The Great Dane, Danish Hound, Danish Gallant, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, or German Mastiff is a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) known for its giant size and gentle personality. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Apollo of all breeds." Great Danes are considered one of the tallest dog breeds along with the Irish Wolfhound. More recently, Great Danes have been in the Guinness World Records for tallest dog. The Great Dane was named the state dog of Pennsylvania in 1965.

Although the current holder of the world record for tallest dog is a tall Great Dane, the Irish Wolfhound is the breed that tends to be tallestFact: date=April 2009, though it is lighter in weight.

History

Historians claim that there are drawings of dogs that resemble the breed on Egyptian monuments from roughly 3000 B.C. The earliest written description of a dog no/breed_great_dane.htm Great Dane at Kaynine Online] - URL retrieved August 29, 2006 It is also reported that the Great Dane was developed from mastiff-like dogs taken to Germany by the Alans. The Bullenbeisser may be its direct ancestor, composing about the 40% of its make-up.Fact: date=June 2008

According to Barbara Stein, "The breed originated in Germany, probably from a cross between the English mastiff and the Irish Wolfhound." However, other sources maintain that the breed originated in Denmark and still others report the question as controversial and unsettled.1In 1749 Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon used the name ”le Grand Danois,” (translated by William Smellie (encyclopedist) as ”Great Dane”). Up until that time the hound was referred to in England as ”Danish dog.”

According to Jacob Nicolay Wilse the Danes called the dog ”large hound,” a terminology continued well in to the 20th Century.

In Germany in 1780 the hound is referred to as ”Grosser Dänischer Jagd Hund” ( ). At the first dog exhibition, held in Hamburg 14-20 July 1863,Fact: date=June 2008 eight dogs were called ”Dänische Dogge” and seven ”Ulmer Doggen.”

The origin of the name Great Dane is curious. The breed can be traced back to Germany, not Denmark as often thought because of the Anglo-Saxon name. The reason why in Anglo Saxon and French speaking countries refer to the German Mastiff still as Great Dane are political reasons of historical issues especially during the unification of Germany by Prussia and Bismarck. The breed had many names in the Holy Roman Empire, depending on its origin. The oldest trackable breeders were in the states of Württemberg and Hesse. All regions had their favourite colour of coat. This led to the confusion during the first breeder exhibition in Germany in 1863, when breeders from all over the country signed in dogs of the same breed under different breed names. When it was decided during the German Dog Exhibition in Hamburg Altona that there should be a united name for this old German breed it was decisive that this dog would be called "Deutsche Dogge" (German Mastiff) at a time when Germany united and Prussia became a European Power in defeating France. Britain or France would not call a dog "Great German". The precursors of today's Great Dane are the old "Bullenbeisser" as well as the so-called "Hatz- and Sauhunde" (hounds), which are a cross between the strong Mastiff of the English type and a fast and nimble Greyhound. At first, big and strong dogs that did not necessarily belong to a certain breed were considered as Danes. Later on, names like Ulmer Dane, English Dane, Danish Dane, "Saupacker" (wild boar hunt) and big Dane described the different sizes and colors of this type.