INTRODUCTION

The Great Dane brings together in his aristocratic general appearance, a large and well endowed build. His height can reach 2.10 m on two legs; his best qualities are loyalty, pride, strength and elegance. At first sight he is intimidating, but in almost all cases he is an excellent companion dog and a loving provider of affection for his masters.

THE ORIGIN OF THE GERMAN PUG

In medieval prints and engravings from various European countries, we find reproductions of dogs which are undoubtedly German Mastiffs. Going back to even more ancient times, we find effigies of dogs similar to the Dogo in the tombs of the Pharaohs, in Assyrian bas-reliefs in scenes of big game hunting; the ancient Romans, in addition to the Molosser used in combat, had other dogs, equally large but more agile: we probably owe to them their spread throughout Europe, including Britannia.

On the other hand, according to some authors, these dogs came to Europe from Asia, as a consequence of the invasion of a Shiite people, the Alans, and would therefore be direct descendants of the Tibetan Mastiff, with which, however, there does not seem to be the slightest resemblance, either aesthetically or in character.

According to others, the Dogo was born from the union of the solid and coarse Molosser with the fast Greyhound, in order to obtain a strong and at the same time agile dog for use in big game hunting. This ‘legend’ could explain the fact that in the late Middle Ages we find ‘war’ or ‘body’ dogs and ‘chamber’ dogs, which differed not so much in morphology as in character. The former, agile and aggressive, were ferocious in battle, armed with cuirasses provided with long sharp spears to disembowel the enemy's horses, or even with flaming torches; true war machines, in which it is difficult to recognise our present-day dogos.

On the other hand, the ‘chambered’ German Mastiffs were faithful companions who followed their master on the hunt (the descriptions and depictions of these hunting parties are similar to those of greyhounds), ate in his company and slept in his room to protect his sleep. According to Anglo-Saxon literature, German Mastiffs were bred in Britain as early as the 14th century and trained for bear hunting; they were probably derived from the Mastiff, but were more elegant and less ferocious; one of the most famous varieties, known as the Lyme Mastiff, was highly prized by the English aristocracy, through whom some were brought as gifts to courts all over Europe.

Thus they were appreciated and then bred mainly in Germany, and the Germans were able to improve the breed, partly by crossbreeding with local dogs. The product of these crosses was initially called the English dogge, but soon became their national breed, probably thanks, among others, to the famous Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who was often seen with a dog of this breed.

The Ulm dog, perhaps the most famous, was bred by a veterinary surgeon in the southern German city of Ulm and was apparently an elegant, structural dog, while stronger dogs came from northern Germany, especially Hamburg and Berlin, but were inexplicably identified as Danish dogge.

According to some authors this name does not derive from the country of origin (it is interesting to note that there are no reports of particular attentions to this breed by the Danes), but from the fact that these dogs were mainly cinnamon-coloured, i.e. blond, without mask, with long legs and strong trunk, the same somatic characteristics of the inhabitants of Denmark!

It was only in the second half of the 19th century that the name deutsche dogge (i.e. German dog) was finally coined, while it became a ‘national breed’ and it was established that all these dogs, which differed little from each other except for the colour of the coat, should be bred under a single name. It is therefore impossible to determine the exact place of origin of this breed or the variety of dogs that have contributed to its formation, but we must certainly thank Germany for having shaped and refined its forms.

The more recent history of the breed, which from the 19th century and in the early years of the 20th century was widespread throughout Europe, suffered a serious crisis with the outbreak of the Second World War. European breeders, especially German breeders, lost most, if not all, of the dogs they had selected up to that time.  However, the breed was easily recovered, although not quite from the excellent levels of typicity and selection that had been achieved, thanks to the material that the Germans themselves had previously exported to the United States and Great Britain, where two large kennels had managed to keep some important breeding stock.

Source: Book ‘The German Dogo’ (Marina Salmoiraghi)

THE STANDARD OF THE GERMAN PUG

GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Great Dane combines in his aristocratic general appearance a strong body structure with pride, strength and elegance. Substance together with nobility and harmony of appearance with well proportioned lines, a particularly expressive head, give the observer the image of a noble statue. It is neither too elegant nor too coarse. The difference between the sexes is clearly defined. He is the Apollo among the dog breeds.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Almost square in build, especially in males. Bitches may have a slightly longer body.

HEAD : In harmony with general appearance, elongated, narrow, significant but not wedge-shaped. Expressive, finely chiselled (especially in the area under the eyes). The distance from the tip of the nose to the stop and from the stop to the slightly marked occiput should be as much the same as possible. The top line of muzzle and skull should definitely be parallel. Viewed from the front the head should have a narrow appearance and the muzzle should be as broad as possible.

CRANIAL REGION

SKULL: Superciliary arches well developed, but not protruding.

STOP : Clearly defined.

FACIAL REGION

TRUFFLE: Well developed, broad rather than round (nostrils wide open). Must be black except in black and white spotted Great Danes. In these a black nose is desired and a nose with black or flesh coloured patches is tolerated. In blue dogs the nose is the colour of anthracite (diluted black).

EAR : Deep and as far as possible rectangular. Not pointed or with too few or too protruding flews. Labial commissure well marked. Darkly pigmented flews. In the black and white spotted Great Dane, not fully pigmented or flesh coloured flews should be tolerated. The bridge of nose should never be concave, convex or sloping forward.

TEETH: Maxillae broad and well developed. Scissor bite, strong, sound and complete (42 teeth according to dental formula). Lack of P1 of lower jaw tolerated. All deviations from a complete scissor bite are absolutely undesirable.

CHEEKS: Cheek muscles only slightly marked and in no way protruding.

EYES: Medium size with a lively, intelligent and friendly expression. If possible dark, almond shaped with well fitting eyelids. They should not be set too wide apart and should not be elongated in shape. Light, piercing eyes and amber yellow eyes are undesirable. In the blue Great Dane slightly lighter eyes are permissible. In the black and white spotted Great Dane, light eyes or eyes of undefined colour should be tolerated.

EARS: Set on high, naturally pendulous, medium size with the front edge resting on the cheeks. They should not be set too high or too low or set too wide apart or flat on the sides.

NECK: Long, dry, muscular. Should not be short or thick. Set on well developed, tapering slightly towards the head with arched topline. Carried erect, somewhat sloping obliquely forward but not forming a deer's neck. Too much loose skin or dewlap undesirable.

BODY

CROSS: The highest point of a robust body. It is formed by the shoulder blades overlapping the spinal process.

DORSUM: Short and firm, in an almost straight line with an imperceptible fall backwards. In no case rising towards the rear or too long.

LOIN : Slightly arched, broad, well muscled.

CROUP: Broad, strongly muscled, slightly sloping from the sacrum to the tail set on, with which it merges imperceptibly. The croup should never drop abruptly or be completely flat.

CHEST : Reaching to the elbow joints. Ribs well sprung, extending backwards. Chest of good width and depth with well developed forechest without the sternum being too pronounced. Ribs should not be flat or barrel shaped.

BOTTOM LINE AND BELLY: Belly tucked up well to the rear, forming a moderate curved line with the lower portion of the chest. It is not desirable for bitches to retain a loose belly after pregnancy.

TAIL : Reaching to the tibio-tarsal joint, neither too long nor too short. Set on high and broad, neither too high nor too low and neither too thick. It tapers evenly towards the end. At rest it hangs downwards in a natural curve. When excited or during movement a slight sabre carriage but not hooked or ring-shaped and not considerably above the line of the back or to the sides. A brush tail is not desired.

LIMBS FOREQUARTERS: Well angulated with strong bone and musculature.

Shoulders : Strongly muscled. Shoulder blade long and sloping at an angle of 100° to 110° to the upper arm.

ARM: Strong and muscular, close to the body, should be slightly longer than the shoulder blade.

ELBOW: Without deviation, neither inward nor outward.

Forearm: Strong, muscular. Seen from the front or from the side completely straight with vertical stop.

Pastern : Seen from the front, strong and straight. In profile, showing a very slight forward lean.

HANDS: Round, well arched with well knuckled toes (cat foot). Nails short, strong, as dark as possible.

HINDQUARTERS: The entire skeleton is covered by strong muscles which make the croup, hips and thighs broad and round in appearance. The hindquarters are well angulated and strong, seen from behind, parallel to the forelegs.

UPPER THINGS : Long, broad and very muscular.

KNEES : Strong, set almost vertically below the hip joint.

LEGS: Long, approximately the same length as the thighs. Muscles well developed.

HOCK: Strong, stable, without deviation, neither inward nor outward.

METATARSUS : Short, strong, almost perpendicular to the ground.

FEET: Round, well arched with toes close together (cat feet). Nails short, strong, as dark as possible.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: Harmonious, agile, covering a lot of ground, slightly springy. Limbs seen from front and rear should move parallel. No short strides, no ambling gait.

SKIN: Tight, well pigmented in dogs with solid colours. In the black and white spotted Great Dane the distribution of pigmentation corresponds for the most part with the patches.

HAIR: Very short, dense, smooth, flat and glossy in appearance. Should never be harsh, dull or double coated.

COLOUR: The Great Dane is bred in three separate varieties: fawn and brindle, spotted and black, blue.

• FAWN: Pale golden fawn to deep golden fawn. A black mask is desirable. Never greyish fawn, bluish fawn or a sooty fawn colour. No white markings.

• BRINDLE: Basic colour pale golden fawn to deep golden fawn with regular and clearly drawn black stripes running in the direction of the ribs. A black mask is desirable. Never with discoloured stripes. No white markings. 

• HARLEQUIN: Pure white base colour as far as possible without any mottling with jet black markings well distributed over the whole body of irregular shape and broken appearance. Grey, blue or brownish areas in the markings as well as blue-grey splashes are not desired. So-called ‘Grautiger’ (black patches with a mainly grey base colour) occur, undesirable but not disqualified.

• BLACK: Jet black. White markings on chest and feet are permitted. This includes the ‘Manteltiger’ in which black covers the body in the form of a coat and the muzzle, neck, chest, belly, legs and tip of tail may be white as well as Great Danes with white ground colour and large black plates (Plattenhunde). Fawn, brown or blue-black is a fault.

• BLUE: Dark steel blue, white markings on chest and feet permitted. Never with fawn or blackish blue shadings. 

SIZE

HEIGHT AT WITHERS:

• MALES: At least 80 cm, not exceeding 90 cm.
• FEMALES: At least 72 cm not exceeding 84 cm.

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

• Insufficient stop.
• Rolled lips (lower lips pinched between the incisors of the upper and lower jaw).
• Irregular position of the incisors individually as long as the correct bite is maintained, teeth too small. Partial pincer bite.
• Eyes protruding or set too deep.
• Loose or overloaded shoulders with straight shoulder blades. 
• Loose elbows
• Curved forearms, knuckles protruding over carpal joint.
• Protruding carpus. Significant sagging or leaning.
• Rear angulation too open or too closed. In statics cow hock, hocks close together or overlapping.
• Feet flat, open, long.
• Dewclaws.

SERIOUS FAULTS:

• Lack of self-confidence, timid or nervous. 
• Head too broad, cheek muscles too pronounced.
• Loose eyelids, conjunctiva too red.
• Back too deep or upturned. 
• Croup too sloping.
• Tail inclined, thickened at the tip or docked tail.
• Permanent docking.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:

• Aggressiveness or extreme shyness.
• Any dog showing clear signs of physical or behavioural abnormalities.
• Biting out of fear, easily provoked.
• Liver-coloured nose, split nose.
• Ectropion, entropion or macroblepharia. Different colour in solid coloured dogs.
• Watery blue eyes.
• Prognathic bite, enognathic or cross bite, pincer bite, absence of teeth except for two P1 in the lower jaw.
• Broken tail.
• COLOUR: silver blue or isabella colour, white star on the forehead, white collar on the neck, white feet or paws and white tip of the tail.
  Harlequin white without any black markings (albinos) as well as deaf Danes, the so-called Porzellantiger (these show mainly blue, fawn or brindle markings).
  Blue German Dogo with white star on forehead, white collar on neck, white ‘white’ or white tip of tail.
• Size below minimum height.

N.B.:

• Male dogs should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs of typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.

THE HEALTH OF THE GERMAN PUG

If we are looking for a weak point in this breed it is in health, as 30% of the dogs do not live to be more than five years old and very few live to be more than 10 years old, although this is common to all large breeds.

In order to have as healthy a dog as possible, it is best to buy it from a breeder who gives us the maximum guarantees, such as that the ancestors are free of dysplasia and who can provide us with DNA tests in which we can see that there are no latent genetic diseases.

• HIP DYSPLASIA: Hip dysplasia is a multigenic and osteoarticular disease that can be hereditary and degenerative. Therefore, there may be different factors with which to try to predict whether the disease can be developed or not. It is necessary to bear in mind that, although it may be a hereditary disease, it does not always have to develop as it is possible that the dog does not transmit it to its descendants.

• ELBOW DYSPLASIA: Canine elbow dysplasia is a condition consisting of multiple abnormalities of the elbow joint. The elbow joint is a complex joint consisting of three bones (radius, ulna and humerus) (Figure 1). If these three bones do not fit together perfectly as a result of growth faltering, an abnormal weight distribution over different areas of the joint occurs, causing pain, lameness and leading to the development of arthritis. Elbow dysplasia is a disease comprising several disorders grouped into medial space disease (fragmentation of the coronoid process, osteochondrosis, elbow incongruity and elbow anomalies) and nonunion of the anconeal process.  The cause of canine elbow dysplasia is unclear. There are several theories as to the exact cause of the disease, including genetics', cartilage growth defects, trauma, diet and other issues. The most common suspicion is that it is a multifactorial disease causing growth disturbances. 

• STOMACH TORSION: Gastric torsion or stomach torsion in dogs is a condition in which the dog's stomach becomes abnormally distended, due to the accumulation of food, fluid and gas, as well as a rotation that alters its normal anatomical position.
  In addition, the dilatation of the stomach compresses thoracic and abdominal organs, as well as the great vessels - for example the vena cava - affecting their function and causing the patient to go into shock due to a lack of blood circulation from the abdomen to the heart. Other complications may also appear, such as necrosis of the gastric and intestinal wall, which may perforate (peritonitis); renal and hepatic insufficiency, arrhythmias; respiratory difficulty, etc.

• OSTEOSARCOMA: Bones contain a variety of mesenchymal tissue, which has a potential to develop neoplastic transformation. Primary bone tumours can arise from precursors of bone tissue, cartilage, fibrous tissue, adipose tissue and vascular tissue.  Of these, bone and cartilage tumours are the most common. In dogs, primary bone sarcomas, particularly osteosarcomas, outnumber benign bone tumours while in cats the ratio of benign to malignant tumours is usually equal. Many primary bone tumours are malignant and may cause death as a result of local infiltration (pathological fractures) or metastasis (mainly to lymph nodes).
  The prognosis is guarded and life expectancy (even with treatment) usually does not exceed one year.

THE PERSONALITY OF THE GERMAN PUG

The large and imposing appearance of the Great Dane belies a friendly nature. The breed is often referred to as the ‘gentle giant’. Great Danes normally get along well with other dogs, other pets and human acquaintances or family members. They do not usually show extreme aggression or a high prey drive. The Great Dane is a guard and companion animal and with proper training (socialisation) behaves very well around children, especially if it grows up with them. However, if not properly socialised a Great Dane can become distrustful or aggressive towards new stimuli, such as strangers or new places and environments.

The Great Dane is a breed recommended for families, provided it is trained consistently from puppyhood. It is considered by animal experts to be ‘the world's greatest lap dog’, due to its preference for sitting and leaning on its owners.

CONCLUSION

Thanks to their docility and loyalty to humans, they are generally easy-going and unproblematic animals, making them excellent family and companion dogs. Their big heart makes them suitable even for animal-assisted therapy. As with all other breeds, they require consistent and loving training in order to develop their positive character. It should also not be forgotten that, due to their large size, they need a person at their side who sets their limits and on whose strength they can rely.