Dalmatian Breed Standard

^© The Kennel Club - Unauthorised Reproduction of Text and Images Prohibited.

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversely, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Kennel Club website for details of any such current issues. If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure.

To view photos of this breed please visit the Kennel Club Picture Library

General Appearance
A distinctively spotted dog, balanced, strong, muscular and active. Symmetrical in outline, free from coarseness and lumber.

Characteristics
A carriage dog of good demeanour, capable of great endurance and a fair turn of speed.

Temperament
Outgoing and friendly, not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and aggression.

Head and Skull
Of fair length, skull flat, reasonably broad between ears, moderately well defined in front of ears. Moderate amount of stop. Entirely free from wrinkle. Muzzle long, powerful, never snipy; lips clean, fitting jaw moderately closely. Nose in black spotted variety always black, in liver spotted variety always brown.

Eyes
Set moderately well apart, medium size, round, bright and sparkling, with intelligent expression. Colour, dark in black spotted, amber in liver spotted. Eye rims preferably completely black in black spotted, and liver brown in liver spotted.

Ears
Set on rather high, moderate size, rather wide at base, gradually tapering to rounded point. Fine in texture, carried close to head. Marking well broken up, preferably spotted.

Mouth
Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Fairly long, nicely arched, light and tapering. Entirely free from throatiness.

Forequarters
Shoulders moderately oblique, clean and muscular. Elbows close to body. Forelegs perfectly straight with strong round bone down to feet, with slight spring at pastern joint.

Body
Chest not too wide but deep and capacious with plenty of lung and heart room. Ribs well sprung, well defined withers, powerful level back, loin strong, clean, muscular and slightly arched.

Hindquarters
Rounded, muscles clean with well developed second thigh, good turn of stifle, hocks well defined.

Feet
Round, compact, with well arched toes, cat-like, round, tough, elastic pads. Nails black or white in black spotted variety, in liver spotted, brown or white.

Tail
Length reaching approximately to hock. Strong at insertion gradually tapering towards end, never inserted too low or too high, free from coarseness and carried with a slight upward curve, never curled. Preferably spotted.

Gait/Movement
Great freedom of movement. Smooth, powerful, rhythmic action with long stride. Viewed from fore and aft, the legs should appear straight with a degree of convergence towards the centre line at the trot. The feet should move along straight lines with the rear feet tracking the fore. A short stride and paddling action is incorrect

Coat
Short, hard, dense; sleek and glossy in appearance.

Colour
Ground colour pure white. Black spotted, dense black spots, and liver spotted, liver brown spots; not running together but round and well defined. In size one-penny to fifty-pence piece. Spots as well distributed as possible. Spots on extremities smaller than those on body. Tricolours and spotting colour other than black or liver undesirable. Bronzing on spots undesirable in adults.

Size
Overall balance of prime importance. Ideal height: dogs: 58-61 cms (23-24 ins); bitches: 56-58 cms (22-23 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - October 2009

Glossary of Canine Terms

Some links to health information and resources that may be relevant to this breed:

Veterinary screening schemes - The Kennel Club operates these with the British Veterinary Association.

DNA screening schemes - detect disease-causing mutations in a number of breeds.

Current Accredited Breeder Scheme health screening requirements and recommendations - for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder.

Breed Watch - a tool aimed at dog show judges and exhibitors to highlight and tackle any current concerns in a breed

Health Test results Finder Tool - access results of any official KC health testing scheme for Kennel Club registered dogs

2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey Results - Individual summaries are available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available to order from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards

Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve.

The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

Breed Clubs and Societies