Great Dane
The Great Dane, also denoted as Grand Danois, is a German breed[of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) known for its giant size.The name of the breed in Germany is Deutsche Dogge (German Mastiff). They are known for their enormous bodies and tall height.
The Great Dane is one of the world's tallest dog breeds; the current world record holder, measuring 112 cm (44 in) from paw to shoulder, is "Zeus".Their large size belies their friendly nature, with Great Danes known for seeking physical affection with their owners.
19th Century
In the mid-19th Century it found with beginning of the pedigree breeding and founding of kennel clubs under the names „Ulmer Dogge“ und „Dänische Dogge“ bigger interest, again. In the English speaking countries was it originally denoted as „German boarhound“. In the studbook of England was the name „German boarhound“ not before 1894 changed in „Great Dane“. Some German breeders tried to introduce the Names "German Dogge" or "German Mastiff" on the English market, because this breed should be marketed as a dog of luxury and not as a working dog. Nonetheless were this names understandábly not accepted. "Dogge" sounded to strange and on the upcoming rivalries of nations no one wanted to have a German dog or even a so-called "Reichshund".
Instead the name "Great Dane" became popular, after the "grand danois" in Buffon's Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière in 1755. But it's dubious if this was ever a molossoid doge type or if such dog as a constant dog type existed. In the same work of Buffon is another dog depicted, the "le dogue de forte race".[27]Translated in English it means "the Mastiff of the heavy breed" and it could be translated in German with "Grosse Dogge" (Great Mastiff), which was the type of the "English dog" on the continent, of Mastiff and Irish Wolfhound origin, in Germany known as "Englische Docke".
Around the turn of the 18th century existed in Germany several landraces or regional breeds of this "Englische Dogge". The southern variation was known as Ulmer Dogge (Mastiff from the Ulm area), mostly massive, the color black or white and black "getigert" (spotted or mantle).And in northern and middle Germany the dogs were often (so) calledDänische Dogge (Danish Mastiff), which were often fawn, isabelle or brindled ("gestromt") colored and were mostly a bit minor in size and weight compared to the Ulmer landrace. Other generally names were Saupacker ("boar-seizer") or Hatzrüde ("chasing dog"). The separation in landraces was common for all "breeds" of dogs in this times, because no formal standardized breeds existed.
On the first bigger German dog show in 1863 in Hamburg were eight as "Dänische Doggen" and seven "Ulmer Doggen" denoted dogs exhibited. This separation was iterated in 1869 on the dog show in Altona. Though none of this dogs came from Denmark or had a stammer from there. First in 1876 the adjudicators suggested to the breeders to agree among themselves on the name "Deutsche Dogge" (German Mastiff), because the dogs were scarcely to distinguish.
On 12. of January, 1888 in Berlin was the "Deutsche Doggen Club" founded. It was first Kennel Club in Germany ever.
Nevertheless the name "Deutsche Dogge" became common in Germany only after considerable time. The breeder Otto Friedrich, from which "Tyras II.", the successor of Bismarcks favourite dog came from, sold still in 1889 both varieties under their former names.Leonhard Hoffmann denoted it still in year 1900 the "Ulmer Dogge", „today's so called Deutsche Dogge“.
Otto von Bismarck owned Danes since his youth. He wasn't able to leave back his Dane "Ariel", when he left for Göttingen in 1832 to study law. Later, in the time of German Empire, were this animals occasionally denoted as Reichshunde.
A claim of other origin of the breed
It can be assumed that Frederick VII, between 1848 and 1863 the King of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and Duke of Holstein read about Buffon's "grand danois". He gave order to search for suitable dogs and to establish a breed if possible. With that was commissioned a councillor of state Klemp. In a prize essay "The mammalians of the Danish and Norwegian state" from 1834 the Danish professor Melchior had described the "Large Danish dog, the butchers dog". Dogs from this kind were collected in Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark to start this breed. This breed was later named as "King-Fredrick-VII-Breed" or the "Jägerpri(i)s" after his hunting château. Later were this breed brought into the Zoological Garden of Copenhagen / Zoological Museum of Kopenhagen. The most representative male dog was the famous "Holger", who fathered the most of the puppies.
The breed of the large, yellow Danish dog was a refinement of well-shaped and sturdy butchers dog.
This breed must have become rare in later times.
"Around 1855 decided the possessor of Broholm, a von Sehested, to collect the remains of the Danish dog, to preserve the breed and to spread this dog generally in this country. This task wasn't easy, because not much breed-material existed and it wasn't fully clear how this dog had to look like.[..]" However this doge type was further developed. "Puppies were given for free to people in Denmark, who were willingly to help this undertaking. So arose the Broholmer dog, over 20 years were spread more than 150 puppies in the country.
In 1886 at a dog show in Copenhagen was established a breed standard, but this dog was named "Large Danish dog", too.
With that is shown, what's the truth in the claim, the Great Dane would be a breed of Danish origin. Why should the breed of this Large Danish dog, butcher's dog or the Broholmer have been undertaken, when there had been existed a "grand danois" with the attributes of the German breed? Because there was none. In the late 18th and the early 19th Century existed no Buffon's"grand danois" and no German "Englische Dogge" in Denmark. If a breed had existed, it was extincted before.
Nonetheless it is very probable, that the Danish nobility in 16th and 17th Century imported "English dogs", too, as the nobles in most continental European countries did. And it isn't improbable, that the Broholmer is a far cousin of the German "Dogge", because it may be the descendant of a Danish "English dog".
The "Large Danish dog" gets later the name "Broholmer" from the estate of Broholm, but some Danish breeders, which had bought "Dogge"s in Germany, claimed at the end of the 19th Century that these were the "Large Danish dog" of Danish origin. This claim was strictly refused.
In Germany, of course, the position, that the Great Dane is a German breed, was never abandoned. This continued with the rise Nazi Germany. In December 1936 the Danish national kennel association “Dansk Kennel Klub” was put on notice in writing that Germany demanded the cessation of usage of any words not identifying the hound as of German origin on the forthcoming General Assembly of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale(FCI) in Paris 22 July 1937. After World War II The Secretary General of the FCI Baron A. Houtart writes a letter, copied to the Danish national kennel association. The letter is dated 15 November 1948 and says in French:
"Pour la F.C.I. cette race a toujours été et reste encore une race nationale danoise ; seul le standard déposé par le Dansk Kennelklub est officiel à ses yeux"
"As far as the FCI is concerned, this breed [The Great Dane] has always been and shall remain a Danish breed; only the standard provided by the Danish national kennel association is the official one in our view." The original letter is kept with the FCI and the Great Dane Club of Denmark.
However, today the FCI designates the Great Dane as German breed as does the Danish Kennel Club. The Broholmer is known as the Mastiff of Danish origin.
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| A Harlequin Great Dane | ||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Deutsche Dogge | |||||||||||||||
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| Nicknames | Dane Gentle Giant | |||||||||||||||
| Country of origin | Germany | |||||||||||||||
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