Your Harlequin Great Dane is the most favored coat color of the breed nowadays. It is the most demanding coat color as well. May be it is due to the fact that breeding an ideal Harlequin Great Dane is not easy. The one bearing the right coat with ideal color, patterns, and markings. This also makes the Harlequin Great Danes less frequent as compared to other Great Dane colors. And the most expensive Great Dane color is Harlequin.
Harlequin Great Dane depicts black patches on a white base coat. The dogs are probably the most easy to tell from other Great Dane colors. This is mainly due to the distinguished color and pattern of the coat the dog is wearing. Harlequin pattern is only favored in the Great Dane breed despite its occurrence in various other canine breeds.
Genetically, Harlequin is an alternate of Merle. In that most Harlequin Great Danes hold one or two copies of the mutation responsible for Merle.
Alluding to the A.K.C. and G.D.C.A. standards
The base color for a Harlequin Great Dane must be pure white with torn black patches over the body. In addition, Merle patches are also acceptable.
Harlequin Great Dane Appearance
The Black torn patches are well distributed over the body with a whole or partial white neck. Black pigment might be present on the skin in white areas. No patch should be so large as it appears to be a blanket. The Harlequin Great Dane puppy has a somewhat pink nose which transforms into black as it grows.
Eligible yet less desirable, are black hairs seen through the white base coat. This gives a salt and pepper or dirty appearance.
Are Harlequin Great Danes Bigger than other Great Danes?
The size of a Harlequin Great Dane is similar to the breed standards. The dogs are huge with a weight of around 99-120 lbs. The height of a Harlequin Great Dane dog can fall between the range of 30-34 inches. Although the height and weight of female Harlequin Great Dane is less viz-a-viz its male counterpart.
Show marked Harlequin Great Danes
A Harlequin Great Dane’ black patches must be evenly dispersed all over its body. Though, the black patches are not very big. It might offer an idea of an enormous black coat having white marks.
Do Harlequin Great Danes have grey spots?
Yes, Harlequin Great Danes do have grey spots. Such Harlequin Great Danes bearing grey patches are permitted under the A.K.C. standards, yet not acceptable for dog shows.
How much do Harlequin Great Danes Cost?
Harlequin Great Danes cost around $500-$3000. The cost of show quality Harlequin Great Dane is more as compared to pet quality Great Dane. Also the cost of the dog differs with your location.
Eyes of Harlequin Great Danes
Harlequin Great Danes’ eyes are quirky and heavenly. The eye colors for the breed are varied. Such as, blue, brown, or dark colored eyes. Mostly the puppies are born with blue eyes. Which latter bear a rather dark hue as the canine develops. But the eyes of a harlequin Great Dane keeps the blue tinge throughout its life. Blue eyed Harlequin Great Danes are rather popular. There might be a chance that both the eyes of your Harlequin have different colors.
Are Harlequin Great Danes Goofy?
Yes Harlequin Great Danes are quite goofy. See what the huge goofball is doing in the picture.
Great Dane dogs hold some common traits in general. The dogs express an unmatched warmth, benignity, obedience, and friendliness in all its colors. Moreover, the Harlequin Great Danes are as goofy as a Great Dane dog could be.
The Great Dane dogs are revered for their temperament. The huge goofball holds friendly, warm, amenable, and loving disposition particularly for a canine of large breed. The dogs are neither too active nor require high level physical exercises, therefore it is compatible to live in apartment.
As they say, ‘appearances are often deceptive’ the dogs can be taken as ferocious canines due to their quite huge existence. But this factor also proves helpful as you can stand the dog on guard when needed.
Thus, Harlequin Great Danes are probably the most friendly canines out there. The dogs are good with kids, small dogs, and even cats. There is a high possibility that the Great Dane will be a good family dog provided it is trained properly.
Harlequin Great Dane Growth
Growth of a Harlequin Great Dane alike other dogs of the breed is rather spontaneous. As the Great Dane dog has the latency to develop into a huge dog.
A dog enters rapid growth phase in 3 to 5 months of age. However, the span of increased growth phase varies from dog to dog even in litter mates. It is also probable that your Harlequin Great Dane puppy experiences growth spurt even at 11 months. So never be anxious when it comes to the growth of a dog.
The most crucial factor determining the size of the dog is not its growth over time but sometimes genetics. How big your Great Dane grow is mainly a hereditary phenomenon. Yet it is not possible to predict the growth of a dog as it can take after its parents, or even grandparents for the matter of fact.
You need to be vigilant about the growth of your Great Dane. You must know if the dog is growing steadily or not. Great Dane growth chart is rather helpful in determining the development of your dog.
Do Harlequin Great Danes have more health problems?
Harlequin Great Danes are not susceptible to the diseases other than those recurrent in the breed. The most common problem for the dogs is osteoarithritis. The disease is generally found in large breed dogs. It effects the joints of the dog thus hindering its mobility. Although young dogs or puppies do not show any problems it is recommended to work on the dog joints whence the Great Dane dog is at least 6 weeks old.
Additionally, the Great Dane dogs can develop cancer or suffer from the heart enlargement. The chances that your Dane can suffer from bloat is particularly increased for the dog than any other canine breed. The condition develops during feeding. Therefore, the Great Danes ought to be taken care of when they are eating.
Do Harlequin Great Danes Shed?
Yes Harlequin Great Danes do shed. The dogs do not shed excessively. Particularly, if the dog is healthy it will shed the same as any other Great Dane color would. The dogs require minimal to average grooming. The tips which can help you to reduce shedding in Great Dane are:
- Once a day brush its coat,
- Bath the dog every 15 days
Breeding Harlequin Great Danes
It is laborious to breed Harlequin Great Danes Puppies. In fact, the Great Dane color hold genes of many other color families. It might have Black, White, Merle, or Mantle patches on its white coat. The Harlequin puppy must be allowed to mature first in order to decide on its pedigree.
Can you breed two Harlequin Great Danes?
No, you can not breed two Harlequin Great Danes. Due to the risk of Double Merles.
Even if the Harlequin dogs are phenotypically healthy. In the genotype, both dogs carry Merle strand. If the litter gets merle from both parents, you will get double merle Great Dane puppy. Which is not favored at all.
So Harlequin-Harlequin breeding is not recommended.
Harlequin Great Dane Genetics
As broached in the introduction, Harlequin is basically the modification of Merle. Journal of Heredity in 1985, Dr. Sponenberg. Without Merle there would be no Harlequin. This theory is further proved by various researchers including Dr. O’Sullivan. He suggests that a Harlequin Great Dane can be produced from breeding Merle x Blue. showing the relationship between Harlequin and Merle.
Breeding merles or harlequins to mantles produces a high proportion of show-marked Harlequins. The dogs entail to hold white trim in the Irish pattern on the collar, blaze and tail tip. Whereas, blacks created from show-marked harlequins display white trim that is excessive to be shown. Therefore, in 2000 G.D.CA. approved mantle as a color of the Great Dane breed acknowledging the close link between Harlequin and Mantle.
Harlequin Merles
Leigh Anne Clark, Associate Professor of genetics at Clemson University, suggests that generally harlequin Great Danes predominantly hold normal Merle combined with one copy of H. This together causes their peculiar harlequin appearance, and only a few dogs have the harlequin Merle mutation.
In other words, the Harlequin merles are the dogs that carry merle gene in combination with harlequin genotypically. Whilst harlequin dogs hold harlequin pattern genes alone. So in Great Dane breed there are equal chances of the dog being a Harlequin merle or a Harlequin Great Dane.
Merlequin Great Danes
Merlequin Great Danes are double Merles. The canines do not have Harlequin. The Merlequin Great Danes are also alluded to as Merlekins. Yet a Merlequin Great Dane has latency to give birth to Harlequin Great Dane puppies. A Merlequin can produce Harlequin puppies if bred to a Mantle Great Dane holding Harlequin recessive gene.
Harlequin yet not Harlequin
There are genotypically Harlequin Great Danes which are non-merle. These dogs do not appear Harlequin albeit the Harlequin gene presence in their genetic material. Hence, genotype is Harlequin whilst phenotype is not.
Blue Harlequin Great Dane
Can you breed a Blue Great Dane with a Harlequin?
The answer is affirmative. You can breed a Blue Great Dane with a harlequin. However, there are some if’s and but’s…
find below.
Blue Harlequin Great Danes
There are various varieties of Blue Great Dane on the market about which Blue Great Dane dog owners are curious. Among those varieties, is a Blue Harlequin Great Dane. The Blue Harlequin Great Dane puppy is born when a Blue Great Dane is bred with a Harlequin Great Dane.
Characteristics
A Blue Harlequin Great Dane dog appears subtle and pleasant. The most noticeable trait of a Blue Harlequin Great Dane is its blue eyes. The Blue Harlequin Great Dane does not hold steel blue coat. The dog has blue coat with harlequin markings on its body. And here is a problem.
Blue Harlequin Great Dane is not a favored Great Dane color according to Great Dane dog breed standard. The Blue Harlequin Great Dane falls under the category of imperfect and flawed Blue Great Dane line. So if you want a Blue Harlequin Great Dane for dog shows then it is not a good idea. Besides, Blue Harlequin Great Dane might be adopted based on individual preference and selection.
What do We Suggest?
If you are looking forward to welcome a Great Dane puppy be it Harlequin or any other color. Make sure you are already well versed on the subject of Great Danes. For the purpose you can easily go through the content under the Breed and mixes category on the website.
After that, its time to make your place suitable for the puppy. Which means get the necessities the pup would need once it gets to your home. A Checklist to prepare for a puppy can be of help. Usually the dog parents would like to arrange all the dog supplies in advance in order to prevent any problems later.
A Harlequin Great Dane is most special canine. As mentioned in the beginning, the standard pattern for the dog is not simple to attain, therefore, owning the dog is already noteworthy enough. Be it a show or pet quality dog. Let your canine look more special! get it a beautiful dog collar. Do not forget to share with us how exceptional you feel around your Harlequin Great Dane.
References
Journal of Heredity 1985, Dr. Sponenberg.
My wife and I are considering getting a harlequin (at last). We’ve actually been on the fence for some years but in recognizing the great responsibility that comes with parenting a great dane, hesitation and procrastination have always prevailed. We are counting our years now, however, and it has come to a now or never decision. Why a harlequin? In my youth, I took care of my neighbors three fawn danes, primarily cleaning his yard, the experience seeding a healthy respect and fondness for the breed. My wife, on the other hand, preferred a dalmatian, primarily stricken by their beautiful markings. Thus a compromise was agreed upon that, should the time come, a harlequin was the answer. I think that time is come, the shopping around exercise to begin as soon as our heat wave subsides. I want to thank you for your very ministering website. I’m sure it has been helpful to many and we will certainly be calling on you soon.