FORMIDDABLE IN SIZE AND A TRULY 'GENTLE GIANT' Hello. I am the Great Dane. I am sometimes referred to as the 'Gentle Giant', or 'King of Dogs'. If you knew me, you know this is true. I am the second largest recognized dog breed, next to the Irish Wolfhound, who my ancestors were bred with. But, even though I'm so big, I am not clumsy and I'm quite playful. That's why I'm such a good family dog, even families that have small children, but you may want to provide supervision, because I can easily knock over a small child and accidentally harm them. I am a also very gentle soul, even in spite of my size. I am kind and affectionate and I am quite loyal to my humans. I might just turn into a giant lap dog if you allow it, but that might get a little uncomfortable. Make sure you train me early on and don't worry, I'm quite smart, so I'll catch on pretty quick. I am a very, very old breed. Evidence of my existence dates back to years dated "BC." Back in the day, I was trained to hunt wild boar and even bears. Once the need for hunting was no longer required, I turned into a guard dog and companion. I am not an exceptionally long-lived breed. My average life span is only 10 years, but they're a good 10 years. While I'm a puppy, it's important not to run me until I'm fully developed, as this can cause developmental problems for my bones. And like with most large breeds, please make sure I'm fed really, really good, nutritious food while I'm growing so I can grow up to be a big strong friend! As you may have noticed, I have a short coat, which makes me easy to groom and I'm only a moderate shedder, unlike those darned huskies! If you're in the market to bring a Great Dane home to live with you, just make sure you treat us right and we'll give you all the BIG LOVE we have!