The Great Dane is a giant sized dog breed commonly referred to as a “gentle giant” with different fascinating coat colors. The Blue Fawn coat color is one of the many coat colors of the breed.
So, what makes a Blue Fawn Great Dane look this way? Are there advantages or disadvantages to this coat color over other Great Dane coat colors?
Read on to learn more about what makes a Blue Fawn Great Dane, its appearance, temperament, associated health problems, price, and where to get them.
What Is A Blue Fawn Great Dane?
A Blue Fawn Great Dane is a Great Dane coat color that is fawn, alight brown coat with a grey mask over their face. The blue color is a subtle gray or slate color. Other distinctive features of the Blue Fawn Great Dane include a blue/grey nose and amber-colored eyes.
What Does The Blue Fawn Great Dane Look Like?
Blue Fawn Great Danes resemble a typical Great Dane except for their unique coat color. They have the same physical features.
Generally, they have a muscular, athletic build, with a massive head that is narrow and flat at the top with floppy ears, some with cropped ears.
Related: The best Great Dane ear cropping styles
They have a short and smooth coat with a medium-sized tail that narrows down at the back.
Adult dogs stand at 32 to 34 inches high and weigh up to 120 – 200 pounds, with females being slightly smaller than males.
The Blue Fawn Great Dane’s eyes are amber which varies to light brown.
A Blue Fawn Great Dane has a fawn coat with a blue mask. The mask is the fur that is over their face, that is around their eyes, muzzle, ears, and forehead.
The blue color in the coat is a soft gray or slate color and not a typical sky blue color.
Does the American Kennel Club recognize the Blue Fawn Great Dane?
The Blue Fawn Great Dane is not recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The only Blue coat color of the Great Dane that is recognized by the AKC is the Steel Blue Great Dane.
The American Kennel Club’s official breed standard for the Great Dane describes 7 acceptable coat colors:
Black
Fawn
Harlequin
Brindle
Blue
Mantle
Merle
There are 5 variations of the Blue Great Dane coat color in terms of the different tones of the color. These include:
- Steel Blue Great Dane
- Blue Harlequin Great Dane
- Blue Brindle Great Dane
- Blue Merle Great Dane
- Blue Fawn Great Dane
The Blue Fawn Great Dane is not in the American Kennel Club’s breed standards, however, they are loved by many Great Dane owners.
The Genetics Of The Blue Fawn Great Dane
The coat colors of all dog breeds are based on two primary pigments, that is the black pigment, also known as eumelanin, and the red pigment commonly known as pheomelanin.
Puppies get their DNA from their parents and through gene interaction of the inherited genes, a puppy gets coat color.
The different genes inherited by a puppy from both of its parents manipulate the two primary hair colors resulting in the production of different coat colors and patterns.
A Blue Fawn Great Dane puppy is produced from a combination of two copies of a recessive gene, known as the dilution gene (d gene).
According to Animal Genetics, the dilution gene reduces the concentration of the black, brown, and yellow coat hair pigment.
The puppy inherits two copies of the dilute gene (dd) one from each parent, to have a fawn-colored coat with a blue facial mask.
The color dilution extends to the eyes which gives a Blue Fawn Great Dane amber to light yellow eyes.
Are Blue Fawn Great Danes rare?
The Blue Fawn Great Danes are not as common as the other AKC-recognized Great Dane colors but they are not rare. They can deliberately be bred by professional breeders by ensuring that both parents of a puppy pass down the recessive dilution gene.
Puppies with only one copy of the dilution gene cannot develop the Blue Fawn coat if they do not inherit another dilution gene from the other parent.
Based on this genetic combination, it seems like an uphill task in producing a Blue Fawn Great Dane puppy, however, it is possible with selective breeding.
Breeders increase the chances of producing these puppies when there is demand for them.
If your heart is set on owning a Blue Fawn Great Dane, you may end up paying more because they are not easy to find and require deliberate and specific breeding.
See Also: Blue Fawn Vs Fawn Great Dane: What is the difference?
Blue Fawn Great Dane Temperament
A Blue Fawn Great Dane has the same personality as any other Great Dane dog. Their coat color does not impact their temperament.
They are affectionate, friendly gentle, and people-oriented dogs that are easy to train and respond well to positive reinforcement to learn.
They are also good family dogs and love to please their owners.
A Great Dane’s personality is also shaped by good breeding, socialization training, and good upbringing.
Good breeding produces puppies with pleasant personalities. Socialization and training also help a Great Dane to have desired behaviors and integrate well with people and other animals.
Blue Fawn Great Dane Health
Research has shown that a dog’s coat color impacts its health and longevity. This means some dog coat colors are more prone to more health problems than others.
Dogs with dilute-colored coats are susceptible to certain health problems.
The Blue Fawn Great Dane is susceptible to color dilution alopecia (CDA) which is a hereditary health condition that is specific to fawn and blue coat colored dogs, that is, dogs that have dilute color.
CDA is an inherited genetic condition that causes hair thinning, hair loss, itchy bald patches on the coat, and flaky skin.
The condition does not have a cure but can be managed to prevent the exposed skin from itching or getting infections.
Great Danes with CDA require regular bathing with a gentle prescribed shampoo to reduce itchiness and infection on the inflamed skin.
Breeders usually ensure not to include Great Danes with CDA for breeding to avoid passing on the condition to the offspring.
Therefore when purchasing a Blue Fawn Great Dane puppy, ensure to get their health records and confirm with the breeder that the puppy’s parents did not have CDA.
This ensures that you will buy a puppy without the risk of developing the condition.
As a Great Dane and a large breed dog, the Blue Fawn Great Dane is also prone to the common Great Dane dog breed health problems.
The common Great Dane health problems include:
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Arthritis
- Wobblers Syndrome
- Bloat
- Cancer
- Hypothyroidism
A Blue Fawn Great Dane will not necessarily develop all or any of the above illnesses. They are generally healthy dogs and can live healthy lives despite being susceptible to some health conditions.
Responsible breeders reduce the risk of occurrence of these conditions and they share the health records of your puppy or dog for you to be aware of their health status.
Good nurturing is also an important element for raising a healthy Great Dane.
Recommended reading: How to keep a Great Dane healthy
By being aware of the possible health problems of your dog, you can know what to expect and the specific care they require to live a healthy life.
See also:
The Blue Fawn Great Dane has an average lifespan of 7 to 10 years, like the Great Dane dog breed. Great Danes have a shorter lifespan.
Blue Fawn Great Dane Price
The Blue Fawn Great Dane price is typically in the range of $1000 to $3500 but prices can be higher than this from a reputable breeder. The price tends to be high because of the unique coat color and because they are uncommon.
It takes deliberate and specific breeding to produce the puppies therefore expect a premium price.
Generally, the harder it is to breed a specific dog coat color the more expensive it is.
Blue Fawn Great Dane puppies are also more expensive compared to adult dogs or adoptable dogs.
The Blue Fawn Great Dane price also widely varies depending on the breeder and their location.
Be cautious of puppy mills that produce puppies for profit without consideration for their health.
They market Blue Fawn Great Danes as rare to justify the high prices to buyers. Do not buy your puppy from puppy mills.
Where to Buy or Adopt a Blue Fawn Great Dane
When considering purchasing a Blue Fawn Great puppy, always purchase from a reputable Great Dane breeder or adoption center to receive a healthy puppy.
Responsible breeders that practice ethical breeding increase the chances of having a healthy puppy through responsible breeding.
A reputable breeder will also share the health history of the puppies and the genetic testing of their parents. This ensures that you are aware of your puppy’s health status and what to expect.
It can be uncommon for purebred breeders to produce a Great Dane outside of the breed’s standards but they can produce them on request.
Great Dane breeders can also be found on the American Kennel Club’s marketplace which is a trusted resource for approved and certified breeders.
The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane rescue league is also a resource for the adoption of Great Danes.
Summary: Blue Fawn Great Dane
The Blue Fawn Great Dane is a unique Great Dane color. The coat color is a fawn light brown color with a subtle grey facial mask.
The Blue Fawn Great Dane is similar in all other aspects to the Great Dane dog breed except for their coat color. They have the same pleasant personality, as a friendly and affectionate dogs.
Their coat color might make them more susceptible to certain health problems but they still live healthy lives.
If you think you would like to buy or adopt this adorable Great Dane with this fascinating coat color, purchase one from a reputable breeder or rescue center to have a healthy dog.