Labradane Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Labradane is a hybrid dog breed, a cross between the Labrador Retriever and the Great Dane. The breed came about during the designer dog craze in the 1980s. Some accounts suggest that the dog’s origin was an attempt to tap into the trend of owners who wanted smaller-sized canines, rather than giant breeds like the Great Dane.

Moreover, when it comes to Labradane’s parent breeds, drawing of dogs who look like Great Danes have been found on Egyptian artifacts dating back to 3000 B.C. and in Babylonian temples that were built around 2000 B.C. According to experts, there is evidence that similar dogs originated in Tibet, with written reports of such dogs appearing in Chinese literature in 1121 B.C. The Assyrians, who exported their canines to the Greeks and Romans, are said to have spread the breed around the world. These dogs were later crossed with various breeds by the Greeks and Romans. The English Mastiff’s ancestors were most likely engaged in the creation of the breed, and others believe that the Irish Wolfhound or Irish Greyhound may have also played a role. Great Danes were originally known as Boar Hounds because they were raised to chase boars. Their ears were cropped to prevent boar tusks from tearing them. The name of the breed was altered to “English Dogges” in the 16^th century. The name Great Dane arose in the 1700s when a French naturalist went to Denmark and saw a variant of the Boar Hound who was leaner and more like a Greyhound in appearance. He called this dog Grand Danois, which eventually became Great Danish Dog, with the more massive examples of the breed. Despite the fact that Denmark did not develop the breed, the name stuck. Most breed historians give credit to German breeders for refining the breed to be the well-balanced, elegant dog we love today. Throughout the late 19^th century, German breeders continued to refine the breed. They turned their attention to the dog’s temperament because Great Danes had aggressive, ferocious temperaments due to the fact that they were originally bred to hunt wild boars. We don’t know when the first Great Danes were brought to the US, or even where they came from, but the Great Dane Club of America was formed in 1889, and it was the fourth breed club allowed to join the American Kennel Club.

On the other hand, the Labrador Retriever is the traditional waterdog of Newfoundland, long employed as a duck retriever and fisherman’s friend. The breed became popular in the early 1800s when Labs were spotted by English nobles who were visiting Canada. These sporting lords returned to England with fine specimens of ‘Labrador dogs’. Exactly how these dogs of Newfoundland became associated with Labrador is unclear, but the name stuck. During the second half of the 19^th century, British breeders refined and standardized the breed. The physical and temperamental breed traits recall the Labrador Retriever’s original purpose. A short, dense, weather-resistant coat was preferred because during a Canadian winter longhaired retrievers would be encrusted with ice when coming out of the water. In its ancestral homeland, the breed would be assigned to a fishing boat to retrieve the fish that came off the trawl. Moreover, the breed’s thick, tapering tail serves as a powerful rudder, constantly moving back and forth as the dog swims and aids the dog in turning. When it comes to characteristics, the breed is described as one of a kindly, outgoing, tractable nature, eager to please, and nonaggressive toward man or animal. The Kennel Club of England recognized the breed in 1903, and the AKC registered its first dog of the breed in 1917. The Labrador Retriever topped American Kennel Club registrations for the first time in 1991 and has reigned as America’s favorite breed ever since.

Overall, the two parents made an excellent breed. The Labradane is likely to be a large or giant-sized dog depending upon the dominant parent breed. He will vary in color, maybe black, brown, and white, or he may be brindle, mantle, or solid. The breed loves being active and is very social, and affectionate with every member of his family.