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Code of ethics

The Great Dane Club, the oldest Breed Club in the UK, have the following General Code of Ethics on their website. Items 1-14 are taken from the Kennel Club Directive. The Kennel Club invited all Breed Clubs to apply for their own additional recommendations and The Great Dane Club applied for one additional recommendation which was Item 15 regarding breeding from Great Dane bitches.

Club members need to adhere to the following:

1. Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2. Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a caesarean section on a bitch, may report such operation to the Kennel Club.
3. Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes.
4. Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
5. Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.
6. Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
7. Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
8. Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
9. Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
10. Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances change.
11. Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
12. Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available.
13. Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind. Will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club registration certificates as stand alone items (not accompanying a dog).
14. Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of a dog.
15. That the following age parameters regarding the breeding of Great Dane bitches should be adhered to:

How Many?

A bitch should not be mated before the age of two years or after the age of seven years.
There should be at least 12 months between litters and a bitch should only produce two litters in any 24 month period.

Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.

The Midland & West of England Great Dane Club have the General Code of Ethics Items 1 – 14 taken from the Kennel Club Directive on their website. They also expect their members to adhere to further ethical recommendations as approved by the Kennel Club. These follow on from the General Code of Ethics and can be viewed via this link www.midlandandwestgdc.org.uk  under Code of Ethics.

The Northern Great Dane Club have the General Code of Ethics Items 1-14 taken from the Kennel Club Directive on their website. This can be viewed via this link under Code of Ethics http://thenortherngreatdaneclub.com/page38.htm

The South Western Great Dane Club have the General Code of Ethics Items 1-14 taken from the Kennel Club Directive on their website. This can be viewed via this link under Code of Ethics www.swgdc.com

The Scottish Great Dane Club have the General Code of Ethics Items 1 – 14 taken from the Kennel Club Directive on their website. They also expect their members to adhere to further ethical recommendations which follow on from the General Code of Ethics. These can be viewed via this link under Rules and Regulations www.scottishgreatdaneclub.com/html/rules___regs.html

The East of England Great Dane Club doesn’t appear to have a Code of Ethics on their website currently but this may be due to ongoing construction and we will update this section when their website is updated.

The Great Dane Club of South Wales doesn’t appear to have a Code of Ethics on their website currently but this may be due to ongoing construction and we will update this section when their website is updated.

The Peninne Great Dane Club currently doesn’t have a website but we will update this section when their website is launched.

The Great Dane Breeders & Owners Association  have the General Code of Ethics Items 1-14 taken from the Kennel Club Directive on their website. This can be viewed via this link www.gdboa.co.uk/#/code-of-ethics.

The Breed Council have added two recommendations to the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeders Scheme for Great Danes:
• Breed Club - Heart testing (cardiomyopathy)
• Bitches not to produce a litter under two years of age

OTHER WORKING GROUP BREEDS AND THEIR CODE OF ETHICS

It’s interesting to summarise what some other Working Group Breeds have added to the General Code of Ethics in terms of breeding from bitches.

The Doberman Breed Council has added a further 18 items to the General Code of Ethics. On breeding from bitches they recommend that bitches are only bred from one in a twelve calendar month period and not mated before the age of two years. No bitch to have more than 4 litters and must not whelp after her 7th birthday.

The Irish Wolfhound Club, which is the oldest in the world, has added a further 10 items to the General Code of Ethics. They ‘strongly recommend’ that bitches don’t produce a litter under the age of 2 years and they don’t produce more than 3 litters in their lifetime. They also ‘strongly recommend’ that bitches don’t produce more than 1 litter in a 12 month period and the maximum age for bitches to produce a litter is 6 years.

The Leonberger Club of Great Britain  has added a further 23 items to the General Code of Ethics. On breeding bitches they recommend that bitches are not mated before the age of 22 months, not bred from more than once a year and not mated after their 7th birthday.

The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain  has added a further 8 items to the General Code of Ethics. On breeding bitches it recommends ‘refraining’ from whelping a bitch until she is 24 months of age. The first litter to be born before her 5th birthday and her last litter to be whelped before the 7th birthday.

The UK Giant Schnauzer Club has added 1 item to the General Code of Ethics and makes no comment on breeding bitches.

The Rottweiler Breed Council  has added the General Code of Ethics and but makes no comment on breeding bitches.