The Great Dane is a majestic dog breed, large and elegant, sometimes referred to as a gentle giant or the “Apollo of dogs.” Apollo is the Greek god of the sun, which is the brightest light in the sky.
These dogs love, playful, and good with children. They normally get along with other animals, especially if they are raised with them, although some members of the breed can be violent towards dogs they do not know.
The Great Dane was originally developed to hunt wild boar, but they are unlikely to be successful nowadays.
The aggressiveness required to hunt such a massive, clever animal was finally bred out of the Great Dane. They’re now a lovely spirit who gets along well with other dogs, animals, and humans.
Here you can get very useful information about different types of Great Dane Colors, Patterns & Markings.
Black Great Dane
The black Great Dane is normally generated when a black and black mating occurs; however, a black and black mating can also produce a blue Great Dane if either of the parents has the “blue gene.”
Despite the fact that most people prefer a pure black dog, many black Great Danes are born with moderate to moderate white hair on the body, most notably on the chest and toes.
Although it is typical for a black Great Dane to be born with some white on his body, the AKC will not accept a Great Dane with any other color markings, including white, as a pure black Great Dane.
The average Great Dane price between $600-$3,000. Show-quality pups with better pedigrees will cost more, as will any canines.
Most people, however, are only seeking for a pet, and with that in mind, you can find several good breeders that charge around $1,500–$2,000 for a Great Dane.
Brindle Great Dane
Brindle Great Dane is one of the giant Great Dane breed variations with a brindle color coat on its body. The brindle Great Dane pups have coats that combine several colors, including black, red, fawn, gray, and blue. Their markings are truly unique and wonderful.
Brindle Great Dane has a short-smooth coated breed, which means they can’t bear the cold temperature for a long time.
Brindle color is a line of stripes or patterns of pair colors like a fawn, black, red and black, charcoal and gray, and many more designs of the strips are in the brindle, Great Dane.
The cost of a purebred brindle Great Dane falls in line with other colors and is typically in the range of $1,700 to $3,000. Dogs from champion lines sold as show dogs will be on the higher end of that range, and potentially more.
Blue Great Dane
The blue Great Dane is a rare but standard bred color acceptable in dog shows. They’re a tainted variant of the black Great Dane with a recessive gene that dilutes the dominant black gene of the dog.
They may have markings or spots on their chest and toes and have a more glossy steel blue appearance.
Pure breeds are meant to have a homogenous steel blue coat, blue eyes, and naturally floppy ears. Other eyes colors could be brown, dark light, or amber.
Blue Great Danes with fawn, brindle, or white markings are not standard colors, making them unfit to participate in dog shows.
The blue great Danes are gentle, kind, loyal, friendly, and have excellent obedience training. They’re smart, intelligent, and get along pretty well with their owners.
They have an average lifespan of six to nine years. A blue Great Dane puppy costs between $600 and $3000 depending on the breeder, location, and even time of the year.
Fawn Great Dane
The Fawn is the most popular and most common coloring for a Great Dane; it can be challenging to breed one. Fawn is a recessive gene, so both parents need to carry it if you want a fawn Great Dane puppy.
The Fawn’s most common color is a beautiful tan that extends almost across the dog’s entire body. Most fawn Great Danes have a black “mask,” which means the coloring around their face is much darker than the rest of their body.
This is one of the simpler colors for the gentle giant. Fawn is a yellow gold coat with a black mask marking. It may also have black around the rims of its eyes and on the tail tip.
Merle Great Dane
Merle Great Dane has a warm personality, is amicable, and loyal. The only downside is that you can compete in dog shows with them.
Merles are much like clowns, except they have a darker base coat. They look like a harlequin Great Dane that wandered through spray paint.
Merle is the dominant gene and is also associated with eye color, so it’s essential not to breed two merles together.
The merle coat is similar to the clown, but its base color is grey instead of white. It has spots around its whole body that can be black and white.
Most breeders specializing in breeding merle Great Danes will charge anywhere between $600 and $4,500 for a puppy.
Great Dane breeders who can provide the pup’s pedigree, the merle Dane’s lineage, and other records will charge more. The AKC only recognized Merle as an official color in 2018.
Mantle Great Dane
The mantle great Dane has a brilliant black and white contrast in colors, especially on the face. This is what majorly determines them from the black and white harlequin coat.
The mantle has a calm, confident appearance which is also seen with their markings on the face.
Mantle Great Danes have black and white colors with no splotching. The black is the dominant base coat, white lining their feet, chest, and face.
The Mantle great dane is compatible with apartment life as they’re very friendly and have a low or medium level of energy.
In this case, a reputable breeder will charge an average of $1,500 to $3,000 for a healthy animal with a great temperament. The prices vary according to several factors, including the pedigree, gender, and especially the coat’s color.
Harlequin Great Dane
A Harlequin Great Dane is one of the rarest nine officially recognized standard colors. Some Harlequin Great Danes may look similar, but there will never be two identical coats.
They are patient and good with the children. But even with their gentleness, it is advisable to teach Harlequin Great Dane how to behave.
A harlequin has a predominantly white base color and black patches over its body and is usually mistaken for a dalmatian.
Harlequin Great Danes share the common trait with other Great Danes of different colors. They are gentle, affectionate, obedient, and easy-going dogs.
The Harlequin coat is much more costly than other Great Danes because of its favor and rarity. It can be pretty challenging to meet both the health and markings needs; that’s why the price is not as low as other Great Danes.
A show quality Harlequin Great Dane’s price might be somewhere between $2,000 to $4,000.
White Great Dane
Lastly, according to the AKC standards, white is the final color of Great Dane. This is when two Great Danes hold the merle genes and give a pure white doggo.
This is the rarest of the Great Dane colors and the most susceptible to genetic defects.
White Danes are typical in Merle to Merle mating and are almost entirely white; few are possible. There is a small white patch on the black area or a small black patch on the white space.
The white may also extend to a thin line between the eyes.
White Great Danes aren’t as great as they appear to be. This coat color is prone to many defects, so the breed is not recommended. The white Great Dane has little or no pigment in its middle ear, causing them to be deaf.
Other Colors of Great Dane
Great Danes can arrive in more colors than the seven illustrated here. However, the ones above are the only official colors for the breed.
Most of the other possible shadows are entirely mishmashes of the official colors. You can glimpse coats in patterns like:
- Blue mantle
- Blue merle
- Brindle merle mantle
- Blue fawn harlequin mantle
- Blue brindle harlequin mantle