General Appearance
The Great Dane combines, in its regal appearance, dignity, strength and
elegance with great size and a powerful, well-formed, smoothly muscled body. It
is one of the giant working breeds, but is unique in that its general
conformation must be so well balanced that it never appears clumsy, and shall
move with a long reach and powerful drive. It is always a unit-the Apollo of
dogs. A Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, never timid; always friendly
and dependable. This physical and mental combination is the characteristic
which gives the Great Dane the majesty possessed by no other breed. It is
particularly true of this breed that there is an impression of great
masculinity in dogs, as compared to an impression of femininity in bitches. Lack
of true Dane breed type, as defined in this standard, is a serious fault.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The male should appear more massive throughout than the
bitch, with larger frame and heavier bone. In the ratio between length and
height, the Great Dane should be square. In bitches, a somewhat longer body is
permissible, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Coarseness or
lack of substance are equally undesirable. The male shall not be less than 30
inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32 inches or more,
providing he is well proportioned to his height. The female shall not be less
than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 30 inches or
more, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Danes under minimum
height must be disqualified.
Head
The head shall be rectangular, long, distinguished, expressive, finely
chiseled, especially below the eyes. Seen from the side, the Dane's forehead
must be sharply set off from the bridge of the nose, (a strongly pronounced
stop). The plane of the skull and the plane of the muzzle must be straight and
parallel to one another. The skull plane under and to the inner point of the
eye must slope without any bony protuberance in a smooth line to a full square
jaw with a deep muzzle (fluttering lips are undesirable). The masculinity of
the male is very pronounced in structural appearance of the head. The bitch's
head is more delicately formed. Seen from the top, the skull should have
parallel sides and the bridge of the nose should be as broad as possible. The
cheek muscles should not be prominent. The length from the tip of the nose to
the center of the stop should be equal to the length from the center of the
stop to the rear of the slightly developed occiput. The head should be angular
from all sides and should have flat planes with dimensions in proportion to the
size of the Dane. Whiskers may be trimmed or left natural. Eyes
shall be medium size, deep set, and dark, with a lively intelligent expression.
The eyelids are almond-shaped and relatively tight, with well developed brows.
Haws and mongolian eyes are serious faults. In harlequins, the eyes should be
dark; light colored eyes, eyes of different colors and walleyes are permitted
but not desirable. Ears shall be high set, medium in size and of
moderate thickness, folded forward close to the cheek. The top line of the
folded ear should be level with the skull. If cropped, the ear length is in
proportion to the size of the head and the ears are carried uniformly erect.
Nose shall be black, except in the blue Dane, where it is a dark
blue-black. A black spotted nose is permitted on the harlequin; a pink colored
nose is not desirable. A split nose is a disqualification.
Teeth shall be strong, well developed, clean and with full
dentition. The incisors of the lower jaw touch very lightly the bottoms of the
inner surface of the upper incisors (scissors bite). An undershot jaw is a very
serious fault. Overshot or wry bites are serious faults. Even bites, misaligned
or crowded incisors are minor faults.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck shall be firm, high set, well arched, long and muscular. From the
nape, it should gradually broaden and flow smoothly into the withers. The neck
underline should be clean. Withers shall slope smoothly into a short level back
with a broad loin. The chest shall be broad, deep and well muscled. The
forechest should be well developed without a pronounced sternum. The brisket
extends to the elbow, with well sprung ribs. The body underline should be
tightly muscled with a well-defined tuck-up.
The croup should be broad and very slightly sloping. The tail should be set
high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back, a
continuation of the spine. The tail should be broad at the base, tapering
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. A ring or hooked tail is a serious fault. A docked tail is a
disqualification.
Forequarters
The forequarters, viewed from the side, shall be strong and muscular. The
shoulder blade must be strong and sloping, forming, as near as possible, a
right angle in its articulation with the upper arm. A line from the upper tip
of the shoulder to the back of the elbow joint should be perpendicular. The
ligaments and muscles holding the shoulder blade to the rib cage must be well
developed, firm and securely attached to prevent loose shoulders. The shoulder
blade and the upper arm should be the same length. The elbow should be one-half
the distance from the withers to the ground. The strong pasterns should slope
slightly. The feet should be round and compact with well-arched toes, neither
toeing in, toeing out, nor rolling to the inside or outside. The nails should
be short, strong and as dark as possible, except that they may be lighter in
harlequins. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters shall be strong, 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 rear
feet should be round and compact, with well-arched toes, neither toeing in nor
out. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except they may
be lighter in harlequins. Wolf claws are a serious fault.
Coat
The coat shall be short, thick and clean with a smooth glossy appearance.
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 toward the centerline of balance beneath the 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.