You have a picture in your head. A picture of yourself with your practically perfect dog. You’ve always preferred big dogs, and your ideal dog is sturdy, strong, and energetic. At the same time, you envision a dog who is gentle and completely in tune to your needs, your whims, and your every move. That perfect dog is likely a Labrador Retriever. After all, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in the United States, according to American Kennel Club registrations. Labs are beautiful, friendly, adaptable, easygoing, brave, loyal, dependable, and intelligent. What could be better? Labrador Retrievers For Dummies is a useful guide to have if you’re thinking of getting a Lab or even if you already own one. Perhaps (more…)

The Great Dane is a big dog that often has no concept of his size. One family fashioned a cowbell on their Dane so they could hear him coming. There was not an aggressive bone in him but when he galloped full bore towards you he’d brush past enough to knock you sideways if you weren’t ready for him!
This is a giant of a breed with a gentle heart. They’re a clown that is the inspiration for Marmaduke cartoons with the impression of power in television and movies. Danes have been immortalized by the likes of Scooby-Doo and in movies such as The Patriot, The Swiss Family Robinson, Good Boy! Pluto and Goofy are said to be inspired by Great Danes.
They’re dignified yet can be goofy. Their very size demands early training and discipline to be calm, loving adults. Gibson, a harlequin, is 42.2 inches and 170 pounds – when he stands on his hind legs he’s seven feet tall!
The Great Dane is noble and elegant and a true giant of a dog. They have a history dating back over 400 years where they were used for boar hunting. A dog resembling a Dane was found in materials dated to 1211 B.C. The Great Dane is believed to trace to the Irish Wolfhound and English Mastiff as parent breeds, for the purpose hunting of a fast, powerful and savage foe. Along with hunting for boar they were also used for deer hunting.
By the breed standard they are powerful and smooth muscled with a spirited attitude. The males must be over 30 inches and over 32 inches are preferred as long as he is balanced. This leaves a dog that can be 150 pounds without being fat! Counters are head high to them. A smooth bbut thick coat that shines with good care is ideal.
The Danes come in several colors including brindle, fawn with black mask, blue, black, harlequin and mantle. A harlequin is a pinto pattern of black and white while the mantle is “collie marked” in black and white. This is a breed that strides out level and powerful and is friendly. They shouldn’t ever be timid or aggressive. The ears may be cropped or uncropped.
Their giant size means massive growth as puppies that is a challenge to feed. Too fast growth can cause problems with joints while too slow isn’t good either. Several health issues can face the breed and are serious enough to warrant attention.
The Great Dane is the #1 breed in statistics for bloat, which is the leading killer of this beautiful breed. It is imperative to feed several small meals per day and restrict exercise immediately afterwards to keep the stomach from filling and twisting. If a twist occurs it causes the dog excruciating pain and he will die in hours without surgical care. This cannot be stressed enough – prevention is much much better than dealing with a dog in crisis. Preventing these giants from drinking large amounts of water is another recommended tip.
Hip dysplasia and hypothyroidism also affect Danes as well as cardiomyopathy. All three of these are genetic and can be tested for to eliminate breeding dogs that will pass the disease on. Cataracts can affect the breed as well as bone cancer and lymphoma. Wobblers or CVI is another serious disorder that results from pressure on the spinal cord in the neck area. Dogs appear unsteady or ‘drunk’. HOD – hypertrophic osteodystrophy is a painful disorder resulting from rapid growth. Panosteitis is another disorder that can cause lameness during the growth phase.
The Great Dane needs a fenced yard but keep them away from landscaping as they are apt to rearrange it! Due to their size they should not be left alone with children. Although Danes are not mean dogs their size and playfulness can injure children as well as smaller pets. They are people orientated but do need consistent training from puppyhood! Their size alone deters many problems and they shouldn’t be taught to be aggressive.
This is a breed that can be expensive due to the large size and everything from beds to dishes is bigger! If socialized they love people with one Dane owner putting a bell on his dog so there was warning of him coming. The dog was not a bit mean but his size brushing past people could knock you down!
This is a breed that can live 8-10 years and more than one child has climbed up on a Dane to ride them as a small horse. Most dogs take such things in stride but again – the size if playing or wrestling can hurt a small child without ever intending to.
A good diet is critical for these dogs not only in quantity but quality. This is an active breed that loves to run but should do so only in controlled situations. They are not typically barkers without a reason to bark.
When taking on a Dane remember that many people are afraid of large dogs. Be responsible enough to keep your Dane home where he belongs. Fawn Danes in particular are at the mercy of unethical hunters in the fall and more than one Dane has lost his life simply wandering in the woods. In urban areas the dangers can be even higher. Don’t take the chance of losing a great dog for lack of a fence, and don’t rely on the invisible fences.
Training is not an option but a requirement! They MUST know their place in the pack order (and always below humans!) and firm, consistent handling is key to establishing this. Allowing a Great Dane to dominate a household means someone will get hurt or killed sooner or later, a situation in which both people and dogs lose. It is also one which is preventable. The Great Dane is an intelligent dog that wants to learn and wants to do the right thing – it is up to his owners to teach him what that is!
As of 2007 the world’s tallest dog is a Great Dane. The Great Dane is the official dog of Pennsylvania and the team mascot at the University of Albany. A Great Dane has been a member of the South African Navy and the breed is prominent in Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin.
Among the fans of the Great Dane is Burt Ward, famous as “Robin” in the Batman series of the 1960s. He and his wife have a home that gives Great Danes a second chance and 3,000 Danes have found homes since 1994.
The Great Dane is a big dog that is a great dog in the right hands with the right handling. They need a home that is willing to be firm enough to teach manners and discipline but compassionate enough to bolster them and help them be the bold, outgoing adult they are capable of being.
The Dane will give you his heart and his life if need be. Make sure your time with him is worth that kind of devotion!

I am moving soon and this women on craigslist has an aussie puppy that is 7 weeks, we won’t be moving for about another month. Which would make the puppy about 3 months old. Would that be a good age to get the puppy at?
thanx

“Black Labrador Retriever
” it reads. Surprised, you ask a clerk about the puppy, and are assured that it is indeed a purebred black Labrador. Purebred? Can black and white Lab puppies be purebred? The price certainly is “purebred” price!

As luck would have it, your children want that very puppy. You hesitate, and finally ask for the puppy to be held until the next day. Back home, you decide to do a little research. You go online, and search the Internet for “black & white lab puppies info”.

So Sorry

If the information you find is honest, you will learn that black Labradors do not come in black and white. Any dog billed as a white and black Labrador Retriever is of mixed blood. Unfortunately, disreputable breeders are working to convince the public that these mongrels are AKC registered dogs. Indeed, with a bit of dishonest paperwork, some may become registered as black Labradors, but their registration will not endure scrutiny.

Realizing that the puppy in the pet shop is far over-priced, since it is not purebred, you decide to look for a real black Labrador.

AKC Color Standard

The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives just 3 colors for Labrador Retrievers:

1. Black Labrador
2. Yellow Labrador
3. Chocolate Labrador

Any other color – or a combination of colors – disqualifies a dog for registration as a Labrador Retriever.

A black Labrador may have a small white spot on the chest and meet the standard, but even that is considered undesirable.

A black Labrador should be all black, from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. There should be no streaks, spots, or flecks of other colors. If the dog is older, and has a few white “age” hairs, that is fine. A young black Labrador, however, should be completely black.

The Color Genes

The black Labrador Retriever’s color is determined primarily by 2 genes.

1. The first gene (B) decides how dense a black Labrador’s coat pigment granules will be. When pigment granules are dense, the coat will be black. When pigment granules are sparse, the coat will be chocolate. If this were the only gene involved, there would be only chocolate and black Labradors.

2. The second gene (E) makes the difference. It determines whether any pigment is even produced. Regardless of the B gene, if a dog has the recessive E, there will be little color. It will be a yellow Labrador.

Variations in a number of other genes control subtler color details.

A black Labrador’s nose matches its coat – black.

Blue, Charcoal, Grey, and Silver

Unscrupulous breeders have come up with new names to fit their puppies that do not meet the officially recognized standard, telling people that it is a new line of “purebred” black Labrador.

The most blatantly pushed of these four colors is silver. This is a very light color and, since it is sought by some who do not adhere to the standard, disreputable breeders describe unusually light colored yellow and chocolate labs as “silver” labs.

Sharon Wagner, molecular biologist and geneticist of wigwaglabradors.com wrote an analysis, which concluded “Silver breeders also blatantly lie. They have information on their websites that talk about DNA testing done by the AKC … AKC never did any genetic mapping of silver Labradors nor do they have any plans to do so since they are a registering body only and the Labrador Club of America writes the standard for the breed.”

Dogbreedadvice.com states in a Labrador FAQ: “‘Silver’ Labradors are purely a scam and are either crosses with Weimaraners or very light chocolates.”

A black Labrador Retriever’s color should never be any of these shades.

Are You My Father?

Imagine that you mate 2 black Labradors, and nine weeks later a litter of squirming little puppies arrives. Three are black Labradors, as expected, but 2 are chocolate Labs, and 4 are yellow Labs. Ahem! Will the real father please stand up!

You know the real father – no question – so how did this happen? It all goes back to genes. A Lab with one gene for dark and one for red-yellow pigment will appear to be black or chocolate, depending on other genes that control black or chocolate color. Each parent of a litter with some yellow puppies must have at least one gene for red-yellow pigment.

We know we mated 2 black Labradors, so each of them must have had one gene for dark pigment and one for red-yellow pigment. If both parents had been yellow Labs, neither could carry the gene for dark pigment. None of their puppies would have been chocolate or black Labradors.
Black Labrador Retriever color is important to many people, as are the short, dense, weather resistant coat; the “otter” tail; and the clean-cut head with broad back skull.

More important, though, is that your lovable Labrador be happy and healthy.

By: Anna Hart