Daynakin Great Danes LLC 
Est. 1974

Championship Quality AKC Fawn & Brindle Great Danes 
For Show, Performance and Companionship






































About Us

Welcome to our Daynakin Great Danes homepage! 

We are located in the beautiful Northwest corner of Washington State, between the rural communities of Lynden and Ferndale.  My husband Jack and I have been involved in Great Danes for many, many years.

 

Decades of Danes 

Great Danes are a lifestyle with us, not a whim or passing fancy. I've been active in the breed since 1974 and was a member of the Great Dane Club of Western Washington for 30 years. Jack has been involved with Danes since the 1960's.  I am currently a member of the Great Dane Club of America, Willamette Valley Great Dane Club , Western Great Dane Club of BC, and the Mt. Baker Kennel Club.

 

From the mid-1980's to 2007 we taught obedience training classes in the Arlington and Ferndale areas. Currently, we teach conformation handling classes in the Bellingham area at Hyline Hotel For Dogs 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 Washington Great Dane rescue organization.  Over the years, as Danes grew more popular (and back yard breeders and puppy mills more prolific), and rescue more necessary, more volunteers joined us.  Currently, I am a Director and the Treasurer, and am involved in policy-making, fostering, and with our never-ending educational efforts.

 

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 40 AKC conformation Champions, and more Canadian Champions than we can count. Danes of our breeding have been in the GDCA's Top Twenty and the GDCA 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, flyball, 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 CKC 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 and education.  Also, while looks aren’t everything, a pet puppy out of show stock 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 stock have had their hip x-rays, thyroid and cardiac tests OFA-certified and eyes CERF'd.  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 on 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 appropriate non-profit registry: The American Kennel Club and/or the Canadian Kennel Club.[1]

 

 

Finding the Right Home

We care very much about the puppies we bring into the world, and have 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.   Please review our policies for additional details.

 

 

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 more than 30 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. 

 

In addition to personally being there for our owners, we also have an e-mail list for our owners to share pictures and stories.   It is especially fun for owners of a puppy to share “puppy adventures” with other families who have siblings from the same litter.   Many Daynakin-puppy owners enjoy finding they may, if they choose, develop an extended Dane-family that offers fun, support, and playdates.

 

 

Look – and read and ask -- Before You Leap

We are extremely alarmed at the growing number of 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, 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!

 

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 on our Danes, along with references if desired.  If you would like more details on our puppies, please check the links to your left. Visitors are welcome by appointment.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daynakin Great Danes LLC

Georgia Hymmen & Jack Henderson

Ferndale, WA 98248   888-219-7846   Daynakin@aol.com

All pictures and content copyrighted 2009 Daynakin Great Danes LLC

 

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