Great Dane vs Beagle - Breed Comparison | MyDogBreeds

Known as the Deutsche Dogge or Apollo of dogs, the giant-breed Great Dane hails from Germany and not Denmark as many people believe.

The large Great Dane has been around for about 400 years already. They descend from mastiff-like dogs, being needed to protect country estates.

In the 18th century, apart from watching over estates, they were also popular with the upper class for sport.

There are some accounts of similar size dogs used for hunting in Greece in 5th century BCE. During 8th century the Talbot Hound breed was created. In 11th century Talbot Hound was brought to England by William the Conqueror. While using in hunting they are found to be a slow runner. To overcome the situation and increase their running speed the hunting people bred Talbot Hound with Grey hounds. The beagles described earlier were very small in size and are said as pocket beagles.

The Great Dame is a tall, lean, athletic, muscular, elegant looking dog. He can stand anything between 76–86cm in height and weigh around 54–90kg. The large head is long and narrow, and the medium sized floppy ears can be left or they can be cropped.

The tail is long and held low. The coat is short and smooth and can be in several colors such as fawn, black or brindle.

Temperament:

Any kind of aggressiveness was bred out of the Great Dane and today he is a gentle giant of a dog, getting on well with other dogs, children and everyone in his human family.

Even though he is a gentle giant, he will still require training and socialization just because of his size. Then they become the devoted pet that they are so well known to be. You'll want to know that when he comes indoors, he will obey you when you tell him to lie-down, sit or come, otherwise his sheer size will see him knocking things accidentally off table-tops.

He is an intelligent dog and is eager to please so he'll learn easily. He craves human companionship, so make sure that your social Dane has plenty of interaction with you.

They are small and compact breed, and always happy and fun loving. They should be trained by patient and creative training techniques. Beagles are very much interested in using their nose in finding interesting scents and are food focussed. They always wake their neighbours at 6 am by their half howling. They think everyone is their best friend and love to have friendship with other animals and humans. They have about 220 million scent receptors and are said as "a nose with feet" by humorist Dave Barry.

We can see beagles at many airports in their duty. They can easily trace out the illegal things being smuggled. Since they are small in size they are suitable for apartment living. But they like to walk around several times. They should be exercised for plenty of time. Obedience training should be given to them by giving food reward. Beagles are wanderers of nature and so if possible they will try to escape. So it is necessary to make them microchipped or to wear a collar, to find them easily.

The Great Dane is a large breed, bred to hunt wild boar. The intelligence, bravery and fearless nature of the dog meant that he was sought after for this task.

Known as the Apollo of Dogs, you won’t find the Great Dane being used for hunting purposes anymore, being more suited as a companion dog.

While developed as a working breed, today he is a well balanced, intelligent, calm, loving, social, dependable dog that just wants to be loved by his human family and to provide love, loyalty and companionship back in return.

Children friendliness

They are very good companion for children. They love to play and spend time with children.

Special talents

They have millions of scent receptors and so they can be seen in Airports and many important places in duty. Also they are interested in hunting small rodents.

Adaptability

They adapt well for apartment living but they don't like being alone for a long time. If kept alone for a long time in back yard they will begin to bark and dig pit or try to escape. Beagle likes hot weather more than cold weather.

Learning ability

Beagles are difficult to train up. Many people say it will take about one year to house train beagles. They have an attitude of "what's in it for me". But it depends on the personality and temperament of the individual.

Typically of giant dogs, the Great Dane doesn't have a particularly long life-span and will live to be about 8 to 10 years of age. Also, giant-breed dogs like this are susceptible to what is known as bloat.

You'll notice it because there is swelling of the stomach with gas buildup and also twisting of the stomach. It's a life-threatening condition and you'll need to get your dog to the vet as soon as possible. You can combat it by feeding him smaller, more frequent meals and perhaps buying a slow-feeder dish, forcing your hungry pet to eat slower and not gulp his food down.

Also, large dogs like this can develop hip dysplasia and with a dog like the Great Dane, it takes a while for the bones and joints to grow and then become stable. That is why it is important not to make him do any vigorous exercise till he is at least 18 months of age, as these exercises can put a lot of stress on the joints and bones which can lead to hip dysplasia later on.

Beagle's ears should be checked occasionally for any sign of infections like discoloured wax, dirt or foul odour. Also their nails should be trimmed regularly. They should be exercised regularly in order to maintain a proper weight. The most common health problems in beagles are obesity, epilepsy and allergies.

Hair fall

They are average shedders and having short hair thus it is easy to groom. They should be made to bath with a mild and non irritant shampoo.

Diet:

This is a large dog so you’ll notice that with commercially manufactured dog foods, there are those made specially for large- or giant breeds. It is important to choose the right dog food for his large size so that you can be sure he gets the right amount of nutrients in for him to grow strong and healthy.

If you aren't sure about what food would most benefit your Great Dane, ask your vet. While it is important to also feed him quality home-made food and raw meat, when buying kibble for him,check the label of the food you buy him and make sure that the concentration of protein isn’t more than 23 to 25%.

Remember to provide him with a constant supply of fresh, cool water.

Grooming:

Brush your Great Dane’s coat at least twice a week. He has a short, smooth coat so it will be easy, and the brushing will keep his coat soft and shiny. Use this time to also check for fleas and ticks or lumps. You will also need to check his nails and trim them if they don’t trim down on their own.

Exercise:

Your Great Dane will need to be exercised every day if you want him to maintain his lean, muscular shape. It keeps him happy too. He isn’t the kind of dog though that you want to turn into your running partner when you go jogging or cycling. He can go on a walk and play in the garden, but the exercising shouldn’t be for long periods of time.

His first checkup:

Every puppy needs to get to the vet for his first check-up when he is 6 weeks of age, and your Dane will also have to. As a puppy he will need to be de-wormed which will happen with this 6 week check up. He will also be vaccinated for distemper.

Feeding the puppy

After 4 weeks of birth the puppy can be given solid foods by slowly increasing the ratio for many weeks. The recommended food is fresh meat of chicken breast, lamb, turkey and lean hamburger. The vegetables can be given as raw or steamed. The vegetables that will be good for them are raw baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet peas. The puppies should be fed 3 to 4 small meals per day as they require more nutrients for their growth.

Feeding the adult

The grown up dog should be fed with the same food and 1 complete meal is enough for them. The meal should be given at noon. The food should be given based on calories as they should not get overweight. In addition to food, fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, banana and mango can also be given to them periodically.

Points for Good Health

Beagles should be exercised daily in order to maintain proper weight. Beagles are average shedders and having short hair which is easy to groom. They should be made to bath periodically with a mild shampoo.

Games and Exercises

Moderate exercise such as walking and cardio exercise such as chasing a ball should be given to them for staying them to be active and for maintaining good health.