THE GREAT DANE 



53 



will be bad-tempered, sullen, and savage, and his character quite 

 spoilt. 



Another good thing to remember is to put the collar and lead 

 on before correcting a puppy, and not to unloose him until sufficient 

 time has elapsed after the correction to enable you to again make 

 friends with him. 



In choosing a puppy from the litter, there is generally one or 

 perhaps two that stand out superior to all the others. The first 

 point to look for is depth and squareness of muzzle at the nose ; 

 next, a clean neck carried high, with no loose skin (this, in the 

 writer's experience, never decreases, but, on the contrary, increases 

 as the puppy grows). The skull, too, ought to look narrow between 

 the ears in comparison with the breadth across the muzzle. Long 

 straight legs, with plenty of bone and big knee-joints, are also 

 points to look for in a puppy six weeks to two months old. After 

 that the description as given by the Great Dane Club should be 

 the guide. This description, which has recently been rewritten with 

 the idea of helping novices, will be found below. Such vague state- 

 ments as " skull not too broad," " back not too long or short," 

 are all very well for those knowing the breed, but are quite useless 

 for those novices desirous of selecting a good dog. 



The description and standard of points of the Great Dane adopted 

 by the Great Dane Club are as follow : 



General Appearance. The Great Dane is not so heavy or massive as the 

 Mastiff, nor should he too nearly approach the Greyhound type. Remarkable 

 in size and very muscular, strongly though elegantly built, the head and neck 

 should be carried high, and the tail in line with the back, or slightly upwards, 

 but not curled over the hindquarters. Elegance of outline and grace of form 

 are most essential to a Dane ; size is absolutely necessary ; but there must be 

 that alertness of expression and briskness of movement without which the Dane 

 character is lost. He should have a 

 look of dash and daring, of being 

 ready to go anywhere and do anything. 



Temperament. The Great Dane is 

 good-tempered, affectionate, and faith- 

 ful to his master, not demonstrative with 

 strangers, intelligent, courageous, and 

 always alert. His value as a guard is 

 unrivalled. He is easily controlled 

 when well trained, but he may grow 

 savage if confined too much, kept on 

 chain, or ill-treated. 



Height. The minimum height ot 

 an adult dog should be 3oin. ; that of 

 a bitch, 28in. 



Weight. The minimum weight of 

 an adult dog should be I2olb. ; that of 

 a bitch, loolb. The greater height and 

 weight are to be preferred, provided 

 that quality and proportion are also combined. 



Head. Taken altogether, the head should give the idea of great length and 



