History of the Great Dane

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, May 2013 issue.

History of the Great Dane

The history of the Great Dane includes extensive evidence that traces its origins far back. While not claiming it was the original dog, its resemblance to the first authentic descriptions and pictures of dogs is so close that one cannot doubt its early ancestry.

A Grecian coin from the Royal Museum in Munich, dated to the 5th Century BC, shows a dog closely resembling the Great Dane. Dogs depicted in some of the oldest Egyptian monuments, dating from about 3000 BC, are cited by Cassel’s Book of the Dog as clearly considered ancestors.

From the second century of the Christian era in Greece, a beautiful sculpture representing a favorite dog of Alcibiades has been preserved. This work of art, by the great artist Myson, clearly resembles the Great Dane of today, providing convincing evidence of a common ancestry.

History and pictures indicate that the Saxons hunted wild boar in the forests of England before the Norman Conquest, with dogs resembling the Dane. These dogs are pictured in hunting scenes on tapestries and paintings from the 15th Century. Historians believe the ancestors of the Great Dane and other Mastiff breeds, such as the Mastiff of Tibet, were indicated by Grecian statuary.

In 1780, Reidel shows a spotted dog resembling a Harlequin Dane and calls it English. Blome, in 1686, in his Gentlemen’s Recreation, depicts a boar hunt in Denmark, with dogs that resemble the Great Danes. This is the first evidence of Denmark contributing to the breed’s development. A plate, a gift to Prince George of Denmark, shows a Danish dog similar in type. Whitaker, in 1779, acknowledged a Danish dog, similar to the one shown on the Cunobeline coin of AD 43. A year later, in 1780, Riedel shows a “Danish Jano-hund” that resembles a Great Dane with cropped ears.

Edwards, in 1800, describes the “Great Dane” dog as 31 inches high, a form between the Greyhound and the Mastiff, usually cropped, and refers to a “beautiful variety called the Harlequin Dane.” This distinction between breeds is interesting, as Edwards (1800) states, “I do not know when the Danish Dog and the Harlequin Dane were introduced into England.”

Taplin, in his Sportsman’s Cabinet (1803), illustrates a beautiful Harlequin Dane but calls it a “coach dog.” In 1847, Richardson, in his handbook on dogs, shows a Great Dane with the “square muzzle,” much desired in the present standard, while older illustrations did not show this feature.

Cuvier gives the origin of the English-bred Great Dane as the Matin, but Buffon says the Matin, exported to the North, became the “Great Danish” dog. When acclimated in Ireland, it developed into the Great Wolf Dog, known as the “Irish Wolfhound.” Historians frequently referred to Great Danes as “Irish Wolfhounds.”

Cuvier (1769-1832) wrote later than Buffon (1707-1789), and it is believed that Cuvier had proof of Buffon’s mistake. The confusion arose from the fact that the Great Dane was known in France for many years as the “Grand Danois,” or Great Dane. Instead of the Matin, Cuvier likely referred to the “Great Danish Dog” as having developed in Ireland.

Youtt, probably the greatest English authority on quadrupeds, said, “The French consider the Matin as the progenitor of all the breeds of dogs that resemble, but cannot be precisely classified with the Greyhound.” He classified the Matin as a species that included various types of dogs—the Danish, the Irish Greyhound, and the pure British Greyhound—and concluded with a description of a Great Dane. He mentioned that these dogs were used in France and Germany to hunt bears and wolves.

It is important to explain these discrepancies to focus on the unquestioned antiquity of the breed, rather than the name. There has been confusion between the Irish Wolfhound and the Great Dane, but there is no doubt the two breeds existed side by side. However, it is difficult to determine which breed some earlier writers were referring to when discussing the Irish Wolfhound.

Nevertheless, the preponderance of records suggests the English-bred Great Dane (first known by that name) came from the Matin or Mastiff, mixed with some Wolfhound or Greyhound blood. Over time, it descended from the Mastiff of Tibet.

Whatever name we choose does not affect the breed’s antiquity. There is ample evidence of a dog similar to the Great Dane in the paintings of artists such as Snyder, Rubens, and Veronese. There is also strong evidence of a dog similar to the Dane in Egypt, Greece, Denmark, France, and England. However, there is no convincing evidence of its earlier existence in Germany.

It is claimed that the Deutsche Dogge, under other names, was present in Germany before the discovery of gunpowder. This claim is well substantiated by old German engravings, depicting the big boarhounds alongside knights and nobles. Tradition tells us that, in earlier centuries, only knights and noblemen were privileged to own such dogs. These huge Doggen were kept on large estates in the Rhineland for over 100 years to protect against robbing bands of Frenchmen.

While it is proven that the predecessors of the present-day German-bred Dane were in Germany for centuries, it was not until 1885 that the breeding of these dogs became popular. From this time until 1890, over 150 Danes were exhibited at one show, although the German Doggen Club was not founded in Berlin until 1888.

For many decades, a breed, or rather a number of similar breeds, of large, powerful dogs used for hunting, farm work, and protection existed in Germany. These dogs resembled the present-day Great Dane, though they were coarser than the English Dane. This is said to be because the German-bred Dane lacked Greyhound blood. These dogs were previously called Boarhund, Tiger Dog, German Mastiff, Hatzrude, Saufangeer, Ulmer Dogge, Metzerghund, Danish Dogge, and Deutsche Dogge. They differed slightly, and their names varied based on where they were raised or used, though they likely shared the same ancestry.

In 1880, German breeders in Berlin decided to classify these large, powerful dogs as one breed, known as the “Deutsche Dogge,” and to abolish all other designations, including “Great Dane.” This decision came about because it was almost impossible to distinguish between dogs called by different names, leading to much confusion. It was not until 1891 that the German Club adopted a precise official standard.

The Great Dane Club was established in England in 1883. Claimed to be the oldest dog club in the world, it produced the rules that now form the basis of dog show regulations worldwide. However, it was in Germany, in the last century, that the foundations for the modern Great Dane were laid. Germany took this dog as its national breed, calling it the “Deutsche Dogge.” There was much patriotism for the Fatherland, with wealthy industrialists and businessmen challenging themselves to develop the magnificent dog, leading it to become known as “The Apollo of Dogdom.”

Between Wars

Large kennels were developed in the United Kingdom, Germany, and America. As time progressed, prominent breeders imported and exported stock between these countries. Using only selective bloodlines, they kept only the best dogs and culled the ‘lesser’ whelps based on their interpretation of the Standard. This practice created great continuity within some influential bloodlines. When their stock was exhibited at shows, dogs that didn’t make the grade “went back to the drawing board.” As a result, from the 1950s through the 70s and 80s, one could actually recognize the different bloodlines in the show rings.

With advancements in technology, breeders can now bank frozen semen or ship fresh-chilled semen, vastly expanding breeding options. This enables breeders to apply insight, research, and science to produce the best of the best, drawing from the proven bloodlines of many beautiful dogs—both living and deceased. Each day marks history in the making, and the beat goes on.