The owners of pure-bred dogs often forget that all breeds of dogs are interrelated. The large dog, with a Dane-like appearance has been in existence all the way back to pre-Roman times.
In fact, drawings showing Dane-like dogs were found in Egyptian tombs and, in the Natural History of the Dog by Richard and Alice Fiennes. Also, an illustration dating back to approx. 600BC shows Assyrian huntsmen with Dane-like dogs. However, it is not really until the 17th Century that an engraving by Richard Blomes, depicting a boar hunt in Denmark that we can clearly identify the ancestor of the Great Dane. From the middle to the late 1800s, breeders both in Germany and England became very interested in the breed and more or less developed it to the standards, which are recognised today. It has been claimed that the Great Dane is German in origin, which is not certain. However, what is evident, is that German breeders contributed largely to bringing the Great Dane to its glory of today. |
The Great Dane was developed to be very large with excellent bone and muscle development, very strong and yet to have a gentle and pleasing nature.
In 1880, Germany adopted the Great Dane as its national dog and was called the Deutsche Dogge. In England the breed was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1884 as the Great Dane. Why the breed is called under different names is uncertain. The breed did not originate in Denmark, yet in most English speaking countries the breed is called 'Great Dane', in most of central Europe it is recognised as 'Deutsche Dogge', though in France, it is recognised as both 'Dogue Allemand' and 'Danois'. In Holland, 'Duitse Dogge' and 'Deense Dogge' and in Italy it is called 'Alano'. There are many schools of thought concerning the Great Dane's ancestry; but what is of real importance is that it is now a very well established breed, the Apollo of Dogs and it is our responsibility to maintain and develop the breed standard. |