BREED HEALTH SURVEY UPDATE

Dear Great Dane Enthusiasts,

On behalf of the Great Dane Breed Council Health Sub Committee, I am very pleased to be able to give an outline of the findings of our Health Survey carried out in 2021. We anticipate that further details will in due course be provided on the Breed Council and Club Websites.

Approximately 600 individual Owners took part in the survey with information provided on 940 individual dogs. These responses came from a mixture of Breeders and Pet Owners.

The breakdown of Colours was as follows: Blue 27.4%, Fawn 24%, Black 13.5%, Harlequin 13.2%, Merle 8.2%, Mantle 7%, Brindle 4.9% and Other 1.7%.

We were keen to encourage everyone to take part and it is pleasing to see that nearly 50% of those that did reported no health issues during their Danes lifetime. 

The main categories that had reported health conditions were: Cardiac 6%, Cancers & Tumours 5.6%, Gastro-intestinal 5.3%, Muscles Bones & Joints 5.1%, Ocular 4.6%, Dermatologic 3.2% and Neurological 3%.

Overall temperaments were very good, although there was a noticeable amount of people reporting separation anxiety, nervousness issues and aggression with dogs. This could possibly be distorted a little by lockdown issues but highlights how important socialisation is.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who took part in the survey giving us invaluable information for future health plans. We do hope to carry out further surveys in the coming years and look forwards to your continued support and also welcome input from those that did not take part this year.

Kind Regards

David Simpson

Breed Health Coordinator