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This is a complete guide on Great Dane colors. I am going to be breaking down everything that you need to know about Great Dane coloring and also show you how some of the colors are achieved. Here are some of the topics we are going to cover: AKC Approved Great Dane Colors.Rare Great Dane Colors.What Determines Great Dane Coat Color?How To Enhance Great Dane Coat Color.The Best Great Dane Coat Color. So without much being said, let's get started. AKC Approved Great Dane Colors The American Kennel Club or AKC is basically a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. The organization was founded in 1884 and they have grown to become the experts in health, training and breed information of dogs. According to the AKC, there are six approved codes for Great Dane colors. These are: Black Black Great Danes are produced when there is a black and black mating. There are pure black Great Danes but most of them have little white fur on their bodies, typically on the chest and toes. The black dog with white parts is mostly achieved when there is a harlequin and harlequin mating or a harlequin and pure black breeding. However, black and black mating can also produce a blue Great Dane if either parents had a blue dominant gene. This goes to show how pure black Great Danes are difficult to produce since there are a lot of boxes that need to be checked for the result to be achieved. The black color family includes the following colors: Pure black.Black and white. Brindle The AKC standard for brindle Great Danes states that the base color should be yellow gold and always brindled with strong black stripes in a chevron pattern. The black may appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may also appear on the ears and tail tip. The rule of thumb is that the more intensive the base color and the more distinct the brindling, the more preferred will be the brindle color. Too much or tool little brindling are equally not desired as the standard. Fawn The AKC standard for fawn Great Danes states that the color should be yellow gold with a black mask. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, but it may also appear on the ears and tail tip. The deep yellow gold color is given a lot of preference whilst White markings at the chest and toes or a black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable. Any Great Dane that does not meet the specifications mentioned above is disqualified although there are many fawn variations that do not meet the specifications. Mantle The AKC standard for mantle Great Danes states that the color should 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 is preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking in the blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar. Any variance in color or markings described above shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation and any Great Dane that does not fall within the above color specifications shall be disqualified. Blue The AKC standard for blue Great Danes states that the color should be a pure bred steel blue without any white markings at the chest and toes. And since blue is a dilute, it can be bred to blue, black-bred black or blue-bred black. Blue Danes should not be bred to the fawn/brindle or harlequin color family. Any variance in color or markings described above shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation and any Great Dane that does not fall within the above color specifications shall be disqualified. Harlequin The AKC standards for the harlequin Great Dane states that the base color should be a pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred whist merle patches are considered normal. No patch should be so large that it appears to be a blanket and the harlequin color family should not be bred to the fawn/brindle, blue or blue-bred black families. Variations to the color and markings described above shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation. Any Great Dane that does not meet the above specifications shall be disqualified. Rare Great Dane Colors There are also rare Great Dane colors that are not approved by the American Kennel Club. These colors are more susceptible to genetic defects so they are not really encouraged for beginner Great Dane owners. Here is a list of some of the rarest Great Dane colors: White White Great Danes are the most rare Great Dane color and they are more susceptible to genetic defects. Many white Great Danes have a hearing challenge and are mostly deaf although not all of them are born with the problem. The white Great Dane color is achieved through merle to merle mating and they are mostly complete white. Some other white Danes have a few markings but this is not common. Merle Merle Great Danes have a pale to dark grey coat that is covered in darker splotches that are mostly black. The different merle color patterns that exist for Great Danes are merle, dilute merle, cryptic merle, harlequin. Merle Great Danes are mostly produced when breeding harlequin colored Danes. The only differences between the two colors is the gene that creates the grey coloring in merles and the white coloring in harlequins. Fawnequin Fawnequin Great Danes have a white base colored coat with fawn spotches that are irregularly distributed. The color is produced by mating two Great Danes with a fawn gene with either of the parents being a harlequin. Is It Okay To Get A Rare-Colored Great Dane? Rare-colored Great Danes are always appealing to the eye but they may not be a great option for pet owners especially beginners. This is because rare-colored Great Danes come with a lot of health issues due to the breeding processes. A good example is the number of white Great Danes that are mostly deaf or facing hearing problems due to their genetics. If you are getting a rare-colored Great Dane it is important to find accountable breeders because most breeders do not follow proper procedures when breeding these type of dogs. A fellow internet user Yvonne Navarro had this to say about the rare-colored Great Danes: I'm sorry, but the Great Dane "colors" here are so far from correct, it's not even funny. It leads people to believe these colors are normal, when a damnable portion of them come from miserable backyard breeders who try to get these so-called "colors" and kill the puppies when they aren't successful.Yvonne Navarro You should always be careful when getting rare-colored dogs and even if you are getting one from an accountable breeder, it is important to have pet health insurance due to the health challenges that rare-colored dogs face. What Is The Most Popular Great Dane Color? The most popular Great Dane color is fawn. There are a number of Danes that are fawn and even the most popular cartoon dog, Scooby Doo was a fawn Great Dane. What Is The Most Expensive Great Dane Color? The most expensive Great Dane color is harlequin. The black and white blend of the coat color makes the dogs more attractive and appealing to most pet buyers. Harlequin Great Danes might also be more expensive due to the challenges that breeders face in order to produce the coat color. What Is The Best Great Dane Color? Fawn is one of the best Great Dane colors. The coat color is the most popular and perfect for beginner Great Dane owners. The Danes are not susceptible to much diseases and their genetic make up is more adapted to the environment since they have existed for a very long time. What Determines Great Dane Coat Color? Great Dane coat color is mostly determined by how genes are passed from adults to their puppies and how those genes are expressed in each individual Dane. Dogs have around 19,000 genes in their genome but only a few of the genes affect coat color. Dog coat color genetics might sound complicated but the guys from Wikipedia have an easier way to break it down: Genes of interest have more than one version, or allele. Usually only one or a small number of alleles exist for each gene. So, at any one gene locus a dog will either be homozygous, that is, the gene is made of two identical alleles (one from its mother and one its father) or heterozygous, that is, the gene is made of two different alleles (again, one inherited from each parent). To understand why a dog’s coat looks the way it does based on its genes requires an understanding of a handful of particular dog coat genes and their alleles. For example, if you wanted to find out how a black and white greyhound that seems to have wavy hair got its coat, you would want to look into the dominant black gene with its K and k alleles, the (white) spotting gene with its multiple alleles, and the R and r alleles of the curl gene.wikipedia Genetics definitely has a major role to play when determining the coat color for your Great Dane. Each hair follicle is surrounded by many melanocytes (pigment cells), which make and transfer the pigment melanin into a developing hair. Dog fur is colored by two types of melanin: eumelanin (brownish-black) and phaeomelanin (reddish-yellow).wikipedia How To Enhance Great Dane Coat Color Enhancing or improving your Great Dane coat color has everything to do with nutrition and grooming. Maintaining your Great Dane's coat requires you to feed them well balanced meals with the necessary nutrients like vitamins and minerals which are crucial for maintaining a healthy skin and coat. Grooming is also essential for maintaining a healthy coat and improving the coat color. Here are some basic tips for grooming your Great Dane's coat: Bathe your Great Dane with dog shampoo at least 5 times a year. Frequent bathing can deprive your Dane's coat with the necessary natural oils.Always dry your dog after every bath.Dry shampoo your Great Dane in-between bath routines.Regularly brush your Great Dane with a short hair brush to remove loose hair, dirt and parasites. Summary There are currently six official Great Dane colors approved by the American Kennel Club. These are black, brindle, fawn, mantle, blue and harlequin. There are also other rare colors that can be produced for Great Danes. These colors are white, merle and fawnequin. However, rare-colored Great Danes are more susceptible to health problems. For example, white Great Danes have a common problem of deafness. If you are going to get a rare-colored Dane it is important to get your dog from accountable breeders and also get a pet health insurance since these types are more susceptible to diseases. Fawn Great Danes are the most popular and also one of the best for beginner owners.