Dalmatian Dog Breeds
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Height at the withers: Males 58 – 61 cm, Females 56 – 58 cm
Average weight: Males 23 – 25 kg, Females 23 – 25 kg
The Dalmatian must be among one of the most recognised breeds on the planet not only because of their beautiful spotted coats, but thanks to the movie 101 Dalmatians too. They are very proud, elegant dogs that boast a tremendous amount of stamina as well as good turn of speed when needed.
They boast a longish, flat head with a reasonable amount of width between their ears. They have a distinct stop and powerful muzzle with clean lips and a black nose although dogs with liver coats have brown noses. Their eyes are set nicely apart and are medium in size with dogs always showing an intelligent expression. Eyes are dark brown in black spotted Dalmatians, but they are amber in colour in liver spotted dogs. Their rims are well pigmented with black spotted dogs having black pigmented rims and liver spotted Dalmatians having liver brown ones.
Their ears are moderately large and set high and wide on a dog’s head and they gently taper to a rounded point. Ears are fine to the touch and dogs carry them close to their heads. A Dalmatian’s ears are well spotted which adds to their charming appearance. Their jaws are strong with dogs boasting a perfect scissor bite where they upper teeth neatly overlap their lower ones.
Their necks are fairly long, light and a dog’s shoulders are muscular and well laid back. Front legs are straight with dog’s having a good amount of bone from their elbows right down to their feet. Dalmatians have nicely proportioned bodies with deep chests and well sprung ribs. Their withers are well defined and they boast level, powerful backs and strong, muscular slightly arched loins. Hindquarters are well muscled with dog’s boasting a nicely developed second thigh and strong back legs.
Their feet are compact and round with toes that are well arched and very cat-like. Their nails can be either black or white when a dog’s coat is spotted black. However, liver spotted dogs boast brown or white nails. Dalmatians have quite long, spotted tails that are thicker at the base but taper to the tip which dogs carry with a slight curve.
When it comes to their coat, the Dalmatian has a short, dense, sleek, glossy hard coat. The accepted breed standard colours for registration are as follows:
- White with Black Spots
- White with Liver Spots
Dogs have well defined spots that are well distributed over their entire bodies which includes on their ears and tails.
Gait/movement
When a Dalmatian moves they do so smoothly with a powerful long stride covering a lot of ground with the greatest of ease. When seen from the front or back, their legs look like they are straight with a dog’s feet moving along a straight line which sees front legs tracking their back legs.
Faults
The Kennel Club frowns on any exaggerations or departures from the breed standard and would judge faults on how much they affect a dog’s overall health and wellbeing as well as their ability to perform.
Male Dalmatians should have both testicles fully descended into their scrotums and it is worth noting that dogs can be a little taller or shorter as well as slightly heavier or lighter than set out in the breed standard which is given as a guideline only.