# And Mousse makes 6! Yes... two Danes in one week.. I MAY be a little.. umm... crazy?



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

So, this week a really excellent opportunity came up that I just had to jump on. A rather impressive Chocolate male dane became available, 17 months old, and, well... one thing lead to another....

To work out his transport, Jon drove to Kansas to pick him up, and he will be with their pack for about 2ish months.... and then I will go get him. Hopefully they don't get too attached to him in the meantime!

Presenting: Mousse. (moose)


















(I LOVE Bailey in that one. LOL!)





























...i think I need to edit my signature, and for space sake.. bring it back to dogs only! LOL!


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

H's so gorgeous! I don't have much experience with danes, but I've never seen a chocolate one before!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

omg! lol how do you do it? i feel like i have my hands full with 1... the last picture is awesome... Extreme counter surfing! :lol:

He's beautiful and mousse is a great name for him!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

He's gorgeous!!! Now how big a 'ranch' is it that you are getting to put all these dogs on? :biggrin:


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## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

Say what?! Jon and Nat with a male in their herd for two months?! XD

He's such a cutie!


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

omg, I am in LOVE!!! I have danes and have never seen a chocolate one!! He is beautious!!!!!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Chocolate is a recessive trait in Danes. They are NOT showable in conformation shows, but they are every bit as much of a dane as any other color. Chocolates are often times registered inaccurately as a different color, and some "top breeders" even cull Chocolates at birth. They are not very common, and there are a few chocolate dane breeders in the US, but most chocolates are pretty heavily line bred to lock in the color trait. Mousse, however, has NO line breeding for at least 6 generations, and his pedigree consists of a few CH Danes, and includes Blacks, Blues, Fawns, and Brindles.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> Chocolate is a recessive trait in Danes. They are NOT showable in conformation shows, but they are every bit as much of a dane as any other color. Chocolates are often times registered inaccurately as a different color, and some "top breeders" even cull Chocolates at birth. They are not very common, and there are a few chocolate dane breeders in the US, but most chocolates are pretty heavily line bred to lock in the color trait. Mousse, however, has NO line breeding for at least 6 generations, and his pedigree consists of a few CH Danes, and includes Blacks, Blues, Fawns, and Brindles.


I think it's a lovely color :| Are they not able to be shown because it's a recessive trait? /stupid with AKC 

i love your new signature, btw!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Mokapi said:


> I think it's a lovely color :| Are they not able to be shown because it's a recessive trait? /stupid with AKC
> 
> i love your new signature, btw!


There are about 64 color variations that can be found in purebred great danes. 
The ones that can be shown? Well lets say you can count them on your fingers. 
Whites, and puppies resulting from a merle x merle breeding are the only ones carrying higher risks of being deaf and/or blind. (psst... those "totally acceptable" harl x harl breedings are EXACTLY the same as merle x merle) 

It's a shame, too... because it dangerously limits the gene pool and encourages line breeding.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Love, love, love, love!!!!!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We love him. He's a total goofy, silly, snuggly guy. He's settled into our pack of girls just fine....well....he's in  but he is a total gentleman! 

Chocolate is recessive just like fawn is recessive, and fawn Danes are the most common out there. Recessive genes aren't "bad" genes they are just....recessive to dominant genes. Dominant genes always overshadow recessive genes because of how gene expression works. Dogs can carry recessive genes without expressing them, which is when we call them "carriers." Danes can carry for the recessive chocolate color without expressing it (genotype: genes vs phenotype: physical traits expressed). The problem that people associate with recessive genes is that there are some diseases that occur due to these genes. But there are also diseases associated with dominant genes, but they are most easily weeded out. 

Just like what Linsey has already said, the only "diseases" that are associated with coat color genes are those related to lack of pigment which produce white or nearly white puppies that are deaf and/or blind. BUT one of the common breedings in Danes to produce "show marked" puppies are ones that deliberately produce white puppies (that are sometimes culled because its hard to find a home for a deaf puppy). It makes no sense to me why these crosses are allowed but those who breed for chocolate are shunned 

Either way, Mousse is a wonderful dog...as Dane as any Dane could be!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

He is absolutely beautiful. What a handsome boy! I've never seen that chocolate color in a Dane but it is really really stunning!


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

So do merle x merle and harlequin x harlequin also produce white/possibly deaf puppies? What's brindle? Is that proper coloring? There are three brindle great danes/horses that come into the PetSmart here but I usually see harlequins. 

If fawn is recessive, then why is it the most common? Is fawn a "dilute" of a different color? I thought I read that chocolate is recessive to black...so does he have black or chocolate parents? 

Just wondering.  Not meaning to spin this into a genetics/color/dane lesson.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yes, both of them produce what are called double merle puppies that have the potential to be deaf and/or blind, because genotypically they are the same cross....even though phenotypically (physically by color) they appear different. This is why you have to be extra cautious to breed any Harlequin or merle to a solid coated dog, BUT there are those who still do harlXharl and merleXmerle crosses knowing they shouldn't unfortunately....the idea of producing the best show prospects gets the best of some people.

There are three traditional color families within the Great Dane breed:

Harlequin Color Family (Harls, Merles, Mantles, Piebalds, Harl bred Black, Merlequin and Whites)

Fawn/Brindle Color Family (Different variations on both and fawn/brindle bred Blacks)

Blue/Black Color Family 

There are MANY variations on colors within each of these families. Some propose only the 5 showable colors are acceptable and there are others that believe that the hundreds of other possibilities are just fine, of course with all other aspects in mind as well....temperament and health. For example, there can be Brindlequins (brindle patched harls) or Blue Mantles or Blue Fawns or Chocolate Harls or Chocolate Fawns or even Fawn Merle. There are literally hundreds of possibilities within color genes for Great Danes. Why just limit it to just 5???? :biggrin:

ETA: The latest pictures of Mousse chillaxin' at our place:









Notice he has one pink inner eye lid and one brown one LOL


















UGH!!! Flash is killin' me!


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

Very nice looking boy Thanks for the lesson as well!


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## Onyxmom2 (Jan 10, 2011)

Congrats!!!! Mousse is just stunning!!


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## bernadettelevis (Feb 2, 2011)

mousse is such a handsom boy! Congrats!


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

What a gorgeous boy! Congrats!


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## Loki Love (Jan 30, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> It makes no sense to me why these crosses are allowed but those who breed for chocolate are shunned


Because chocolate isn't part of the standard colouring. Honestly, it scares me to hear people say that we should allow any ole colouring and that we shouldn't 'shun' those that purposely breed for colours other than the standard. The standard is there for a reason. 

Personally, I love the chocolate colour on a Dane - it's really different and unique. In fact, I love all Danes regardless of colouring!  That said, I would never in good faith pay a breeder who was breeding purposefully for those 'unique' colours.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Can't say I know anything about it ether.Love the chocolate color I've never seen it.I also love brindle's and Mantles.Doesn't seem like if there are no genetic problems with it then what's the harm.I do have a problem with those that breed when they know it might cause blind/deaf and blind and deaf.I have seen those on the rescues.How hard must that be.That's just not right.

Ok so I'm just a big snoop.Whats the deal?Is the Chocolate one for breeding, I know I've read the Brindle pup is right? What about your other dane, is she also.And Jon and Natalie have said some where one here about moving to Utah so are you all going into business together with the Danes?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Herzo- yes eventually the plan. But that all depends on health testing once they are all of the age, if any of them don't pass obviously they won't be included. As well as how they grow into their bodies and their overall conformation. The focus of our breeding program will be health, temperament, genetic diversity and conformation WHILE breaking down the barriers between the color families the responsible way. 

I know there are those who don't condone or agree with breeding outside of standard is responsible in any way, and that's perfectly fine. We all have our opinions and what really matters is that we produce healthy puppies that conform to the breed standard in body conformation regardless of their color. We've had the debates on this forum before but we will not have that discussion on this thread....if you want to learn more please start another as to not hijack this one :wink:

Oh and we are moving to Idaho on 6 acres...not Utah! My next goal is to convince Linsey to move up there with us! Wish me luck LOL


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Sorry about the mix up of states. The mind it's not what it us to be. And with the luck you got it!! Thumbs up.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Beautiful!!!


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## AdrianVall (Aug 26, 2010)

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!! OMG! I loooooooooooooove him! He's soooooooooooooooooo amazing! I have never seen a chocolate dane before, and I freakin' LOVE it!! Please guys, post more pictures.. I wanna see more of this big guy!  I sometimes wish I had a Dane with my mastiffs..  One day! Congratulations guys!


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## MissusMac (Jan 6, 2011)

He is a stunner! Congrats!


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

LOVE HIM!!! He's stunning! Congratulations!! 

And how cool that Jon & Natalie are taking him in for a couple months!!


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

Mousse is a very handsome Great Dane!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Mousse makes me want a chocolate dane! Those are great pics of him!


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