Note: if you are expearianced in showing danes than i need your help!
Hi, we are considering showing our dane. Athstetically, i think hes gorgeous, but he still need training and, if qualified, confirmation classes. Here are his features:
Half euro, both parents are champs
one blue eye, one brown
A very chisled head
Cropped ears ( not show though)
Not spayed
Male
Full black nose, one pink spot
Heavy markings, some merl and blue spots, spots on neck
Thicker legs than a full american dane
Healthy teeth
No health problems
lots of lip
So, thats how i can describe him best without a photo, sorry i cant provide that for you guys 
we cant get him in a stack or show stance, hes impatiant and needs to be trained for that. All in all i think he would make a good show dog, maybe not champ, but no chump either. He has a very laid back persona too, so he would’nt be jumpy. Please help and give me advice, we need it! Thanks, much appreciated. 
ok, sorry i meant neutered :3
and many of you have commented about the merl and blue. our boy is NOT merl and is NOT a blue harlequin. He is a harlequin with merl and blue patches. please don’t chew on me for that. i have never seen a harlequin without those other-than-black patches.
his top line is nice and strait.
he is part registration with AKC but we are working on full registration now.
why is the pink spot on his nose a problem? It starts in the inside nostril and goes in a strait ‘blob’ to the outer nose. Its not huge. Other than that, his nose is completely black. So, again, why is that a problem?
He isn’t too laid back, he won’t just lounge around all day. He has spirit.
I don’t have a picture of him stacked or worse yet a picture of him. So you’ll just have to make due with what I gave you. If you have any questions about him than just ask and i’ll answer.
You need to have him evaluated by the breeder (hopefully they show) and/or another experienced person that is knowledgeable of the Dane breed and breed standard. You also need full AKC registration. Good thing your dog isn’t spayed since he’s a boy. An altered dog can’t be shown in conformation. Being part Euro isn’t an issue. There are many in the ring. My own show girl is part Euro. If his personality is too laid back he will be harder to show since he won’t have that "show" presence.A "blue" harlequin can’t be shown in conformation in the US…..a merle can’t be shown either…A harlequin (white with black torn patches) always has at least a couple of merle patches.This is acceptable as long as not over done. A Harle also can have pink on it’s nose and it can have blue eyes as well as one of each…it is not as desirable as a black nose or dark eyes but is acceptable. It is not a DQ.The only one that can change a limited registration to a full is the breeder.A responsible breeder will have the dog evaluated before ever considering the change. The dog needs to be evaluated to make sure it meets breed standard and has show potential.
I suggest that you go to the GDCA site and study breed standard, read the color code learn as much as you can. http://www.gdca.org I also suggest that you find a breed club or a Dane club near you and contact them.Get involved in some show handling classes.
9 Responses
2012 Jun 21
Ok first of all male dogs are neutered… Girl dogs are spayed! (no offense) from what you described he seems almost perfect!!! Although I’ve never owned a show dog or showed dogs I do know quite alot about them
best of luck to you and your Dane!!!
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2012 Jun 21
Probably not due to his blue eye. He wouldn’t be DQ’d but it isn’t desirable therefore he would not be a quality breeding prospect. The pink spot on the nose is also not desirable. Males are neutered, females are spayed. Merle is a DQ color in the US. I’m guessing you ought to read the standard before you get much further. It doesn’t sound like you know what a show dane ought to look like. He also needs to have full AKC registration.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/
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2012 Jun 22
Without a picture and w/o being able to see movement or topline etc. no one can say for sure. But if you’d START by reading the AKC breed standard you’d see there are already a few things your dog has, which are undesirable: different color eyes, and pink on the nose.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/index.cfm
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25 yrs in dogs.
2012 Jun 22
If he wasn’t purchased as a show prospect then likely no. If he had the potential for the show ring he would have been sold as such.
if you want to show you should know your breed standard http://www.gdca.org/standard.htm
you can have him evaluated to see how his conformation is, but don’t hold your breath.
Karen: Corded poodles are simply poodles who have their coats corded. Nothing more. Its just a different coat type for the show ring. A corded poodle is still a poodle, just one with an owner willing to put in more work maintaining that coat properly. And showing is only expensive when you factor in the cost of travel accommodations and a pro handler.
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2012 Jun 22
Here is your standard for showing, he needs to meet all.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/
Showing starts as a puppy, they need to be trained for the ring, it’s best to start as soon as you get pup home at 8 weeks, they have a certain trot and stance they need to learn and 5 mins a day when they are that age ingrains it in their head, they will continue on the rest of their life, you will see when they play in your yard they naturally go into ‘SHOW’ stance.
I have a 4mo pup who goes to his second set of shows next weekend, I have been training him since I got him, it takes a lot of continuous work to get them ready for the ring.
Go to some shows and watch Dane’s in the ring, ask questions from the handlers they will help you in your quest.
I wish you well, would be interested to know how you go. Good Luck and I hope you title your dawgy!! Cheers mate.
EDIT: I just checked your standard about the eyes, this is what it says "eyes of different colors and walleyes are permitted but not desirable"
Basically if you are up against a dog that has better qualities than yours with the same eye colors it will win. If you are up against a dog that has the same qualities as yours but better eye color it will win.
You are on a slightly back foot before you begin.
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2012 Jun 22
I believe merle is the only color not allowed in the dane show ring. Even if he didnt have merle patterns, show training typically starts before 8 weeks, stacking the dog, handleing ect. I think they meed to be full american OR euro. Im not positive, but half of anything is usually a no – no in the ring, it would be like breeding a standard poodle with a corded poodle, breeding them would mean theyre not quite pure enough for the ring. Just enjoy him as a pet, showing is so expensive anyway. If youre not a breeder, theres not much of a reason in my opinion. If you were looking to breed your dog and wanted to charge a ton of money, you eould need the champion titles.
You can always train your dog for agility, even mutts can compete
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2012 Jun 22
*Experienced *ConFORMation
None of what you told us says that this dog is a show dog.
Have you asked your breeder? After all, you must have purchased the dog, so didn’t the breeder tell you if he was Show quality or pet quality?
It doesn’t sound like your dogs markings are accepted by the standard, and his eye color and pink spot on the nose are not desirable traits.
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2012 Jun 22
Asthetics don’t matter much in a show ring.
It’s how close does your dog fit standard.
I personally don’t think it sounds like it, but there’s never any telling.
Is he registered? Who with?
Was he sold as pet or show?
You’d have to talk to the breeder basically. She/he can evaluate the dog and see if it’s show worthy or not. I’m assuming it’s not, or the ears would have been properly cropped.
You’ll get dinged for that.
To the idjit who said corded and standard, boy are you stupid dear.
ALL poodles can have a corded coat, that’s how they used to be shown.
I believe she’s talking bloodlines, and that’s fine.
My show prospect, who will be breeder-evaluated before the ring, has euro lines, but he’s fully AKC registered.
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2012 Jun 22
You need to have him evaluated by the breeder (hopefully they show) and/or another experienced person that is knowledgeable of the Dane breed and breed standard. You also need full AKC registration. Good thing your dog isn’t spayed since he’s a boy.
An altered dog can’t be shown in conformation. Being part Euro isn’t an issue. There are many in the ring. My own show girl is part Euro. If his personality is too laid back he will be harder to show since he won’t have that "show" presence.A "blue" harlequin can’t be shown in conformation in the US…..a merle can’t be shown either…A harlequin (white with black torn patches) always has at least a couple of merle patches.This is acceptable as long as not over done. A Harle also can have pink on it’s nose and it can have blue eyes as well as one of each…it is not as desirable as a black nose or dark eyes but is acceptable. It is not a DQ.The only one that can change a limited registration to a full is the breeder.A responsible breeder will have the dog evaluated before ever considering the change. The dog needs to be evaluated to make sure it meets breed standard and has show potential.
I suggest that you go to the GDCA site and study breed standard, read the color code learn as much as you can. http://www.gdca.org I also suggest that you find a breed club or a Dane club near you and contact them.Get involved in some show handling classes.
References :
own/shown/raised/trained Great Danes for 30 years