Dalmatian Breed Information
Essential Dalmatian breed information — from history and temperament to care tips and health insights. Everything you need to know about these spotted companions.” It is my hope that I can fulfill the dreams of those searching for the perfect spotty to add to their families, or to just be an educator of this wonderful breed.
This page is dedicated to informing and educating. I would be hap py to answer any questions.
dog dalmatian was recognized as a breed by the AKC in 1888
AKC Breed Popularity Ranking
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Hearing 101 – While deafness does occur in the breed, the vast majority of Dalmatians can hear.
~70% of Dalmatians have bilateral hearing. They hear with both ears.
~22% have unilateral hearing. They hear with only one ear.
~8% are totally deaf. This unlucky minority do not hear at all.
Total Congenital Deafness (should it occur) is detectable before the puppy begins its eighth week of development. We have careful breeding practices which can produce better than average hearing. We select only bilaterally hearing dogs. We choose from lines with the fewest deaf relatives and will not repeat breeding with dogs that produce many deaf pups. We also favor breeding dogs with brown eyes. A reliable method for assessing hearing is available. Puppies can be tested as early as 5 weeks of age. The BAER test method provides a permanent record of a dog’s hearing status. If a Dal hears as a pup it will hear as an adult, barring injury, infection or old age. Responsible breeders such as us provide sales agreements and documentation with the hearing status of a puppy.
Genetic Testing – As good breeders we test for genetic disorders and conditions using Embark For Breeders. We also submit health testing results to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC), a database that keeps track of health testing. All results both normal and abnormal are posted there.
dalmatian dog puppy are HUA. Up until 2011, all AKC registered Dalmatians were HUA. HUA means high uric acid. These dogs are prone to forming kidney/bladder stones and they need a diet low in purines, lots of water and frequent potty breaks to prevent this problem. These conditions are most likely to occur in middle-aged males. HUA Dalmatians are genetically recessive for the hyperuricosuria defect; therefore, if two HUA (Hu/Hu) Dalmatians are bred together, 100% of the offspring will be HUA. Only by breeding with an N/Hu or N/N LUA Dalmatian can an HUA produce LUA offspring. LUA stands for low uric acid, which really just means normal uric acid. Dalmatians with one or two copies of the LUA (or normal uric acid) gene are unaffected by the genetic defect called hyperuricosuria/High uric acid. Only one copy of the normal “N” gene is necessary for the dog to be free from hyperuricosuria. LUA Dalmatians have normal levels of uric acid, and they are not prone to forming the kidney and bladder stones and other problems that can be caused by hyperuricosuria. LUA Dalmatians can eat a normal diet. The project began in 1973 with the original outcross being a pointer (CH Shandown’s Rapid Transit) who was bred to an AKC Dalmatian (Lady’s Godiva). This produced puppies that carried one copy of LUA (Normal uric acid) and one copy of HUA. After this initial breeding, the offspring were then bred back to Dalmatians, about 1/2 of these offspring were LUA, and the other half were HUA. Urine testing was done to determine which dogs were which, and only pups who were LUA were kept back to breed again to other Dalmatians. We provide any genetic information regarding puppies .
black & white dalmatian dog is the dominant color for the breed. Any other color but black is recessive, meaning both parents HAVE to carry the genetic black and white dalmatian marker for other colors in order to produce pups with other colors. If the parents don’t have any “common” colors then the puppies will all be black.
dalmatian liver is the second most common color. Black and liver are currently the only colors allowed in AKC conformation events also known as dalmatian liver spotted.
lemon dalmatian is yellow spotting and can range in shades. Lemons have black noses while blue spotted lemon dalmatian.
orange dalmatian have liver noses. Lemon Dalmatians are NOT dilute; they are e/e which is the same genotype that yellow Labradors are orange dalmatian isopods. They are NOT allowed to be shown in conformation currently but they can have fun in agility. They are recognized by the AKC and can be registered as lemon/orange. In order to produce lemon both parents must at least carry the little e genotype at the e locus. Tri color Dalmatians are recognized by the AKC however cannot be shown in conformation at this time. They are Black or liver based, and have “tan points” on their legs, chest, neck and face. Tri color is a two part gene, meaning the parents have to carry it at the a locus (at is tan point) and at the k locus (ky allows agouti expression). A tri color is genetically atat or ata as at is dominant over a, and kyky.
Patching is quite common, and a large area of color around an eye or over an ear means the dog can’t be shown and shouldn’t be bred but can still be a handsome pet.
Conformation – As good breeders all of our dogs are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) which is a registry that keeps track of the pedigrees of purebred dogs. It strives to ensure that each dog registered is a recognized, distinct breed of dog.
The act of conforming or producing conformity: While a dog show may look like a beauty pageant, it’s not. Dogs are not being compared to each other; they’re being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed, because the closer a dog’s appearance is to the breed’s standard, the better that dog’s ability will be to produce puppies that meet the standard. Champion’s are desired as parents for this reason. The average sizes and life expectancy of the breed:
HEIGHT
19-24 inches
WEIGHT
45-70 pounds
LIFE EXPECTANCY
11-13 years
long dalmatian coat vs. Short dalmatian coat
Which coat type is right for you?
long dalmatian coat or shortcoat Dalmatian right for you? There are pros and cons to both coat types.
The hair of a longcoat Dalmatian is soft and silky in texture. The hairs are quite different from the coarse, short hairs of the shortcoat Dalmatian. Longcoat hairs therefor tend to be easier to cleanup, as the stiff little hairs of shortcoats tend to stick in and to everything. Longcoat Dalmatians have a thicker coat and can therefor tolerate colder climates and snow better than shortcoats. Though having long hair still currently disqualifies a Dalmatian from competing in conformation shows, it is my hope and my dream to one day see them accepted into the AKC breed standard as they are a naturally occurring coat variation that has historically been a part of the Dalmatian breed for at least 100 years. In the meantime though, longcoat Dalmatians can still compete in competitions such as agility, obedience, dock diving and more!
Longcoat Dalmatians do require more grooming than the average shortcoat Dalmatian. Particular attention should be given to keeping their tail, legs and neck free of debris. I recommend brushing them on a weekly basis, or more frequently as needed, depending on their lifestyle. In contrast, shortcoat Dalmatians require less grooming. Their short, coarse hairs often seem to shed dirt and they clean up fairly easy. Longcoat and shortcoat Dalmatians shed the same amount, year around.
The gene responsible for giving a Dalmatian longer hair is a naturally occurring recessive trait in the Dalmatian breed. Longcoat Dalmatians are purebred Dalmatians, not the result of outcrossing or mixed breeding. One of the first well known longcoat Dalmatians was named Sally. She was whelped November 14th, 1943 and belonged to Dr. and Mrs. Leakey. Longcoat Dalmatians are the same as any other Dalmatian. The only difference is in their coat. They are not prone to any additional health problems.
MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE: As for me, I love and understand the draw of both coat types. Shortcoats are beautiful with their sharp, clearly defined and distinct spots. Their short coat accentuates their streamlined, athletic and agile figure. Their grooming is simple….but oh goodness, do they shed and cleaning those stiff little hairs up can be a tricky task! Longcoats are also beautiful, with their silky, flowing coats and feathered tails. Watching a longcoat trot across the yard in the sunlight is a beautiful sight to behold. Though a longcoat’s spots are still clearly defined and VERY different from the faded ticking of the English Setter, someone once described their spots as “melting”, and I feel that is pretty accurate. Though they shed about the same as shortcoats, the texture of their hair really does make cleanup easier. The trade off is that they need to be groomed more often to keep their coat free of tangles and debris and their coat does not shed dirt the way a shortcoat’s does.
Lua vs Hua Dalmatians
The Low Uric Acid Backcross Project
Many breeders believe that there was a genetic mutation that caused for the spots of Dalmatians to become bolder and more appealing to the eye back in the mid 1900’s. When this took place, breeders continued to breed to this line as they thought that they were improving the breed and its spotting pattern. There was also a mutation that changed the uric acid metabolism that made it harder for these Dalmatians to process purines. The mutation for this new and attractive spotting is on the same loci as the gene that causes the high uric acid (HUA). HUA Dalmatians are prone to uric acid crystals in the bladder. When breeding to this line of Dalmatians with attractive spotting, the breeders were unknowingly introducing the mutation for urate stones into the breed as well.
If these crystals are not evacuated by flushing out the bladder with large drinks of water, the crystals can build up and turn to stones. If a stone(s) gets caught in the urethra of the dog, he/she will not be able to urinate and will need to be taken to a veterinarian. Although there can be several approaches to solve this issue, the most common way is to perform a surgery that will remove the stone(s). This surgery comes along with about a six-week recovery time, depending on the dog itself. Males are more susceptible to block with a urate stone than females, because of their anatomy. They have a long and narrow urethra that can cause a small stone to get stuck much more easily than a female’s urethra that is shorter and wider.
Back in 1940, Keeler, who was a researcher could not find a Dalmatian with normal uric acid in the United Kingdom or in the United States of America to breed to. After much research, Robert Schaible Ph. D., who was a long time Dalmatian breeder, began to think of ways to reintroduce the gene that eliminates uric acid stones, which is known as the hyperuricosuria (SCL2A9) or more commonly known as the Low Uric Acid (LUA) gene, back into the gene pool. He bred a Dalmatian to a Collie in hopes that he could start his backcross project. He was also researching other breeds that could have been incorporated into the breed as well. In 1973, he bred a champion Pointer to a Dalmatian. This was the best way to reintroduce this good LUA gene back into the Dalmatian breed. This outcross only happened one time. He had started a new line of LUA Dalmatians that were not able to produce uric acid stones. Since that outcross breeding (Pointer – Dalmatian) there have only ever been Dalmatians bred into this line. Practices like this were common in the American Kennel Club to introduce a trait or gene into a breed that would improve it, back before the 1900’s. Back then, after three generations were passed, the decedents were able to be registered and compete in the conformation and performance rings. Sadly, this practice was not accepted when the Backcross Project started. The United Kennel Club (UKC) approved this line and had a club that was all pro LUA. Dalmatians of North America (DNA) was filled with great representations of the breed that also had healthy bladders. LUA Dalmatians were accepted by the American Kennel Club in 2011 after a long debate on whether or not these dogs, that were now 99.999% Dalmatian, were considered pure bred or not.
Stocklore Hybrid (First Generation LUA Dalmatian)
(Pointer – Dalmatian Pedigree)
As Robert Schaible Ph. D. continued his project, he earned the support of fellow breeders who believed in his work. At the same time, a lot of people resented the idea and called his dogs “mutts.” While these dogs are decedents of two different breeds that were brought together to fix a health problem that has affecetd the breed in its entirety, there are many breeds that were created the exact same way, such as the Doberman Pincher. As more people learned about the backcross project, more breeders introduced this line of Dalmatians into their kennel, and suddenly there were LUA Dalmatians all over the United States. Breeders have been able to widen the gene pool so much that the project is now worldwide. Semen was shipped to many different countries from different dogs to allow for them to introduce this good LUA gene into their lines as well.
Some breeders began to breed LUA Dalmatians to other LUA Dalmatians to increase the chances of producing more dogs with healthy bladders. Since the LUA Gene is dominant, the dog only needs to have one copy of it to be protected from urate stones and crystals. If the dog has two copies, that means that all of his/her offspring will have at least one copy as well, and none of them will be able to produce urate stones. When breeders talk about the LUA gene specifically, it is represented as N/N (Homozygous LUA), N/hu (Heterozygous LUA), or hu/hu (Homozygous HUA).
Below is a punnent square. To find out the probability of having LUA Dalmatians within one litter, follow one parent’s genotype and connect it to the other parent’s genotype. Then you will have the probability of LUA offspring within that litter.
