The Great Dane - Courageous, Friendly, and Dependable

We had a Great Dane living two houses away for a few years. He didn't bark very often, but when he did the whole neighborhood heard it. His bark was deep and loud, and very impressive-sounding.

Originally they were bred for hunting wild boars in Germany. They had the speed, endurance, strength and courage to chase and bring down the wild boars.

They are decended from the Molossus war dog and the Greyhound and have been around for hundreds of years, although they didn't come to the United States until the late 1800s.

You might remember seeing one on the Pemberly estate in the 1990s production of "Pride and Prejudice". That was quite accurate, as these dogs were favorites of the landed gentry, of which Mr. Darcy belonged.

Great Danes are spirited, courageous, friendly and dependable. Generally good with children (although they might be a bit overwhelming for little children) and friendly towards other household pets and dogs, they make a good family dog if you can deal with their large size.

In 2003 they were the 27th favorite dog in the United States, having become very popular despite the challenges of owning a giant dog.

If you want to learn more about Great Danes, whether you are looking for one or already own one, there is a fantastic e-book available called Great Dane Secrets.

This e-book (which you can download and be reading in a minute) covers issues such as if the Great Dane is the dog for you, the health issues specific to this dog breed, how to train you dog, how to groom your dog, how to introduce him/her to your children, and much more.