GREAT DANES 197 



TEMPERAMENT. The Great Dane is good- 

 tempered, affectionate, and faithful to his master, 

 not demonstrative with strangers, intelligent, cour- 

 ageous, 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 of an adult dog 

 should be 30 inches, that of a bitch 28 inches. 



WEIGHT. The minimum weight of an adult 'dog 

 should be 120 lb., that of a bitch 100 lb. The 

 greater height and weight to be preferred, provided 

 that quality and proportion are also combined. 



HEAD. Taken altogether, the head should give 

 the idea of great length and strength of jaw. The 

 muzzle, or foreface, is broad, and the skull pro- 

 portionately narrow, so that the whole head when 

 viewed from above and in front has the appearance 

 of equal breadth throughout. 



LENGTH OF HEAD. The entire length of head 

 varies with the height of the dog ; 1 3 inches from 

 the tip of the nose to the back of the occiput is a 

 good measurement for a dog of 32 inches at the 

 shoulder. The length from the end of the nose to the 

 point between the eyes should be about equal or 

 preferably of greater length than from this point 

 to the back of the occiput. 



SKULL. The skull should be flat rather than 

 domed, and have a slight indentation running up 

 the centre, the occipital peak not prominent. There 

 should be a decided rise or brow over the eyes, 

 but no abrupt stop between them. 



FACE. The face should be well chiselled and the 

 foreface long, of equal depth throughout, and well 



