To become a serious breeder one has to put your self into the mechanism which appears when two individuals breed progeny and not just breed uncritically to the right or left just because one optically falls for a certain male or bitch and thereby mistakenly thinks that the progeny will be an average of the good and the bad. 

The genetic is decisive for the result. All living consist of genes, a little mechanism where codes are programmed to decide how the progeny will turn out as adults. 

In our case it’s naturally about the Great Dane and here we concentrate on breeding pure Mantel marking.

This should be possible within a foreseeable period of 8-10 years. We would here like to make it absolutely clear that our ethical principle is not to allow any put down of healthy and sound puppies whit out genetically problems. This means in our case puppies with genetically faults as Whites and Merles since this progeny has more genetically defects. In a serious breeding programme it can not be avoided to have a larger “waste” percent than breeding on the safe. When we run into markings not desirable in Denmark we naturally forbids further breeding on this particularly puppy. 

The gene string for our breed regarding colour markings can be described as follows

AABBDDEEGGHHMMSSTTWW, where each letter stands for a certain quality. The reason why there are 2 of each letter is that the new individual receives one from each parent. Each letter can respectively be described as capital and small. Is the letter written as capital it is synonymous with Dominant and is it written with small letters the gene is recessive. The dominant gene always decides over the recessive gene and there shall there for always two recessive genes to equalize a dominant gene. 

If we begin with describing a normal Harlequin it will as phenotype be characterized Harlequin but as genotype be characterized MmWw??, compared with a Merlequin Mmww??. Here we see the difference lays in W series in this case we have though only with taken the relevant series parameter. If we take a Black dog it will as genotype be mmww?? and here it is the M series that gives the big effect. One can roughly divide as follows (Blacks mm????), (Whites MM????), (Harlequins MmWw??), (Merlequins Mmww??) and (Lethal MMWW??).

Of the above we can see that Black x Black can not give Harelquin, Merlequin, White etc. At the same time we can see that Harlequin x Harlequin can give White, Merlequin and Lethal with a reasonable large waste percent so this should be avoided. 

To breed serious one has to know the genetic of both parents. The phenotype ought not to give any problems for the experienced breeder. When one first has found the genotype (here it can be necessary to go back 3-4 generations) all gametes are calculated and hereby can it with certainty show which colour markings there can appear in the progeny and most important of all which can not with certainty appear. 

The Harlequin is probably the most interesting to map the genotype of since it exist in a vast number of variants. Here it is the little s series that gives the large effect and of the most important I will mention normal marked Harlequin (MmWwSs), Show markedHarlequin (MmWwsisw) and Light marked Harlequin (MmWwswsw). It is the little s series that is the dangerous one but unfortunately is a Mantel depend on the little s series since the Mantel genotype is mm??sisw, therefore a Black dog with white marking which is close to the Piebald gene (mm??swsw) which also genetically is a Black dog. In a Black dog the white come of the little s series however with more variations according as it is a little si, sp, sw or se. Such a dog can have 15-90& white with traits of the Mantel marking.

The first litter one makes with two new parents is always only a test litter which is a sort of key to confirm that one’s calculations of the genotype of the parents have been correct. Is it correct one has a good breeding material to work out from.

Does your dog have an unwanted gene one has to calculate to probability for it’s out come through. This can be done by counting back to the generation where the unwanted gene has been observed for the first time, and then double up per generation. For example is there by fault Fawn in a Harlequin line this will not show in progeny since Fawn is recessive which means both parents should have the gene. The probability will in the first generation be 2, in the second 4, in the third 8 etc. and will not as the normal opinion disappear after 3-4 generations. It will never disappear. This is also effective in every other hereditary. 

Here is a genetic example. We breed a Black bitch (mmwwSS) to a Show Harlequin (MmWwsisw) and can put up the gametes  mwS, Mwsi, MWsw, Mwsi, MWsw, mwsi, mwsw, mWsi and mWsw and add these onto a schedule 

  This combination will give 25% Harlequin + 25% Merlequin + 50% Black so no problems here except for 25% Merlequin. The reason why it worked fairly enough is simply because that the Black is a normal standard Black which means double dominant S gene. If we notice the little s series we see that all outcome have the recessive s so it will first get fun when we breed with two individuals from the same litter ot to another individual with the same gene combination.

We choose the Harlequin with the gene string MmWwSsw and a Black with the gene string mmwwSsw and put the gametes into a schedule 

  This combination will give 2 normal marked Harlequins + 2 light marked Harlequins + 2 Merlequins + 4 Piebolds+ 6 Blacks. Of this offspring only 4 individuals can be used with out risk in future breeding. 

A Great Dane bitch can at the ovulation release up to 20 eggs and in each single egg lays half of the “drawing” for the future work where the male will deliver the last part of the drawing. But it is very rare that a bitch will be fertilized with all the eggs so we are out in some kind of a lottery since one can not self choose which egg should be fertilized and be the future generation. You can’t predict in a litter at 5 eggs which of the 5 eggs out of the 20 eggs there will be fertilized and will develop to an individual and with that give it’s gametes to the future individuals.   

Beneath are schedules with examples of different breeding results including colour mixing, it is assumed that the parent pure in genotype and with out presence of the s series (Black sheep = *).  

Breed only with two Great Danes if you know the genotype in at least 4 generations of each parent animal. It is not enough to see the pedigree make sure you have seen photos of so many as possible. Nothing is more irritating as a puppy buyer than bring back a handsome Black puppy which breeds Fawn, Brindle or anything else. Because it’s impossible to predict it’s offspring. It’s just like giving the Black Sheep away. Because the Black Sheep lays recessively in the genes and waits only for another Black Sheep to appear.   

Søren & Marianne Valente