Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Dalmatian Breed Overview
- History of the Dalmatian Breed. Where Dalmatians came from
- What the Dalmatian Looks Like
- How Much is the Dalmatian Puppy?
- Best Dalmatian Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Dalmatian
- Dalmatian Growth
- What Colors do Dalmatians Have?
- The Temperament of the Dalmatian
- How Long Dalmatians Live
- Dalmatian Litter Size
- How Fast Dalmatians Can Run
- Good Names for Dalmatians
- How Intelligent are Dalmatians?
- How Popular are Dalmatians with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Dalmatians and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Dalmatian
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Dalmatians
- Other Things to Know About Dalmatians
Dalmatian Breed Overview
The Dalmatian is a medium-sized dog.
The adult Dalmatian stands 19 to 24 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Dalmatian belongs to the Companion Dogs group.
Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Dalmatian, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.
The fact that the Dalmatian belongs to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Dalmatians have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Dalmatian is generally described as:
- Active
- Energetic
- Friendly
- Intelligent
- Outgoing
- Playful
- Sensitive
History of the Dalmatian Breed. Where Dalmatians came from
Most people think of flashy, spotted Dalmatians as firehouse mascots or stars from Disney`s 101 Dalmatians.
But the breed has a more prosperous but less well-known history.
Although no one knows the breed`s exact origin, Dalmatians are named after Dalmatia, a coastal region once part of Austria.
These dogs are believed to be the descendants of the pointer.
Dalmatians were popularized in 1800s when they were used to guard horses and carriages from dogs and other threats.
They were also used as war sentinels, circus performers, hunters, and firehouse mascots.
Today`s Dalmatians are companion animals.
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What the Dalmatian Looks Like
Dalmatians are entirely white when they are born.
Two weeks later, the spots appear.
The Dalmatian is a medium-sized, graceful dog.
It has a muscular, sleek body.
The tail is quite long with a slight upward curve.
The coat is dense and short, with black or brown spots on the white.
Even though its coat is very short, the Dalmatian sheds a lot.
To control the shedding, it is important to brush frequently.
Dalmatians are energetic, playful, and sensitive dogs.
Although they are loyal to their families and can be good with children, some experts warn that this breed might not be suitable for children under three years old.
They are intelligent and can be trained well.
They make excellent watchdogs.
Some Dalmatians are reserved around strangers or aggressive towards other dogs.
Others are shy if not socialized well.
Other Dalmatians are more sociable than others.
Dalmatians are happiest when they have human companionship.
They can be destructive, depressed, or even pouty if left alone.
This dog is ideal for people who want to spend time with their pet.
To release their boundless energy, Dalmatians need to be exercised regularly.
If the family is willing to go for long walks and runs every day, they are not suitable for apartments.
Due to its ability to run and play, the Dalmatian is better suited for apartment living.
This has often led to poor breeding and homes that aren`t suitable for the breed.
This breed is also known for its high level of deafness.
This can cause communication difficulties.
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How Much is the Dalmatian Puppy?
The average price of a Dalmatian puppy is $1410. The price of a Dalmatian puppy ranges from $1000 to $1800.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Dalmatian. These factors include what health records the Dalmatian puppy has, the lineage of the Dalmatian puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Dalmatian based on the many factors that determine the price of the Dalmatian puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Dalmatian puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Dalmatian breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Dalmatian Breeders
We have researched reputable Dalmatian breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Dalmatian breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Chantel Semanchik
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
NOBLEDAL
Puppy Price: $800.00
Sheri Tsinajinnie
Puppy Price: $1500-$1800
Kathleen Austin
Puppy Price: $1200
Snow Dalmatians
Puppy Price: $1200.00
Adopting or Rescuing the Dalmatian
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Dalmatians included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Dalmatian named Judge that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Dalmatians like Judge on pefinder.com.
Winston is the name of another Dalmatian (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Dalmatians that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Dalmatian Growth
New Dalmatian owners need to know about the growth of their Dalmatians. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Dalmatian will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Dalmatian early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Dalmatian puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Dalmatian at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Dalmatian
What Colors do Dalmatians Have?
Dalmatians come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Black
- White / Cream
- Harlequin
- Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
- Bicolor
- Brown / Chocolate
Dalmatians come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Brown / Chocolate
- Black
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
The Temperament of the Dalmatian
The temperament of the Dalmatian based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Dalmatian for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Dalmatian here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Energy Level | 70.2 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 67.6 percent |
| Prey Drive | 53.1 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 51.9 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 50.6 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 48.8 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 42.3 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 41.5 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 39.5 percent |
| Excitability | 38.5 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 36.1 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 32.5 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 31.3 percent |
| Stubbornness | 28.1 percent |
How Long Dalmatians Live
The lifespan of the Dalmatian is typically from 13 to 16 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Dalmatian. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 199 pet Dalmatians lived.
From the study, it was found that Dalmatians have an average lifespan of 12.5 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Dalmatians to live as long as 17 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Dalmatian to live long.
Dalmatians live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Dalmatian to improve your Dalmatian`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Dalmatian live long.
Dalmatian Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 46 different Dalmatian birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Dalmatians can have is 8 puppies. Also, the Dalmatian can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 15 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Dalmatian will have depends on factors such as the age of the Dalmatian, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Dalmatian will have and how the litter size of the Dalmatian compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Dalmatians Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 403 different Dalmatians, the average speed of the Dalmatian is 25.1 mph (40.4 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Dalmatian ran in a race is 32.17 mph (51.8 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Dalmatian is 3.99 mph (6.4 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Dalmatian compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Dalmatians
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Dalmatian ranked by popularity:
- Pongo
- Louie
- Domino
- Tucker
- Lucky
- Oren
- Decker
- Miles
- Petra
- Pascal
How Intelligent are Dalmatians?
| Dalmatian | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 39 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Dalmatian has an obedience intelligence rank of 39 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Dalmatians in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Dalmatians tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Border Terrier | 30 |
| Manchester Terrier | 32 |
| American Staffordshire Terrier | 34 |
| Dalmatian | 39 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | 41 |
| Bichon Frise | 45 |
| American Foxhound | 46 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Bull Terrier | 66 |
| Lhasa Apso | 68 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
| American Bulldog | 77 |
How Popular are Dalmatians with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Dalmatian.
The popularity of the Dalmatian averaged over the years is Number 59 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Dalmatians and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Dalmatian is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Dalmatian puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Dalmatian breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Dalmatians for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Dalmatians here.
How to Take Care of Dalmatian
To take good care of your Dalmatian, you need to make sure that you groom your Dalmatian regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Dalmatian regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Dalmatian`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Dalmatian daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Dalmatian.
Also, you need to feed your Dalmatian high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Dalmatian from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Dalmatian and how much food to feed the Dalmatian at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Dalmatian has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Dalmatian needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Dalmatians
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Dalmatian.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Dalmatian:
- Berger Picard (78 percent match with Dalmatian). Learn more about the Berger Picard here.
- Golden Cocker Retriever (80 percent match with Dalmatian). Learn more about the Golden Cocker Retriever here.
Other Things to Know About Dalmatians
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Dalmatian that you need to know about the Dalmatian breed: