Great Dane

The different names of this dog — German Mastiff or Great Dane — illustrate the controversy over its origin that Germans and Danes claim. Arriving in Europe in the 4th century with the Alans, a people of nomadic horsemen of Iranian origin, the Alaunt (from which the name Alano comes, in Italy), these dogs lost their function as auxiliary of war when, at the end of the Middle Ages, they were recognized for their abilities in hunting and, in particular, hunting wild boar. The immediate ancestor of the present-day German Mastiff would be the old Bullenbeisser, crossed with a greyhound. These dogs were of an intermediate conformation between a powerful and energetic Mastiff and a fast greyhound. The word "mastiff" originally designated a large powerful dog, often of undetermined breed. As early as 1870, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who owned two, made the breed's popularity soar in Germany. The German nationality was attributed to it in Berlin in 1878 by a group of breeders, then confirmed when in 1880, the first standard was drawn up. The first exhibition of the German Mastiff took place in Hamburg in 1963.

It generally has good character and proves sociable with other animals when in contact with them from a young age. If well-educated, the German Mastiff is no more aggressive than other dogs. Generally calm and measured, it also makes a good guard dog and its impressive mass is, in itself, dissuasive. It is a dog breed moderately easy to train, notably because of its stubborn character. These are generally good dogs for families, and they like to be in contact with humans.