German Mastiff

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German Mastiff
German Mastiff
FCI Standard No. 235
2.1 Great Dane dogs
Origin :

Germany

Alternative names:

Ulmer mastiff, English mastiff, Danish mastiff, hunting dog, Saupacker, great mastiff

Withers height:

Males ≥ 80 cm,
bitches ≥ 72 cm

Varieties :
  • yellow and brindle
  • spotted and black
  • blue
List of domestic dogs

The Great Dane is a German dog breed recognized by the FCI ( FCI Group 2, Section 2.1, Standard No. 235 ). The breed is the official state dog of the US state of Pennsylvania .

Origin and history

Above all in the cynological literature of the late 19th century, attempts were made to trace the mastiff- like European dogs, i.e. the English bulldog , the mastiff , the Bordeaux mastiff and the Great Dane, back to ancient or even prehistoric dog types. It is uncertain whether these connections exist. More than 4,000 years ago, the Assyrians had large, clumsy, blunt-nosed, short-haired attack dogs , some of which were ascribed to be the forerunners of today's mastiffs. A relationship with the Tibetan mastiff was also suspected; this has since been refuted by a comparison of the mitochondrial DNA of different breeds of dogs, including that of Tibetan mastiffs. It is possible that the Great Dane ancestors were brought to England and Ireland by the Celts . In the 2nd century the "broad-mouthed dogs of Britain", which could have been mastiffs, fought the dogs of Molossis , which were previously considered the strongest dogs , in Roman circus fights .

16th to 18th century

Emperor Charles V with his personal dog , around 1533

The history of the Great Dane can be traced back to the beginning of the 16th century. At that time, strong, long-legged dogs were introduced from England, which came from crosses of the broad mastiff with the large Irish wolfhound . However, it was probably not yet a solidified breed according to today's understanding, but rather a result of crossbreeding with completely different phenotypes. The breeding of these dogs, which were referred to as the English Docken , English Tocken or English Dog , was carried out independently in Germany since the beginning of the 17th century.

“Such large types of dogs actually come from England or Irrland, which great gentlemen had initially brought from such countries at great expense before this, but they are no longer so far hollowed out now, but in Germany at large gentlemen's courts of youth up educated and preserved in splendor, also differentiated and aestimized according to their size, good growth, beauty and colors. "

The name Docke or Mastiff is derived from the English word dog for "dog". The name English mastiff or English dog lasted until the 19th century. Over the centuries, however, this name was no longer understood as a designation of origin in the actual sense, but was intended to denote this type of dog and emphasize its special peculiarity. In this sense, the kennels of the mastiffs were also referred to as "English stables" and their keepers as English dog boys . In a similar way, other dog types were given other country names, for example Danish , which should indicate that these were special types that could be distinguished from other dogs, without actually having to be related to them.

A chamber dog with a gold-plated collar, Brandenburg 1705

As bear, boar and deer dogs, they were kept at royal courts, where the most beautiful and strongest stayed as chamber dogs with gold-plated collars at night in the prince's bedroom. They were usually given large deposits with cushions or bear skins. The second most beautiful were given silver collars and were called "body dogs". At least the chamber dogs were promised protection from attackers at night; At the same time, the chamber dogs and body dogs paid special attention to socialization and maneuverability. The rest were only called English mastiffs; they did not receive any special collars and were kept in the "English stable".

This classification of dogs into three levels, “estimated” and “separated”, suggests that the same procedure was used in breeding and that animals with a higher breeding value were particularly spared when used for hunting. But even the common Great Danes were so valuable that they were not used lightly.

Great Dane in a tank destroyer, 17th century

In Saujagden initially were Saufinder premised that indicated the boars by barking and the boar hounds drew attention to those. The boars then chased the wild boars out of the forest into the open air . This part was the most dangerous and the most lossy, which is why the boar males were dogs that were basically not bred in a complex manner and that had to be provided by the rural population. Any dog ​​that was large, strong and with a hunting instinct was in principle suitable for this. If available, so-called Courshunde could also be added, which mostly meant crossbreeds of different dog types. Only then were the mastiffs set on the wild boars, which they had to grab or cover , i.e. to hold onto , until they were intercepted by the hunter , i.e. killed with a stabbing weapon. For their own protection, the mastiffs wore armor made of thickly lined fabric, reinforced with whalebone sticks on the belly.

Kurhessian mastiffs, 1807

When hunting bears, the bear-biters were first used to tire the bear. Only then were the mastiffs used and the bear was hunted in the same way as in the boar hunt.

19th century

When hunting customs changed, especially with the advent of firearms, and hunts in the form of boar hunts became less common, the mastiffs were no longer needed. Many of the dog types involved in the hunts, such as the boo-indians, the boar males, the courshunds and the bear- biters, disappeared. The mastiff also became rare and was only kept as a lover dog. Significantly in rural Württemberg it kept as the Ulmer Hund or Ulmer Mastiff.

Towards the middle of the 19th century, with the emergence of pedigree dogs and the increase in interest in these pedigree dogs under the names "Ulmer Mastiff" and "Danish Mastiff", it again attracted greater attention. In English-speaking countries she was originally referred to as the "German Boarhound". Since this designation was not conducive to the use and distribution as a luxury dog, an attempt was made to introduce the designation “German Mastiff” or “German Dogge”, which then led to the designation “Grand Danois” being preferred. In England's studbook, the name “German Boarhound” was changed to “Great Dane” “not before 1894”.

At the first major German dog show in Hamburg in 1863, eight dogs were shown as "Danish" and seven as Ulmer mastiffs. This was repeated in 1869 at an exhibition in Altona , although none of these dogs came or descended from Denmark. It was not until 1876 that the judges suggested to the breeders of the “Danish” and the Ulmer Great Dane beats on the occasion of a dog show in Hamburg to agree on the common name “Great Dane”.

On January 12, 1888, the Great Dane Club, Germany's first breed association for dogs, was founded in Berlin .

Nevertheless, the name "Great Dane" was only gradually able to establish itself. The breeder Otto Friedrich, from whose breed, "Tyras II." The successor to Bismarck's favorite mastiff came from, sold both the variety of the “Ulmer” and that of the “Danish” mastiff under these names in 1889. The latter was said to have arisen from a cross between the Ulmer Mastiff and the English Greyhound and was somewhat smaller and less massive than the Ulmer Mastiff. Leonhard Hoffmann referred to it in 1900 as the "Ulmer Dogge", "today's so-called Great Dane".

Otto von Bismarck owned mastiffs since his youth. He was unable to separate himself from his mastiff "Ariel" during his time as a law student from 1832 in Göttingen . In the German Empire , the animals were sometimes referred to as " Reich dogs ".

description

Black and white spotted mastiff or "tiger mastiff "

The Great Dane is one of the largest breeds of dogs ; the FCI specifies a minimum height of 80 cm for males and 72 cm for females.

“The Great Dane unites in its noble overall appearance with a large, strong and well-built physique, pride, strength and elegance. Through substance, paired with nobility, harmony of appearance, with well-proportioned lines and with its particularly expressive head, it looks like a noble statue to the viewer. She is the Apollo among the dog breeds. "

- FCI breed standard

The current breed standard describes a total of five colors in the three shades of "yellow and brindle", "spotted and black" and "blue".

Yellow mastiffs are those from light golden yellow to golden yellow in color with a black mask. Brindle mastiffs have the basic color of yellow with black stripes that are as evenly and clearly drawn as possible in the direction of the ribs. The mask is also desirable here. In the yellow-brindle color scheme, small white markings on the chest and toes are undesirable.

Blacks from Schwarz-Spleckt-Breeding should be lacquer black in color, with white markings being permitted. Special forms of blacks this color shock are the "coat Tiger" in which the black can be white the body like covered with a jacket while muzzle, throat (around), chest, abdomen, legs and tip of tail, and the "plate dogs" in where large black plates are distributed on the otherwise white body.

Spotted or tabby mastiffs, so-called "tiger mastiffs " (harlequin and diamond mastiff are also common terms), are pure white in their basic color - preferably without prickling - with uneven, torn, lacquer-black spots well distributed over the whole body; gray or brownish stains are not desired. Ideally drawn animals are not easy to breed because they are not pure breeding (so-called blackbird dogs) - only approx. 10% of the young are "well" spotted, so they phenotypically show the desired distribution of black spots on a white base color.

Grautiger -Dogge from the mottled-black color variety

The “gray tigers” , which appear regularly in it , also belong to the speckled black color scheme ; their basic color is not white, but gray. The coat pattern of the black-white and black-gray tiger mastiffs comes from both the merle factor , which in heterozygous form causes a dilution of the basic color to gray. According to the current state of knowledge, the difference is that the former are additionally heterozygous carriers of the harlequin gene (see coat colors of dogs, Leucist color genes ), which in turn causes the gray color component to turn white, but leaves the black spots unchanged. Although gray with many other breeds, especially German hunting breeds, an estimated color is to be Grautiger still often ostracized in the Dogg breeding. According to the current standard of the FCI in the version of December 20, 2012, they are considered "not wanted", but do not lead to disqualification. Up until the end of 2013, it was disputed between the individual breeding associations whether gray tigers at dog shows could be rated with the highest formal ratings and thus also be crowned show winners; d. H. the extent to which the color gray within the black-spotted hue is to be regarded as a "mistake". This question can be regarded as resolved on the basis of a circular from the FCI dated December 23, 2013, in which the FCI agreed with the opinion of the standard-leading breeding association. According to this, gray tigers are not allowed to receive the highest possible rating at exhibitions. The inclusion of the gray tigers in the standard serves primarily to expand the gene pool.

The attempt by some breeders to reduce the gray proportion of gray tigers by using the so-called Piebald gene (see coat colors of dogs, Leucist color genes ) is also controversial . As a result of this, graying animals, who are carriers of the Piebald gene, can not turn gray in places where black plates would otherwise appear in this color ( plate dogs ). These dogs appear phenotypically as largely white with few black and gray patches of color. Since homozygous inherited Piebald can lead to deafness - like homozygous inherited merle - this approach is criticized, especially since it contradicts the general recognition of these dogs - as a natural variety within the speckled-black color scheme.

Blue mastiff, 14 weeks old.

Blue mastiffs are a pure steel blue color. White markings on the chest and paws are allowed. Black dogs also fall into the blue color scheme, but in contrast to the black ones from the spotted color scheme, they usually only have smaller white markings on the chest and paws. Although regularly separated in breeding, the black mastiffs from spotted breeding and those of the blue color are divided into a common category at exhibitions.

For the sake of the standard, the three colors may not be mixed with one another during breeding. Exceptions are the so-called rehabilitation breeds , in which blue or yellow mastiffs are crossed into the spotted black color. As a result, other so-called false colors (re) emerged such as the porcelain jog, blue-coated tigers, yellow-coated tigers, brown-spotted, blue-spotted and others.

German dog, the homozygous for the Merle and thereby has a malformation of the eyes.

Almost white mastiffs (also known as "white tigers" ) have become rare since the ban on spotted-by-spotted mating. The spotted dogs can, but do not have to be, carriers of the merle factor , which is inherited as an intermediary . According to the Mendelian rules , puppies from the mating of two merle-colored dogs have a 25% chance of being pure breeding for the merle factor . Such puppies are blind and sometimes also deaf. Since this malformation is associated with considerable suffering in the affected puppies, the mating of two carriers of the merle factor as a torture breed is prohibited in Germany.

Essence

In the breed standard of the Great Dane, their nature is described as friendly, loving and affectionate. Great Danes have a very high stimulus threshold. They are very compatible with people and dogs. With appropriate socialization, coexistence with other pets is not a problem either.

The Great Dane is interested in the lives of its people and wants to be part of everything. Despite their human nature, they are less submissive than most other races.

Diseases

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

The average life expectancy of the Great Dane is only 6.5 years, as numerous studies and data collections show. This makes them one of the most short-lived dog breeds in the world. In the health monitoring of the Great Dane Club (DDC) from 2008, only 25% of the Great Danes were older than 8 years. The most common causes of death are cancer, gastric torsion and heart disease. The reasons for the low life expectancy are - besides the huge stature - the low genetic diversity of the breed, which has led to inbreeding depression and the accumulation of hereditary diseases. Decades of selection for external characteristics and the trend towards over-typing in recent years are also taking their toll.

The common diseases of the Great Dane largely correspond to the common causes of death, as they are lethal or semi-lethal - i.e. fatal or fatal after a while - diseases. First and foremost, there is gastric torsion, which over 40% of Great Danes suffer, heart diseases such as DCM, which 20-35% of Great Danes get in the course of their life, and cancer, with bone cancer being by far the most common cancer in the Great Dane with 10% to 25% affected animals (depending on color and region).

Despite these serious health problems, only x-rays of the hips (DDC) or hips and elbows (KyDD) are required in the German VDH breeding associations for the Great Dane - the Great Dane Club (DDC) and the Cynological Society (KyDD). The hip joint dysplasia in the Great Dane is not a common disease according to the HD statistics of the DDC from 1997-2013. Cardiac ultrasound is not a compulsory examination for breeding use and is even referred to by the club officials as "nudging". However, it is being introduced internationally in more and more breed clubs, such as the Swiss Club for Great Danes (SCDD), the Austrian Mastiff Club (ÖDK), the Dutch dog breeding association Raad van Beheer and the Finnish Mastiff Club (Suomen Tanskandoggi ry).

Other diseases that are common in Great Dane are problems with the musculoskeletal system such as wobblers, torn cruciate ligaments and herniated discs. Eye diseases such as ectropion, entropion and macroblepharon are also common due to over-typing, which leads to excessive ventilation, loose skin and wrinkles on the face. Kidney failure also seems to occur regularly in the Great Dane. Neurological diseases such as epilepsy and degenerative myelopathy and diseases of the thyroid gland are also known in the Great Dane. Furthermore, many Great Danes tend to whip their sensitive tail on objects or even on themselves. The resulting injuries sometimes even force an amputation of the tail.

In order to improve the health and life expectancy of the Great Dane, breeders and lovers of the breed founded the IG Healthy Great Dane interest group in spring 2019.

Legal position

The Great Dane is listed on the breed list in the Swiss canton of Ticino , where it is subject to approval.

Web links

Commons : Great Dane  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Savolainen et al .: Genetic Evidence for an East Asian Origin of Domestic Dogs. In: Science. 298, 1610 (2002) doi : 10.1126 / science.1073906 .
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Wippermann : Biche and Blondi, Tyras and Timmy. Representation by dogs . In: Lutz Huth, Michael Krzeminski: Representation in politics, media and society . Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2007, ISBN 3-8260-3626-3 , pp. 187-188: “Obviously a kind of mastiff”.
  3. ^ A b Ludwig Beckmann : History and description of the races of the dog , Vol. 2 (1895), p. 6 ( digitized version ).
  4. ↑ Johannes Coler : Economia, ruralis et domestica . Mainz 1645, p. 469: "There are also a number of great lords, rich people, noblemen, graves, princes their Molossians, and English strong dogs" ( digitized version ).
  5. ^ A b Ludwig Beckmann: History and description of the races of the dog , Vol. 2 (1895), p. 7 ( digitized version ).
  6. ↑ Johann Täntzer : hunting book or Diana high and low hunting secrets , Section: Of the English dogs . Copenhagen 1682 (various new editions): "Nowadays such dogs are brought up young at manor houses, and not even brought from England." - quoted from Ludwig Beckmann: Geschichte und Beschreibung der Rassen des Hundes , Vol. 2 (1895), p. 7 .
  7. ↑ a b Johann Friedrich von Flemming: The perfect German hunter , section: From those English docking . Leipzig 1719, vol. 1, p. 169 ( digitized version ).
  8. ↑ Georg Franz Dietrich from Winckell : Handbook for hunters, authorized hunters and hunting enthusiasts , FA Brockhaus, vol. 1 (1858), p. 188: “Englische Doggen. This is the strongest dog breed ”( digitized version ).
  9. ↑ See Johann Täntzer: Der Dianen high and low hunting secret , Weidmannsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1731, 2nd part, p. 53 ( digitized ).
  10. ^ Leonhard Hoffmann : The book of healthy and sick dogs. Teaching and manual for the whole of scientific and practical cynology , Vienna 1901, p. 144 ( digitized version ).
  11. ↑ Johann Täntzer: hunting book or Diana high and low hunting secrets , Section: Of the English dogs , Copenhagen 1682 (various editions) - quoted by Ludwig Beckmann: history and description of the breed of the dog , Vol 2 (1895), p. 9 .
  12. ↑ In Johann Friedrich von Flemming: The perfect German hunter , section: From those Englischen Docken , Leipzig 1719, Vol. 1, p. 169 ( digitized ) there are velvet-covered collars with silver letters for the chamber dogs and plush-covered collars with brass-colored letters for the body dogs .
  13. ↑ Johann Friedrich von Flemming: The perfect German hunter , section: Of those English docking . Leipzig 1719, vol. 1, p. 170 ( digitized version ).
  14. ↑ Johann Täntzer: The Diana high and low Jagdgeheimnüß , Leipzig 1731 Weidmannsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Part 3, p 136 (DS.-S. 248) ( digitized ).
  15. ^ S. William Haas in: Great Dane: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for Your Dog ( series: Comprehensive Owner's Guide) , Kennel Club Books, 2003, p. 13
  16. ↑ Ludwig Beckmann in: History and Description of the Races of the Dog , Vol. 2, 1895, p. 14
  17. ↑ Self-portrait of the Great Dane Club 1888 ( Memento from July 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ Otto Friedrich in: The noble dog rearing, care, training and treatment of his diseases. , 7th edition, 1889, p. 40 and p. 45
  19. ↑ Leonard Hoffmann in: The book of healthy and sick dogs. Instructional and manual for the whole of scientific and practical cynology. , Vienna 1901, p. 144 ff (digitized at Internet Archive)
  20. ↑ Wolfgang Wippermann: Biche and Blondi, Tyras and Timmy. Representation by dogs . In: Lutz Huth, Michael Krzeminski: Representation in Politics, Media and Society , pp. 185–202. Königshausen & Neumann, 2007 ISBN 3-8260-3626-3 Online (incomplete)
  21. ↑ Breed standard No. 235 of the FCI: Great Dane  (PDF) p. 2 f.
  22. ↑ doggeninfo.de, Cornélius Sachdé in: Color Genetics Part 2 - The color varieties and their genes p. 4 - accessed on November 10, 2013
  23. ↑ Breed standard No. 235 of the FCI: Great Dane  (PDF) p. 7
  24. ↑ Circular 67/2013 of the FCI of December 23, 2013 ( Memento of January 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)
  25. ↑ doggeninfo.de, Cornélius Sachdé in: Double Piebald - half as bad? Considerations on the use of Piebald in Great Danes , p. 3 - accessed on November 10, 2013
  26. ↑ A. Herzog, Th.Bartels, M. Dayen, K. Loeffler, L. Reetz, B. Rusche, J. Unshelm come to this result with regard to § 11b TierSchG in an expert opinion on the interpretation of § 11b of the Animal Welfare Act ( Ban on torture breeding) of June 2, 1999, pp. 23–24 (PDF, - accessed on November 7, 2015); see also: List of the affected features of the report on the interpretation of the prohibition of torture breeding
  27. ↑ Horst Hollensteiner: Great Dane . Kosmos, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 978-3-440-07821-1 .
  28. ↑ Ruth Stolzewski: Life expectancy and common causes of death of the Great Dane. January 2016, accessed May 13, 2020 .
  29. ↑ IG Healthy Great Dane: The torsion of the stomach in the Great Dane. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
  30. ↑ IG Healthy Great Dane: The heart disease DCM in the Great Dane. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
  31. ^ IG Healthy Great Dane: Bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in the Great Dane. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
  32. ↑ a b IG Healthy Great Dane: Common diseases of the Great Dane. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
  33. ^ Deutscher Doggen Club: DDC-Almanach 2008-2013. 2013, accessed May 13, 2020 .
  34. ↑ Ruth Stolzewski: Statement on the foreword of the DDC Stud Book 2017. September 2018, accessed on May 13, 2020 .
  35. ^ IG Healthy Great Dane: IG Healthy Great Dane. Retrieved on May 13, 2020 (German, English).