Week 5 · Jan 31 – Feb 6

Great Dane

The gentle giant who believes he is a lapdog.

No dog enters a room like the Great Dane. It arrives. Heads turn. The coffee table retreats. Then this giant lowers itself onto a sofa meant for two and asks for a blanket.

The name is a misunderstanding. The breed is German, not Danish. Hunters there bred big dogs to chase wild boar through the forest. By most tellings, a French naturalist saw the dogs in Denmark and called them grand danois, and the name stuck.

Germany came to love its dog. In 1876 it named the Great Dane a national breed. Admirers have long called it the Apollo of dogs.

Size is the headline. A Great Dane named Zeus stood 44 inches at the shoulder and earned a Guinness record. On his hind legs he stood over seven feet.

Everything else is gentleness. A Great Dane is patient with children, polite with strangers, and certain it is a lap dog. It will lean on you, sigh, and hand you its whole weight as a compliment.

The price of such a heart is a short visit. Giants tend to live only seven to ten years. Great Dane owners know it, and love harder anyway.

25No. 7 of 11 · Dogs of Winter

The Apollo of dogs (AKC)

Expected age: 7–10 years
Height: 28–32 in
Weight: 110–175 lb
Breed group: Working
Origin: Germany, 1800s

Origin of the Name

Not Danish at all. The name is credited to a French naturalist who called the breed grand danois.

Notable Great Danes

Zeus, a record-holder at 44 inches. Scooby-Doo, the Mystery Machine’s mascot. Marmaduke, the comic strip star.

Good to Know

Needs space and a sturdy bed. Prone to bloat, so ask your vet about feeding. Giants often live shorter lives, so choose a breeder who screens heart and hips.