Anyone familiar with the dog world will readily acknowledge that there are fine dogs in every breed, but in our opinion, you will find more of the desirable qualities in Great Danes than in any other breed. You will find almost every Dane owner ready to bend your ear to tell how extremely people loving" his dog is - "I don't think he knows that he is a dog; he thinks he's human like the rest of us" goes the line. As companions and as pals, they are just wonderful, and in all our possessions we prefer the beautiful to the ordinary - and Great Danes are beautiful!

To those of you who are about to purchase a Great Dane, we say - HOW WONDERFUL - GOOD LUCK - and may you find your Dane worth his weight in pure pleasure. 

Before you decide to buy that female Great Dane and become a breeder, ask yourself - is monetary profit the primary purpose, or are you of the opinion that it is the destiny of every female to become a mother regardless of the quality of the dog? These are the wrong reasons! It is even worse if she is considered merely a "puppy machine". How selective will you be when the pups are born? What happens if you have a litter that is "not so hot"? Will you know the difference? Will you be able to put the pups to sleep, or will you sell them as pets hoping they will not be bred? How many of the female "pets" will be bred? What if each so-called breeder breeds one female and the cycle starts again? Breeding good quality takes money, years of practice, patience, heartbreak and above all, knowledge of what you are doing. It also takes courage. It does not take a lot of intelligence to simply breed Great Danes, but it does take a sincere dedicated person to spend enough time and effort for research, studying and gaining experience, to breed and raise Great Danes to approximate, as nearly as possible, our breed standard.

Let us be down to earth about breeding facilities and the cost of raising a litter. The problem of dog housing increases with the shoulder height of the dog. A corner of the kitchen can provide an opportunity to raise small breeds, but this is hardly the case with Great Danes. An average litter of six or eight puppies at six weeks of age will be about 150 pounds of puppies. They very likely will have chewed their way through the dining room by that time. Great Dane puppies require a generous sized run and play area for their daily exercise. A full grown dog varies between 150 and 175 pounds. An enormous amount of building material is required to put this Apollo of Dogs on his feet. A great deal of exercise is required to turn all that food into muscle. One cannot treat this beautiful breed well if the breeding and raising take place in an unsuitable place. Breeders of long standing have spent thousands of dollars to build proper facilities because they know they are important to the proper development of their stock. Rearing puppies is a lot of fun, but also a great deal of work and care. Feeding and proper kenneling compose the foundation upon which champions are built.

Raising a litter of Great Danes properly is costly. Puppies need a high protein diet; meat, kibble, supplements, etc., for building muscle and bone. Bitches in whelp require food for development of their offspring and the production of milk following the whelping. Studs must be strong and healthy. When the right food is provided, genetic potential is fully realized. When the food is substandard, the end result can only be substandard. Mistakes can, and often do, permanently cripple a rapidly growing young body. The first months of a puppy's life are by far the most critical from the standpoint of nutrition. A proper intake and balance of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals are essential to building soundness. This means a well balanced diet and plenty of it! Rearing a litter of Great Dane puppies is expensive and it is work. Does your pocketbook and schedule permit this?

Will you be a GOOD breeder? A good breeder is ethical, has a compassion for and understanding of people. Each purchaser is a potential breeder or exhibitor. Will he be a good one or a bad one? He is learning. Are you going to sour him on the breed, or are you going to send him into the show ring prepared to win or lose graciously? Are you willing to "go steady" with each new owner of your puppies? The sale is not complete simply because you have been paid. This puppy is still your responsibility until they are standing. The new owners will be calling any hour of the day, including your dinner hour, with their problems.

As a breeder, are you willing to screen prospective buyers, educate them in the care and responsibility of owning a Great Dane? Will you sell only to reliable people? An unscrupulous breeder can do irreparable harm to our breed.

Sooner or later, almost every owner of a female Great Dane starts thinking about raising a litter. The temptation is great. Be practical. The breeding of good specimens calls for more than just the desire to have puppies around the house. Breeding Great Danes is something a good breeders takes very seriously. Unless you can do it right, you don't have the right to do it. Only a fraction of the total people breeding Great Danes (and upon these people the healthy development of our breed depends) make dog breeding a serious business. It is the duty of every breeder to be as helpful as possible to all going into the game.

The purpose of the Great Dane Club of America is the protection of the Great Dane. Its aim is to preserve the fine characteristics of the breed and to eliminate the undesirable ones. Breeder members are ready and willing to share their knowledge. In this way the purpose of the club, the protection and betterment of the breed, may be fulfilled.

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