Our story
Striving to better the Great Dane breed
Mark and Mike at McDane Kennels strive to better the Great Dane breed by adhering to conservation breeder practices. The sires and dams in their program have been evaluated for structure and temperament. They believe health testing is paramount to producing Dane litters of sound quality. They value collaboration with other breeders to help each other improve their programs through shared knowledge. McDane Kennels takes pride in their commitment to offering education to the public and prospective owners about dog behavior and care.
Mark
Mark’s love for Great Danes began in his teens, when he worked at Dogwood Kennels for his great aunt and uncle, who kept Danes there. It was at Dogwood that he first learned to train dogs, and he went on to lead training classes there. His own dogs started with a chocolate Lab, then a Border Collie in his early teens, and fostering and adoptions soon followed. He also provided dog boarding care out of his parents’ home to a select number of friends’ dogs at the time. He became active in 4-H with his canines and eventually led the program’s obedience, rally, agility and conformation classes, working with the local chapter for almost 20 years. He continues to provide private training today.
Mark’s first Dane of his own was Luke, his brindle boy, who was greatly loved for the short time he was with him. Mark’s second Dane, Armani, was an impressive harlequin male who Mark showed to his grand championship. Mark and Armani went on to win the 2018 agility title at the Great Dane National Specialty shows. Mark’s interest in raising and showing Great Danes expanded in 2020 when he was able to build a new Adult Family Home that could also accommodate a larger kennel to achieve his goals. His great aunt and uncle are still active in his life and share his passion for Danes.
Mike
Mike met Mark in 2018 on a late winter dog walk in a park behind Mike’s house in Wausau. Mark’s command of his pack of dogs off leash impressed Mike, who grew up with a Hungarian Vizsla. Mike took an active interest in Mark and his dogs and was drawn into Great Danes as a result. He was introduced to the conformation show ring as well as animal husbandry since that walk in the park. Mike has enjoyed utilizing his surgical skills at times in caring for the pack and in the whelping box. Mark purchased Mike’s Vizsla, Mabel, for him from Panacea Kennels to give him a memorable project and Velcro companion.
Conservation breeding
Who is a conservation breeder and why does it matter?
We at McDane Kennels consider our approach to raising Great Danes as a conservation breeding program. Creating and sustaining such a breeding program is an expensive endeavor which we willingly accept in order to better the breed.
Our resources are spent on health testing, color genetic tests and other specialized genetic tests such as laryngeal paralysis. We strive to produce a litter or two each year of well-bred pups. A select few pups in each litter may hold potential to move our program forward by becoming conformation show dogs. Our breeding dogs have OFA health certifications and usually AKC conformation titles.
We value our relationships with owners of our pups and gladly offer support throughout your dog’s life, such as regarding nutrition, training and health issues.
There is an excellent article by Collie breeder and judge Matt Stelter in the November/December 2023 issue of The Canine Chronicle that discusses the meaning of conservation and preservation breeding: Preservation vs. Conservation Breeders: Who Are We?
As a current or future pet owner, your research into choosing the right dog for your family is important. McDane Kennels strives to earn your trust and gladly offers our knowledge and advice as you consider this wonderful addition to your lives.
Come and meet them
We answer every enquiry personally, and we are glad to put you in touch with families who already have one of our dogs.