Great Danes are fairly hardy, but cannot stand damp or draughty kennels. Most of them have good constitutions, and they do not suffer from being in-bred. If kept in the house all day and turned out at night, this breed of dog should have a rug on and plenty of straw during the cold weather, when he will take no harm. Great Danes are often good water dogs, and may be taught to retrieve from the water and even to dive after objects; while as companions for a country walk they are unequalled: even if absolutely harmless and timid, their great size is a terror to tramps and beggars.

It is extraordinary how such a huge animal may be kept in quite a small house, curling himself up, as he does, in a corner, and not always being on the fidget like a smaller animal. One often hears remarks from people that they have no room for a Great Dane; but those who have tried know well how little room they really take up. When always kept indoors they become wonderfully gentle, and learn to move about without doing any damage. One that is kept outside and brought in now and then as a treat is generally the cause of disaster. His joy and romps soon bring destruction, in the way of china and ornaments smashed by each wag of his extremely long and powerful tail.

Great Danes have very strong sporting instincts, and they may be easily taught to retrieve. Curiously enough, the writer has known them have tender mouths, and many times her dogs have brought rabbits they have caught, quite unhurt; while the same dogs would kill a strange cat with one bite of their strong jaws. She has also noticed that some of them, whilst walking upwind and getting the scent of birds or rabbits in front, will draw on them very like a Pointer. The Great Dane hunts mostly by sight, but he can also use his nose with quite remarkable success in tracking his master or while hunting in covert.

When galloping in the open in full view of their quarry, these hounds do not seem to wish to kill immediately; their idea seems rather to be of tiring the animal out. They gallop along, with heads up, without trying to lessen the distance; then, when the right time comes, they dash in and seize hold just at the back of the neck. Should two dogs be after the same animal, one will always wait for the other to catch hold at the same time on the other side; this surely is a relic of their old boar-hunting ancestors.

Without doubt Great Danes would prove wonderfully successful if trained for hunting big game. Their courage, great turn of speed, and strength, combined with wonderful intelligence and the ease with which they learn what is required of them, would prove invaluable to any one who had the opportunity of training them properly.

At the present time the breed is in a very flourishing condition. The Great Dane Club has over fifty members, with R. Leadbetter, Esq., as President, H. L. Horsfall, Esq., as Vice-President, and R. Hood Wright, Esq., as Hon. Secretary. The entries at shows where a good classification is given are generally very satisfactory, and plenty of first-class home-bred Great Danes are exhibited each year, in spite of the many vicissitudes through which the breed has passed. First, there was the Kennel Club rule against cropping - this induced many fanciers to give up the breed; while later came the quarantine regulations that now practically prevent fresh blood from being obtained from abroad.

It is worthy of note that none of the successful show Great Danes of to-day can trace their pedigrees back to the many excellent dogs that were imported several years ago. In fact, one cannot help thinking that in those days judges went more for size than for type, and that gradually the beautiful outline and general alertness that a Great Dane should possess were lost. The writer has often been told that at one time any Great Dane, cow-hocked or bent in front, would win, providing he was of huge size. Now cripples are very few and far between, though it is much to be feared that size has been sacrificed to a great extent, and every effort should be made to regain this point, providing, of course, type can be maintained as well. It is useless to try to breed a show Great Dane from anything except very high-class parents. It seems that in other breeds a bitch, providing she is well bred and is judiciously mated, may breed champions. This is not so with Great Danes, save in a very few exceptional cases. In fact, unless the dam herself were good in show points, it would not be worth troubling to breed from her - that is, if any very high-class progeny were expected. It is very important that both sire and dam should be in perfect health and condition, or the puppies will most probably be small and puny at birth. As size is of great importance, the bitch should be exceedingly well and carefully fed all the time she is in whelp, varying her food as much as possible, and giving nourishment without letting her get too fat. Walking exercise is best at this time, and during the last month the bitch should never be allowed to gallop or jump. With such very heavy dogs the result, if they are allowed to do so, is generally dead puppies. No Great Dane bitch should be allowed to rear more than five or six puppies to do them really well. It is unnecessary to destroy the others, as there are always plenty of foster-mothers advertised in the doggy papers, and this method is invariably successful if the foster-mother is taken out of sight and hearing while the puppies are changed. The puppies should all be left together for half an hour while the foster is away, and then all the foster-puppies should be removed where the mother can neither smell nor hear them, and with a little patience and watchfulness for an hour or two there is little fear of any mishap occurring.

At ten days, or at latest a fortnight, the puppies should be fed with milk thickened with any of the advertised infant foods. At first dip their noses in and let them lick off what remains, and in a day or two they will lap nicely. This will help them greatly, and prevents their feeling the ill-effects of weaning, which should be done gradually, removing the mother for longer and longer intervals during the day, and at last returning her only at night, and then keeping her away altogether. The puppies ought now to be fed at least five times a day, giving the first meal as early and the evening meal as late as possible. Twice a day they may have the milk thickened with food - well-boiled oatmeal or rice, good, reliable biscuits crushed very small and only prepared as required, cods' heads, paunches, and meat, occasionally giving a little raw. Melox Food the writer has found very successful, if given in small quantities once a day. If cods' heads are boiled long enough, the bones will become so soft that they will not harm the puppies to eat, only care should be taken that they are soft.