The history of the Dane goes way back to the pre-Roman times where drawings of Dane-like dogs were found on Egyptian tombs and in illustration dating back to approximately 600 B.C. In 1880, Germany adopted the Great Dane as its national dog and called it Deutsche Dogge. The Great Dane was recognized by the kennel club in 1884 in England, as the Great Dane.

The Great Dane was originally developed to hunt wild boars. This is where the clipping of the ears started. The ears were cropped as to not have them torn off by the boars. There is still controversy over whether to crop or leave the ears natural.