Great Dane

grat dane

Great Dane (German: Deutsche Dogge), also called Dane, is a breed of dog originating from Germany, known for its giant size. It has calm and balanced temperament, being used to guard and company. It is described by the standard as a dog at the same time elegant and imposing. It is the race of the tallest dog in the world, according to the Guiness Book: Zeus, with 1.12 m in height at the withers.

The breed has ancient and controversial origin. The most accepted hypothesis is that its remote ancestor, the extinct molosso Assyrian, was crossed by the Romans with lighter dogs (possibly the Irish lebrel ancestors) with the intention of producing a strong and agile dog, to be used in wild boar hunting, wolves and bears. Subsequently, these dogs became popular in various regions of Europe and were used for defense properties and caravan escort.

The race was present at the first exhibition of the history of dogs held in 1863 in Hamburg, Germany, registered under two different names: Danish dogue (Danish Dogge - white and black colored dogs) and dogue Ulm (Ulmer Dogge - brown coat, brindle, black or gray). A group of cinófilos judges judged impossible to distinguish another race, and in 1880, the two races were unified under the name Great Dane (Deutsche Dogge), denomination now recognized by the FCI.

 Although there is no evidence of Denmark's participation in the creation of the race, the English-speaking countries and Spanish still use the name "Great Dane" (respectively, Great Dane and gran danés). In 1888 it was founded the official club makers and in 1891 was the first written standard racemic, who suffered minor changes to the day. One of his great enthusiasts was the German Chancellor Bismarck, who created the race for almost 60 years, and was always accompanied by one or more of their dogs. One of them, Tyras, came to attack and bring down a Russian diplomat who was arguing heatedly with Bismark.

The head should be elongated, narrow, expressive, with well defined stop. Skull top and muzzle should be straight and form two parallel lines. The distance between the tip of the snout to the stop, and this until the occipital bone, should be the same. Eyes should be almond shaped and well-fitting lids, without being fallen. The neck should be long, dry and muscular. The body should be strong, muscular, with well-sprung ribs. Members must be strong, well bent, and seen from behind, parallel. The fingers should be together and well arched, reminding cat paws. The movement should be smooth, with past covering long distance.