THE GREAT DANE 45 



The Kennel Club has classed the Great Dane amongst the 

 Non-Sporting dogs, probably because with us he cannot 

 find a quarry worthy of his mettle ; but, for all that, he has 

 the instincts and qualifications of a sporting dog, and he has 

 proved himself particularly valuable for hunting big game in 

 hot climates, which he stands very well. 



Respecting the temperament of the Great Dane and his 

 suitability as a companion writers have gone to extremes in 

 praise and condemnation. In his favour it must be said that 

 in natural intelligence he is surpassed by very few other 

 dogs. He has a most imposing figure, and does not, like some 

 other big breeds, slobber from his mouth, which is a parti- 

 cularly unpleasant peculiarity when a dog is kept in the 

 house. On the other hand, it must be admitted that with al- 

 most the strength of a tiger he combines the excitability of a 

 terrier, and no doubt a badly trained Great Dane is a very 

 dangerous animal. It is not sufficient to teach him in the 

 haphazard way which might be successful in getting a small 

 dog under control, but even as a companion he ought to be 

 trained systematically, and, considering his marked intelli- 

 gence, this is not difficult of accomplishment. 



The Great Dane attains his full development in about a 

 year and a half to two years, and, considering that puppies 

 have to build up in that time a very big skeleton and straight 

 limbs, special attention must be given to the rearing of them. 

 The dam whelps frequently eight puppies, and sometimes 

 even a few more. Mr. Larke's Princess Thor had a litter of 

 seventeen, but even eight is too great a number for a bitch 

 to suckle in a breed where great size is a desideratum. Not 

 more than four, or at the outside five, should be left with the 

 bitch ; the others should be put to a foster mother, or if they 

 are weaklings or foul-marked, it is best to destroy them. 

 After the puppies are weaned, their food should be of bone- 

 making quality, and they require ample space for exercise 

 and play. Nothing is worse than to take the youngsters for 

 forced marches before their bones have become firm. 



