Picking a color for your Great Dane can be one of the first big decisions! While Great Danes come in a variety of colors and patterns, only seven breed colors are officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
If you are interested in entering your Dane into dog shows, this should be considered, as entrants are limited to the officially recognized breed colors.
However, if dog shows are not important to you, the color should not be considered the primary factor in selecting a new Great Dane to join your family.
Considerations When Selecting A Color
One consideration for color selection is that of white Danes. Many white Danes experience genetic issues such as deafness, blindness, and other eye-related issues.
While these handicaps do not affect every white Dane, you should understand the implications before adopting one.
This is not to say that these Danes cannot still live happy lives; it is just that they may require special care or training compared to an unaffected Dane.
The Great Dane Club of America has gone as far as to ban the breeding of this color to help prevent the creation of Dane puppies predisposed to these handicaps.
Aside from the previously mentioned common genetic issues found in white Danes, color is not a leading indicator of quality.
While you may prefer the look of one color over another, the dog’s overall quality, health, and temperament is far more important to consider than its color alone.
If you are adopting a Great Dane from a rescue shelter or similar situation, then you will unlikely have much choice regarding color. This is not typically a cause for concern aside from the previously mentioned genetic issues common to white Danes.
More emphasis should be placed on finding a good temperamental fit and a thorough understanding of any pre-existing health conditions, as the costs of veterinary care can quickly escalate.
The Great Dane Puppy Handbook takes all of the need-to-know Great Dane info and packages it together into a single, concise resource. Save yourself time, money, and frustration by avoiding the most common mistakes made by Great Dane owners!
The Official Great Dane Colors
The seven officially recognized colors are Black, Blue, Fawn, Brindle, Harlequin, Mantle, and Merle. The color preference for breeding is commonly approached through color families, where it’s considered more acceptable to cross colors within the family than to bridge across families.
The families are grouped in pairs as Black and Blue, Fawn and Brindle, and Harlequin and Mantle.
Note: The following breed color descriptions are listed as described by the AKC Standard.
Fawn
AKC Standard
The color shall be yellow-gold with a black mask. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The deep yellow gold must always be given the preference.
White markings at the chest and toes and black-fronted dirty, colored fawns are not desirable.
Additional Notes
Fawn is one of the most widely recognized Great Dane colors, partially thanks to popular television and movie characters such as Scooby Doo and Marmaduke.
Fawn coats can also be found in Bloodhounds, Bullmastiffs, Chihuahuas, and Cocker Spaniels.
Brindle
AKC Standard
The base color shall be yellow gold and always brindled with strong black cross stripes in a chevron pattern. A black mask is preferred.
Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The more intensive the base color and the more distinct and even the brindling, the more preferred will be the color.
Too much or too little brindling is equally undesirable. White markings on the chest and toes, black-fronted, dirty colored brindles are not desirable.
Additional Notes
Brindle coats can also be found in the Mastiff, Boxer, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Boston Terrier, and French Bulldog.
Blue
AKC Standard
The color shall be pure steel blue. White markings on the chest and toes are not desirable.
Additional Notes
Blue Danes are very popular due to their striking appearance. Italian Greyhounds, American Pit Bulls, Poodles, Shar-pei, and Irish Wolfhounds are examples of other breeds where blue coats can be found.
Those unfamiliar with Great Danes will often mistake a blue Dane for a Weimaraner due to the similar appearance of their coats.
You can learn more about this color in my full article on Blue Great Danes.
Black
AKC Standard
The color shall be a glossy black. White markings on the chest and toes are not desirable.
Additional Notes
A healthy black coat will shimmer brilliantly in direct sunlight. As a result, this is particularly useful for show dogs as it helps to accentuate the Dane’s impressive musculature.
Solid black coats can also be seen in other breeds such as the Newfoundland, Pumi, Standard Schnauzer, German Shepherd, Chow Chow, and Labrador Retriever.
You can learn more about this color in my full guide on Black Great Danes.
Harlequin
AKC Standard
Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred. Merle patches are normal.
No patch should be so large that it appears to be a blanket. Eligible, but less desirable, are black hairs showing through the white base coat which give a salt and pepper or dirty appearance.
Additional Notes
The breeding of Harlequin’s presents unique health challenges not found with the other breed colors. As a result, the preferred breeding approach is to produce litters from the pairing of a Harlequin to Mantle rather than a Harlequin to Harlequin.
More details on the Harlequin color coat genetics can be found here.
Interestingly enough, Harlequin Danes are also frequently mistaken for Dalmatians due to the similarity of their large spots!
You can learn more about this color in my full guide on Harlequin Great Danes.
Mantle
AKC Standard
The color shall be black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is optional; whole white collar preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of forelegs and hind legs; white-tipped black tail.
A small white marking in the black blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar.
Additional Notes
Mantle Danes were referred to as “Boston” until the late 1990s due to their markings similar to the Boston Terrier. This is still true in some countries outside of the United States.
Merle
AKC Standard
Merle was recently added to the color standard in May 2018! The Merle coat is similar to the Harlequin coat. It is spotted, with the only difference being in the basic coat color of gray rather than white.
White and black spotting is also common. The shade of the gray color varies, as can the number of spots. The pattern of the coat can also be variable, with mixtures of Harlequin or Mantle.
Additional Notes
As hinted at above, there are many variations of the Merle coat. Common examples are merle harlequin (or merlequin), fawn merle, blue merle, and brindle merle.
You can learn more about this color in my complete guide on Merle Great Danes.
The “Unofficial” Great Dane Colors
In addition to the seven officially recognized Great Dane coat colors, there are several unofficial colors. This is not a 100% comprehensive list, as many other colors and combinations of colors can be found in Great Danes. Some of the most common ones with their descriptions can be found below.
As mentioned in the introduction, Danes of these colors can still make fantastic, loving additions to your family. The only restriction per se is the inability to compete in dog shows as they do not fall into the official breed standard.
Fawnequin
As the name suggests, the Fawnequin is a fawn-colored Harlequin. The basic coat color is white, with torn fawn patches covering it. There can be variations in the color and spots. Patterns may also include Brindle and Merle.
White
As previously mentioned, this is the least common of the Great Dane colors and the most susceptible to genetic defects.
White Danes are common in Merle-to-Merle mating and are almost entirely white. However, some markings may appear on the coat.
Conclusion
As you can see, a wide variety of colors and patterns can be found in Great Danes!
While you may start out with a preference for one color, the sweethearts of these wonderful creatures will surely win you over with time, regardless of the color or pattern of their coats.
I hope that you found this information helpful. Before you go, make sure to take a look at our favorite products for Great Danes!
Tip! If you’re looking for a resource that guides you through everything from A-Z about raising a Great Dane, then you should absolutely take a look at the Great Dane Puppy Handbook. It’s everything that a busy owner needs to feel calm and confident about raising their dog.
If you found this article informative, please feel free to leave comments below with any outstanding questions you may have!
I have two chocolate Great Danes why is this color not included?
Hi Bonita, the primary focus of the article is on the officially recognized breed standard colors. There are of course many other wonderful colors and combinations out there, as you rightly pointed out.
Might want to update this soon as the Merle is now a show recognized color in the AKC. Great information!
We meant to update the article right after the announcement but it slipped our minds, so thank you for the reminder! Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the site 🙂
I recently bought a blue fawn female puppy that the breeder said and gave us AKC papers. Is she an acceptable AKC breed and are there health problems we should be watching out for?
Is there anyway I can post a picture on here so I can find out what color my Dane is?
Great Danes uk or Great Dane fanatics on Facebook will tell you straight away.
How can u tell a blue great Dane from a weineramer?
good question! when my blue dane was a puppy, he was always mistaken for a weimaraner. typically weims have docked tails, unlike the standard for danes. dane puppies will always be a lot bigger than normal puppies, and have big knuckles and are more muscular. they also do not have the silver color of a weim, as they are steel-blue or a charcoal-ish color.
A few questions!
I’ve found little to no information on Chocolate and Lilac Danes. Are they a coloration that could potentially carry genetics that can cause complications for them in the future? Is it forbidden to breed them? I love the 7 recognized colors but wanted to know whether or not in the Dane world do breeders typically stay away from these colorations. Thank you so much!
I enjoyed reading the information you have provided. As a previous Dane owner, I am familiar with much of your gathered info. Naturally through the years, new breed variations come into play- hence new colors and standards for them. I thought it would have been really helpful if you had provided pictures of some of the less popular and mixed variations- as there are not many who have even heard of these, and when looking to learn about the breed- the more info- the more helpful!
I’m curious about the Dane we are fostering to adopt. I was told he is a Harlequin, but I have seen photos of puppies for sale listed as pie balds. Our boy is text book Harlequin except for the pie bald head. Is this a trait of Harlequins?
Someone I know just spent a fortune on a brown and white great dane, not sure what she said it was, but are they or can they be registered? She claimed the breeder has been breeding them for yrs and they go way back. I disagree. I believe they are somewhat new???
Thank you
Please email me info so I can correct her or give her advise on white with brown spots.
I looked it up on the AKC website; Merle was accepted as a color in July 2018.
It also has two patterns, Solid Merle and Merle with a Mantle Pattern (in other words, Gray Merle and Mantled Merle).