Daniff

Daniff Puppies for Sale: Playful and Loving Giants

With so many designer dogs, the decision on which pet to add to your household can be daunting. Daniff puppies for sale are well worth your inclusion on your shortlist if you enjoy large dogs but don’t want to worry about steep exercise requirements and high-strung personalities. The Daniff is known for its affectionate demeanor and family loyalty.

Background Information

A Daniff is a giant hybrid representing a mix between a Great Dane and any kind of Mastiff. Its full name may reflect the specific Mastiff involved in its parentage. Otherwise, the term Daniff most commonly refers to a cross between a Great Dane and an English Mastiff.

The first purposeful modern Daniff dog breed probably arose in the early 2000s in the United States. In the Middle Ages, they most certainly existed as guard dogs before people began to value the independent qualities of the Great Dane. In the last 10 years or so, the Daniff has arisen from the designer dog craze that began in the 1990s. The movement seeks to mix various dogs hoping to pass on the most desirable characteristics from the involved breeds to their puppies. Daniffs were most likely created for their ability to protect the home and their looks. Some fanciers also sought to improve upon the health of the individual breeds. As you would expect, the Daniff is not recognized by major purebred registries.

Great Dane

To receive the Daniff classification, one of the dog’s parents must be a Great Dane. The Great Dane was once a designer dog itself, the result of Irish Wolfhound and Old English Mastiff crosses. It remains a member of the Mastiff family, sometimes called the German Mastiff. Great Danes were used for guarding estates and hunting boars in Germany in the 1600s. The AKC first recognized the breed in 1887.

Mastiff

The English Mastiff, Old English Mastiff, or Mastiff is an ancient breed from Great Britain. Its ancestors likely included Molossian-type dogs that were present in Asia as early as the 500s BCE. Old English Mastiffs were imported and used for war and blood sports by the Romans. They served as guard dogs for large estates in their native England. The modern Mastiff standard arose by the 1880s, and the breed received AKC recognition in 1885.

Appearance

Daniff puppies for sale have unpredictable physical traits. About 60% of puppies will show an even blend of their two parents’ characteristics, while the remainder more closely resemble the Great Dane or Mastiff. Physical features also vary depending upon which type of Mastiff is involved. On average, your dog will be 27 to 35 inches tall and weigh between 120 and 170 pounds.

Conformation

A Daniff will have many if not all of the following features:

• Head – massive; rounder and more dome-shaped than a Great Dane but more streamlined and longer than a Mastiff; the muzzle is approximately the same length as the back skull; variable wrinkles of the brow
• Eyes – medium-sized and almond-shaped; deep-set
• Ears – medium-sized and triangular; hanging and either framing the face or held slightly away from the cheeks; some owners have their dogs’ ears cropped
• Jaws – powerful; the muzzle is deep
• Neck – muscular and medium in length
• Shoulders – strong and moderately sloping
• Forelimbs – straight and long; the elbows are directly under the shoulders; the pasterns are short and upright
• Hindlimbs – the angulation is moderate in the stifles and hocks
• Chest – deep and moderately broad; deeper than it is wide
• Body – the length is slightly longer than the dog’s height
• Back – broad and muscular; the topline is level with a slight dip immediately behind the withers
• Croup – broad with a moderate slope
• Tail – low set, and the tip hangs just below the hocks

Coat and Colors

A Daniff has a short, hard coat that sheds moderately the entire year. The mix comes in several colors.

• Fawn – a fawn Daniff usually but not always has a mask; fawn ranges from light tan to reddish-brown
• Merle – gray with mottled and variable spots and patches that can be dark gray to black
• Black and white
• Harlequin – like merle, but the base coat is white instead of gray or blue
• Brindle – fawn with black stripe-like markings
• Black – rarely solid black; most black dogs white markings on the face, feet, and chest
• White – dogs may have sparse black or gray spots

Personality

Most Daniffs are affectionate, friendly, and protective of their families. They are not typically aggressive and tend to be sweethearts even with strangers. If socialized, their discerning natures don’t perceive a threat where there is none. Mixes with certain Mastiffs, like the Dogo Argentino, can produce a dog with a higher-than-average prey drive. Most Daniffs are even-tempered, although using caution around smaller pets is necessary. Depending on the size differential and your dog’s personality, you may want to keep your Daniff mostly separate from cats and small-breed canines. Daniffs are generally gentle with children, but again, their size necessitates constant supervision with younger kids. These dogs are intelligent but slow to mature, making them challenging to train. Early obedience training is beneficial, so your dog adapts good manners before its size becomes unmanageable.

Daniff Puppies for Sale Near Me

Daniff puppies are not exceedingly common, but you can find them from breeders and shelters. People surrender young adult Daniffs frequently for a variety of reasons, frequently becoming overwhelmed with ownership. Daniffs are not only huge but surprisingly active and potentially destructive.

Like any other dog, try to visit a potential pup and inspect where it lives. Look for bright-eyed and active puppies and clean facilities. Try to work with breeders who keep thorough health records and can provide you with lineages of their dogs. Minimal health screenings should include eye, heart, and hip evaluations on the pups’ parents. Most Daniffs are first-generation dogs, or the products of a purebred Great Dane and Mastiff.

Lifespan

Fortunately, Daniffs tend to live a little longer than either the Mastiff or Great Dane. Daniff puppies for sale enjoy life expectancies between nine and twelve years.

Care

• Coat – brush once a week; regular brushing distributes oils through the fur
• Bath – once every one to four months
• Nail trim – every six to twelve weeks
• Ears – check for infection every two to three days
• Face – wipe folds and around the eyes and muzzle daily with a soft and damp cloth
• Teeth – brush with a species appropriate toothbrush and paste; you can add chews
• Feed – 14 to 17 calories per pound; feed puppies two to three times as many calories as adults according to weight; animal protein should be the top ingredient; alternative diets include raw and vegetarian meals, which may not be appropriate for puppies under a year old; when in doubt about nutritional completeness, work in tandem with a veterinarian or animal nutritionist
• Exercise – Daniffs need about 40 to 60 minutes of exercise daily, which should include walking, vigorous playing, training, and socialization; exercise should be lighter for puppies undergoing rapid growth (the growth plates may not close until a giant-breed dog is 18 to 24 months old)

Different Daniffs

A standard Daniff is also known as an English Daniff, Mastidane, or Great Daniff. A few common mixes outside of English Mastiffs are the Bullmastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, and Cane Corso.

Neo Daniff

• Parent Breeds – Neapolitan Mastiff x Great Dane
• Size – 26 to 36 inches tall, 150 to 200 pounds
• Colors – sable (banded hairs of various shades of brown or red, some tipped with black), black, white, fawn, cream, or brindle

Italian Daniff

• Parent Breeds – Italian Mastiff or Cane Corso Italiano x Great Dane
• Size – 33 to 36 inches tall, 115 to 135 pounds
• Colors – Isabella (dilute liver), black, blue, brown (liver or chocolate), or fawn

Bull Daniff

• Parent Breeds – Bullmastiff x Great Dane
• Size – 32 to 34 inches tall, 115 to 200 pounds; not much size difference between the genders
• Colors – gray, black, merle, white, or fawn

Other Mastiffs used include Dogo Argentinos and a few that are not recognized by the AKC.