What Danes Now Look Like In Europe

[_PL_]

Reminds me of the chinese german shepherds (can't remember what they call them). But it's one of those weird trends that people are loving the jowely and/or blocky head. Why not just get a breed you like the look of instead of changing a perfectly good one? I don't get it.

[BarbedWire]

What is the story with the rheumy eyes? Are they bred to have eyes like that or are they diseased?

[raineth]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Edited February 27, 2016 by raineth

[BarbedWire]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Thanks for answering. The MacMillan diction offers this definition: 'rheumy eyes look red and wet because of illness, sadness, or old age' and I was referring to this photo from the link quoted by chequeredblackdog in #15.

[raineth]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Thanks for answering. The MacMillan diction offers this definition: 'rheumy eyes look red and wet because of illness, sadness, or old age' and I was referring to this photo from the link quoted by chequeredblackdog in #15.

Yes, we are definitely talking about the same thing then. Obviously we can't know for sure how having eyes like that feels for the dog, but I do worry that they are uncomfortable, and therefore should be actively bred away from.

Anyway, I hope that went some way to answering your question :)

[mita]

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

She's lovely, raineth, & I can see why you love her. You obviously take good care of her so there's no overt problems like stuff getting caught in her 'droops'. I can empathize. I have tibbies where they can have slightly more 'popped' eyes. First advice from a vet was to take care as this could make them vulnerable to 'stuff' like dust & also to injury. So I've done so....& after years of owning the breed, no problems so far.

[BarbedWire]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Thanks for answering. The MacMillan diction offers this definition: 'rheumy eyes look red and wet because of illness, sadness, or old age' and I was referring to this photo from the link quoted by chequeredblackdog in #15.

Yes, we are definitely talking about the same thing then. Obviously we can't know for sure how having eyes like that feels for the dog, but I do worry that they are uncomfortable, and therefore should be actively bred away from.

Anyway, I hope that went some way to answering your question :)

Your dogs' eyes don't bother me at all (sad but my favourite breed is the boxer and they have sad eyes and I love them) but the dog in the photo I posted has red eyes. Your dog doesn't. I just wondered about the red eyes. I thought it usually meant conjunctivitis, and I was wondering why it is happening in the Euro danes.

[raineth]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Thanks for answering. The MacMillan diction offers this definition: 'rheumy eyes look red and wet because of illness, sadness, or old age' and I was referring to this photo from the link quoted by chequeredblackdog in #15.

Yes, we are definitely talking about the same thing then. Obviously we can't know for sure how having eyes like that feels for the dog, but I do worry that they are uncomfortable, and therefore should be actively bred away from.

Anyway, I hope that went some way to answering your question :)

Your dogs' eyes don't bother me at all (sad but my favourite breed is the boxer and they have sad eyes and I love them) but the dog in the photo I posted has red eyes. Your dog doesn't. I just wondered about the red eyes. I thought it usually meant conjunctivitis, and I was wondering why it is happening in the Euro danes.

It's all right, nothing you've said has bothered me in the least, I just wanted to add that statement because I was putting a photo up of my own dog as an example. The colours in that photo are very dull, her eyes (or more technically, the flesh below them) are indeed quite red. It's just that the iPad doesn't have a very good camera. They are not diseased as such, but it is far from the ideal conformation for the eyelids because it leaves the eye more exposed, as Mita mentioned :) however when you combine this problem with a dog that also gets contact allergies they can become even more red and watery.

This is not just a problem seen in Euro Danes. Many Danes here have this problem, without having the characteristic exaggerations of the Euro Dane.

Excuse the first on her nose, she'd had a nice dig in the garden

[sas]

I've been wanting to ask about Danes in the show ring actually. I've been watching a few being stacked and the handlers grab the ears and hold them (almost looks like pulling) upright -- I'm assuming this is to mimic the cropped look. Does anyone here know why this is? Natural ears are folded down aren't they so shouldn't they be shown in their natural way, not pulled upright?

The photo on the right looks nothing like a Dane to me and if this is the new Euro standard, then I feel bad for the breed. Danes are a breed I've always admired and the photo on the left is what I've always pictured a Dane to look like; gorgeous, well-muscled but not too heavy-set dogs (just without the cropped ears!).

Yes some of us do - some Judges ask for 'ears up' others will slap our hands and say ears down. Many like to look of ears up, however the Judge can see the ears down in the ring when we drop the ears as the judge approaches and also in movement.

We have different styles of Danes in Australia and in a challenge line up you often struggle to find similar type. Thankfully the Euro look hasn't taken here although there are some lovers of the look in Australia - they would look out of place in the ring here (photos below my Australian/American style Dane). The demise of the breed overseas is absolutely heartbreaking BUT we are ruining them in other ways here in Australia.

Edited March 3, 2016 by sas

[Flashsmum]

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Their eyes are never "ugly", they have such soul in the way look out at the world.

BTW - She's gorgeous

I love the elegant look of danes, and I hope we never adopt that look in Australia. I know breeders like certain traits, and breed for them, but I love the traditional looks of all breeds. I understand breeding problems out, but not breeding them in!