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PUPPIES: NEW LITTER EXPECTED SOON – www.rocknrollover.com
Did you know?
· The Great Dane was developed in
· The earliest written description of a dog resembling the breed may be found
in Chinese literature of 1121 B.C. (an article by Dr. G. Ciaburri,
Great Dane Club of Italy publication, 1929).
· The name of the breed (in the English language) is a translation of an old
French designation, grand Danois, meaning "big
Danish." This was only one of half a dozen names which had been used for
centuries in
· In 1891 the Great Dane Club of Germany adopted a precise standard,
or official description of the ideal specimen.
So you want to own a Great Dane?
They can make great family dogs but require a lot of companionship and
attention.
Breed
Standard
General Appearance
The Great Dane combines, in its regal appearance, dignity, strength and
elegance with great size and a powerful, well-formed, smoothly muscled body. It
is one of the giant working breeds, but is unique in that its general
conformation must be so well balanced that it never appears clumsy, and shall
move with a long reach and powerful drive. It is always a unit-the Apollo of
dogs. A Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, never timid; always friendly
and dependable. This physical and mental combination is the characteristic
which gives the Great Dane the majesty possessed by no other breed. It is particularly
true of this breed that there is an impression of great masculinity in dogs, as
compared to an impression of femininity in bitches. Lack of true Dane breed
type, as defined in this standard, is a serious fault.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The male should appear more massive throughout than
the bitch, with larger frame and heavier bone. In the ratio between length and
height, the Great Dane should be square. In bitches, a somewhat longer body is
permissible, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Coarseness or lack of substance are equally undesirable. The male shall
not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32
inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height. The female
shall not be less than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that
she be 30 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height.
Danes under minimum height must be disqualified.
Head
The head shall be rectangular, long, distinguished, expressive, finely
chiseled, especially below the eyes. Seen from the side, the Dane's forehead
must be sharply set off from the bridge of the nose, (a strongly pronounced
stop). The plane of the skull and the plane of the muzzle must be straight and
parallel to one another. The skull plane under and to the inner point of the
eye must slope without any bony protuberance in a smooth line to a full square
jaw with a deep muzzle (fluttering lips are undesirable). The masculinity of
the male is very pronounced in structural appearance of the head. The bitch's
head is more delicately formed. Seen from the top, the skull should have
parallel sides and the bridge of the nose should be as broad as possible. The
cheek muscles should not be prominent. The length from the tip of the nose to
the center of the stop should be equal to the length from the center of the
stop to the rear of the slightly developed occiput.
The head should be angular from all sides and should have flat planes with
dimensions in proportion to the size of the Dane. Whiskers may be trimmed or
left natural. Eyes shall be medium size, deep set, and dark, with
a lively intelligent expression. The eyelids are almond-shaped and relatively
tight, with well developed brows. Haws and mongolian
eyes are serious faults. In harlequins, the eyes should be dark; light colored
eyes, eyes of different colors and walleyes are permitted but not desirable. Ears
shall be high set, medium in size and of moderate thickness, folded forward
close to the cheek. The top line of the folded ear should be level with the
skull. If cropped, the ear length is in proportion to the size of the head and
the ears are carried uniformly erect.
Nose shall be black, except in the blue Dane, where it is a dark
blue-black. A black spotted nose is permitted on the harlequin; a pink colored
nose is not desirable. A split nose is a disqualification.
Teeth shall be strong, well developed, clean and with full
dentition. The incisors of the lower jaw touch very lightly the bottoms of the
inner surface of the upper incisors (scissors bite). An undershot jaw is a very
serious fault. Overshot or wry bites are serious faults. Even bites, misaligned
or crowded incisors are minor faults.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck shall be firm, high set, well arched, long and muscular. From the
nape, it should gradually broaden and flow smoothly into the withers. The neck
underline should be clean. Withers shall slope smoothly into a short level back
with a broad loin. The chest shall be broad, deep and well muscled. The forechest should be well developed without a pronounced
sternum. The brisket extends to the elbow, with well sprung ribs. The body
underline should be tightly muscled with a well-defined tuck-up.
The croup should be broad and very slightly sloping. The tail should be set
high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back, a
continuation of the spine. The tail should be broad at the base, tapering
uniformly down to the hock joint. At rest, the tail should fall straight. When
excited or running, it may curve slightly, but never above the level of the
back. A ring or hooked tail is a serious fault. A docked tail is a
disqualification.
Forequarters
The forequarters, viewed from the side, shall be strong and muscular. The
shoulder blade must be strong and sloping, forming, as near as possible, a
right angle in its articulation with the upper arm. A line from the upper tip
of the shoulder to the back of the elbow joint should be perpendicular. The
ligaments and muscles holding the shoulder blade to the rib cage must be well
developed, firm and securely attached to prevent loose shoulders. The shoulder
blade and the upper arm should be the same length. The elbow should be one-half
the distance from the withers to the ground. The strong pasterns should slope
slightly. The feet should be round and compact with well-arched toes, neither toeing in, toeing out, nor rolling to the inside or outside.
The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except that they may
be lighter in harlequins. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters shall be strong, broad, muscular and well angulated, with well
let down hocks. Seen from the rear, the hock joints appear to be perfectly straight, turned neither toward the inside nor toward the
outside. The rear feet should be round and compact, with well-arched toes,
neither toeing in nor out. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as
possible, except they may be lighter in harlequins. Wolf claws are a serious
fault.
Coat
The coat shall be short, thick and clean with a smooth glossy appearance.
Color, Markings and Patterns
Brindle--The base color shall be yellow gold and always brindled
with strong black cross stripes in a chevron pattern. A black mask is
preferred. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on
the ears and tail tip. The more intensive the base color and the more distinct
and even the brindling, the more preferred will be
the color. Too much or too little brindling are
equally undesirable. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted, dirty
colored brindles are not desirable.
Fawn--The color shall be yellow gold with a black mask. Black
should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail
tip. The deep yellow gold must always be given the preference. White markings
at the chest and toes, black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable.
Blue--The color shall be a pure steel blue. White markings at the
chest and toes are not desirable.
Black--The color shall be a glossy black. White markings at the
chest and toes are not desirable.
Harlequin--Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches
irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is
preferred. The black patches should never be large enough to give the
appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a stippled or dappled effect.
Eligible, but less desirable, are a few small gray patches, or a white base
with single black hairs showing through, which tend to give a salt and pepper
or dirty effect.
Mantle--The color shall be black and white with a solid black
blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is
optional; whole white collar is preferred; a white chest; white on part or
whole of forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking
in the blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar.
Any variance in color or markings as described above shall be faulted to the
extent of the deviation. Any Great Dane which does not fall within the above
color classifications must be disqualified.
Gait
The gait denotes strength and power with long, easy strides resulting in no
tossing, rolling or bouncing of the topline or body.
The backline shall appear level and parallel to the ground. The long reach
should strike the ground below the nose while the head is carried forward. The
powerful rear drive should be balanced to the reach. As speed increases, there
is a natural tendency for the legs to converge toward the centerline of balance
beneath the body. There should be no twisting in or out at the elbow or hock
joints.
Temperament
The Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, always friendly and dependable,
and never timid or aggressive.
Disqualifications
Danes under minimum height.
Split nose. Docked Tail.
Any color other than those described under "Color, Markings and
Patterns."
Approved
Effective