Dalmatian

The Dalmatian is a well-behaved gentleman, but needs plenty of exercise. He loves to jog for miles alongside his owner. He is reliably polite with strangers, but also a good watchdog. His love and devotion to his owners are boundless.

Dalmatian breed facts

The Dalmatian is believed to have come from Dalmatia, a region of Croatia located along the Adriatic Sea.

Dalmatian puppies are born solid white in colour and develop their spots later.

Dalmatians activities have varied from a dog of war to a bird dog and a retriever. However, Dalmatians are mostly known for coaching.

Information you should know before owning a Dalmatian

The Dalmatian is a naturally clean dog who is easy to bath and groom. Daily brushing minimizes shedding.

The Dalmatian may appear snobbish with strangers, but loves his family.

The have a great sense of humour and many of them smile when happy.
 

There is no "O" in Dalmatian and there is no evidence that the breed originated in Dalmatia! This statement just serves to illustrate how much is unknown about the Dalmatian's origin. We do know that it is a very old breed, having come through many centuries virtually unchanged. Spotted dogs have appeared in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They have been found painted on walls of tombs running behind Egyptian chariots and mentioned in letters written in the mid-1500s from a poet named Jurij Dalmatin to a Bohemian duchess. A fresco in the Spanish Chapel of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy painted around 1360 shows a spotted dog of the Dalmatian type. The Dominican order of friars who support this church wear white habits with black overcapes. The church came to be represented symbolically in the art of the day by a black and white dog, particularly during the time of the Inquisition, which was overseen by the order of the Dominicans. Is it too much of a stretch to think that Dominican could become Dalmatian and thus the name of the dog? Spotted dogs frequently accompanied bands of Romany people, or gypsies, as they wandered from India throughout Europe and on to England. Could that be how some Dalmatians acquired the talent for stealing and hiding treats and toys, still prevalent in some members of the breed to this day? Or was there another religious connection to the breed's name? Priests wear a vestment, a tunic-type garment with sleeves, which has come to be called a Dalmatic, because early ones were made of the wool from sheep from the mountains of Dalmatia. As the church's power increased in the world, the Dalmatic became more ornate and later ones from the time can be seen at the Vatican on display that are made of ermine - a white fur with black flecks or spots through it. All deacons and officiating bishops in the western Catholic church wear the Dalmatic, as do the kings and queens of England upon their coronation. And it is the English that have given him a miriad of nicknames - the English Coach Dog, the Carriage Dog, the Plum Pudding Dog, the Fire House Dog, the Spotted Dick - though the breed has been credited with a dozen nationalities and as many native names.

The duties the Dalmatian has performed are as varied as his reputed ancestors. He has been a dog of war, a sentinnel on the borders of Dalmatia and Coratia. He has been employed as a draft dog and as a shepherd. He is excellent on rats and vermin. He is well-known for his heroic performances as a fire-apparatus follower and as a firehouse mascot. As a sporting dog he has been used as a bird dog, a trail hound, a retriever and in packs for boar and stag hunting. His retentive memory has made him one of the most dependable performers in circuses and on the stage. Down through the years, his intelligence and willingness have qualified him for virtually every role that useful dogs are called upon to perform.

But most important among his talents has been his status as the original, one and only coaching dog. There is no end of proof, centuries old, among history that shows the Dalmatian, early ones with ears entirely cropped away and wearing padlocked or brass-studded collars, plying his trade as follower and guardian of the horse-drawn vehicle. His affinity for horses remains a basic instinct to this day and it is fascinating indeed to watch an adolescent fall in behind a horse and cart in perfect position or trot just beside the shoulder of a horse upon his initial introduction, as if he had been doing it all his life, which, of course, his ancestors have! He is physically fitted for road work; speed and endurance blended perfectly in his make-up. His gait has beauty of motion and swiftness and he has the strength, vitality and fortitude to keep going gaily until journey's end. There is no dog more picturesques than this spotted fellow with his slick white coat gaily decorated with clearly defined round spots of jet black or deep brown (in the liver variety). He does not look like any other breed, for his markings are peculiarly his own. The Dalmatian is first of all a gentleman, a quiet chap and the ideal guard dog, distinguishing nicely between barkings for fun or with purpose. He is sensible, dependable and courteous toward strangers, but he is not everyone's dog - he has a fine sense of distinction as to whom he belongs. He is all ready for sport or the show ring just as nature made him, requiring no cropping, docking, stripping or artifices of any sort. His flashy spottings are the culmination of ages of careful breeding. At birth, however, the pigment is only in the skin and the hair is pure white, the color having to grow into the hair and begins to appear at about two weeks of age. The first Dalmatian was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1888 and the breed's parent club, the Dalmatian Club of America, was founded in 1905.

Is this a vulnerable breed? Yes, No	No
What size is this dog? Small, Medium, Large	Large
How much excercise is required? 30 mins a day, 1 hour a day, Over 2 hours a day	Over 2 hours a day
How long is this dog's coat? Short, Medium, Long	Short
How much grooming is required? Once a week, More than once a week, Every day	Once a week
Does this dog shed? Does shed, Does not shed	Does shed
What area is this dog best suited to? Town, Country, Either	Either
What size house is required for this breed? Flat/Apartment, Small House, Large House	Small House
What size of garden is required? Small Garden, Large Garden, No Garden	Large garden

	General Appearance A distinctively spotted dog, balanced, strong, muscular and active. Symmetrical in outline, free from coarseness and lumber.
	Characteristics A carriage dog of good demeanour, capable of great endurance and a fair turn of speed.
	Temperament Outgoing and friendly, not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and aggression.
	Eyes Set moderately well apart, medium size, round, bright and sparkling, with intelligent expression. Colour, dark in black spotted, amber in liver spotted. Eye rims preferably completely black in black spotted, and liver brown in liver spotted.
	Mouth Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
	Neck Fairly long, nicely arched, light and tapering. Entirely free from throatiness.
	Forequarters Shoulders moderately oblique, clean and muscular. Elbows close to body. Forelegs perfectly straight with strong round bone down to feet, with slight spring at pastern joint.
	Body Chest not too wide but deep and capacious with plenty of lung and heart room. Ribs well sprung, well defined withers, powerful level back, loin strong, clean, muscular and slightly arched.
	Hindquarters Rounded, muscles clean with well developed second thigh, good turn of stifle, hocks well defined.
	Feet Round, compact, with well arched toes, cat-like, round, tough, elastic pads. Nails black or white in black spotted variety, in liver spotted, brown or white.
	Tail Length reaching approximately to hock. Strong at insertion gradually tapering towards end, never inserted too low or too high, free from coarseness and carried with a slight upward curve, never curled. Preferably spotted.
	Gait / Movement A distinctively spotted dog, balanced, strong, muscular and active. Symmetrical in outline, free from coarseness and lumber.
	Coat Short, hard, dense; sleek and glossy in appearance.
	Colour Ground colour pure white. Black spotted, dense black spots, and liver spotted, liver brown spots; not running together but round and well defined. In size one-penny to fifty-pence piece. Spots as well distributed as possible. Spots on extremities smaller than those on body. Patches, tricolours and lemon spots highly undesirable. Bronzing on spots undesirable in adults.
	Size Overall balance of prime importance. Ideal height: dogs: 58-61 cms (23-24 ins); bitches: 56-58 cms (22-23 ins).