# Great Danes as Hunting Dogs?



## jonkayak

I know Great Danes were once used as hunting dogs for Boar, deer, wolves, and pretty much any large form of large wildlife. Does anyone know if anyone still hunts them or trains them? Now I don't plan to hunt with my two Danes but the thought of training then for such seems interesting, its more of an idea then a desire.


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## GermanDogs

I Have two and my male tries his best to catch squirrels and will almost act like he wants to tree . But i think the breed is alot like some of the other hunting breeds . All the hunting has been bred outa them .  The Golden Retrieve is one the i point to. Great dogs just not many people use them for what they were bred for. It makes me very happy when i see a golden in the field. With all that i guess i should get off my soap box and get my Danes afield. But they are nowhere as smart as my Bird Dog


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## Rich Kaminski

Danes are also known as "The dogs of War".


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## quikdrw63

my dane likes to hunt rawhide and sticks


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## ejs1980

They use them alot crossed with other dogs for hog hunting in Australia. Then again if you look at some of the dogs there for sale they'll breed about anything from blue heelers to mastiff and great dane sized dogs.


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## jonkayak

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I guess it's pretty much as I thought. 



> my dane likes to hunt rawhide and sticks



Thats all my male will hunt. The female is a different story though. She is the one that makes me believe there is hope for the breed. She knows all her commands, can be let off leash, and if kind of neat to play fetch with her as you can through the decoy(what ever you call it) and she will watch it  till it lands and wait on you to tell her to go get it. My male just looks at me like why did you through that, now go and bring it back to me I was playing with that.



> I Have two and my male tries his best to catch squirrels and will almost act like he wants to tree .



My male want chase or fetch a thing. His vet says he the most stubborn dog he has ever met. Though he has befriended to stray cats. They will actually all curl up together and take a nap. 



> But they are nowhere as smart as my Bird Dog



I know the feeling, sort of. I have a shepherd recuse that that is heads and tails above both of the Danes.



> Danes are also known as "The dogs of War".



I have read that, but I have not read about that yet.



> Then again if you look at some of the dogs there for sale they'll breed about anything from blue heelers to mastiff and great dane sized dogs.



If you want size the danes are hard to go wrong with. My male is 175lbs (not over weight) female 150lbs (lean). The male often is caught un-stacking the un chopped firewood and running around with it like most dogs carry small sticks.


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## crackerdave

GermanDogs said:


> I Have two and my male tries his best to catch squirrels and will almost act like he wants to tree . But i think the breed is alot like some of the other hunting breeds . All the hunting has been bred outa them .  The Golden Retrieve is one the i point to. Great dogs just not many people use them for what they were bred for. It makes me very happy when i see a golden in the field. With all that i guess i should get off my soap box and get my Danes afield. But they are nowhere as smart as my Bird Dog



That's very true that the "hunt" has been bred out of a lot of breeds. I was fortunate to find a breeder back in the 70's that had a long line of Irish Setter bird dogs.I got a puppy and trained him -  he was a beautiful sight on point,and his fur was not long like the show/pet Irish Setters.I'd hate to have to pull burrs out of that long hair!


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