GREAT DANE 



against him is the tendency he possesses to become weak 

 and crooked about the legs and joints, this being in the 

 majority of cases the result of a want of proper food and 

 exercise when he was young, as his limbs were not able to 

 carry the great weight of his body. Hence the necessity 

 that exists for bestowing much care upon a great Dane in 

 the earlier stages of his existence. 



The head should be long and flat, with a rise at the 

 eyebrows, and a slight groove between them ; the muzzle 

 long and of uniform substance, well filled up under the 

 eye, and yet free from any approach to coarseness ; the 

 lips, though showing no deepness of flew, coming well 

 down in front of the nose, so as to present a very square 

 appearance. The teeth should be level, the nose large and 

 dark, excepting in the case of the harlequin-coloured dogs, 

 when they may be butterfly or flesh-coloured ; the ears 

 are small, set on high, and carried with the tips forward. 

 In Germany it is the practice to crop the ears of great 

 Danes, but the custom is prohibited here. The neck must 

 be long and gracefully arched, quite free from any approach 

 to loose skin or dewlap, and neatly set on to the shoulders, 

 which should be long, lean, and laid well back. The 

 chest is rather narrow when compared with the size of the 

 dog, but very deep ; the back being of fair length, but 

 extremely muscular and powerful about the loins ; whilst 

 the fore-legs, which should be set well on under the dog, 

 are of medium length, very heavy in bone, and dead 

 straight ; the pasterns being straight, and the feet large, 

 round, and compact. The hind-quarters are powerful, 

 showing plenty of muscle, and the hocks, which are let 

 well down towards the ground, should not be at all turned 

 inwards. The tail, which is rather thick at the root, tapers 

 towards the tip, and should be carried almost in a line 

 with the back, with a very slight curve towards the end. 

 The coat is short and fine, though very thick, and the 

 principal colours are brindle, blue, fawn, and harlequin, 

 the latter consisting of black markings upon a white 



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