Great Dane
The tallest dogs on record have all been Great Danes, though the breed is German and hunted boar. It leans on people, and the whole weight comes with it.
Photo by Marta Pocztarska, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Great Dane is a German breed despite the name, developed to hunt wild boar, and it is one of the tallest dogs in the world at twenty eight to thirty two inches at the shoulder.
It also carries the highest bloat risk of any breed studied. Lifetime risk of gastric dilatation volvulus in Great Danes has been estimated at 36.7 percent, against 3.9 percent for a Rottweiler, and prophylactic gastropexy reduces mortality in this breed by nearly thirty fold.
Temperament
Gentle, affectionate and famously calm. Great Danes are good with children, sociable with strangers, and they are among the mildest of the giant breeds.
They are also unaware of their size and will attempt to sit on people. They are sensitive and respond badly to harsh handling, and they can be timid without early socialisation. They lean on people, which is affection and is also a hundred and fifty pounds arriving unexpectedly.
Care and grooming
A short smooth coat, a weekly rub down. The easiest part of the breed.
Beyond bloat, dilated cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia, wobbler syndrome and osteosarcoma all occur at significant rates. Seven to ten years is the honest expectation and it is short even by giant breed standards.
Living and exercise
An hour a day of moderate exercise as an adult, and far less while growing, because rapid growth on a giant frame damages joints.
A prophylactic gastropexy at the time of neutering is worth a serious conversation with a vet, because the figures for this breed are not marginal. Feeding two or three smaller meals rather than one large one is also standard advice.
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