The Great Dane in 1887
Chapter XIII. The Great Dane
"Here is a dog, not an English animal, but one thoroughly acclimatised to the rigours of our climate, and fairly naturalised. Still, it seems as it were only the other day (it is nearly thirty years since) that "Stonehenge" (Mr. J. H. Walsh) refused to give it a place in the first edition of his "Dogs of the British Isles," which Mr. F. Adcock then requested him to do.
I do not think that this dog (under which name, following the Great Dane Club's good example, I include boarhounds, German mastiffs, and tiger mastiffs) has made great progress here. Fifteen years since he appeared in a fair way to become a favourite. The ladies took him up, the men patronised him, but the former could not always keep him in hand. Handsome and symmetrical though he may be, he had always a temper and disposition of his own, which could not be controlled when he became excited. Personally, I never considered the Great Dane suitable as a companion or as a domestic dog. He might act as a watch or guard tied up in the yard, or, may be, could be utilised in hunting big game, or in being hunted by it in return, but he always seemed out of place following a lady or gentleman. When the early orders came into force in London and elsewhere, commanding all dogs to be muzzled or led on a chain, the Great Dane received a severe blow. Muzzling amazed him, and made him savage, the restraint of chain or lead was not to be borne. The dog pulled; his fair mistress had either to free him from the chain or be overpowered. She did the former, and her unmanageable pet chevied a terrier across the road, and the mischief was done.
In that suburb in which I reside the Dane was numerous enough before the various rabies scares and the muzzling orders. He could not be confined with safety, so he had to be got rid of, and where once a dozen boarhounds reigned not one is now to be seen. This is, I think, an advantage few owners of dogs find fault with, for he, when not under control, was fond of fighting, and his immense strength and power gave him a great advantage over any other dog. Some twenty-five years or so ago, in the ring at a provincial show in Lancashire, Mr. Adcock's then celebrated Great Dane, called Satan, got at loggerheads with a Newfoundland, and the latter, poor thing, was shaken like a rat, and would soon have ceased to live, excepting in memory, had not three strong, stout men choked off the immense German Dog.
This was about the time he was being introduced to this country, or may be, rather, re-introduced, for I am one who believes that a hundred years ago there was in Ireland a Great Dane, not a wolfhound proper, but an actual Great Dane, just as he is known to-day. Hence the confusion that has arisen between the two varieties. From paintings and writings of a past generation there is no difficulty in making out this dog to be as old as any of the race of canines that we possess, but as he is brought forward here as a British dog, his history before he became such would be out of place. However, it may be said that M. Otto-Kreckwitz, of Munich, a great authority on the breed, says that "the nearest approach to the German Dogge (the Great Dane) of our time is one which is represented on a Greek coin from Panormos, dating from the 5th century B. C., and now in the Royal Museum, Munich. This dog with cropped ears is exactly our long-legged elegant Dogge with a graceful neck." The same authority takes exception to the name of the Great Dane on the grounds that, as he is now, he was actually made in Germany and thus should be called the German Dogge on the same principle that we have the English Mastiff.
Amongst our earliest specimens of the race, Satan, already alluded to, must take a leading place, though his temper was so bad. He was a heavily made, dark coloured dog, with a strong head and jaw, that would not be at all popular with the present admirers of the variety. However, his owner, Mr. F. Adcock, was an enthusiast, and by his patronage of the dog, and his subsequent establishment of a Great Dane Club, did more than any other man to bring the strain prominently before the British public.
It was not, however, until 1884, that special classes were provided for them at Birmingham, the Kennel Club having acknowledged them in their stud book the same year. However, at both places he, a year previously, had classes given him, but as a "boarhound," and since, with his name changed to "Great Dane," "boarhounds" and "German mastiffs" have become creatures of the past.
I have a note of a big black and white dog, shown by Sir Roger Palmer, about 1863 or 1864, which was said to be 35 inches at the shoulder, 2oolb. weight, and a Great Dane! I never saw a dog of this variety approaching this size, and at that time a two hundred pound weight dog had not been produced. Satan himself, a very heavy dog, would not be more than, perhaps, 150lb. at most.
Coming a little later, we find that in June, 1885, a dog show, devoted entirely to Great Danes, was held at the Ranelagh Club Grounds, near London. This was just at the time when the animal was reaching the height of his popularity here, and a noble show the sixty hounds, benched under the lime trees in those historic grounds, made. Never has such a collection of the variety been seen since in our island, and, need I say, never such a one previously. The great fawn dog, Cedric the Saxon, was there, perfect in symmetry, and a large dog; carefully measured, he stood 33¼ inches at the shoulder. With Captain Graham, I took the heights of several of these big dogs on that occasion, and it was extraordinary how the thirty-five and thirty-six inch animals dwindled down, some of them nearly half a foot at a time.
The tallest and heaviest hounds we made a careful note of were Mr. Reginald Herbert's Leal, who stood 33¾ inches at the shoulders, and weighed 182lb.; M. Riego's brindled dog, Cid Campeador, who stood exactly 33½ inches, and his weight was 1751b. This couple were the tallest dogs of their race I had up to that time seen, but, at Brighton show in 1895 I weighed and measured a dog called Morro, the property of Mr. Woodruffe Hill. He stood fully 34 inches at the shoulders and scaled 1901b. Height is a great consideration in the breed, the club's standard being from 30 inches to 35 inches for a dog, and from 28 inches to 33 inches for a bitch.
It would appear that, within the last eighty years or so, considerable improvement must have been made in the size and power of the Great Dane. Sydenham Edwards, who wrote of him in 1803, said he was usually about twenty - eight inches in height, though, occasionally, he would be found thirty - one inches. The same writer goes on to describe him : "Ears, usually cropped; eyes, in some, white, in others yellow, or half white or yellow. A beautiful variety, called the Harlequin Dane, has a finely marked body, with large or small spots of black, grey, liver colour, or sandy-red, upon a white ground . . . . The grand figure, bold, muscular action and elegant carriage of the Dane, would recommend him to notice, had he no useful properties; and thus we find him honoured in adding to the pomp of the noble or the wealthy, before whose carriage he trots or gallops in a fine style; not noisy, but of approved dignity, becoming his intrepid character he keeps his stall in silence." Edwards further says this dog must be muzzled, to prevent him attacking his own species.
Contrary to the above statement we have that of Richardson, who, writing about 1848, says the Great Dane is a dog of gigantic stature, standing from thirty to thirty-two inches in height at the shoulders, or even more. He says the ears are short, and drop down very gracefully. At the present time they are big, and hang down in a fashion so ungainly, that until quite recently it was the custom to crop them, an operation that was best performed when the puppies were about three weeks old, and when suckling their dam. One large breeder, Mr. E. H. Adcock, followed this custom successfully, and the wounds were soon healed by the contact of a mother's tongue. Others "cropped" their puppies when three or four months old, some still later, when the dog was more matured, say at eight or nine months, but at that time it was a nasty job, and a terribly unpleasant one, to him who took it in hand. Happily this cropping is illegal nowadays, and is only alluded to here as one of the follies of a fast passing away generation.
Perhaps it was the custom to have these dogs shorn of part of their ears that led to their, comparatively speaking, non-popularisation, for it is difficult to find proficient operators, who run the risk of fine or imprisonment if the cruelty they perpetrate be brought to the notice of the authorities.
A few years ago, I was attending one of the Crystal Palace dog shows, and engaged in conversation with a man, well known as a skilful performer on the ears of terriers and other dogs. Walking past the benches where the Danes were chained, we were startled by a terrible growl and furious lunge, a huge brindled dog springing up and making violent attempts to reach the man to whom I was talking. Luckily for him the chain and collar and staple held. I never saw so much ferocity depicted on the face of any animal whatever, as there was on the countenance of that Great Dane. It would have been bad for that man had it got loose. Need it be said, we soon gave it a wide berth. "What was the meaning of that?" said I to the fellow, who was, in reality, very much frightened and shaken by the occurrence. "Well," said he, "I know the dog, he was badly 'cropped,' and about five months ago, Mr.----------called me down to his place to 'perform' on his ears again. We had a terrible job with him, and I guess the dog just recognised me, and wanted to have his revenge. I shall have nothing more to do with cropping 'boarhounds,' " continued the whilom operator, "nor do I think I shall go near his bench; no, not if I knows it!"
I fancy from the above and other experiences I have gained, that no other variety of British dog possesses the same strength of mind, and is so ready to resent a supposed injury as he. It is dangerous to thrash some of them; they may turn on you, or will surlily growl; and in fighting with any opponent they are not always able to discriminate between the hands of their master (who may be interfering in the combat) and the throat of an opponent. Still, faithful and intelligent, many of them are thoroughly trustworthy when their master is about - not always in his absence. They possess great power and activity, and are most symmetrically built. The Great Dane is usually a good water dog, but there are some which will not swim a yard.
As we know him here as a companion and a guard only, no more than passing allusion need be made to him as a sporting dog, to hunt the wild boar and chase the deer. That he was used for these purposes long before he came to be a house dog there is no manner of doubt, for his portraits can be recognised in all the great pictures of hunting scenes that took place in the Middle Ages. This is the reason I place him in the group of Sporting Dogs.
That he is thoroughly amenable to discipline I found some few years ago, in 1884, during a visit to the Oxford Music Hall, in London. Here Mr. Fred. Felix, a well-known trainer, had a group of performing dogs, which included three Great Danes, and all good specimens, especially the best trick dog in the lot, who no doubt gloried in his name of Grandmaster. These dogs went through a variety of performances in an extraordinarily kindly and willing manner, jumping through hoops, walking on their hind legs, sitting on chairs, jumping over each other's backs, with all the docility and more of the freedom than the poodle would have displayed.
Grandmaster made some astonishing leaps, and two of the hounds had a "make-believe" fight, growling, seizing each other, and rolling on the stage as they might have done in a less friendly strife. The latter was a performance I have not since seen attempted, and must be a most difficult thing for a trainer to teach. I do not know when I was better pleased with a group of performing dogs than I was with these Great Danes. I have seen other showmen performing with them in a cage of lions, and similar dogs formed a portion of "a happy family" of wild beasts that a few years since proved a great attraction at the Crystal Palace.
Again it is not unusual for the Dane to be trained to find truffles, a well known edible fungus which grows underground.
A friend of mine who has kept the variety for years, and still owns some exceedingly fine specimens, says the Dane appears to have a peculiar dislike to pigs of any kind, and coming across either one or a "sounder" is pretty certain to lay himself out to attack them. This scarcely gives the impression that he has had any connection with Ireland, where the pig is so common.
As special attention has been called to the Great Dane as a companion, allusion to that dog belonging to Prince Bismarck may not be out of place; still Tyras, the dog, was, in his palmy days, not a very much greater favourite than his master came to be later on. Maybe, the happiness of two countries was on at least one occasion placed in jeopardy by the action of the German Chancellor's hound. It has been said that a somewhat spirited conversation was proceeding between Bismarck and the Russian Prime Minister Gortschakoff. The latter, gesticulating rather more violently than usual, led Tyras, who lay reposing on the rug, to suspect an attack on his master, so, springing at the proud Russian, he brought him to the floor. Apologies were profuse and accepted. Prince Gortschakoff was not bitten, only frightened, and the peace of Europe remained undisturbed.
A writer in the Kennel Gazette gives the following interesting description of Prince Bismarck's favourite dog: I reproduce it here, as it will assist my readers in arriving at the character and disposition of the ordinary Great Dane:
"Of all the dogs that have a place in history, Tyras, the noted Ulmer dog of the German Chancellor, is the only one whose death has been deemed of sufficient interest to be cabled round the world as an event, not merely of European, but of cosmopolitan interest. Indeed, the record of Tyras hardly ended with his life, for the cable has since told the world that the first visitor to Prince Bismarck on his recent birthday was the youthful emperor, who brought as a present another dog, of the type of the lamented Tyras. For nearly sixty years Prince Bismarck has owned specimens of the Great Dane, and generally has had one or more of unusual size. His first hound, acquired while living with his parents at Kniephof, was one of the largest ever seen, and was an object of awe to the peasantry of the district. This dog afterward accompanied his young master to the college at Gottingen, where he speedily made his mark. Once when Bismarck was summoned to appear before the rector for throwing an empty bottle out of his window, he took with him his enormous hound, to the great dismay of the reverend dignitary, who promptly found refuge behind a high-backed chair, where he remained until the hound had been sent out of the room. Bismarck was fined five thalers for bringing this "terrific beast" into the rector's sanctum, in addition to the punishment meted out to the original offence.
"As a law student and official at Berlin, during his travels in many lands, throughout his diplomatic career at Frankfort, St. Petersburgh, Paris, and elsewhere, as well as at Varzin and at Friedrichsruh, Bismarck has always had the companionship of one or more of his favourite dogs. Probably the one to which he was most attached was Sultan, which died at Varzin in 1877. Tyras, who was of unusual size, and of the slate colour, which is most popular in Germany, was then quite a young dog, and he was the constant companion of his illustrious owner till the time of his death, sharing his walks, his rides, his business, and his meals, and keeping guard in his bedroom at night. Owing to his uncertain temper, he was not often seen in the streets or gardens of Berlin.
"He was, indeed, regarded more as belonging to the "Pomeranian Squire" side of the Prince's life than to his official establishment. At Varzin or Friedrichsruh, however, the two were inseparable. No sooner was the most absolutely necessary business of the morning dispatched, than the Reichskanzler sallied off with the "Reichshund" at his heels, and for the rest of the day, the long light coat, and the battered felt hat of the famous statesman, were not greater objects of interest than the huge dog which followed him everywhere, on horseback or on foot."
At the present time the best Great Danes in England are owned by Mr. Reginald Herbert; Mr. R. Hood Wright, Frome; Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Horsfall, Diss; Mr.C. Petrywalski,London; Mr. R. Leadbetter, Berkshire; Mr. S. Pendry, Windsor; Mr. R. Coop, St. Helen's, and some few others. He is not in many hands, and, although the entries in the Kennel Club's stud book keep up their numbers fairly well, the old Great Dane Club itself had but twenty-seven members when it ceased to exist in 1895, consequent on the rule the Kennel Club adopted with regard to the abolition of cropping. Another club was immediately started, and at the time of writing, it has over forty members. Now the classes at Birmingham, the Crystal Palace, Brighton, Liverpool, etc, secure entries quite equal in number to any since the introduction of the Dane in this country, the new club evidently popularising the Dane as a show dog.
Perhaps the best all-round Great Dane we have had here was the brindled bitch Vendetta, first exhibited by Mr. Reginald Herbert, and sold by him to Mr. Craven for a large sum. She was not a particularly big bitch, though perhaps taller and heavier than she looked by reason of her lovely symmetry. She stood 31½ inches at the shoulder and weighed 1401b.; but in general form and correctness of type of head, without lippiness or hound-like appearance, she was pretty nearly perfect. Windle Princess (Mr. Coop's) is another beautiful bitch, and again not a very big one. Mr. E. H. Adcock's Ivanhoe, a richly coloured brindle dog, has repeatedly and deservedly won prizes at our leading shows. Mr. Wilbey's Hannibal the Great was thought to be the best of his year, an enormous animal of immense power, but perhaps a little heavier and too mastiff-like in head to quite please some of our insular prejudices. He came to this country with a reputation as the best of his race in the land of his birth, which was Germany. This dog unfortunately got strangled in his kennel in August, 1892. Other good dogs are, or were, a Belgian dog, Herr Dobbelmann's Bosco Colonia, fawn in colour, who won prizes at the Agricultural Hall in 1897; War Cry, Corsica, Harlequin Nero, Bouchan, Sea King, Leal, Baron of Danes, Norseman, Queen of Saxony, Windle Princess, Earl of Warwick, Windle Queen, Selwood Sambo and Selwood Ninon, Count Fritz, Hannibal of Redgrave, Mammoth Queen, Snow King, and Senta Valeria, the latter a harlequin bitch of great excellence which, when shown by M. Aaron, took leading honours at the Crystal Palace in 1895; she is now the property of Mr. R. Leabetter.
As to the heights and weights of prominent winners, the following may, perhaps, not be without interest: - Norseman was 33 inches at the shoulders, weight 1551b.; Sea King, 32½ inches, weight, 1681b.; eal 33¾ inches, weight, 1821b.; Young Leal, 33½ inches, weight, 1541b.; Prince Victor, 33 inches and 1501b. weight; Cedric the Saxon, 33½ inches and 170lb. weight; Baron of Danes, 33½ inches and 1551b. weight; Ivanhoe, 33 inches and 1681b. weight; Marco, 34 inches and 1901b. weight; Earl of Warwick, 33 inches and 1751b. weight; Dorothy, 30½ inches, 1251b. weight; Challymead Queen, 30½ inches and 1251b. weight; Corsica, 31 inches and 1401b. weight; and Ranee, 29 inches, 1051b. weight.
The original Club had a hard and fast rule absolutely disqualifying any dog with cankered teeth or with a joint or more removed from the end of the tail. These disabilities have, however, been removed by the new club, who elect to leave disqualification or otherwise for such defects altogether in the hands of the judges. I do not know that Danes are more afflicted with "cankered" teeth than any other dogs; but, with respect to their "tails," cases have occurred where a dog has had a joint or two amputated, in order that the appendage did not curl at the end. The sore or bare place remaining was accounted for by the hound dashing his stern against the kennel walls or benches, a habit which frequently causes trouble to the caudal extremity of some big smooth-coated dogs.
As to cropping, the rule of the Kennel Club is to the effect that no dog born after March 30th, 1895, can, if cropped, win a prize at any show held under Club Rules.
THE BREED STANDARD (valid at the time of publishing - 1887 - note that this is the first English Breed Standard of the Great Dane breed)
The standard of points and description of the Great Dane as adopted by the new club are as follows :
1. General Appearance
The Great Dane is not so heavy or massive as the mastiff, nor should he too nearly approach thegreyhound in type. Remarkable in size, and very muscular, strongly though elegantly built, movements easy and graceful; head and neck carried high; the tail carried horizontally with the back, or slightly upwards, with a slight curl at the extremity. The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 30 inches and 120lb.; of bitches, 28 inches and 100 lb. Anything below this shall be debarred from competition. Points : General appearance, 3; Condition, 3; Activity, 5; Height, 13.
2. Head
Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised, and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull not too broad. Muzzle, broad and strong, and blunt at the point. Cheek muscles, well developed. Nose large, bridge well arched. Lips in front perpendicularly blunted, not hanging too much over the sides, though with well-defined folds at the angle of the mouth. The lower jaw slightly projecting - about a sixteenth of an inch. Eyes, small, round, with sharp expression and deeply set, but the "wall" or "china" eye is quite correct in harlequins. Ears very small and greyhound-like in carriage, when uncropped. Points, 15.
3. Neck
Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap, or loose skin about the throat. The junction of head and neck strongly pronounced. Points, 5.
4. Chest
Not too broad, and very deep in brisket. Points, 8.
5. Back
Not too long or short; loins arched, and falling in a beautiful line to the insertion of the tail. Points, 8.
6. Tail
Reaching to or just below the hock, strong at the root, and ending fine with a slight curve. When excited it becomes more curved, but in no case should it curve over the back. Points, 4.
7. Belly
Well drawn up. Points, 4.
8. Fore-Quarters
Shoulders, set sloping; elbows well under, neither turned inwards nor outwards. Leg : Fore-arm, muscular, and with great development of bone, the whole leg strong and quite straight. Points, 10.
9. Hind-Quarters
Muscular thighs, and second thigh long and strong, as in the greyhound, and hocks well let down and turning neither in nor out. Points, 10.
10. Feet
Large and round, neither turned inwards nor outwards. Toes, well arched and closed. Nails, very strong and curved. Points, 8.
11. Hair
Very short, hard and dense, and not much longer on the underpart of the tail. Points, 4.
Colour And Markings
The recognised colours are the various shades of grey (commonly termed "blue"), red, black, or pure white, or white with patches of the before-mentioned colours. These colours are sometimes accompanied with markings of a darker tint about the eyes and muzzle, and with a line of the same tint (called a "trace") along the course of the spine. The above ground colours also appear in the brindles, and are also the ground colours of the mottled specimens. In the whole-coloured specimens, the china or wall eye but rarely appears, and the nose more or less approaches black, according to the prevailing tint of the dog, and the eyes vary in colour also. The mottled specimens have irregular patches or "clouds" upon the above-named ground colours; in some instances the clouds or markings being of two or more tints. With the mottled specimens, the wall or china eye is not uncommon, and the nose is often parti-coloured or wholly flesh-coloured. On the continent the most fashionable and correct colour is considered to be pure white with black patches; and leading judges and admirers there consider the slate coloured or blue patches intermixed with black as most undesirable.
Faults
Too heavy a head, too slightly arched frontal bone, and deep "stop" or indentation between the eyes; large ears and hanging flat to the face; short neck; full dewlap; too narrow or too broad a chest; sunken or hollow or quite straight back; bent fore-legs; overbent fetlocks; twisted feet; spreading toes; too heavy and much bent, or too highly carried tail, or with a brush underneath; weak hind-quarters, cow hocks, and a general want of muscle.
Standard Of Points
Value.
General appearance.........3
Condition......3
Activity...........5
Head..............15
Neck..........5
Chest...........8
Back...............8
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Subtotal 47
Belly........................4
Tail ........................4
Fore-quarters ............10
Hind quarters ............10
Feet........................8
Coat.......................4
Size (Height) ............13
______________________
Subtotal 53
Grand total, 100.
Scale of Points for Height divided as follows:
Dog of 30 in., or Bitch of 28 in............. Points 0
Dog of 31 in., or Bitch of 29 in............. Points 2
Dog of 33 in., or Bitch of 31 in............. Points 6
Dog of 34 in., or Bitch of 32 in............. Points 9
Dog of 35 in., or Bitch of 33 in............. Points 13
So much for the Great Dane, Ulmer dog, German boarhound, German dogge, or whatever his owner likes to call him. I have been told that I am not one of his staunchest admirers, and that the foregoing chapter is a little biassed against him. I do not think this is the case. I am certainly no advocate for keeping these enormous dogs as companions, and, although they find favour in what may be called their native country, and some foreigners keep them as house dogs here, they are not generally popular as such. Their great activity, muscular development and power should make them of particular use where dogs are required for big game hunting, and, being pretty hard in constitution, they are certainly better adapted for the purpose than our British mastiff, or the converted bulldog. Perhaps the Great Dane might cross efficiently with the latter, and produce a more powerful dog than the ordinary bull-mastiff cross, which is often bred and trained as a watch dog and as an assistant to the game-keeper in such districts where a dog is required by him on his rounds at night."
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