Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Great dane combines a regal appearance, dignity, strength and elegance with great size and a powerful, well-formed, muscled body. It is one of the largest working breeds, but what makes this dog unique is that it's conformation must be well-balanced to keep it from appearing clumsy and it should move with a long reach and powerful drive. A Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, and never timid; but should also be very friendly and dependable. This physical and mental combination is what give the Great Dane the majesty possessed by no other breed. It should also show great masculinity in it's males and an impression of femininity in it's females. Anything that deviates from this description is a serious fault.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Males should appear more massive throughout then the females, with larger frame and heavier bone. The Great Dane's proportions should always be square. A slightly longer body in females is permissable, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Coarseness or lack of substance is equally undesirable though. The male should never be less than 30 inches at the withers but is desired to be atleast 32 inches or more as long as his proportions stay in balance. The females should never be less then 28 inches at the withers but is desired that she be 30 inches or more as long as she too stays in proportion to her height. Danes under this minimum must be disqualified.
head
The head should be rectangular, long, distinguished, expressive, finely chiseled, especially below the eyes. Seen from profile, the Dane's forehead must be sharply set off from the bridge of the nose, in other words a strongly pronounced stop. The plan of the skull and muzzle should be a parallel to each other. The skull plane under and to the inner point of the eye must slope without and protruding bone in a smooth line to a full square jaw with a deep muzzle. The masculinity of the male should be very pronounced in structural appearance of the head. The female's head is more delicately formed. Seen from above, the skull should have parallel sides and the bridge should be as broad as possible. Cheek muscles should not be prominent. The head should be balanced, meaning that the length of the muzzle should be equal to the length of the head. Measuring from the tip of the nose to the stop to the length from the center of the stop to the rear of the occiput, which should be well developed. The head should be angular from all sides and should have flat planes in proportion to the size of the dog. Eyes- are medium sized, deep set, and dark. with a lively and intelligent expression. The dane should have a well developed brow. In harlequins, the eyes should be dark; light colored or eyes of a different color and wall eyes are are permissable but not desired. Ears- Should be high set, medium size and moderately thick, folding forward towards the cheek. The topline of the ear should be level with the top of the skull. If cropped, the ear lenght is in proportion to the size of the head and the ears carried uniformly erect. Nose- should be black, except in blue danes which should have a dark blue-black nose. A black spotted nose is permissable in harlequins but a pink nose is not desired.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck should be firl, high set, well arched, long and muscular. it should gradually broaden and flow smoothly into the withers. The neck underline should be clean. The Great Dane should have a short level back and a broad loin. The chest should be broad, deep and well defined. The forechest should be well developed without a pronounced prosternum. The brisket extends to the elbow. The body underline should be tightly muscled with a well-defined tuck up.
The croup should be broad slope slightly. The tail should be set high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back. The tail should be broad at it's base and taper uniformly down to the hock joint. At rest, the tail should fall straight, when excited or running it may curve slightly, but never above the level of the back.
The croup should be broad slope slightly. The tail should be set high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back. The tail should be broad at it's base and taper uniformly down to the hock joint. At rest, the tail should fall straight, when excited or running it may curve slightly, but never above the level of the back.
Forequarters
The forequarters, viewed in profile, should be strong and muscular. The elbow should be one-half the distance from the ground to the withers. The strong pasterns should only slope slightly. The feet should never point inward or outward.
Hindequarters
The Great Dane should have a strong hindequarter, broad, muscular, and well angulated, with well let down hocks. Seen from the rear, the hock joints appear to be perfectly straight, turned neither toward the inside nor toward the outside. The back feet should mirror the front in the sense that they too, neither turn inward nor outward.
coat
The coat should be short, thick, and clean with a smooth glossy appearance.
Color, Markings and Patterns
Brindle - The base color should be yellow gold and always brindled with strong black cross stripes in a chevron pattern. A black mask is highly preferred. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows. amay appear on the ears and tail tip. The more intensive the base color and the more distinct and even the brindling, the more desired it will be. Too much or too little brindling is equally undesirable, as are white markings on the chest and toes, black-fronted, dirty colored brindles are also not desired.
Fawn - The color should be a 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 preference. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable.
Blue - The color should be a pure steel blue. White markings at the chest and toes are not desired.
Black - The color should be glossy black, white markings at the chest and toes are not desired.
Harlequin - Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distribued 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 desired are black hairs that show throughout the white base coat give a salt and pepper or dirty appearance.
Mantle - 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 is preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of foreleg 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 color or marking other then the above stated ones is a fault. Any Great Dane that does not fall within the above color classifications must be disqualified.
Fawn - The color should be a 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 preference. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable.
Blue - The color should be a pure steel blue. White markings at the chest and toes are not desired.
Black - The color should be glossy black, white markings at the chest and toes are not desired.
Harlequin - Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distribued 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 desired are black hairs that show throughout the white base coat give a salt and pepper or dirty appearance.
Mantle - 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 is preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of foreleg 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 color or marking other then the above stated ones is a fault. Any Great Dane that does not fall within the above color classifications must be disqualified.
Gait
The gait denotes strength and power with long, easy strides resulting in no tossing, rolling or bouncing of the topline or body. The backline shall appear level and parallel to the ground. The long reach should strike the ground below the nose while the head is carried forward. The powerful rear drive should be balanced to the reach. As speed increases, there is a natural tendency for the legs to converge towards the centerline of balance beneath the dogs body. There should be no twisting in or out at the elbow or hock joints.
Temperament
The Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, always friendly and dependable. And never timid or aggressive.
Serious Faults & Disqualifications
undersized males
undersized females
feminine males
masculine females
unbalanced dog
clumsy looking dog
Haw eyes
Mongolian Eyes
split nose
ring or hooked tail
docked tail
any color other then the above
any markings other then the above
undersized females
feminine males
masculine females
unbalanced dog
clumsy looking dog
Haw eyes
Mongolian Eyes
split nose
ring or hooked tail
docked tail
any color other then the above
any markings other then the above
History
The Great Dane is one of the most elegant and distinguished of the giant breeds. It is beieved that the breeds origins can be traced to Irish Wolfhound with mixture of old English Mastiff. The breed itself having existed for over 400 years to serve as a Boar Hound in Germany. Europe's erstwhile boar was one of the most savage, swift, powerful and well armed requiring a superdog to hunt it.
In 1891, the Great Dane Club of Germany adopted a standard, or official description of the breed. In 1889 in Chicago, the German Mastiff or Great Dane Club of America was founded with G. Muss-Arnoldt as first delegate. Two years later the club reorganized as the Great Dane Club of America.
In 1891, the Great Dane Club of Germany adopted a standard, or official description of the breed. In 1889 in Chicago, the German Mastiff or Great Dane Club of America was founded with G. Muss-Arnoldt as first delegate. Two years later the club reorganized as the Great Dane Club of America.