Great Danes are wonderful dogs with a range of different patterns and coat colors. American Kennel Club recognized only seven coat colors of this breed. While there are also many other coat colors and types of Great Danes that are astonishing. You might think, how many colors are there in the Great Dane breed?
AKC has recognized seven colors: fawn, blue, mantle, brindle, black, harlequin, and merle. Other unfamiliar colors include chocolate, silver, white, and more. So, here we’ll go through every color you might never see on a Dane.
Great Danes Color Chart
| Color | Appearance | AKC Accepted? |
| Fawn | Yellow gold with black mask | Yes |
| Blue | Pure steel blue with no patterns | Yes |
| Harlequin | White with black patches | Yes |
| Merle | Patches of different colors, including black, grey, and white | Yes |
| Brindle | Brown color with black cross stripe pattern | Yes |
| Black | Glossy black with no marking | Yes |
| Mantle | The black color with white marking on the neck, muzzle, & chest | Yes |
| Merlequin | White base with merle patches | No |
| Brindlequin | White base with black or gold brindle patches | No |
| Silver | The glossy light gray base | No |
| Piebald | White base with irregular patches of other colors | No |
| Fawnequin | White coat with fawn patches | No |
| White | Completely white base | No |
| Chocolate | Darker brown with tiny patches of different colors | No |
Which Color/Types of Great Danes are Accepted by AKC?
Here are the Great Dane’s coat colors with depth information that American Kennel Club has accepted:
Fawn
Fawn is the most classic and beautiful Great Dane color. A tan color, i.e. yellow and gold, spreads over Dane’s body. Fawn-colored Great Danes have a black mask around their face, which means the snout area is much darker than the whole body.
Actually, suppose the fawn puppy has other patches on its body else the face. In that case, it’s considered a defect and will not accept by any dog show such as AKC. Moreover, Scooby doo and Marmaduke are also fawn-colored Great Danes.
Blue
This Great Danes color is often described as blue steel. American Kennel Club (AKC) says the color is blue, but it seems dark gray. This coat color is rare and can vary slightly to reasonably black.
Mantle
AKC described the mantle coat color as a black blanket on Danes. It includes two colors, black and white, with no patches or patterns. However, Danes’ base coat and top head are black, while the lower legs, chest, feet, and belly are white. If the white color is on other parts of the body, the dog is ineligible from the dog show.
Brindle
Brindle Great Danes have a combination of different colors on their coat, including blue, black, fawn, gray, and red. This coat color is admirable and unique. Although, most brindle Danes have a fawn-colored base with black stripes. According to AKC, this color is undesirable if the stripes and fawn color base are too close together, which means the stripes must be clear on the coat.
Black
Black-colored Great Danes are gorgeous, simple, and plain. This coat color is pretty clear. AKC says that black Danes must be entirely black with no white patches or spots. Every single hair on Dane’s body must be pure black. If two black Danes breed together, they produce pure black puppies.
Harlequin
Harlequin Great Danes have a pure white coat with black patches. The black patches are irregular, which means every harlequin Dane has a unique coat pattern. It is challenging for different breed standard organizations to recognize harlequin Great Danes. However, the two rules about harlequin Great Danes are: they must have pure while necks and must have torn black patches.
Merle
Merle Great Danes are a little like harlequins, except they have a light gray base coat instead of white. According to AKC, if the Great Dane has a white base with merle patches instead of a merle coat color with white patches, it would be marked a Merlequin Dane. That’s a disqualifying color. Also, the merle color was recently accepted by AKC in 2018 as an official coat color.
What About Other Great Dane’s Colors?
There are also other potential Danes colors apart from the official seven colors. Let’s take a look at these beautiful non-showable colors:
- Fawnequin: This color is rare, just like the harlequin pattern. But it has fawn spots on a white coat instead of black spots on white. Also, this color is almost similar to a coonhound with a white and red coloration.
- White: These Great Danes are very rare but are prone to eye and ear diseases. That’s why AKC does not accept this coat color to prevent the Danes breed from disease. White Danes are produced by breeding two harlequins or two merle Great Danes. Luckily, not all white Danes are blind or unable to hear. Also, white and albino vary from each other. If a Great Dane has light blue eyes, pink eyelids, and a nose, it is an albino Dane. While if Great Dane has stains around the nose or eyes and has an entire white body, it is a white Great Dane.
- Chocolate: This color is uncommon. If a Great Dane has darker yellow fawn color, it is considered a chocolate coat so it can be darker to rich deep brown. Chocolate Danes might have white patches on the tail, feet, face, or chest.
- Merlequin: The Merlequin Great Dane has a white base with merle patches. It is similar to a harlequin. The only difference is that the harlequin has black patches instead of merle patches.
- Brindlequin: This coat is also similar to the harlequin pattern. But it has brindle spots on the white rather than black patches on a white coat. It is another astonishing and quite rare pattern.
- Silver: These Great Danes are basically light gray as compared to blue. Some gray Danes have tiny specks of black but should not be called merle. Also, they might have gray eyes.
- Piebald: It is another color with black spots on the white body. Typically, they have irregular spots of color around the ears, eyes, and other parts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the different colors of Great Danes?
AKC has recognized the official seven Great Dane colors: fawn, blue, mantle, brindle, black, harlequin, and merle. Also, there are many other unique colors, but AKC has not accepted them, such as white, Merlequin, silver, piebald, and more.
Are there different breeds of Great Danes?
American and European Great Danes are, in essence, the same breeds. But the breeding preferences and practices of the pet owners caused them to diverge.
What is the most Significant type of Great Dane?
The recent Great Dane known for being the biggest dog globally is Atlas, a German harlequin Great Dane. It is 4 ft. long and weighs about 225 lbs at six years old.
Which color of Great Danes is the rarest?
White is the rarest color of Great Danes. If two merle and two harlequin Great Danes are bred together, then a white Great Dane is produced.
Is there a Best color for Great Danes?
Merle is the best and most recent addition to the Great Dane’s standard colors. Dark gray spots or splotches cover the entire coat, giving it a lighter appearance. The spots can be a combination of blue, black, or white.
Wrapping Up
It does not matter what color or pattern Great Danes have; they are still wonderful creatures. Their enormous size makes them unique and eye-catching. They have different unique coat colors that look stunning. So, Great Danes are excellent companions and lovable lugs. You are lucky if you have this four-legged friend.
After reading this article, we hope you are familiar with the different colors of Great Danes. If you still have any questions, comment below. Also, share it with your loved ones. Thanks for reading!
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