I live with Great Danes from the 1980, that is when my first fawn male come into my home; he was almost one year old, not very handsome but whit a marvelous character, that did me know and love this race.
First litter born in 1985, when I didn’t think certainly of walking through all this strre, also because then I was not particularly interested to theshows, but whit the time I desired do anything more for the breed.
I bought a show-dog , “Kelly del Pino Azzurro”, that gave me so much satisfaction and taught many things; then I learned to use cleverly my first bitch who, having uncropped ears, she couldn’t participate to theshow ; I mattered an interesting male from Germany, “Lagos von den Hochwiesen”, …and born my first World-Champion; but not only, I had also that which I consider the fundaments of my bloodline: Berenice and Eco.
The beginner lick has given me ealthy and solid bases, my veterinarian mentality keeps me on this way, and till again my choice criterions for stallions hold construction and movement in high regard, of course together to the tipe. I also consider whit care pedigrees, hoping they tell the truth (!), because too much I see come back the same problems in the progenie of some stallion or some bloodlines I kown that is impossible to find the perfection, but I believe important try to keeping my bloodline out of what I don’t like.
My ideal Great Dane is…..the standard; but the standard can have different interpretations that can conduct to substantial differnces, that appear in the different bloodlines: I believe that people unesperienced about dogs can be troubled for recognizing the same breed between a Danes from Norway and one from France.
Generalizing, my ideal Dane has the construction of one Scandinavian, the substance of a German and a few of tipe of a Franch.
My bitches, except the first “Connie and “Kelly del Pino Azzurro”, are all “dei Cinegeti” coming from joints whit German lines; better, I have worked a lot around”Ingo von Beelen”line, tipical and balanced brindie male, also whit Lagos von den Hochwiesen, Extra v. Haus Fresena, Geronimo v. Albatros, descending from him.
I have always privileged the German lines because of excellent construction and tipicity and I trusted those criterions of breeding, also if some of them are disputable today: An other side that I believe very important it is the character of the Dane, that must be not only balanced and not nervous, but also a good guardian and friendly whit other dags: I love that my Danes live all together, at home, absolutely not in box, and a good selection of character alloows me to do to co-habit males and famales whitout problems.
—————————————–Marina Salmoiraghi
