The Dalmatian is one of the most popular breeds of dogs and is known for its particular black (or brown) spots on white fur. It is a very faithful dog, stable and quiet, provided that enough exercise is done to release the accumulated tension.
Whether you are thinking of adopting a puppy or an adult Dalmatian dog, in this tab of the Breed Animal Expert we will explain everything you need to know about its character, the main characteristics of the breed, its education or some of the most important health problems.
- Although it is a breed known for a long time.
- The ancient history and origins of the Dalmatian are really unknown.
- The first images of the Dalmatian are Croatian paintings and frescoes dating back to the 17th century.
- This is the main reason why the International Cynological Federation (FCI) attributes the origin of the breed to the Croatian region of Dalmatia.
- But there are several hypotheses that suggest that this dog originated much earlier in other places.
Anyway, the Dalmatian has become popular all over the world. Throughout his life he has held various roles. It was used as a hunter, companion, watchdog, etc. However, his consecration as a “tank dog” of the Upper English class took place in the late 17th century. At that time, the nobles and rich Britons had several Dalmatians accompany their cars to show their power. It fulfilled two functions: protecting the horses from stray dogs and offering a better view of the car.
With the invention of the automobile, the transport dogs disappeared and the popularity of the breed declined, however, the Dalmatians have also accompanied the fire trucks and this tradition continues today, they remain part of the firefighters in many parts of the world, although they now travel. by truck.
The popularity of the race re-emerged in the 1960s thanks to the Disney film “The 101 Dalmatians” and then increased with the second version of it. Unfortunately, this ended up hurting the breed, as the old dog with carriage became a popular dog and asked, so it began to reproduce indiscriminately. The result was overcrowding of the breed and many inherited diseases due to high inbreeding. Today, the Dalmatian is a pet and a very popular family dog.
It is a beautiful breed, elegant and distinguished by its white fur with black spots, the head is proportional and harmonious with the rest of the body, wrinkle-free and prism-shaped, the whole is moderately defined. The nose must be the same color as the spots on the body. The eyes are oval and their color also corresponds to that of the spots. The ears are high adhered, triangular, with rounded edges, pendant and with spots.
The body is rectangular, its length slightly longer than the height of the cross, the back is strong and straight, the back short and the rump slightly inclined, the chest deep and not too wide.The belly is moderately retracted, but not too deep.The tail is long, sabre-shaped and the best thing is to have spikes.The fur is short, shiny, hard and dense. It is white with black or brown spots.
The Dalmatian is a friendly dog, confident and very active, in general he likes to swim, run and exercise on trails and his own curiosity, usually gets along well with other dogs and other animals, in general he is also friendly with strangers, although they are not as sociable as the Labrador Retriever or the Golden Retriever.Some, however, are reserved for foreigners, but innate aggression is a very unusual trait in the breed.
They are perfect for active families who exercise with their dogs and want a loyal and energetic companion by their side. However, inside, the Dalmatian is a quiet and serene dog, able to relax without problems.
These dogs are perfectly tolerant of children who know how to respect them and take care of them as they deserve, but do not always respond well to the tug-of-war in their tails or ears. Therefore, it will be important to teach your children to play correctly with the Dalmatian, always with respect and affection. The education of the dog is also very important to achieve a more affable, relaxed and tolerant character. But let’s talk about it later.
The care of the Dalmatian’s hair is really simple, as it only needs occasional brushing to remove dead hair and bathe it when it is really dirty.
What you really need to be careful about is the exercise this dog needs. It is essential to have this point clear if you want to adopt a Dalmatian dog, because if you do not meet this need, it can become destructive inside the house. Your energy needs are really high, so you should take at least three moderately long walks each day and spend at least an hour of active exercise. It can also help us release your accumulated stress by playing intelligence games that, in addition to entertaining dogs, will mentally stimulate you to further develop your excellent skills.
Finally, it should be mentioned that although the Dalmatian is sometimes a little independent, it is a dog that likes to feel part of a social group and does not like solitude at all at all. Spending too much can only cause behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety, as well as lack of exercise.
The Dalmatian ranks at number 39 on Stanley Coren’s intelligence scale, however and although many trainers consider it a stubborn dog, it has a natural predisposition to learn when using positive reinforcement. It is a tireless and active dog so, in addition to exercising with it, training will be of great use to improve your well-being and mental health.
You should start with puppy education when you are 3 months old. At this point, you should start by socializing the puppy during his first walks, presenting the people, animals and the environment in which he will live. This process is one of the most important in canine education as it will directly affect the habit of social and stable behaviors, moving away from the fear and aggression that can lead to a lack of socialization. Later and during the same period, you must also teach the dog to prevent the bite, play with us or teach him to do the needs on the street. Keep in mind that for the dog to go out on the street, he must have all his vaccinations up to date.
Afterwards you will have to start teaching him the basic orders of obedience, a very important point for your safety and to promote good communication with us. At this point, we emphasize the importance of using positive reinforcement, as punishment and reprimand interfere with learning and can lead to undesirable behaviors.
Once you’ve overcome and learned the commands, you can start with advanced training, practicing fun tricks or advanced activities like agility, an obstacle course that combines exercise and compliance with obedience orders. Agility is definitely a sport suitable for this active breed.
It is very important to spend time in the education of the dog, but it is also good to periodically remind you of the orders to avoid being forgotten. The average daily training time is between 5 and 10 minutes.
The Dalmatian is a dog prone to many diseases due to the inbreeding to which this breed is subjected for so many years. The most common diseases in Dalmatia are:
Deafness has a very high incidence in the breed and affects more than 10% of this breed. In turn, kidney and urethral stones are very common in the breed because the Dalmatian is the only mammal that cannot metabolize uric acid when falling. This directly affects the formation of stones in the urinary tract.
To maintain an optimal health of our dog it will be essential to take it to a veterinarian every 6 months to make sure everything is ok and follow your vaccination schedule. Good diet, exercise and good care are the keys to getting a happy, healthy and sustainable Dalmatian.