DALMATIAN
Origin: United Kingdom, Croatia
Type: Pure Breed
Height: 20 to 24 inches
Weight: up to 55 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12 to 14 years
DALMATIAN TEMPERAMENT
Naturally, Dalmatians are affectionate dogs, they are always active and playful. This makes them good for young children but not so good for toddlers. Some of the qualities they are known for are loyalty, good memories, and kindly nature. On the flip side, the dalmatian is a dog that requires constant companionship, without this, there is a high risk of them becoming very depressed.
DALMATIAN PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
The Dalmatian is well-muscled and midsized in appearance, having a body type similar to that of a pointer but with more elegance and a superior look. Their coats are short, dense, and fine. As regards their color, they are majorly white with spots varying in colors like black, blue, orange, brown, tricolor, brindle, etc. Its nose can be black or brown, eyes are usually brown or blue and always giving off an intelligent expression, and ears are usually thin.
Dalmatian puppies when born are usually all white in color, spots start to develop as they progress in age.
DALMATIAN CHARACTERISTICS
COTON DE TULEAR CARE
Feeding your Dalmatian twice daily should be a good way to go. On average 2 cups of dry food should be ok for them per day. Be on the lookout for dog food that is low in purines to reduce the risk of them getting kidney stones. Also, make sure that you provide lots of water for them also to avoid kidney stones and urinary infections.
Be sure to discuss with your vet doctor any change in weight or eating habits so that the problem can be addressed as early as possible
Do not forget to routinely clean their ears and trim their nails, this is an easy way to avoid your dog becoming infected with any germs or bacteria
Dalmatians are smart dogs with the advantage of long term memory, so they should be easy to train. The main problem when trying to train a dalmatian is their energy level. Their hyperactivity makes them look untrainable, but in actual sense, they are taking in whatever is being taught. That is why it is very important to set down basic rules of interaction when it comes to your dalmatian.
Having them understand how they should act around you would set the proper tone for any training you want to give this dog
Dalmatians are active dogs and require lots of exercises to be calm. They have a great affinity for horses, which can be seen as one of the reasons why they love active life. A dalmatian should be exercised at least two hours daily for it to maintain its calm. This includes walking and running time. A word of warning, be sure to have your dalmatian on a leash whenever you go on these walks, if not they can bolt out on you leading you on a long chase instead of a nice walk or run at your own pace
Even though responsible breeders make a good effort to maintain the highest breed standards as established by renowned kennel clubs like the AKC. The Dalmatian as a breed is prone to some health problems. These are some of the main health challenges that can come with a Dalmatian dog.
Deafness: Approximately 12% of dalmatian dogs are born deaf and about 25% of them have some hearing problem.
Hip Dysplasia: This is an inherited condition that can produce lameness and arthritis.
Skin Allergies: Dalmatians are known to be prone to food-based allergies, contact allergies, or inhalant allergies.
Urinary Issues (infections, stones): This affects nearly all dalmatians dogs, there is the tendency for them to pass out more uric acid in their urine than other dog breeds would. This can lead to urinary infections and even Kidney stones. This is why it is very important to have them hydrated at all times. A dalmatian should not be made to lack drinking water to avoid this situation
DALMATIAN HISTORY
Even though there are strong debates on the origin of the Dalmatian dog. There is strong evidence showing that they may have originated in Dalmatia, which is present-day Croatia. A lot of evidence shows that this dog breed was used as sentinels in this place as far back as the 1600s.
The Dalmatian is known to have an attraction to horses, in the olden days in England, dalmatians were used as coach dogs or prized carriage dogs. They run side by side with carriages and worked as protectors of the carriage and also as a symbol of status. At night, they served as guard dogs for the horse stables.
The Dalmatian dog has also served as a dog of war, guard dog, retriever, ratter, and shepherd.
In 1888, the dalmatian was recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club. Funny enough, it wasn’t till 1890 that the first Dalmatian club was established in England.
The Dalmatian dog started arriving in the United States early 20th and was recorded as working with teams of firefighters. Keeping in mind that around this period, horses were still being used to pull fire engines. The dalmatian’s work was to run ahead of the fire engines and help to clear the path so that the horses carrying the fire engines could pass through easily, much like the function of the modern-day alarms in ambulances and fire trucks. Even today, the dalmatian is symbolic in firehouses and the image is used as a mascot.
Dalmatians exploded in popularity with the Disney film and program “101 Dalmatians”. This should have been a good thing for dalmatians but irresponsible people took advantage of the popularity and started breeding them under less than reliable conditions. This led to a high coming into existence of Dalmatians with hearing problems among other health conditions that were less desirable.
This led to lower registrations of the breed with the American Kennel Club, up to a 90% drop in registration from 2000 to 2010. As of today, the dalmatian is treated almost like an exotic breed.
Hi, I am Charles Nwankwo Editor-in-Chief, Mydoggything.com. Gleaning from Professional Dog Trainers, behaviorist, Registered Veterinarians, and Breeders. We are passionate about making dog care easy for you. My job is to make sure that you get the best-updated dog care information to understand and take care of your dog or dogs.