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A fawn Great Dane stands in a barn doorway beside a line of tiny yellow ducklings walking along the threshold. 6 / 22

The Barn Door Opened, and a Great Dane Held Perfectly Still

AI imagegreat daneducklingsbarn door

The barn door creaks open, and a fawn Great Dane fills the doorway with his long, sad-eyed face and wrinkled brow. His head hangs low, and his dark gaze follows a single-file line of tiny ducklings that are marching along the wooden threshold at his feet. They look like a yellow ribbon laid down the edge of the doorway, each one in step with the next. Behind them, a bale of straw sits in the shade and a gray outbuilding stands under a pale sky.

Great Danes are huge dogs, and a calm, gentle nature is common in the breed, but size and strength mean that supervision is a must around small animals. Ducklings in particular are tiny and fragile, so a large dog's accidental step or nudge can be dangerous. Keep ducklings in a protected brooder when no one is watching, and offer a warm, dry space with clean water and feed made for waterfowl. If your dog is curious, reward calm behavior and keep greetings short. Your vet can help with introducing a big dog to young birds and with training for good manners.

The Dane seems to understand how small his guests are, and he stays perfectly still as they pass. It is a gentle lesson in how the largest can be the most careful, and the ducklings march on.

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