GREAT DANE

Official UKC Breed Standard Guardian Dog Group

©Copyright 1991, United Kennel Club
Revised January 1, 2019

popular family companions for people who admire their

regal appearance and affectionate personalities.
The Great Dane was recognized by United Kennel
Club in 1923.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Great Dane is a very large, short-coated dog, with
smooth, well-defined musculature. The body is square,
but females may be somewhat longer in body than
males. The length of the front leg (measured from point
of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-
half of the dog’s height at the withers. The head is long,
rectangular, and finely chiseled. Ears are medium in
size, high set, and may be drop or cropped. The tail is a
natural extension of the spine, thick at the base and
tapering to a point. Gender differences are apparent in
The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: this breed. Typically the male is proportionately taller
to furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain and heavier than the female. The female appears
the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance feminine in comparison to the dog. The Great Dane
this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; combines great size with dignity and elegance, giving
and to act as a guide for judges. rise to its nickname, the Apollo of dogs.
Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid
any conditions or exaggerations that are detrimental to CHARACTERISTICS
the health, welfare, essence and soundness of this The Great Dane is spirited, courageous, friendly, and
breed, and must take the responsibility to see that dependable. Great Danes are easygoing dogs,
these are not perpetuated. affectionate with family members and self-confident
Any departure from the following should be with strangers. The Great Dane has a stable, easy-going
considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the nature, preferring to lounge on the couch near a loved
fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion one to almost any other pastime. They are good with
to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare children but their great size makes them more suitable
of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its for older children and teenagers. Great Danes are easily
traditional work. trained but need consistency.

HISTORY HEAD
The ancestors of the Great Dane include British mastiffs The Great Dane head is proportionate to the size of the
and possibly wolfhounds, brought to Europe, first by the dog, long, rectangular, narrow and finely chiseled,
Romans and later by German aristocrats seeking to especially below the eyes. Viewed from the side, the
improve their hunting dogs. Despite its name, the Great skull and muzzle are of equal length, straight, parallel to
Dane is a German breed. During the 15th and 16th one another, and joined by a strongly pronounced stop.
centuries, German forests were filled with game, and Viewed from above, the planes of the skull and foreface
hunting wild boar with dogs was a favorite pastime of are parallel and the bridge of the nose is very broad.
German nobility. Each lord kept large numbers of Gender difference is readily apparent. A correct head is
boarhounds, which they carefully bred to improve their essential to Great Dane breed type.
size, power, and endurance. When game in the forests SKULL - The skull is narrow, long and nearly flat, with
began to dwindle, the large breeding kennels parallel sides. Cheeks are clean and cheek muscles are
disappeared but the Great Dane continued to be a not prominent. Supraorbital ridges are well developed.
favorite with German aristocrats. Great Danes were MUZZLE - In profile, the muzzle is long, equal in length
exhibited at the first German dog show in 1863, and the to the skull, and deep. The underline of the lower jaw is
first Danes were imported into the United States not nearly parallel to the bridge of the muzzle. The end of
long thereafter. In this country, Great Danes are the muzzle is blunt, and almost perpendicular to the
upper and lower lines of the jaw, forming a distinctly of body, measured from prosternum to point of
rectangular muzzle. The bridge of the muzzle is very buttocks. The length of the forelegs (measured from
broad, so that the end of the muzzle, viewed from the point of elbow to the ground) should approximately
front, appears almost square. Mouth is dry. Removal of equal one-half of the dog’s height. The withers flow
whiskers is permitted but not preferred. smoothly into a short, level back. The ribs extend well
Faults: Muzzle too long or too short; loose, fluttering back and are well sprung out from the spine. The loin is
lips. short and broad, with a well-defined tuck-up. The croup
TEETH - The Great Dane has a complete set of evenly is broad and very slightly sloping. The chest is broad,
spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. well muscled, and deep, extending to the elbows. The
Minor Faults: Crowded or misaligned incisors; even bite. forechest is well developed. The body underline is
Serious Faults: Overshot bite. tightly muscled.
Very Serious Faults: Undershot bite; wry mouth.
NOSE - The nose is black, except for blue Danes where HINDQUARTERS
the nose is a dark blue-black. A black spotted nose is The hindquarters are strong, broad, and muscular. The
permitted on Harlequins and Merles. angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with the
Fault: Pink nose. angulation of the forequarters.
Disqualification: Split nose. HIND LEGS - The hind legs are strong and well
EYES - Eyes are medium in size, almond-shaped, tight, angulated. When the dog is standing, the short, strong
and dark brown. A slightly lighter shade of brown is rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and,
acceptable, but not preferred, in the blue Danes. In viewed from the rear, parallel to one another.
Harlequins and Merles, the eyes should be dark, but Faults: Steep croup; lack of rear angulation; over-
blue eye(s), and eyes of different colors are permitted. angulation; cow hocks; open hocks.
Faults: Round or protruding eyes; yellow eyes; eyes too
close together. FEET
Serious Faults: Visible haw; obliquely set Mongolian Feet are round, tight, and well arched. Nails are strong
eyes; functional abnormality of eyelids or eyelashes. and as dark as possible, except that they may be lighter
EARS - Ears may be cropped or natural, with no in Harlequins, Mantles, and Merles. Front dewclaws
preference. Ears are high set and of moderate may be removed.
thickness. Natural ears are medium in size and fold Faults: Hare foot; splay foot.
forward close to the cheek. The top line of the ear fold Serious Fault: Rear dewclaws.
is level with the skull. Cropped ears should be in
proportion to the size of the head and stand erect, but a TAIL
dog with properly set ears must not be penalized for an The tail is a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at
imperfect ear crop. the base and tapers to the tip. A tail of the correct
Faults: Any deviation from the standard that length extends to the hock but never below. When the
contributes to a hound-like appearance. dog is relaxed, the tail hangs down naturally. When the
dog is moving or alert, the tail may curve slightly
NECK upward but never above the level of the back.
The neck is long, well arched, and muscular. From the Serious Faults: Ring or hooked tail.
nape, the neck gradually broadens and flows smoothly Disqualification: Docked tail.
into the shoulders. The underline of the neck is clean.
Faults: Short, thick neck; ewe neck, goose neck. COAT
The coat is short, close, and thick with a smooth, glossy
FOREQUARTERS appearance.
Shoulder blades and upper arms are long and slanting,
forming an angle of approximately 110 degrees. COLOR
FORELEGS - The elbows are close to the body. A line The following are the only allowed colors, markings, and
drawn from the upper tip of the shoulder blade to the color patterns:
back of the elbow joint will be perpendicular to the Brindle: Strong black stripes in a chevron pattern on a
ground. The forelegs are straight with strong, slightly yellow gold background. Preference shall be given
sloping pasterns. where the base color is more intense and the brindling
Faults: Toeing in or out; down in pasterns. is more distinct and even. A black mask is preferred.
Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrow, and
BODY may appear on the ears and tip of the tail.
The Great Dane is a square dog. Its height, measured
from the withers to the ground, should equal its length
Faults: Too much or too little brindling; white markings GAIT
on the chest and toes; black-fronted or dirty-colored When trotting, the gait is effortless, with long, easy
brindles. strides, and showing good but not exaggerated reach in
Fawn: Yellow gold with a black mask. Black should front and drive behind. When moving, the topline
appear on the eye rims and eyebrow, and may appear remains level with only a slight flexing to indicate
on the ears and tip of the tail. Preference is given to a suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs turn neither
deep yellow gold. in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes; black- other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward
fronted or dirty colored fawns. centerline of balance.
Blue: Pure steel blue.
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes. ELIMINATING FAULTS
Black: Glossy black. (An Eliminating Fault is a Fault serious enough that it
Faults: White markings on the chest and toes. eliminates the dog from obtaining any awards in a
Harlequin: Black torn patches irregularly and well conformation event.)
distributed over a white background. The black patches A mature male Great Dane under 30 inches at the
should never be so large as to give the appearance of a shoulder; a mature female Great Dane under 28 inches
blanket, nor so small as to give a dappled effect. The at the shoulder.
presence of a few small gray patches or single black
hairs showing through the white background, giving a DISQUALIFICATIONS
dirty effect, are allowed but not preferred. (A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered
Mantle: A solid black blanket extending over the body for placement in a conformation event, and must be
and skull with the following white markings: white reported to UKC.)
muzzle, white collar, white chest, white on part or on Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
the whole of the fore and hind legs, white tip of the tail. Viciousness or extreme shyness.
A full white collar is preferred. A small white marking in Split nose.
the blanket or a break in the white collar is acceptable. Docked tail.
Merle: A pale gray to dark gray base color, with black Color other than those described in “Color” paragraph.
torn patches within. Patterns/Markings: May be solid Merlequin, a white dog with only patches of merle.
Merle (white on chest and toes is permissible), or Merle Albinism.
with a mantle pattern (solid merle blanket extending
over the body; merle skull with a white muzzle; white The docking of tails and cropping of ears in America is
blaze is optional; whole or partial white neck; a white legal and remains a personal choice. However, as an
chest; white on whole or part of the forelegs and hind international registry, the United Kennel Club is aware
legs; white tipped merle tail. A small white break in the that the practices of cropping and docking have been
blanket is acceptable. Black pigment may be seen on forbidden in some countries. In light of these
the skin in white areas.) developments, the United Kennel Club feels that no dog
Faults of Patterns/Markings shall not carry as much in any UKC event, including conformation, shall be
weight as faults of conformation and breed type. Any penalized for a full tail or natural ears.
variance in Patterns/Markings as described in the above
colors shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation.
Disqualification: Any color, marking, or color pattern
not described above. Albinism. Merlequin, a white dog
with only patches of merle.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

The Great Dane is a giant working breed and should
always appear well proportioned for its size. A mature
male may not be less than 30 inches at the shoulder. A
mature female may not be less than 28 inches, although
30 inches or more is preferred.
Eliminating Faults: A mature male Great Dane under 30
inches at the shoulder; a mature female Great Dane
under 28 inches at the shoulder.