A Great Dane's coat comes in a variety of colours, shades and hues.
There are 6 main colours which can be entered into the world of Breed Showing and breeding as indicated in the The Kennl Club Great Dane Breed Standard and these are :
- Black
- Harlequin
- Blue
- Mantle
- Fawn
- Brindle
As responsible breeders we believe that when considering any future litter, the planned pairing of potential dam and sire, should indeed, be a combination of colours as stated in The Kennel Club (KC) Breed Standard.
There are 'generally acceptable' colour pairings, e.g. fawn x fawn, black x blue, harlequin x black etc., etc., etc., but technically a Great Dane pup can be registered with The KC if both it's parents are registered prior to the mating.
Harlequins are we believe the most difficult colour to breed in attempting to produce Danes which follow the Kennel Club Breed Standard. To give you a better idea of what a nicely marked harlequin looks like here are our boys Joshua & Jacob -
 JOSHUA : BLUE HARLEQUIN
 JACOB : BLACK HARLEQUIN
One colour not specifically recognised in the 'Breed Standard' is the 'Merle'. This colour would be registered with the KC as 'Harlequin mis-mark' and although we have never bred from a merle this colour is generally acceptable in a breeding programme.
 Blue background with black or blue (or black and blue) torn patches.
- Mantle (previously known as 'Boston')
The Mantle has only been recognised by The Kennel Club as a specific colour in it's own right since 2006.
Mantles have a predominantly black body with a white muzzle and possibly a blaze with a white collar, chest, belly, feet/legs and tail in various degrees.
Prior to the KC officially recognising the mantle, we used to identify this colour as being known as 'Boston'. We believe that the Boston can be either predominantly black (as per KC standard) or blue with the said appropriate white markings.
 Here is Samson at just under a year old: he is what we would term as a a blue Boston or even blue Mantle.
The progeny of a dog and a bitch both Kennel Club Registered, of these two colours can themselves be registered as being pedigree Great Danes by the Kennel Club. However, it should be known that you should never breed from a dog and a bitch which are both merles, as it has been said and we believe it to be so, that this combination carries a lethal gene and the puppies may die.
A variety of unique colourings not previously mentioned would be simply described as 'mis-marked'. Two examples of so called mis-marked Great Dane would be those having with a white background with either Merle or Fawn torn patches. We affectionately term these colourings as 'Merlequin' and 'Fawnaquin' respectively. However, but it should be noted that these are NOT 'Official' terms applied to the type of colouring and we would never recommend that they should be bred from.
 Mis-mark is only a Kennel Club term and this special little boy is a gorgeous example of a Great Dane............ meet Merlin!
 We have only ever had one fawnequin and this is one very special boy. Baby Morgan stole our hearts and the hearts of every one that met him.
But remember, the colour is only skin deep and that the virtues of this majestic breed will be ever present regardless of it's coat. We believe that a healthy, happy Dane of sound body, good temperament and conformation is ones primary concern and that the colour is secondary to this. The only time colour becomes an issue is when breeding or breed showing, other than that, we feel it is simply a matter of choice.
Black, Mantle, Harlequin and Blue Great Danes are collectively known as 'The Colours'. There are many more Fawn and Brindle Great Danes compared to 'the colours' and accordingly there are more breeders, more Danes exhibited at breed shows and more puppies available.
There are far fewer breeders dedicated to breeding 'the colours' and if you are looking for a puppy, you may have to wait longer, travel further and pay more for the pup of your dreams. We believe that the hardest colour to breed is that of a well marked harlequin: which should be white with EITHER Black OR Blue torn patches. Invariably variations will arise with the Harly Dane having perhaps a combination of both black and blue patches in its coat, patches which are too large, too many or what we call 'ticking' (a sort of mottled effect). If after all this there is a beautiful Harlequin born with the correct colour and markings, the chances are that the breeder will keep it! We say that the breeder plays a small role in increasing the probability of breeding a Harly, but the markings are in the lap of the Gods so-to-speak.
 All pups eyes open at around 10-14 days old and they start off a hazy, very dark slate grey/blue colour. Over the next few weeks they change colour and become clear.
Any Dane regardless of its coat colour, could have dark or light coloured eyes in any shade from green to blue to brown etc. The desired colour is a rich dark brown but very often the colours can be as diverse as is the colours of their coat. Certain coloured coats tend to throw acceptable but not desirable coloured eyes, e.g. Blacks or Blues may have pale, light brown eyes.
 An interesting occurrence that frequently happens when you breed Harlequin related litters, is the colour of the pups and adults eyes. They could be any thing from blue, ice-blue, green, olive, orange, brown or wheat coloured and very often they have two different coloured eyes.
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