The Great Dane dog breed may come in different colors. In fact, they may come in almost any color. However, there are only six coat colors which are recognized by the American Kennel Club. These colors are the black, blue, brindle, fawn, harlequin, and the mantle. Read on to know the mystery behind each of the colors of your Great Dane!

The Black Great Dane is a pure color of black. At the same time, the color of black is glossy in nature. The Blue Great Dane is a pure blue of steel shade. On the other hand, the Brindle Great Dane has a color of yellow gold in its base. It is brindled with a strong shade of black. The black looks like cross stripes in a pattern of chevron. The preferred mask for a Brindle Great Dane is black in color. The Fawn Great Dane also has a yellow gold base. The mask of this color is black. The most preferred color for Fawn is a deep yellow gold.

The Harlequin is another popular color of Great Dane. They can even be confused with Dalmatians because they have a pure white base with black patches. However, unlike the spots of Dalmatians, Harlequin Great Danes have ragged black patches. They are irregularly well distributed all over the body of a Harlequin Great Dane. At the same time, the black is a strong shade of black. Gray, dark blue, or shades other than black are not preferred and not recognized. The pure white neck is the most preferred. On the other hand, the last recognized coat color of the Great Dane is the mantle. The mantle has a black and white color. It features a solid or strong shade of black in its blanket all over its body.

The six coat colors above are the only recognized or acceptable coat colors by the American Kennel Club of Great Danes for show. If you have a Great Dane with a coat color of any of these six, then it's a major factor to having a professional Great Dane which will be known as a show quality Great Dane! Now if you are on the verge of getting a Great Dane, choose a color from these six types. If not, choose something as close as possible to those recognized colors. Not all Great Danes have perfect coat colors. Like any other breed there can be blemishes and other unrecognized markings. These dogs that are mismarked are called pet quality.

You should know about the recognized colors so you'll know which Great Danes are the most prized. Some unscrupulous breeders sell over prized Great Danes because they claim to sell rare breeds of Great Danes like the blue merle and the fawnequin. However, you should be aware that these breeds of Great Danes are common mismarks in the harlequin types of Great Danes. There's nothing wrong with mismarked Great Danes. However, you should know that they will be cheaper to buy. At the same time, the mismarked Great Danes are often the healthier dogs.