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Great Dane

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 235

Great Dane.

FCI 235: UTILIZATION 'Companion, watch- and guard dog'; Group 2, Section 2.1 Molossoid breeds, Mastiff type; 'Without working trial'. History: forerunners were the old Bullenbeisser and the 'Hatz- and Saurueden' (hunting and wild boar hounds), midway between the English-type Mastiff and the Greyhound; 'Saupacker (boarfinder)' is among the names for these dogs; the Deutsche Dogge name was set by a Berlin committee in 1878. UKC: 'German nobility' hunted wild boar with dogs in the 15th and 16th centuries and kept large numbers of boarhounds bred for size, power and endurance; the large kennels disappeared as game dwindled. RKC: ancestors 'heavier in type and used as hunting dogs, hunting in packs for wild boar'; some enthusiasts still believe it is a sighthound; 'certainly the hunting instinct is still there'. Wikipedia: descends from medieval dogs used to hunt bears, wild boar and deer; the Englische Dogge was a catch dog used after the other hunting dogs to seize the bear or boar and hold it until the huntsman killed it; also guarded nobles as 'chamber dogs'; ear cropping originated to protect ears in boar hunts. AKC standard: 'one of the giant working breeds'..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10.6YRMedian lifespan10.4 to 11, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
110–180LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 110 to 180 lb; breed bitches 110 to 180 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC: exercise 'more than 2 hours per day'. AKC page: energy level 4 of 5. Wikipedia: a fast metabolism; wait 40 minutes to an hour after meals before exercise (bloat).. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 30 to 35.4 in · bitches 28 to 33.1 in

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Span covers all sources; only FCI prints a maximum.

Weight

dogs 110 to 180 lb · bitches 110 to 180 lb

Breed clubAKC

Wikipedia's breed-wide range counts for both sexes.

Coat

FCI 235: very short, dense, smooth, glossy, never a double coat; three colour varieties (fawn and brindle; harlequin, merle and black; blue). AKC standard: short, thick, clean, glossy; seven colours; merlequin disqualifies. UKC: short, close, thick, glossy; colours listed. Wikipedia: six to seven show-acceptable colours depending on the standard; grey merle is 'neither desirable nor disqualified' in the FCI standard (2012 change).

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · FCI 235: hair very short, dense, smooth and close lying, glossy; 'must never be coarse, dull or a double coat'. AKC standard: short, thick, clean, smooth, glossy. UKC: short, close, thick.

DerivedFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Derived from a very short single coat (5). Giant size is not part of the rule. No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10.6 years (10.4 to 11)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Large UK sample. UK pet population. The giant-breed lifespan is shown as measured; the median is the one peer-reviewed figure read.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: exercise 'more than 2 hours per day'. AKC page: energy level 4 of 5. Wikipedia: a fast metabolism; wait 40 minutes to an hour after meals before exercise (bloat).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to 150 minutes.

Exercise need

AKC page bands: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5, playfulness 4 of 5, trainability 3 of 5. RKC: more than 2 hours per day, large house and garden, town or country. UKC: preferring to lounge on the couch near a loved one to almost any other pastime.

Breed clubAKC

Energy

4 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · RKC grooming band: once a week.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to 2 (weekly brush).

Grooming

AKC page bands: coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding level 3 of 5, drooling level 4 of 5. RKC: grooming once a week, sheds. FCI 235: very short, dense, smooth, close-lying, glossy hair.

Breed clubAKC

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 235: UTILIZATION 'Companion, watch- and guard dog'; Group 2, Section 2.1 Molossoid breeds, Mastiff type; 'Without working trial'. History: forerunners were the old Bullenbeisser and the 'Hatz- and Saurueden' (hunting and wild boar hounds), midway between the English-type Mastiff and the Greyhound; 'Saupacker (boarfinder)' is among the names for these dogs; the Deutsche Dogge name was set by a Berlin committee in 1878. UKC: 'German nobility' hunted wild boar with dogs in the 15th and 16th centuries and kept large numbers of boarhounds bred for size, power and endurance; the large kennels disappeared as game dwindled. RKC: ancestors 'heavier in type and used as hunting dogs, hunting in packs for wild boar'; some enthusiasts still believe it is a sighthound; 'certainly the hunting instinct is still there'. Wikipedia: descends from medieval dogs used to hunt bears, wild boar and deer; the Englische Dogge was a catch dog used after the other hunting dogs to seize the bear or boar and hold it until the huntsman killed it; also guarded nobles as 'chamber dogs'; ear cropping originated to protect ears in boar hunts. AKC standard: 'one of the giant working breeds'.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Every hunting line is historical. The catch-dog and chamber-dog lines are Wikipedia's (page carried a disputed-accuracy banner).

Primary game

FCI 235: wild boar. UKC: wild boar. RKC: wild boar. Wikipedia: bears, wild boar and deer.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Historical use as sources state it.

Also used on

FCI 235: companion, watch and guard dog. Wikipedia: guardian of German nobility, 'chamber dog'. UKC: family companion. AKC standard: giant working breed.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

Search pattern

RKC: ancestors hunted in packs for wild boar. Wikipedia: the Englische Dogge was a catch dog used after the other hunting dogs, to seize and hold the quarry until the huntsman could kill it; FCI names the boar-finding 'Saupacker' type. No source describes a voice or cry.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Historical pack and catch-dog work only; the Wikipedia page carried a disputed-accuracy banner.

Field trial standard

FCI 235: 'Without working trial'. No hunting test or title named in AKC, UKC, RKC or Wikipedia text read.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 235, 2024

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

12.5% · 19,309 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 12.5% dysplastic (mild 9.3, moderate 2.9, severe 0.2), 86.0% normal.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock (owners who test and submit), so normal results are over-represented and the real population rate is likely higher. Hips rank 107 in the OFA table (rank 1 = highest dysplasia).

Elbow dysplasia

5% · 5,922 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 5.0% abnormal (grade 1 3.7, grade 2 1.0, grade 3 0.3), 95.0% normal.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock (owners who test and submit), so normal results are over-represented and the real population rate is likely higher. Elbows rank 84.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: bloat (gastric dilatation volvulus) called the greatest killer of Great Danes; dilated cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease (the 'heartbreak breed'); wobbler disease; hip dysplasia (citation needed); merle gene risks (deafness, blindness) when two copies are present, in the context of harlequin. A 2005 Swedish insurance study (not opened) found 83% dead by age 10. OFA: see the hip and elbow rows.

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial; the Wikipedia page carried a disputed-accuracy banner dated April 2024.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 4; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Deutsche Dogge, German Mastiff, German Boarhound

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