Welcome to the Daynakin Great Danes Website
Preservation Great Dane Breeders For Decades
This site is under construction - information from Georgia's old site will be added through 2022
Ethical preservation breeders of AKC registered Fawn and Brindle Great Danes
Hi, we are Georgia & Jack, located in the in the beautiful Northwest corner of Washington State, between the lovely rural communities of Lynden and Ferndale by the Canadian border. We are preservation breeders of classic AKC registered pure colorbred fawn and brindle Great Danes. Our dogs are bred according to the Great Dane Club of America breed standard and will always be recognized as a Great Dane. Our dogs are beautiful, sound, and have great temperaments. We pride ourselves in giving the puppies we bred the best possible start in life. All of the dogs we breed are health tested as recommended by the Great Dane Club of America and can easily be verified through the OFA. When we breed, we strive for the whole package—a dog that is sound in body and mind, healthy, has a good temperament and is a good representative of the breed. Our dogs are cherished companions, competitive show dogs, successful performance dogs, certified therapy dogs and movie stars.
Decades of Danes
Great Danes are a lifestyle with us, not just a whim or passing fancy. I've been active in the breed since 1974 and Jack has been involved with Danes since the 1960's. I am currently a member of the Great Dane Club of America (GDCA), Willamette Valley Great Dane Club, Western Great Dane Club of BC, Inland Great Dane Club of the Northwest and the Mt. Baker Kennel Club. I also was a past member of the Great Dane Club of Western Washington for 30 years.
From the mid-1980 to 2007 we taught obedience training classes in the Arlington and Ferndale areas. Currently, we teach conformation handling classes in the Bellingham area. We also offer a special opportunity to people new to showing: The New Dog Show Exhibitor Seminar, which covers important aspects of dog showing beyond the basics of handling – details that most newcomers have to learn the hard way.
In 1975, I co-founded Dane Outreach, a non-profit Washington Great Dane rescue organization. Dane Outreach fostered and placed unwanted Danes from then until about 2018. At that point, Dane Outreach became an educational-only program.
In 2008, I also had the great honor of judging at the Great Dane Club of America’s Futurity. I had a wonderful time judging all the lovely puppies. As a greater honor, I was chosen to also do the 2015 Futurity. Not many people are chosen by their peers to judge at this special event twice.
Showing and Winning
We are very active in exhibiting our Great Danes in American Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel Club conformation shows. We've owned and/or bred over 50 AKC conformation Champions, and more Canadian Champions than we can count. Danes of our breeding have been in the Great Dane Club of America's (GDCA) Top Twenty and the GDCA's Top Producers. Our dogs have been shown successfully in Junior Showmanship. But our line is more than just “pretty faces.” Many of our Danes have earned obedience, agility, fly ball, and Therapy Dog titles. Dogs of our breeding have been in movies and magazine advertisements. We feel the fact we exhibit is an important factor for both the companion and show-dog purchaser, as showing emphasizes stable temperament, soundness, breed type and health as well as beauty. Last, but certainly not least, are all the wonderful companion puppies, who, as cherished pets, have brought love and laughter to so many families.
Breeding the Best
Since we show, all of our sires and dams are AKC and/or Canadian Kennel Club Champions, or directly out of Champions. Again, we feel this is an important factor for both the companion and show-dog purchaser, as showing emphasizes temperament, soundness, breed type and health as well as beauty. Our participation in AKC events ensures high-quality competition and allows us access to a wide variety of information, education and resources not available to the average pet breeder. Also, while looks aren’t everything, a pet puppy out of show dogs is simply a considerably more attractive (exhibits more breed type) Dane than one bred from mediocre dogs. And a handsome Dane is a truly stunning dog--The Apollo of Dogs.
Proper pre-breeding health testing is extremely important. All of our breeding Danes have had their hip x-rays, thyroid, eyes and cardiac tests certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Other Danes within our breeding program may have had additional testing. We feel there is no excuse for not having the standard professional health testing done as recommended by the Great Dane Club of America before breeding animals.
Healthy Puppies are Happy Puppies
Our puppies are born, and lovingly raised, indoors in clean, comfortable homes. From their day of birth, careful attention is given to their health, socialization and development. Prior to sale, each puppy is checked by a veterinarian with extensive Great Dane experience. At the time of sale, all puppies have been vaccinated and wormed as appropriate for their age, micro-chipped and have had their dewclaws removed. (Cropping is provided for those purchasers who wish a cropped puppy.) Naturally, all of our puppies are registered with the non-profit registry: The American Kennel Club. The AKC is the only registry that supports the purebred dog fancy by offering grants for medical research, disaster relief and more. It is the “gold standard” of registries within the United States.
We are proud of the recognition we've received from a couple of canine welfare organizations. Because of our responsible breeding practices, we have been awarded an "Excellent" rating by the Good Dog Organization and we have been awarded Breeder Certification from Breeder and Rescue Certification Organization.
Finding the Right Home
We care very much about the puppies we bring into the world, and have very specific requirements for potential homes. We require prospective purchasers complete a pre-purchase puppy application and furnish references. We reserve the right to decline an application from a home we feel inappropriate for Dane ownership. A Dane purchased from us must be maintained as an indoor house-pet and the home must have a securely-fenced yard. We do not sell Danes to homes that allow them to free-roam or use chaining or invisible fencing as a method of containment. We require a home visit prior to sale, and can generally arrange one for any location.
Attendance at a Puppy Kindergarten class is required. All pet puppies are sold on a spay/neuter agreement. A puppy sold as a show dog is required to be shown. We have a detailed sales contract. We will be here for a puppy and owner, even years later, to take back a Dane if life’s changes ever make it impossible for an owner to keep their Dane. We’ve even put arrangements in place that purchasers have an alternate person to contact in case something happens to us.
Happy Puppies are Active Puppies (or: Surviving Puppyhood)
We do our best to assure the puppy makes a smooth transition into its new home. Prior to bringing their new puppy home, each purchaser is provided with a "New Great Dane Puppy" newsletter that covers what items will be needed to get your puppy settled into his/her new home, information about cropping and aftercare, and how to go about housebreaking and crate-training. You will also receive written medical records, detailed feeding instructions, and a comprehensive care packet. This packet includes a Great Dane owner handbook, literature on socialization, training, bloat, and a variety of other useful information.
Owners can expect to go through a hands-on "puppy orientation" with us when they pick up their puppy. At this time, we cover basic grooming like clipping toenails, keeping ears clean, dental care and coat care. We also discuss housebreaking, ear-aftercare for cropped ears, crate training, and beginning puppy obedience training.
We offer one of the very best breeder-support systems in the Northwest. Purchasers will never be "left in the dark." We are always available to answer questions on care and training. (We prefer calls during waking hours, but have answered calls at 3:00 in the morning from panicked new owners!) Even after all our years of Dane experience, it is possible to have a new question come up – but if we can't answer the question, we have the knowledge and resources to refer to someone who can.
Look – and read and ask -- Before You Leap
We are extremely alarmed at the growing number of scams and uncaring, unethical and/or simply uneducated people breeding Great Danes. (Many list puppies on “puppy sale” websites, offer little personal identification, no health test verification, suggest “international” and “national champions” are the same as AKC champions, do not breed according to the standard and/or do no investigation of the homes purchasing their puppies.) We feel it is vital for prospective Dane owners to carefully educate themselves to avoid the pitfalls and heartbreak of obtaining a puppy from one of these sources. The prospective purchaser should find out about the breed, learn what questions to ask—and how to verify the answers! Additionally, a purchaser should always qualify the breeder by doing careful research prior to buying.
If you want a top-of-the line quality pet, or a well-bred show-dog who can successfully compete in AKC and Canadian Kennel Club shows, please give us a call or email. We can provide proof of all health certifications and AKC registration on our Danes, along with references if desired.
We are Members of the following Canine Organizations
We've been recognized as one of the top 40
most reputable Dog Breeders in the US
