The Dalmatian dog is one of the most popular dog breeds, known for its particular black (or brown) spots on the white coat. It is a very faithful dog, stable and calm, provided that you can do enough exercise to release the accumulated tension.
Each person, deciding to buy a dog, selects it according to his taste and according to his preferences. One needs a guard; another needs a fun companion. If you want to have a friend and a watch dog, opt for the Dalmatian breed.
These dogs soared to the peak of popularity after the release of the cartoon “101 Dalmatians”. Representatives of this exotic breed were distinguished by their unusual appearance. White dogs with a black or brown spots, one could only like.
Dalmatian photos
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Physical characteristics
The Dalmatian is an athletic and robust, elegant, medium to large size. The males weigh on average 27-32 kg with a height in the tourniquet of 56 -61 cm, the females-24-29 kg and 54-59 cm, respectively.
Distinctive features
- Head: the head is elongated, flat, moderately wide between the ears, proportionally to the body. A clearly defined transition line from the front to the muzzle.
- Jaws: The jaws are expressively strong and powerful. The teeth are strong, white as snow, with a complete dental formula. Bite “scissors”.
- Ears: the ears are hanging, medium -sized, triangular at the rounded and well apart ends.
- Eyes: eyes of a beautiful oval shape, medium size. The color of the iris is dark brown – with black marks on the body, amber – with brown spots on the body.
- Frame: The body is perfectly constructed, muscular, powerful. The neck is quite long, strong and strong. The back is straight, athletic, spacious. The rump is strong with a slight slope. The chest is deep and wide, slightly elongated. Vaulted type ribs.
- Members: well muscular, fine, parallel legs. The legs are compact, similar to those of a cat, rounded with arched toes and hard pads. The pigmentation of the nails is brown or black and is identical to the color of the spots on the body.
- Pelage: the coat is brilliant, of dense, hard and smooth texture. The color is white with distinct black or brown marks all over the body, including the tail.
Varieties of Dalmatian
- Brown-spotted – spots on a white background are dark brown, brown nose and a lighter shade of the eye.
- Black-spotted – spots on a white background are black, black nose and dark brown eyes.
Character and behavior
The Dalmatian is an energetic and friendly animal with a high level of intelligence, which cannot do without active activities even for a minute.
The breed is not characterized by attachment to a person, putting him forward as the “chief” of the pack. The animal also loves and loves all family members without exception, tries to participate directly in all family affairs.
With children
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 react well to the children who draw their tail or ear. For the same reason, it will be important to teach children to play properly with the Dalmatian: always out of respect and affection. The education of the dog will obviously be very important to obtain a more affable, relaxed and tolerant character.
Health
The Dalmatian is distinguished by good health, it therefore does not fall into sick, but has a predisposition to genetic diseases:
- Complete deafness. Number 1. Purel 1. Diseases of variable severity hearing are diagnosed in nearly a third of Dalmatians, while parents in perfect health can have a completely deaf baby.
- Urinary lithiasis disease. It develops due to high levels of uric acid.
- Skin allergy. The manifestation of the disease is caused by various factors.
- SCT dysplasia. If the disease is detected at the initial stage and the therapy is properly selected, the animal can lead a busy life.
Life expectancy
With proper care, a Dalmatian can live 12-14 years. It is necessary to carry out vaccination, treatment against parasites and preventive examinations in a veterinary clinic on time.
Exercise
It is not practical to subject puppies to too much exercise. The adult Dalmatian is an incredible breed of resistance, able to travel at a moderate pace almost indefinitely.
More than two hours of daily exercise in adulthood are recommended to stay in shape.His hunting instinct pushes him to run, jump and climb, so his owner must remain vigilant to ensure his safety.
Care
The Dalmatian dog breed has a short coat, but loses a lot of hair. Normally, the dog must be combed once a week, during the moult twice. Bat the animal at least once a month, clean your eyes every day, the ears – 3 times a week. The nails are cut 3 times a month.
Fun facts
- Puppies are born snow-white, black or brown spots appear on a white background over time. This happens gradually, throughout life, the pattern of the Dalmatian can change due to the appearance of new spots.
- Spots are present not only on the wool, but also in the mouth on the mucous membranes.
- 15-30% of Dalmatians have hearing problems, while about 5% are completely deaf.
- The huge popularity of the Dalmatian dogs was observed after the release of the cartoon “101 Dalmatians”.
- Since ancient times, the Dalmatian is considered “status” dogs that emphasize the position of the owner.
- Once the Dalmatians were used as fire dogs. Of course, they did not extinguish the flame. Their mission was to run ahead of the fire crews and clear the way. While firefighters fought the fire, the Dalmatian guarded equipment and horses.
History of the breed
The historical facts of the appearance of the Dalmatian breed cannot be precisely described. So far, it has not been possible to reliably establish the specific time and place of origin of this type of dog. But some information is still available.
It is believed that the breed of Dalmatians was bred in Croatia. The name comes from the province of Dalmatia, which is located on the territory of this republic. There is speculation that the history of the Dalmatian has been going on for several millennia. The fact is that during archaeological excavations that were carried out in Greece, paintings with images of people along with their dogs were discovered. Animals were like modern Dalmatian dogs.
The main purpose of the breed is difficult to determine. Throughout the entire period of the formation of the breed, the Dalmatian served as guard, shepherd dog. These dogs were also used as circus artists, it was not too difficult to teach them different tricks. Dalmatian dogs were the favorite pets of coachmen. When the cabmen left their horses, they were guarded by white dogs with black or brown spots.
It is assumed that the Dalmatian occurred as a result of crossbreeding of Dalmatian indigenous dogs, Great Dane and Istrian Coarse-haired Hound. Now it seems that the Dalmatian is a sweet, good-natured animal. But many years ago, the representatives of the breed were quite aggressive. Temperament is still preserved in the modern Dalmatian dog.
Used the breed as a shepherd and hunting. Since 1955, they gained the status of companion dogs. The twentieth century brought the Dalmatian immense popularity.