Ever since the series,’ Scooby-Doo. where are you!’ aired the character of Scooby Doo became the most loved character. Due to its unique characteristic, the character Scooby Doo gained immense popularity. After the series aired the only question raised was what kind of dog is Scooby-Doo?
Scooby Doo: History and Origin
Scooby-Doo is a fictional character created in 1969 by Iwao Takamoto, a Japanese-American animator television producer, and cartoonist under Hanna-Barbera Productions[1].
Originally Scooby-Doo was named as Scoobert but this was changed later. After the series ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’ was aired the character gained massive popularity.
What kind of Dog Is Scooby-Doo?
Scooby-Doo belongs to the Great Dane breed. But differs in appearance due to the liberty taken by the creator Iwao Takamoto. Scooby-Doo is smart and friendly same as Great Dane. In some factors, Scooby-Doo is different from Great Dane as they are brave whereas Scooby-Doo is shown as a coward.
As stated by Dr. Melissa Boldan, DVM in petmd, “The Great Dane is a gentle giant that was originally bred for hunting wild boar and guarding estates in Germany. It remains a mystery how they came to be named Great Danes, as the breed has no roots in Denmark.”
Scooby-Doo v/s Great Dane
Although Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane, cartoonist Iwao Takamoto has taken some liberty to make changes in his appearance, colour, and nature which are slightly different from a Great Dane.
| Scooby Doo | Great Dane | |
| Height | 3.3 feet | 2 feet |
| Weight | 120 pound | 99-200 pound |
| Life Span | 50 years | 8-10 years |
| Colour | Brown | Different colours |
| Appearance | Misshapen | Regal |
| Coat | Short and smooth | Short and smooth |
| Exercise needed | Highly needed | Moderately needed |
| Intelligence | 2nd smartest in the group | 12th smartest in dog’s breed |
| Energy level | Excessively energetic | Energetic but also has a laid-back personality. |
| Friendliness | Very friendly | Moderately friendly |
| Shedding | No shedding | Moderate to high shedding |
| Health | Prone to accidents | Normally healthy |
| Barking | Medium | High |
Great Danes characteristic
Great Dane is a fearless, brave, and confident dog breed. They are widely known for their lovable and playful nature. They are normally easy to train and make a good guard and watchdog.
Great Dane is good with kids and has good behavior. They are always energetic. Due to their massive size large space is needed to keep them. They tend to suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for a longer time period.
Physical characteristic
Great Danes are a dog breed that depicts power and strength, they are loyal. Their body is muscular and regal. Whereas Scooby-Doo despite being Great Dane is clumsy and talkative.
Emotional characteristic
Great Dane is good with kids and has good behavior. They are always energetic. Due to their massive size large space is needed to keep them. They tend to suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for a longer time period.
Intelligence
If we talk about intelligence, this is the factor that makes Scooby doo an amazing Great Dane. Scooby-Doo is the second smartest member of the group and Great Danes are the 12th smartest dog breed.
Friendliness
Great Danes are very friendly and affectionate. They are normally considered good lap dogs as they tend to sit on your lap often. Similarly, Scooby-Doo too can be seen jumping upon Shaggy whenever he senses danger.
Colour and marking
Great Danes are of various colours. They have a melanistic face mask, which is not seen in Scooby-Doo.
Appetite
Due to their massive bodies, Great Danes tend to eat a lot, this similarity is also seen in Scooby-Doo.
Problem-solving skill
Great Danes are the 12th smartest dog breed. Similarly, even Scooby-Doo is smart and active as he is the one to find the escape plan immediately. That is what makes Scooby-Doo the second most intelligent member of the group ‘Mystery Inc.’
Scooby Doo Fun Facts
Scooby-Doo is one of the most popular and loved fictional characters. There are many facts associated with Scooby-Doo that you might not have an idea about[2].
- The full name of Scooby-Doo is Scoobert Doo. The original name of Scooby-Doo was supposed to be ‘Too Much’, which was changed by the producer before the release.
- Scooby-Doo has faced almost 390 villains in the entire series along with the group.
- Scooby-Doo can speak English. Due to ‘Rhotacism’ a speech disorder his most of the words start with ‘R’.
- Scooby-Doo and his siblings Dooby-Doo and Skippy-Doo are identical-looking.
- Scooby-Doo has finger-like front paws and thumbs due to which he can easily hold things.
- Scooby-Doo was originally a sheepdog, not a Great Dane when the show was in pre-production.
FAQs
What breed is Scooby Doo dog?
Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane breed dog. Although Scooby-Doo is a fictional character, he shares great resemblances with the Great Dane breed in many aspects of characteristics and appearance.
How old is Scooby Doo?
Normally Great Dane lives for 8-9 years. In dog’s year, Scooby-Doo is seven years old which makes him 50 years old in the human year. This makes Scooby-Doo an old dog.
Who is Scrappy Doo?
Hanna-Barbera Productions created a fictional Great Dane puppy, Scrappy Doo in the year 1979. Scrappy Doo is the nephew of Scooby-Doo and is shown as brave and fearless.
Who created Scooby-Doo?
Scooby-Doo was created by Iwao Takamoto, a Japanese-American animator and television producer cartoonist under Hanna-Barbera Productions in the year 1969.
Who is the owner of Scooby-Doo?
Among the four teenagers Shaggy Roger, Vilma Dinkley, Fred Jones, and Daphne Blake, Shaggy Roger is the owner of Scooby-Doo, and their group is named Mystery Inc.
How tall is Scooby Doo?
The real height of Scooby-Doo is not officially known, but according to estimates, it is 6-7 feet on his hind legs and around 3 feet at withers. The estimation is taken on the basis of Shaggy’s Height shaggy is 6 feet tall and Scooby-Doo’s hand reaches his shoulder.
Conclusion
Scooby-Doo, one of the most loved fictional characters is identified as a Great Dane. Although there are some features of Scooby-Doo that are different from Great Dane, that’s only because of the creator’s liberty. The creator wanted to introduce a new character and in order to do that made several changes in the character’s appearance.
Even after those changes, Scooby-Doo does share a resemblance with the Great Dane and thus is identified as the Great Dane.
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