How can you tell a Harlequin Great Dane puppy apart from similar looking dogs?

Question

There was a gentelman that found a dog wondering the country. The dog was very skinny and very uncared for so he picked up the dog to see if anyone would want to take care of it. My wife and myself have breed dogs and have rescued many others so we took her in. We took the dog to the vet for a check up and shots. We asked the vet what type of dog she thought she was and she quickly replied "Harlequin great dane and if not full blooded she has that breed in her."

She said she thought her to be about 5 months old and 25 pounds. She said she would weigh more had she not been so skinny from being neglected. She has very long legs, big paws and a long body and of course she is the black and white spotted coat.

My question is her color also looks like many other animals...pointer, dalmation...etc. Outside of waiting to watch her grow is there a way of being sure that she is a Harlequin great dane?

Answer 1

The easiest way would be her head - there's no other black and white breed that has a head similar to a dane's. But if she's a cross, she could be anything. I can't see anyone losing a purebred dane puppy and not making any effort to find her. Did the vet check for tattoos or micro chips?

Answer 2

The vet was saying that the dog may not be pure Dane because at 5 months she should have been at least twice that size and may have been mixed with some smaller breed.
Most likely lack of nutrition has stunted the growth that Danes go thru at this age. Their nutritional needs at this age are pretty crucial because they are growing SO fast and if their needs arent met it can affect their size significantly. The Harlequin coat is pretty distinctive and I think that if you go online and research it you'll find the coat pattern is considerably different from Dals, pointers. The pattern is similar to the merle coat pattern in Aussies, Collies and the Catahoula Leopard Hunting Dog - but just a little different. There is a resuce site called "gentle giants.com" if you go to the website you see many representatives of the color shown and many variations on it.
Good for you for rescuing the puppy - she should have a much better life now.

Answer 3

I grew up with Great Danes and its easy to identify them by their muscular build, like their legs and chest, shape and size of their head, paws, and the length of the snout. Look at images of dalmation pups and then see the differences. The have a shorter snout and their ears are not as long.

Your vet knows best, too. I mean, unless its just some Joe Shmoe pretending to be a licensed veterinarian, but im assuming they're not. They didn't go to school to make assumptions at breeds, so believe them when they say that the dog is what it is, especially if they replied so quickly.

If you are really looking for more of a scientific answer, you could always take her to a more prestige animal hospital, like in Boston is Angel Memoral Pet Hospital, where I brought my reciently deseased great dane, Jack, to get cremated. They can run some tests to prove her breed. Your puppy is most likely a harlequin great dane, using your description to state this.

Good luck & I hope this helped!

Answer 4

At 5 months and 25 pounds, she'll probably be about 60 pounds full grown, so it's doubtfull she's a great dane. My dog was 20 at 4 months and he weighs 69lbs. He was very underweight when I got him.

Lots of dogs have a black and white colouring. My guess is she's a hound cross. Maybe dalmation.

My guys is often mistaken for a harlequin great dane puppy (at 4 years!) he's a border collie/greyhound mix.

Answer 5

Harlequin Puppy

Answer 6

It is very unlikely that this puppy is a purebred Dane..a five month old Dane puppy weighs from 65 - 85 #

Here is the height/weight chart for Great Dane puppies:


HEIGHT & WEIGHT DATA FOR DANES
When reading the below, remember that all pups follow their own guide, and grow at their own rate--, Here is a general guide:
Birth weight: 1-2 lbs
Week 1: 2-3 lbs
Week 2: 3-5 lbs
Week 3: 4-7 lbs
Week 4: 5-8 lbs
Week 6: 10-20 lbs
Month 2: 15-30 lbs (13-17")
Month 3: 30-45 lbs (17-22")
Month 4: 50-65 lbs (21-25")
Month 5: 65-85 lbs (25-30")
Month 6: 70-100 lbs (27-32")
Month 7: 75-110 lbs (27-33")
Month 8: 80-115 lbs. (27-34")
Month 9: 85-120 lbs. (28-34")
One year: 90-135 lbs (28-36")
Full grown: 100-190 lbs (28-38")
For males: 140-170 lbs. & 33-36" is typical.
for females: 110-140 lbs. & 30-33" is typical.

Answer 7

The colouring of black and white is what makes a "Harlequin" Great Dane. There's a DNA test that will be out this fall that will enable pet owners to find out the breed makeup of their mixed breeds. Not sure how expensive it will be, though. And it would only be able to determine if Great Dane is part of her makeup - not the SPECIFIC colouring of Dane she might be.

Why is it so important that you know for sure she's part Harlequin?? Will you love her any more if she is?? Does it make her any more of a dog?

Answer 8

You'll tell if she's a giant. Even at that age, Great Danes overshadow any other puppy their age. In other words, they are so lanky and tall that it is obvious that their body is not that of a Dalmation or any other spotted breed.

Answer 9

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://biturl.im/aU85N

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 10

Only a dane will have that big, square skull and muzzle, and should have large black patches in addition to spots. A pointer or dalmation will have a pointy nose. Try googling each breed to see if she matches anything, or go to akc.org.