What Are the Five Colors That Great Danes Come In?

Great Danes come in a variety of colors, some more recognizable than others. The Great Dane Club of America actually recognizes six colors under its official standards, though two (harlequin and mantle) are so similar they are often confused by the layperson. The colors are grouped by what is considered acceptable to breed together: fawn/brindle, black/blue and harlequin/mantle. In most of the colors, except harlequin and mantle, white markings are not desirable. Cross-color breeding can produce other colors, but only these six are considered acceptable for showing.

  1. Fawn

    • Fawn-colored great Danes feature a soft yellowish-gold body with a black "mask" -- that is, the muzzle and the area around the eyes are black. The tips of the ears are also darker than the rest of the body; however, Danes with black chests do not meet the color standards. Preference is given to fawns with a deeper gold color rather than a pale one.

    Brindle

    • Brindle is a mottled gold-and-black pattern. The base color is yellow gold, similar to a fawn-colored Dane. The gold is covered with strong black stripes in a chevron or tiger stripe pattern. The best show dogs have distinct and even brindling, with a marked contrast between the stripes and the base color. This color can be bred with fawn. Like fawn-colored Danes, brindles also have a black mask and black ear/tail tips.

    Black

    • This black great Dane has no white markings on its body.

      This is the most basic of Dane colors: the dog should be a glossy black all over, with no white markings around the chest or paws. Sometimes the black looks like a deep gray. To enhance the shine of your dog's coat, feed it regular supplements of fish oil.

    Blue

    • This great Dane is considered blue.

      This color is somewhat rarer than the others. The dog should be a glossy steel blue, which is actually a bluish gray. The eyes are often similar in color to the fur, giving the dog a striking look. As with black Danes, white markings on the chest or toes are not encouraged for show dogs.

    Harlequin

    • Harlequins are the most distinctive of great Danes: they have a white base coat with black patches distributed evenly over the entire body. An entirely white neck is preferred. It's acceptable (but not desirable) for the dog to have a few gray patches, or some black hairs mixed in with the white base coat. If the black spots are large enough to cause the appearance of a blanket, the dog is probably a mantle great Dane.

    Mantle

    • These Danes are black and white with a solid black "blanket" extending over much of the body -- hence the name mantle (which denotes a coat or covering). They usually have black heads with white muzzles. A white neck, or collar, is preferred; so is a white chest and white legs. A small spot of white is acceptable in the blanket or on the head.