AKC OFFICIAL STANDARD FOR THE GREAT DANE (revised 1929):

The Great Dane Dog's appearance should combine nobility, size, power and
elegance to a degree not seen in other breeds. He is neither clumsy
and ponderous like the mastiff nor as light and slender as the
greyhound. The Great Dane should combine the size and strength of the
mastiff with much of the elegance of the greyhound. He should have a
long, easy stride and noble, proud bearing. His head should be
carried high on a long slender neck which arches slightly before
joining the head. The tail hangs down almost straight when the dog is
at rest, but when at attention it is carried up in a line with the
back, the tip curving upward to that the tail resembles a saber.

HEAD: The Great Dane's head should be decidedly long, rather than
broad. It appears to have been pressed together from the great depth
and flatness of the cheeks. In front of the eyes the muzzle is finely
chiseled. In profile, a definite stop breaks the line of the
forehead and the line of the muzzle. The line of the forehead is a
parallel to the line of the muzzle. When standing in front of the
dog, his skull should not be much wider than the bridge of his muzzle.
Cheeks should be flat. From every side the head should give an
angular appearance with clean-cut lines. A bulging forehead is a
fault. The muzzle, measured from tip of nose to the stop, should be
exactly as long as the distance from the stop to the occiput. The
bridge of the nose should be generally straight with a slight arch
near the tip. The end of the muzzle should appear to have
been "chopped off" square. The lips should hang down covering the
jaw, forming a blunt right angle with lines of the head. The folds at
the corner of the mouth should be plainly defined. The eyes should be
only medium in size, full almond shape, and of a keen, lively
expression. Neither the inner eyelid nor the haw should be visible.
The eyebrows should be plainly marked. The ears should be set high on
the skull, not too far apart, small and with the tips falling
forward.

NECK AND SHOULDERS: The neck should be long, muscular and powerful,
at the same time it is lean, sinewy and beautifully arched where it
joins the head. The neck should taper slightly as it rises from the
shoulders and dewlap or folds of loose skin should not be noticeable
at the throat. The shoulder blades should be long and slightly
sloping.

CHEST: The brisket should be of medium width and great depth. The
ribs should be well spring from the back-bone but flattened on the
sides: they should reach far back and the chest should reach the
elbow.

BODY: The back should be moderately long. The length of body should
be the same height at the shoulders, to form a square. The loins
should arch slightly. The croup should be short and gently sloping,
making a beautiful line as it joins the tail. Seen from above, the
loins should be broad and strong. The underline of the body should
be a graceful curve, well tucked up in the flank.

TAIL: The tail should be of medium length, reaching no lower than the
hock, very thick at the butt, set on high and tapering to a fine
point at the tip. Even in moments of excitement it should not be
carried high over the back. A ring tail is a most serious fault.
Docking to obtain proper length is not allowed.

FORELEGS The elbow is well dropped, so that the upper arm forms a
right angle with the shoulder blade. The elbows should turn neither
in nor out. The upper arms should be muscular and the legs powerful
in every respect, although they appear to be slightly bent when seen
from the front because of their pronounced muscles. However, in
profile the forelegs should be perfectly straight from elbow as far
as the knee.

HINDQUARTERS: The hindquarters should be broad and well-muscled, the second
thigh long and strong with hocks wide at the joints and well-bent.
Seen from behind, the hocks should be perfectly parallel and turn
neither in nor out.

FEET: The Feet should be round like those of a cat, having thick pads
and turning neither in nor out. The toes should be well-arches and
close together. The nails should be very strong, curved, and dark in
color. Dewclaws are not allowed.

COAT: The coat should lie smooth and be very short, thick and glossy.
It is a trifle longer on the underside of the tail.

COLORS:
FAWN: Varies from a lightest yellow to deepest golden tan; a shading
of black on the muzzle and ears, together with black eyebrows is
desired. White is tolerated only on the chest and toes, but is not
desirable. The nose must be black. The eyes and nails should be dark.
BRINDLE: Brindles must be striped. The ground color may vary from
lightest yellow to deepest golden tan; and a shading of black on
muzzle and ears, together with black eyebrows is desired. The stripes
must be pure black and strongly marked. White is tolerated only on
the chest and toes, but is not desirable. The nose must be black. The
eyes and nails should be dark.
BLUE: Varies from a light grey to deepest slate. White is tolerated
only on the chest and toes, but is not desirable. The nose must be
black. The eyes and nails should be dark.
BLACK: The color must be pure black and nothing else. White is
tolerated on the chest and toes, but is not desirable. The nose must
be black. The eyes and nails should be dark.
HARLEQUIN: Should be pure white ground on which are either all-black
or all-blue patches of medium size distributed over the dog in a
pleasing pattern. The white should predominate and a pure white neck
is preferred. The patches should be sharply defined and of irregular
shape. Speckles and small dots in the white are not desirable. In
harlequins wall eyes, pink eyes or butterfly noses are tolerated, but
dark eyes and nails and black noses are preferred.

SIZE: Males should not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders and
females not less than 28 inches.

IDEAL CONFORMATION: Conformation of an ideal Great Dane is seen in
the porcelain statue by Rosenthal "Deutsche dogge No. 901-1, 2046-1."

Typed from the original by JP Yousha - CHROMADANE