CAVEAT EMPTOR (LET THE BUYER BEWARE) IN AOAC:

WHY HARLS/MANTLES (& BLUES) ARE ESPECIALLY A PROBLEM TO FIND AND TO BUY.

WHY THE WARNING? I always do my best to try & help folks find the puppy they are seeking, but if you are trying to purchase a Harlequin/Mantle or a blue as a pet, I cannot give you much hope or many leads. There are not enough quality Harlequin puppies for sale from reputable harl breeders & there are too few blues to go around as well. For all there always seem to be spotted & diluted (blue) Dane puppies for sale, there are very, very few quality breeders producing these AOAC (All Other Acceptable Colors) Danee pups: the demand exceeds the supply. Most all reputable breeders stick with fawn & brindle Danes--probably 80%--that's why the other four colors are called "AOAC" (All Other Acceptable Colors)--they are not popular colors with serious breeders as breeding them involves serious problems. So consider a more accessible color for a pet (ex., fawn, brindle, or the "pet colors" like merle or black & white), or be willing to wait through a litter or two, or be open to an older Dane if you are really stuck on getting a harl or a blue & you really care about the quality of breeders (and consequently puppies) that are in this breed. Be aware this "open market" for blue & harl pet puppies has not escaped the attention of many an entrepreneur. Most all less-than-reputable breeders breed for blues or harls: this is where the buyer demand is so this is where the breeder looking for dollars goes. Most every newcomers wants a harl/mantle or a blue; they are considered "rare" and so thought both valuable & sought after by many pet owners. So *YOU* are the target audience & the market for both the casual & the commercial breeder, and a cottage industry has sprung up on the internet to try and attract sincere pet buyers to kennels in this breed for the promise of easy money.

FINDING BREEDERS?? Check the parent (GDCA) club site for quality breeders and clubs. Check with local all-breed & Dane clubs for breeders. Not all show breeders are responsible, but all responsible Great Dane breeders show their dogs. So if you are looking outside of the world of show Danes, you are not looking at reputable breeders by definition. In this breed, showing isn't an option, & it's not about looking pretty as much as "showing your wares" to your peers & getting their approval--like a scientist would by publishing their results. Don't be snowed by sales tactics from non-show breeders who talk about how show people are "snobs" (usually that means the show people try to educate and/or have high standards). Good breeders breed litters to keep (not sell) pups & they submit their stock to outside opinion. But don't stop there, still be careful & *never* be so trusting as to be gullible. All sorts of breeders have learned to look like what you want to see, which doesn't make them what they should be. For example, just bragging on your own dogs to newcomers doesn't make a breeder successful in the eyes of their peers. Ask other breeders about each other. See what they say........and don't say. A lack of endorsement from your peers speaks VOLUMES in dogs: silence isn't golden!

HOW MUCH TO SPEND??? Quality has little to do with price. Good pups can be bought from hundreds to thousands of dollars, & paying more is no assurance of higher quality, although paying too little is usually a guarantee of problems to come. Pet-quality Danes from reputable breeders start about $1000 and go up to $2500 or maybe a bit more. Harls and blue pet pups *may* cost in excess of $2500, but the problem is more finding one (well-bred that is) than buying one when dealing with reputable breeders. (But again a $5000 pet isn't necessarily better than a $1000 pet.) Ask for and DEMAND Limited Registration on your pet. Then ask for the price for such an animal, not the price for a show/breeding pup. Limited Registration is your protection: it limits the pet owner's responsibility to the breed & frees up the pup to be all yours.) These days the big operations have figured out a part of the market expects to pay "for quality" & are charging up to $3000 ( $1000-2000 is more typical) and then you are paying all that money for a pups bred to sell by its COLOR! On the other side, the price of a well-bred pup stops some in their tracks, but you have to be wary of all the harls and blues out there "maufactured" specifically to sell to pet homes at "reasonable" prices (starting say at $150, with "papers extra," and $250-750 the typical "cut-rate" price for "AKC Registered" harl/blue pups).

Most of these folks don't know (or don't care) what a good dog is & once you pay them you are usually on your own. But they do usually have a great sales pitch and know how to please a potential customer. They'll often tell you just what you want to hear; even make sure the "price is right" or sell on Full Registration so you can breed your pet. And since "pet" is short for non-breeding pet-only puppy--a pup sold as a pet is not intended for breeding by definition. (Not necessarily because a "pet" is a "lesser" animal, but a pet puppy is less of a commitment for you!) These breeders exist to meet the pet buyers needs for what the reputable breeder cannot supply! None of this is good for the breed & leads right to the issue of rescue. Rescue danes from quality rescue organizations (full of blue & harl-bred dogs BTW, surprise, surprise) are usually $100-250. This is where to go if finances are the problem. The price of a dog should indicate the costs involved. It shouldn't be a competition between breeders for bragging rights, it shouldn't be a case of the highest bidder but the best fit home, and it should NEVER be a case of looking for (or offering) a "bargain." This is a live creature, not a sales item on a shelf. A pet Dane puppy is going to cost the buyer at least $500 that first year. A show/breed potential pup is going to cost thousands to finish & breed properly. (Adults breeders place or that rescues typically have cost less.) Reputable breeders charge NOT to make money, but they should be able to recoup litter costs, and should charge enough that you will know the commitment you are embarking on. Which does not mean people who didn't spend a penny on a litter should get to charge a fortune because you will pay it. The point of this message is how to avoid exactly that kind of casual breeder, not to defend price-jacking of any kind. Stick with the middle & you're likely safest there?

OTHER OPTIONS???? If you don't want to pay the price a reputable breeder charges (or are too impatient to wait), then please buy from rescue, not the breeders who make rescue a problem for our breed. Shop here if you are on a budget. Also you can ask breeders for an adult they need to place. Retired Champions are sometimes even available & any well-bred adult is usually impeccably trained & a wonderful pet. Expect the search for a nice pet puppy to take 6 months at least. So start ahead of time...."puppy fever" will lead you to a poor purchase. If you want a puppy for fall, start in the spring looking so you can get on the waiting list for a nice litter. By the time the litter is on the ground most quality breeders have few (if any) pups left to sell. And no nice breeder wants to talk pups, let alone quote prices, to a stranger. Get to know them a bit and let them get to know who you are and what you plan to do with "their" pup before expecting them to talk about sales details. Take your time! Visit a half-dozen shows and/or kennels before you bring your checkbook out. There is always another litter & nice breeders don't use hard sales tactics anyway as they have lots of nice buyers lined up. (The "best ones" will even help you find other breeders/litters!)

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW? Remember you cannot keep a Dane cheaply, especially a pup thru that first year. Prepare for the costs & be honest about if you can manage them responsibly. Don't forget than ANY animal bought as a personal pet dog should come neutered and/or on limited (non-breeding) papers with a spay/neuter contract. Don't settle for anything less! (Reputable breeders shouldn't offer "another option" if a pet is what you want. And you should be willing to neuter/take Limited if you are a sincere pet buyer.) Limited Registration was developed by the AKC to limit breeding, and this is a committment between you & the breeder that gives you safety from entanglement/complications for both you & your pup. It's important to the BREED that this is done, & the breeders who care first about the breed demand it (even if it leads to questions & the loss of a sale for the breeder). Listen to what the breeder has to say. You are buying their "philosophy of breeding" when you buy their pup after all. If you are not comfortable with what they say, walk away. If they know alot know you've now got a great resource. (The good ones will risk a loss of sales to correct your misconceptions, so listen to the folks trying to educate you even if what they say isn't always in line with what you know so far! They have YOUR best interests and the BREED in their hearts.) Other than that, all I can say is be careful & "buyer beware;" & be wise to the fact that, if you start by searching for color (& want a harl or blue particularly), please know you are in grave danger of finding the wrong sort of breeder. Quality should be a priority over color, & I always advise buyers to focus on finding a breeder, who'll find a good pup for you, if you can only find _them_ (a difficult task). So best to focus on finding a trustworthy & knowledgeable breeder & they'll get you a good pet. And you'll love it no matter it's color surely, if it is a happy & healthy specimen of the breed! Good luck in your quest.