Are chocolate and lilac considered approved colors?

No, chocolate and lilac are not considered approved colors for Great Danes.

Historically, the Great Dane Club of America (GDCA) has maintained a strict Color Code with a very tight list of approved colors, which are categorized into specific breeding families: fawn and brindle, black and blue, and harlequin, mantle, and black (with merle officially being added to the approved list in 2019).

Because of these strict guidelines, colors like chocolate and lilac fall outside the standard:

• The Chocolate Gene: The recessive brown/chocolate gene (b) that creates a chocolate base coat “should not be present in Great Danes,” though there is a chance it sometimes still exists in the gene pool.

• FCI Classification: Internationally, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and its associated kennel clubs generally classify modified and dilute colors—like lilac (also referred to as silver)—as “off-colours”. Because they do not meet breed standards, dogs with these colors are typically bred outside of official associations.

When breeders interbreed different color families to intentionally produce non-standard colors like chocolate, lilac, or “red merle,” they produce dogs that possess disqualified color combinations and cannot be shown in conformation events.