation; over-angulation;
cow hocks; open hocks.
Feet
Feet are round, tight, and well arched. Nails are
strong and as dark as possible, except that they may
be lighter in harlequins. Front dewclaws may be
removed.
Faults: Hare foot; splay foot.
Serious fault: Rear dew claws.
Tail
The tail is a natural extension of the topline. It
is thick at the base and tapers to the tip. A tail
of the correct length extends to the hock but never
below. When the dog is relaxed, the tail hangs down
naturally. When the dog is moving or alert, the tail
may curve slightly upward but never above the level
of the back.
Serious faults: Ring or hooked tail.
Disqualification: Docked tail.
Coat
The coat is short, close, and thick with a smooth,
glossy appearance.
Color
The following are the only allowed colors, markings,
and color patterns:
BRINDLE -- Strong black stripes in a chevron pattern
on a yellow gold background. Preference shall be
given where the base color is more intense and the
brindling is more distinct and even. A black mask is
preferred. Black should appear on the eye rims and
eyebrow, and may appear on the ears and tip of the
tail.
Faults: Too much or too little brindling; white
markings on the chest and toes; black-fronted or
dirty colored brindles.
FAWN -- Yellow gold with a black mask. Black should
appear on the eye rims and eyebrow, and may appear
on the ears and tip of the tail. Preference is given
to a deep yellow gold.
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes;
black-fronted or dirty colored fawns.
BLUE -- Pure steel blue.
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes.
BLACK -- Glossy black.
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes.
HARLEQUIN -- Black torn patches irregularly and well
distributed over a white background. The black
patches should never be so large as to give the
appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a
dappled effect. The presence of a few small gray
patches or single black hairs showing through the
white background, giving a dirty effect, are allowed
but not preferred.
BOSTON -- A solid black blanket extending over the
body and skull with the following white markings:
white muzzle, white collar, white chest, white on
part or on the whole of the fore and hind legs,
white tip of the tail. A full white collar is
preferred. A small white marking in the blanket or a
break in the white collar is acceptable. This color
pattern is sometimes known as "Mantle."
Disqualification: Any color, marking, or color
pattern not described above; albinism.
Height and Weight
The Great Dane is a giant working breed and should
always appear well proportioned for its size. A
mature male may not be less than 30 inches at the
shoulder. A mature female may not be less than 28
inches, although 30 inches or more is preferred.
Disqualification: A mature male Great Dane under 30
inches at the shoulder; a mature female Great Dane
under 28 inches at the shoulder.
Gait
When trotting, the gait is effortless, with long,
easy strides, and showing good but not exaggerated
reach in front and drive behind. When moving, the
backline remains level with only a slight flexing to
indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs
turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or
interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet
tend to converge toward centerline of balance.
Disqualifications
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or
extreme shyness. Split nose. Docked tail. Under
minimum height. Color other than those described in
"Color" paragraph. Albinism. |
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