The Broholmer dates to the 1400's in Denmark.
Everyone gets confused about a dog named the Great Dane. The Great Dane’s name in anglophone countries dates to the work of Buffon, who called the big, lightly built boarhound a Grande Danois.
The truth is the dog we call the Great Dane is actually a German breed. Its name in German is Deutsche Dogge (German mastiff).
However, there were Scandinavian mastiffs. The Swedes and Norwegians had a farm mastiff called the Dalbo Dog. It is possible that another breed existed in other parts of Norway that was known as the Norse dog.
There is also possible that the Norse during the Viking period had mastiffs, and it possible that when they raided England, they procured some of the big mastiff dogs that were common there.
The Danes developed their own mastiff for use on their farms. This breed is the last survivor of those Scandinavian mastiffs, although it is pretty obvious that English mastiff had a stronger role in this breed’s development.
I think the confusion between the German boarhound and this Danish breed led in part to the name confusion in English.
Boarhounds were also owned by Danish nobility. King Frederick III of Denmark had a boarhound named “Raro.” Raro was given to princess Magdalena Sibylle.
It is probably because of the association with the Danish royal family that the term “Great Dane” was developed for the dog.
However, the German boarhound has a really close relationship to the “Irish wolfdog” or Irish wolfhound. Some depictions of smooth-haired Irish woflhounds really strongly resemble the modern Great Dane.
So the real Great Dane is the Broholmer, but the German mastiff or German boarhound was once favored by the Danish court. Our language help us much, does it?
Great article! I wonder how many people know this?
Not many people know about the Broholmer, except people living in Denmark.
Most people know the Great Dane never came from Denmark. It’s FCI (the main international dog registry) name is Deutsche Dogge, which translates as German Mastiff.
What a dog! If I were a Danish, I’d sure have him – in my little studio in Köpenhagen.
There is this intresting chapter in the history of Newfoundlandian dogs, by Richard Richard Whitbourne (y. 1620): “In the yeere 1615. It was well knowne to 48. persons of my company, and diuers other men, that three seuerall times, the Wolues and beasts of the Countrey came downe neere them to the Sea-side, where they were labouring about their Fish, howling and making a noise: so that at each time my Mastiffe-dogge went unto them (as the like in that Countrey hath not beene seene:) the one began to fawn and play with the other, and so went together into the Woods, and continued with them, euery of these times, nine or ten dayes, and did returne unto us without any hurt. Hereof I am no way superstitious, yet it is something strange to me, that the wilde beasts, being followed by a sterne Mastiffe-dogge, should grow to familiaritie with him, seeing their natures are repugnant: surely much rather the people, by our discreet and gentle vsage, may bee brought to society, being already natually inclined there unto.”
He also writes, that if only a new habitant of the island will have a loyal mastiff with him, will he have no fear of the wolves.
http://www.mun.ca/rels/hrollmann/relsoc/texts/whitbourne/whit.html
And even one more mastiff can be found in the text of another englishman’s William Wood (1635), where he stands that the English mastiffes are very compatative with the wolves of Newfoundland (my edit).
Interesting stuff–
I have a theory that the original wolves were very friendly and curious animals– that’s why we domesticated them first. The ones in North America never experienced the persecution that the Old World wolves experienced until Europeans came here.
After centuries of slaughter, all the wolves that remain are nervous, reactive creatures that could never be domesticate. Our widespread persecution selected for wolves that were wary, nervous and “xenophobic.” Animals that are very unsuitable for domestication.
Your theory makes sense.
Could this wolf-item be discussed in the wolf-page of your dog (I think there’re at least one).
That Whitbourne’s note is intresting in many ways. To continue the mastiff-theme, I must say it was spring or summertime in the text, and the mastiff was a male and there were many nice girls in the pack of wolves. The male escaped three times. Each time he spent about ten days, more or less, with the pack. A superman!
Wonder how many of their puppies survived till the next spring.
And, as we can guess, this male surely was not the only one of his type in the island, during the centuries.
Well, in Northern Canada (including Labrador) and Greenland, the Inuit people let their dogs run loose in summer. It is very likely that at least some wolf genes got exchanged that way– although the “official DNA tests” say that these dogs don’t have any recent wolf ancestry. I’m very skeptical. I doubt that modern wolves would ever make good sled dogs, but the original wolves may have been a good outcross. Of course, I’m in the minority on that one.
Here’s where I first talk about wolf and dog evolution: https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/perhaps-our-relationship-with-wolves-was-once-like-this/
And I also talk about it with the dholes: https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/answer-to-the-wild-dog-question/
One British zoologist said the dhole (Cuon alpinus) was the ancestor of the dog, because dholes are very easily tamed and they often run with packs of pariah dogs. https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/answer-to-the-wild-dog-question/
Of course, dholes can’t interbreed with domestic dogs.
Ps. You have a peculiar program here under you blogsite. I’m sure I wrote “blog”, not “dog”, tho’ the latter wins the former in (with) any game..!
Hi,
i would buy a small dog of Broholm…but in Italy i don’t know where….mybe i colud go on other country…preferibly near on Italy….thanks to everybody want help me…