Great Dane Color

There is quite a bit  of controversy about cross color breeding  great danes and I need to make it CLEAR that there are no RARE colors of great danes. . . only correct and incorrect colors and markings.  There  are simple explanations of why other  colors  are produced and there  are MANY "breeders" that will try to pass off certain colors as "rare", "Hard to find" or some how "special"--EVEN "Designer"  ----remember--- correct or incorrect.  Period.

It is my belief that breeders should not PURPOSELY produce incorrect colors, every breeders goal should be to produce the most correct great dane possible, this INCLUDES color.  They should NOT be ostracized for unintentionally  producing incorrect colors either , recessive colors are in just about every pedigree.  Great Dane breeders ( that breed Harlequin, Mantle, Blue or Black) that have not produced a recessive color are either LYING or have not been breeding long enough.

There is a move to improve some of the Great Dane color families by intentionally breeding to colors out side of the color family in order to bring  qualities that are hard to find in to the color group.  This is commonly done with Fawn great dane sires bred to Blue or black great dane  bitches.    This is not for the faint of heart and you need to realize that you have now introduced a color in to the family that will be there for generations to come.   This is how you produce ( through recessive genes)  Fawn and Brindle danes with dilute masking ( from the  dilution gene) and brindles that are dilute in general, chevrons being a blue color instead of the acceptable black.

In Harlequin great dane  family breeding you can have even more variation.  Instead of having harlequins with black spots (correct) you can have them with blue, fawn or brindle spots-- same rings true of Mantle color pattern, instead of the black and white "classic" boston marked great dane you can produce fawn, blue and brindle blanketed danes with white markings of various degree's. 

Fawn and Brindle  Great Dane breeding:

This is the strongest color group and most popular.  They do very well in conformation ring and breading is fairly simple.  Fawn can be bred to fawn,  brindle can be bred to brindle and collectively they can be bred to each other.  In the past the only concern (other then health related ones of course) was the amount of Shading on fawns, the chevron patterning on brindles and the presence of the masking gene.   Both Brindles and Fawns can be born with or with out a mask and can have different variations in shading and pattern.  It is possible to now test for the masking gene and identify weather or not a dog truly has a mask ( with brindles it CAN be hard to differentiate the difference in pattern and masking).  A simple swab test now lets you know at a genetic level.

Blue and Black Great Dane  Breeding:

There is a VERY small breeding group of "quality" blue and black great danes.  This is why so many of the top breeders have used fawn and brindles in there pedigree's to increase gene diversity and to add qualities that are hard to find.  As a whole the quality of this color group is increasing with time and we are seeing more and more quality blues and blacks in the ring today.   It is also possible to check for the presence of the "blue" gene ( which is a dilution gene that dilutes all pigment including nose and eye color) this test is a simple check swab.

Mantle and Harlequin Great Dane breeding:

Harlequin breeding is not a "true" color breeding.  This means that if you breed a harlequin great dane  to another harlequin great dane you will not get a litter of all harlequins.  Harlequin genetics is complicated to say the least and most times  only 50% of the PARENT colors will be represented in a litter and of that there is a great deal of variance.  The more correct the parent dogs are the greater the chance for correct colors in a litter ( or so the thought is. . .not always the truth) The preferred breeding is Mantle to Harlequin but it is also acceptable to breed to  black danes that do not carry for other colors, harlequin to harlequin or mantle to mantle.

Harlequin to harlequin breeding comes with a double negative.  You can produce double merle puppies ( puppies that carry 2 copies of the merle gene) and enutero you can have double harl puppies ( puppies that carry 2 copies of the harl gene) these puppies will never be born because the harlequin gene in a double form is a lethal gene, causing the puppies to die enutero .   Some great dane  breeders also breed harlequins to merles, but again, you are increasing the chances for double merle puppies. 

I have intentional left out piebald and white in the possible breeding pairs.  There are even MORE reasons to not breed to these color patterns.

Dog Adoption Fees Explained - Why do I have to pay to get an adoption??

A common question among dog adopters is why are adoption fees so high? Shouldn’t adopting a dog be free, or at least super cheap? To these people I say, remember, you get what you pay for.

When you purchase a purebred from a dog breeder you may be paying anywhere from $500 to over $1000 for your new puppy, but often that’s all your getting for that cost. When you adopt a dog from a shelter, your adoption fees are going to pay towards the cost of care your adopted dog has received while at the shelter.  Which is why adoption fees are often adjusted based on the age of the dog your adopting. Here is a breakdown of what a good shelter has already put into your dog before you even adopt.

Spay & Neuter

The average cost for veterinary care varies greatly depending on your geographical location (city vs. country), the size of the dog requiring care, as well as their overall picture of health and how it influences the complexity of treatments. That said, the average dog spay or neuter can range from $45-$175 for an animal shelter. However, this doesn’t include the cost of pain relief medication that the shelter will also be responsible, which is another $10-$30 dollars. If you were to get your adopted dog spayed or neutered on your own it could cost you anywhere from $200-$500 plus depending on said variables.

Shots

The cost of intake vaccinations for dogs to prevent Distemper, Parvo, Kennel Cough as well as rabies can cost approximately $40 for the animal shelter, if not more.  If your adopted dog has been in the shelter for a few months they’ve most likely received a monthly booster to keep them safe from shelter related illness.  If you were to pay for these vaccinations yourself you could be paying anywhere from $20-$150 dollars.

Parasite Treatments and Preventatives

Monthly flea tick and ear mite treatments as well as heartworm preventives for dogs are another monthly cost for animal shelters. De-wormer medications are often given preventatively as oppose to waiting to see evidence of worms. These treatments can cost approximately $10-$30 assuming that no labs are need. Lyme disease and heartworm tests are also another cost the shelter will incur to ensure that your dog is in good health. If a dog tests positive, Lyme disease treatment can cost anywhere from $20-$100 depending on the size of the dog. However, if a dog needs to be treated for heartworms the treatment can be extremely costly, and on average it’s at least $1000 if you were to pay for it yourself.

Microchips

A good shelter will not allow their animals to leave the premise without first being microchipped.  Although a lot of pet owners insist that their adopted dog will never get lost, but shelters see it happen all the time — whether it be as a result of a natural disaster or an unfortunate accident. The cost for a shelter to microchip their animals is approximately $20. However, the cost to microchip your dog on your own can range anywhere from $45-$60.

Food, Shelter and Comfort

The cost to feed a dog for a month in an animal shelter can range greatly based on the resources of the shelter, but a general ballpark estimate is round $40-$60. This does not include special diets for dogs that need weight loss food or dog food for specific digestive needs. Then there are toys, treats, bedding, and other necessities that the shelter provides.

Extreme Conditions

If your adopted dog is on anti anxiety medication, eye drops, or other antibiotics the shelter will try to recuperate the cost from the adoption fees as well. This also includes X-rays, echo cardiograms and other specialized treatments. This means part of your dog adoption fees will go towards animals that need additional care even if your adopted dog was lucky enough to have a clean bill of health.

Extras

Some animal shelters will provide you with a bag of food to go home with so you can slowly adjust your new dog to they brand you’ve chose to feed them. Collars, ID tags, and leashes may also be worked into the adoption fees. If you’ve adopted a puppy or a dog that was transferred from one region or shelter to another, the cost for the transportation might be added into your dog adoption fee.

Remember most of these non-profit organizations do not receive Federal or State funding. The dog adoption fees make caring for the animals in the shelter possible. More often than not the regular day-to-day operations, the cost for animal shelter agents, veterinary staff, etc. gets paid for by the shelter’s ability to fundraise and acquire donations to keep themselves afloat rather than through adoption fees for animals.

Why do Dogs eat Grass?

Dogs love to munch away on grass, and some even make it part of their daily routine. Fortunately, most experts believe it isn't something you should worry about. So why exactly do they gobble up that green stuff in your yard?

Scavengers 'R Us

Dogs, unlike their catty counterparts, are not carnivores. But they're not like your garden-variety omnivores, either. For tens of thousands of years, these opportunistic scavengers have devoured anything and everything, as long as it fulfilled their basic dietary requirements.

The modern dog, partly because of evolution and domestication, is no longer like its ancestors, which frequently ate their prey entirely, including the stomach contents of plant-eating animals. Instead, dogs today seek out plants as an alternative food source. Most commonly the plant is grass -- since that is what is closest at hand -- but wild canines are known to eat fruits, berries, and other vegetable matter, too.

Clearly, dogs can find their nutrients in a wide range of plant foods, but that doesn't explain why Fido usually throws up after eating grass.

When the Tummy's Grumblin'

A dog will seek out a natural remedy for a gassy or upset stomach, and grass, it seems, may do the trick. When ingested, the grass blade tickles the throat and stomach lining; this sensation, in turn, may cause the dog to vomit, especially if the grass is gulped down rather than chewed.

Although dogs don't typically graze on large amounts of grass like a cow, they may nibble on grass, chew on it for a while, and not throw up (an unwell dog will tend to gulp the grass down in big bites and then throw up). This may be because they find the texture of the grass palatable, or just because they need to add a little roughage to their diet.

Nutritional Necessity

Whatever the reason may be, most experts see no danger in letting your dog eat grass. In fact, grass contains essential nutrients that a dog might crave, especially if they're on a commercial diet. If you notice that your dog has been munching away on grass or houseplants, then you may want to introduce natural herbs or cooked vegetables into their diet. Dogs aren't finicky like cats, but they're not too fond of raw veggies either. They're kind of like big furry kids that way.

So, when you think about it, grass munching isn’t that bad at all. However, watch out for a sudden increase in grass eating; it could be a sign of a more serious underlying illness that your dog is trying to self treat, and that requires immediate veterinary assistance.

You may also want to buy a small tray of grass just for the dog, or start an herbal home garden. This will give your poor pooch an alternative to the outdoor grass and landscaping, the eating of which could lead to accidental ingestion of pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals that have been used to treat your (or your neighbor's) yard.

*cited from PetMD.com

Fur Real Pet Portraits Artography

furrealpetportraits.com

Starting with a regular photograph, some amazing results are achieved at Fur Real Pet Portraits.  Artist Jodi Laycock creates these stunning works.

Her love of animals has inspired her to create such masterpieces with love and emotion.

Please go to furrealpetportraits.com or visit Fur Real Pet Portraits on face book.

 From this original

 This was created

 

And finally this.

Then with this original

 Jodi Laycock created this

 And finally this

I hope you have enjoyed the work of Jodi Laycock at furrealpetportraits.com

Rest in Peace Kenai.  Kenai was a beautiful gentle giant.  He was in service to his community. His owner and trainer Lisa Harmon talks about him here http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/not-a-wordless-wednesday-post-by-lisa-harmon/

100 Trivial Dog Facts

1. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
2. Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas
3. A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail
4. If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her

mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
5. Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads
6. Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age
7. The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears
8. Teddy Roosevelt's dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador's pants off at the White House
9. President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her
10. Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands
11. In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights
12. The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs
13. A dog's mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch
14. ... with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per square inch.
15. A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human
16. The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world
17. France has the 2nd highest
18. The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog
19. 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.
20. Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures
21. 15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites
22. In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years
23. Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog
24. Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet
25. Basset Hounds cannot swim
26. Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour
27. Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box
28. The bible mentions dogs 14 times
29. Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese
30. The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
31. Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs
32. An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner's will
33. An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away
34. Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them
35. At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog
36. 70% of people sign their pet's name on greeting and holiday cards
37. 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits
38. There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed
39. The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
40. Dogs have no sense of "time"
41. Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years
42. The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound
43. The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua
44. The St. Bernard is the heaviest
45. Only dogs and humans have prostates
46. But dogs do not have an appendix
47. Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago
48. The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
49. In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite
50. ... while JFK's terrier, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika's daughter
51. An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark
52. There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs
53. Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers
54. The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever
55. ... while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound
56. A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's
57. ... which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human's.
58. Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape
59. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill
60. George Washington had thirty six dogs - all foxhounds - with one named Sweetlips
61. All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth
62. Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds
63. Female dogs are only ready to mate - "in heat" - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days
64. Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks
65. Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star
66. ... and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a pawprint
67. The Wizard of Oz's Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry
68. Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month
69. Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people
70. The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system
71. An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches
72. U.S. Customs dogs "Rocky" and "Barco" were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads
73. Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves
74. Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertile offspring
75. Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups
76. Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology
77. Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they're born
78. Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's
79. Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
80. The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
81. Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously
82. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
83. The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes
84. Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws
85. All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles
86. A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute
87. The oldest dog on record - a Queensland "Heeler" named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old
88. Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport
89. Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen
90. Dogs live 15 years on average
91. Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails
92. More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year
93. More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog
94. Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees
95. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care
96. Dogs are natural pack animals
97. They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine
98. After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old
99. Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don't make good pets
100. The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered

Awesome!

Great dane Hip Hop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXG8f-YyTpg