Height: 28-32 inches
Weight: 100-130 lbs.
Life Span: 6-8 yrs.
Breed Group: Guardian Dogs
Overview
Eager-to-please Great Danes are friendly, easygoing, and gentle with children
in the family as long as they are treated with kindness.
They will bark deeply when someone comes to the door but aren't usually
aggressive. They may be shy around strangers.
Introducing them at an early age to a variety of people and situations will
help them become flexible and adaptable. Obedience training is very important
for such large, powerful dogs.
Training should be firm, calm, and gentle. Tug-of-war or other aggressive
games should not be played. Some are heavy droolers.
Appearance
The coat is short, dense, smooth, and glossy in brindle, fawn, steel blue,
black, or harlequin.
Grooming & Exercise Needs
Great Danes should be brushed weekly. They can live comfortably in the city,
suburbs, or country as long as they get enough exercise every day. A brisk
walk or a romp in the park is recommended.
Origins
The Great Danes of today are far removed temperamentally and physically
from their mastiff-like ancestors, which were bred in Germany in the Middle
Ages to hunt wild boar.
Breed-related health concerns: bloat, hip dysplasia, osteosarcoma,
hypertrophic osteodystrophy (a developmental disorder causing painful swelling
of bones), cervical vertebral instability (a malformation of neck vertebrae
causing a wobbling gait).
Reference: AKC - American Kennel Club |
