Last Updated on October 8, 2022 by Pets Feed
When do Dalmatian spots appear? Have we ever asked ourselves this question? Let’s try to find out some information on the growth path of this breed, in order to find out everything there is to know about its splendid and very special coat.
Dalmatian: peculiarity of the breed
Who is the Dalmatian? What do we know about this cute specimen with a really sweet look? Furthermore, the question we ask ourselves today is precisely this: when do Dalmatian spots appear? Let’s try to understand what kind of personality we are facing, and then discover specifically how its splendid coat develops.
The Dalmatian is a very famous dog, which became successful above all thanks to the famous Disney film “101 Dalmatians” from 1961, based on the book of the same name by Dodie Smith. However, his fame does not only refer to the diffusion due to the big screen and the sweetness of the feature film, but is also based on other factors!
This breed, in fact, is truly wonderful! In addition to its elegant bearing and very particular appearance, the Dalmatian is also a very sweet, affectionate dog with a tough character, but lively, playful and helpful.
The breed is really very versatile, so much so that it can adapt to play many roles, even very different from each other. Therefore, we know very well how perfect the Dalmatian is not only as a hound (not surprisingly this is the category to which it belongs!), But also as a hunting, retriever and companion dog.
In general, however, it can be absolutely said with certainty that the Dalmatian is truly an excellent life partner. He is a faithful, very loyal, intelligent and surprising friend, who becomes absolutely, all-encompassing and, at times, even too morbidly attached to the people (and animals) who are close to him and whom he deems worthy of his trust and love of he.
The Dalmatian is a dog whose breed is officially recognized by the FCI, the International Federation of Canine Breeders’ Associations; belongs to Group 6, Scent hounds and related breeds, to Category 3, Related breeds.
The name probably derives from the area of origin, Dalmatia, a territory from the former Yugoslavia which currently refers to Croatia. The main feature that has always framed and identified the Dalmatian is certainly the conformation of its splendid fur!
The “spotted” variety, in fact, is the typical peculiarity of these specimens, which have a very particular coat, which only they can enjoy. Let’s see some general information on the physical appearance of the breed, and then understand when the spots appear on a Dalmatian while still a puppy.
“Spotted” hair: when do they sprout?
The Dalmatian is a very elegant dog, with a refined bearing and a very proud and proud appearance. His tall, slender and slender body gives him a gorgeous delicate and distinct pose, which makes him truly beautiful and fine to look at.
The size is medium. According to the standard, in fact, the Dalmatian has the following physical characteristics:
- a purebred male can weigh between 27 and 32 kg; it is about 56-61cm tall
- a purebred female specimen can weigh between 24 and 29 kg: it is about 54-59 cm tall.
Long muzzle, flat and broad skull, black nose with black or brown spots, the Dalmatian’s physique is harmonious, linear and in perfect balance. The thing is of medium length, characterized by the sturdy base and a thinner part towards the end. It too has the classic variety typical of the breed: black or brown spots on a white background.
Let’s now come to the topic of the day: when do spots appear in a Dalmatian specimen? What are the main characteristics of its fantastic coat? Here is some information that helps us to best describe a big dog of this breed.
The Dalmatian’s coat is smooth, dense and kept fairly short. It is shiny and bright in the sunlight: shiny and bright, it has colors that stand out clearly and brightly in front of the light, especially that of the Sun.
The standard, as any dog enthusiast will know, allows for specific types of specimens. The Dalmatian is represented by a white background along the whole body, to which are added here and there spots of different shapes and sizes (always within certain limits), with a black or brown color.
The shape they take, however, recalls a circle or in any case rounded figures, which are quite outlined and traced by well-defined contours.
The standard, in fact, is not very flexible in this regard. To determine whether or not a specimen belongs to the Dalmatian breed, it is absolutely necessary that the spots have a more or less rounded shape. The size must be around 2-3 cm in diameter.
Obviously, we are not talking about perfect geometry: a compass circle is definitely not required! However, what is certain is that these spots cannot take on other shapes, such as those of a triangle or a square.
But when do these beautiful specks so characteristic of the breed appear? Are puppies already born with these dark-colored spots, or do they tend to develop later in life, or even later in life? Here is some information.
Dalmatians are very prolific kangaroos: in general, it seems that every litter is very numerous! But how are these puppies born? What are the characteristics that most distinguish them from the very first days of life?
When the little Dalmatians come out of the mother-dog belly they are tiny and completely white, without any stain and, therefore, devoid of any other type of color.
The spots, therefore, develop slowly after about two weeks of life. In short, it can be said that these dark-colored sketches “dirty” the fur of each specimen as the puppy grows.
When they form, they look like only very small black or brown dots, barely hinted at, of which it is not possible to distinguish, at least initially, not even the correct tonality.
Little by little as the dalmatian puppy grows, then, together with him the same spots also grow and increase in size. It seems, therefore, that nature really follows a course of its own, perfect, linear and certainly uncontrollable: with the growth and full development of the puppy, the spots on its coat also widen!
Around the fourth week, when the puppy is almost perfectly formed and ready to become part of the world of very young adults through the weaning process, even the spots will be precisely formed. In short, the growth of the puppy and the increase in spots go hand in hand!
