MyDogBreeds
Great Dane is originated from Germany but Labrador Retriever is originated from Canada. Great Dane may grow 24 cm / 10 inches higher than Labrador Retriever. Great Dane may weigh 54 kg / 120 pounds more than Labrador Retriever. Both Great Dane and Labrador Retriever has almost same life span. Great Dane may have more litter size than Labrador Retriever. Both Great Dane and Labrador Retriever requires Low maintenance.
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.
The Labrador Retriever has its origin from Newfoundland which is an island.Dorset Eskimos are the people who settled down first in Newfoundland. Newfoundland was discovered in 1494 by the Bristol traders from England. The people in the Newfoundland used Lab to help them during fishing.They were recognized as a kennel club breed in England.
The Lab has its special talents in fishing, it nicely holds the fish in its mouth and swims well to bring it to the fisherman who was its master. They are also used to hunt game birds and waterfowl.
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.
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.
Lab is a nice companion and also it helps in doing several works if it is trained. Lab is the America's most popular breed. They help the hunters, works with police and also serves physically challenged people. They are very friendly and it helps people so much by doing many works. They have very good sensitivity and are so affectionate with family members.
They have very high energy level in their young stage. The Lab is a muscular and athletic dog. They are sweet natured and well deserved. Lab needs physical and mental activities regularly as they are very intelligent and energetic. The pure bred Labs have black, chocolate and yellow colours. They are very interested in hunting and roaming. The young Lab should be given training to swim as a child, as they likes it very much. They takes more time to mature hence remaining as teenager for a long time when compared with other breeds.
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.
The Lab has a very good adaptability, it will get adjusted with its environment.
Lab has a good learning ability and it can learn upto 300 human phrases. They are the 7th most intelligent dog breed.
They are very much interested in playing with kids and are a very good companion for them.
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.
Malformation of hips, knees and elbow, Chances for Cancer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 2 month old puppy should be given 200 to 250gms of food. 3 month old puppy should be given 250 to 300gms of food and 6 months older should be given 350 to 450gms. The varieties of food which are popular is kibbles, Barf, wet food and Home cooked puppy food.
Lab can be fed by dry kibbles and also by raw meat or bones. Now-a-days most of the Lab are being fed with kibbles. Kibbles are the dried pellets of dog food that can be bought in pet shop or even online. Raw meat and bones are very much popular food among dog owners in UK.
For good health, Lab should be fed by a diet controlled food. Because overfeeding will lead to overweight of the dog as it causes weakness of bones.
Lab is a very energetic dog, so it should be given some time to play daily. It will be very happy if it is given a fenced ground to play and burn off his natural energy. Also it will be very good for lab if it is given chance to swim weekly once.