Colors II

Harlequin Litter Color Narrative with Photos

by Arlene Scarbrough of Scarbrough Fair Great Danes

This description of the show marked mantle (formerly boston black) color is quoted from the AKC standard: “The color shall be black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is optional; whole white collar preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of the forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking in the black blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar.”

Just as harlequins vary widely in their markings, so do mantles. They may have a half collar, a wide collar, a narrow collar, or no collar. They may have no face blaze, a thin face blaze, or a very wide face blaze. If they have a face blaze, it may be centered between the eyes, or it may be off center. Mantles can also be pet marked if they vary widely from the AKC standard.

This description of the show marked black color is quoted from the AKC standard: “The color shall be a glossy black. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.”

Show marked blacks are described in the preceding paragraph. Generally you can still show a black if it has a tiny amount of white on a few toes or a tiny amount of white on the chest, although the white is not desirable.

This is one of the few show marked blacks we've produced. They are fairly

rare from harlequin breeding, unless you breed a harl bred black to a harl

bred black.

Pet marked blacks may have white on the toes, the feet, the legs, large white markings on the chest, etc. Just as with the other color patterns, they vary quite a lot.

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