The Great Dane is an incredible giant dog that has different amazing coat colors and variations. The Mantle is a standard coat color of the breed, and Mantle Merle is one variation.
So, what makes a Mantle Merle Great Dane look this way? Are there any advantages or disadvantages of the coat color?
Read on to learn more about what makes a Mantle Merle Great Dane, its appearance, temperament, associated health problems, price, and where to get them.
Table of Contents
What Is A Mantle Merle Great Dane?
A Mantle Merle Great Dane is a coat color and pattern with Mantle and Merle patterns. The coat has a merle coat color pattern all over the body, with a merle skull, a white muzzle, white chest, white forelegs, and hind legs, and a white-tipped merle tail.
The Great Dane has a Mantle pattern however the merle color pattern covers the black-colored blanket of a Mantle coat pattern, thus referred to as a Mantle Merle.
What Does The Mantle Merle Great Dane Look Like?
Mantle Merle Great Danes are purebred Great Danes, not crossbreeds. Except for coat color, they look like any other Great Dane, by having the same physical features.
They have a muscular build with a large head and muzzle, natural floppy ears, narrow body, and long limbs with a medium-sized tail.
Their body is covered with a short, sleek, and smooth coat.
Adult Mantle Merle stands at 32 to 34 inches high at the shoulder with a weight of 120 – 200 pounds. The female dogs are generally a bit smaller than the males.
The Mantle Merle Great Dane has blue eyes or brown eyes.
A Mantle Merle Great Dane’s coat has a merle coat color pattern all over the body, with a merle skull, white muzzle, white chest, white forelegs, and hind legs with a white-tipped merle tail.
The Merle coat color pattern is a gray base covered with black spots. This pattern covers the black-colored area of the Mantle coat pattern, hence the Mantle Merle coat appearance.
Does the American Kennel Club recognize the Mantle Merle Great Dane?
The Mantle Merle Great Dane is recognized as a variation of the official Merle Great Dane breed color by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
This means the coat color can be a show dog in the American Kennel Club’s conformation shows, because they do meet the standard description of the accepted variations of the Merle Great Dane.
This was formally accepted in January 1, 2019, where Merle coat color and its acceptable variations were permitted to participate in conformation shows.
The Mantle Merle color pattern is registered by the AKC, with the registration code 516.
To have another visual illustration of the Mantle Merle and the Merle variations accepted for conformation shows, check this illustrated standard guide resource.
The description of the standard Mantle coat color pattern by the American Kennel Club is:
“black and white dog having a solid black blanket over its body, with a white muzzle, neck, chest, legs and tail tip.”
Any Mantle coat pattern and color outside this description is referred to as a mismarked Mantle Great Dane.
A mismark is simply a dog that has coat colors or markings that are outside the standard breed qualities.
The seven official Great Dane coat colors recognized by the American Kennel Club are:
- Black
- Merle
- Fawn
- Harlequin
- Brindle
- Blue
- Mantle
Great Danes with the Mantle Great Dane coat pattern include:
- Mantle Great Dane (the official breed color)
- Blue Mantle Great Dane (Mismarked)
- Mantle Merle Great Dane (Accepted Merle variation)
- Fawn Mantle Great Dane (Mismarked)
The Mantle Merle Great Dane does not qualify as a show dog, however, if your intent is not to participate in dog shows, this Great Dane is still a lovable companion.
The Genetics Of The Mantle Merle Great Dane
Mantle Great Danes come about from the breeding of two Mantle Great Danes, a Mantle with a Harlequin Great Dane, or two Harlequin Great Danes.
Mantle Merle puppies can be found in puppy litters from the breeding of the acceptable Great Dane colors.
A Mantle Merle Great Dane puppy is produced when a Mantle puppy also inherits the dominant Merle allele (M), from one of its parents.
The Merle gene (Mm) has a dominant Merle allele represented as “ M” with a non-merle allele represented by “m”.
The Mantle Merle puppy has a merle coat color pattern in combination with the Mantle pattern because of the presence of a dominant “M” allele.
In addition to contributing to the coat color and pattern characteristics, the merle gene also influences eye color.
Mantle Merle Great Danes usually have blue or brown eyes.
Are Mantle Merle Great Danes rare?
The Mantle Merle Great Danes are not rare because mismarked puppies can be found in puppy litters produced from ethical breeding of the acceptable Great Dane colors. The puppies can also be produced deliberately by professional breeders.
Professional breeders can breed their Great Danes through specific breeding to increase the chance of producing a Mantle Merle puppy.
Puppies have to inherit the Merle gene to develop the Mantle Merle coat in combination with the Mantle pattern.
This is possible through deliberate and specific breeding to produce a Mantle Merle Great Dane.
Mantle Merle Great Dane Temperament
The Mantle Merle Great Dane has the personality of the Great Dane dog breed. Their coat color does not influence their temperament.
They are generally gentle, friendly, affectionate, confident, loyal, and people-oriented dogs. They are good family dogs and get along with other animals.
In addition to this, it is important to provide a Mantle Merle with consistent socialization, and training which helps them learn and have the desired behaviors.
This also shapes a Mantle Merle Great Dane’s overall personality.
Mantle Merle Great Dane Health
The coat color of a dog has an impact on its health and longevity. This makes some dogs more susceptible to some health problems than other dogs.
Studies have shown that dogs with merle coat color are susceptible to eye and ear deformities, which include partial or complete blindness or deafness, sun sensitivity, and skin cancer.
Therefore the Mantle Merle Great Dane is prone to developing these conditions because of the Merle gene that they have which is expressed in the Mantle Merle coat.
In addition to the gene-specific health problems, the Mantle Merle Great Dane is also susceptible to the common health problems of the Great Dane dog breed. This includes:
- Hip dysplasia
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Wobblers syndrome
- Bloat
- Cancer
Although Mantle Merle Great Danes are susceptible to gene-specific health issues and the common health problems of the breed, most are generally healthy dogs.
Good care is also important in raising a Great Dane or any dog breed for them to live a healthy happy life.
Recommended reading: How to keep a Great Dane healthy
Being aware of the potential health problems of a Great Dane gives you the knowledge of the specific care they need and what to expect.
The life expectancy of the Great Dane, as well as the Mantle Merle, is 7 to 10 years. Some dogs may live longer for up to 12 years.
See also:
Mantle Merle Great Dane Price
The Mantle Merle Great Dane price is typically in the range of $1500 to $3000, however, prices can be much higher than this.
The cost is also high due to the specific breeding that is required to produce them and it also varies on factors such as the breeder, and their location.
A Mantle Merle puppy can still be found in puppy litters from the breeding of the acceptable Great Dane coat colors, which can be bought at the average Great Dane prices.
Mantle Merle Great Dane puppies tend to be more expensive than adult dogs. Also, generally buying a puppy from a breeder is expensive compared to adopting one from a shelter.
Be cautious not to buy your puppy or dog from puppy mills. Puppy mills unethically produce puppies for profit without consideration for their health.
They may consider the Mantle Merle Great Dane as a rare Great Dane to scam buyers therefore always buy your dog from professional breeders to get healthy puppies at a fair price.
Where to Buy or Adopt a Mantle Merle Great Dane
When planning to purchase a Mantle Merle Great Dane puppy, make sure to purchase them from a professional Great Dane breeder or reputable Great Dane adoption center.
Reputable breeders that practice ethical breeding increase the probability of producing healthy puppies through responsible breeding.
A responsible breeder will also share a puppy’s health history including the genetic testing records of their parents.
This information is important for you to know the health status of a puppy and what to expect.
The American Kennel Club’s marketplace is a great place to start looking for Great Dane breeders. The marketplace has approved and certified breeders.
Adoption of a Mantle Merle is also possible through Great Dane rescue centers. This includes:
Summary: Mantle Merle Great Dane
The Mantle Merle Great Dane is a distinctive Great Dane color. The coat color is a Mantle coat pattern with Merle coat color.
The only difference between a Mantle Merle Great Dane with another Great Dane is the coat color pattern. They have similar aspects in terms of personality and physical features.
The only downside of the coat color is that it is susceptible to certain health problems. However, this does not necessarily mean they develop the conditions. They are generally healthy dogs.
If you are considering getting a Mantle Merle Great Dane you can obtain one from a rescue center or a Great Dane breeder.