Characteristics:
General Appearance: Large and muscular with a short glossy coat.
Height: "at least 76.2 cm (30 in.) for the adult dog; 71 cm (28 in.) for the bitch. Under Canadian standards, the preferred height for the adult dog is 81.3 cm (32 in.); for the bitch 76.2 cm (30 in.)." (Book of Dogs, p. 163) Danes are preferred to be no smaller than their required heights.
Weight: "Dog:135-150 pounds. Bitch: 120-135 pounds" (The Complete Puppy and Dog Book,p.141)
Head: Expressive, rectangular, elongated, and finely sculpted. "Forehead is parallel to the nose. Muzzle and shull are equal in length. Pendulous jowls. Nose is large and black. Bridle of nose is very wide, with slight ridge where cartilage joins bone. Lips hang squarely in front. Teeth are level with a scissor bite." (Book of Dogs, p.163) The male Dane should have a very structures and pronounced head while the female's head is more delicately formed.
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." (The Complete Dog Book, p.273)
Ears: Triangular, medium in size, high set, and of moderate thickness. Ears should fold towards the face to the side of the cheek. The top of the fold should be level with the skull. Danes can have cropped ears and if cropped the ears should stand erect and be in proportion to the head.
Nose: Should be black unless on a blue Dane. Blue Danes nose should be a dark blue-black color. Harlequins may have spotted noses but it is not desirable. Pink noses are not desirable.
Teeth: "Shall be strong, well developed, clean and with full detention. The incisors of the lower jaw touch very lightly the bottoms of the inner surface of the upper incisors (scissor 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." (The Complete Dog Book, p.274)
Neck: "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." (http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/)
Topline and body: "The chest shall be broad, deep and well-muscled. The fore chest 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." (http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/)
Tail: High set, thick at the base and slimming towards the tip. The tail should be carried in a straight line, even with the back, when walking/moving. "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." (http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/)
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, not toeing in, toeing out, or 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." (The Complete Dog Book, p.274)
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." (The Complete Dog Book, p.274)
Feet: Nails well arched and cat-footed. Toes and nails should be close, strong and dark.
