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Mrs Horsfall’s Ch. Viceroy of Redgrave
General Appearance
The Great Dane is not so heavy or massive as the Mastiff, nor should he too nearly approach the Greyhound type. Remarkable in size and very muscular, strongly though elegantly built, the head and neck should be carried high, and the tail in line with the back, or slightly upwards, but not curled over the hindquarters. Elegance of outline and grace of form are most essential to a Dane; size is absolutely necessary; but there must be that alertness of expression and briskness of movement without which the Dane character is lost. He should have a look of dash and daring, of being ready to go anywhere and do anything.
Temperament
The Great Dane is good-tempered, affectionate, and faithful to his master, not demonstrative with strangers, intelligent, courageous, and always alert. His value as a guard is unrivalled. He is easily controlled when well trained, but he may grow savage if confined too much, kept on chain, or ill-treated.
Height
The minimum height ot an adult dog should be 30m; that of a bitch, 28in.
Weight
The minimum weight of an adult dog should be 120lb.; that of a bitch, 100lb. The greater height and weight are to be preferred, provided that quality and proportion are also combined.
Head
Taken altogether, the head should give the idea of great length and strength of jaw. The muzzle, or foreface, is broad, and the skull proportionately narrow, so that the whole head when viewed from above and in front has the appearance of equal breadth throughout.
Length Of Head
The entire length of head varies with the height of the dog; 13in. from the tip of the nose to the back of the occiput is a good measurement for a dog of 32m. at the shoulder. The length from the end of the nose to the point between the eyes should be about equal or preferably of greater length than from this point to the back of the occiput.
Skull
The skull should be flat rather than domed, and have, a slight indentation running up the centre, the occipital peak not prominent. There should be a decided rise or brow over the eyes, but no abrupt stop between them.
Face
The face should be well chiselled and foreface long, of equal depth throughout, and well filled in below the eye, with no appearance of being pinched.
Muscles Of The Cheek
The muscles of the cheeks should be quite flat, with no lumpiness or cheek bumps, the angle of the jaw-bone well defined.
Lips
The lips should hang quite square in front, forming a right angle with the upper line of foreface.
Underline
The underline of the head, viewed in profile, runs almost in a straight line from the corner of the lip to the corner of the jaw-bone, allowing for the fold of the lip, but with no loose skin to hang down.
dotted line shows fault
Jaw
The lower jaw should be about level, or at any rate not project more than the sixteenth of an inch.
Nose And Nostrils
The bridge of the nose should be very wide, with a slight ridge where the cartilage joins the bone. (This is quite a characteristic of the breed.) The nostrils should be large, wide, and open, giving a blunt look to the nose. A butterfly or flesh-coloured nose is not objected to in harlequins.
Ears
The ears should be small, set high on the skull, and carried slightly erect with the tips falling forward.
Terrier Ears
Greyhound Ears
Neck
Next to the head, the neck is one of the chief characteristics. It should be long, well arched, and quite clean and free from loose skin, held well up, snakelike in carriage, well set in the shoulders, and the junction of head and neck well defined.
Shoulders
The shoulders should be muscular but not loaded and well sloped back, with the elbows well under the body, so that when viewed in front the dog does not stand too wide.
Fore Legs And Feet
The fore legs should be perfectly straight, with big flat bone, the feet large and round, the toes well arched and close, the nails strong and curved.
Body
The body is very deep, with ribs well sprung and belly well drawn up.
Back And Loins
The back and loins are strong, the latter slightly arched as in the Greyhound.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters and thighs are extremely muscular, giving the idea of great strength and galloping power. The second thigh is long and well developed, as in a Greyhound, and the hocks are set low, turning neither out nor in.
Tail
The tail is strong at the root and ends in a fine point, reaching to or just below the hocks. It should be carried, when the dog is in action, in a straight line level with the back, slightly curved towards the end, but should not curl over the back.
Coat
The hair is short and dense and sleek-looking, and in no case should it incline to coarseness.
Gait Or Action
The gait should be lithe, springy, and free, the action high. The hocks should move very freely, and the head should be held well up.
Colour
The colours are brindle, fawn, blue, black, and harlequin. The harlequin should have jet black patches and spots on a pure white ground; grey patches are admissible but not desired; fawn or brindle shades are objectionable.
[see the current Breed Standards here ]
Great Dane Gnosis 
I love the clarity of this, and of course I’m delighted that that “look of dash and daring” has remained through the decades.
Somewhere I remember seeing the description of the tail in action as being a”sabre tail”, and the illustration here shows just that.
That acceptable lower jaw is still slightly undershot, though! But level seems to be preferred now.
I remember going to see a lovely top winning male of English lines we thought of breeding to back in the early 1970s. He moved like a dream but when I looked in his moth, he was slightly undershot so we declined that breeding. Hmmm.
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