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History

The origin of Dalmatian is very twilit and it’s just conjectural.
We do know that it is a very old breed, having come through many centuries virtually unchanged. They have been found painted on walls of tombs running behind Egyptian chariots.
From chronicle of churches we can infer that this breed is from mediterranean area.The earliest picture references of the existence of this breed can be found on painting of Italian painters as well as on a fresco in Zaostrong, Dalmatia in the 16th century.
In Thomas Bewick publication in 1792 contains description and a drawing about Dalmatian. The first Dalmatian Standard was made by Vero Shaw in 1882. It was notarized in 1890.


Standard

This popular breed of dog is a well-muscled, mid-sized, elegant dog with excellent endurance. The Dalmatian is slightly longer than tall when bred under the European (FCI) Standard and Dowdy Standards. The American Kennel Club standard states that the dog should be more square, as long as it is tall at the withers. Shoulder should be well laid back with the elbow falling directly under the tip of the shoulder blade. Rear angulation should match the front with the stifle "well" bent indicating good angulation in the rear. The feet are round and compact with well-arched toes. The nails are either white and/or the same color as the spots. The ears are thin, tapering toward the tip, set fairly high and carried close to the head.

Size

The ideal Dalmatian should stand between 54 and 61.5 cm (20 and 24 inches) at the withers and weigh from 23 to 35 kgs (50-77 pounds) fully grown. Breed standard -- a description of the ideal specimen of each type of purebred dogs-may vary slightly among different nations' kennel clubs. Males are generally slightly larger than females. As with all dogs, the Dalmatian's gestation is about two months, or between 60 to 64 days.

Coat

There are some Dalmatians that can be lemon-spotted as well. This color is extremely rare in Dalmatians and is not acceptable in the AKC.
Dalmatian puppies (averaging 8 per litter) are born white. The spots gradually appear over the first few weeks of the puppies' lives. Dalmatians shed their short, fine coats year round. Dalmatians shed considerably more than most year-round shedders. These hairs are barbed at the ends, causing the hairs to stick to clothing, upholstery and nearly any other kind of fabric. Although Dalmatians enjoy a vigorous rub down, nothing can be done to prevent their excessive shedding; new owners must be prepared to deal with an extraordinary amount of dog hairs constantly littering their households.

Coloring

The most common colors for Dalmatians are black or liver spotted on a white background. Other spotting colors, though not permitted for showing, and rare, are blue (a blue-grayish color), orange or lemon (dark to pale yellow), brindle, mosaic, tri-colored (may appear on any other coloured spots), and two-toned. Dalmatians exhibiting the highest ratio of white to black fur are more likely to be deaf and more difficult to train than other Dalmatians.
Patches often occur in the breed and are a disqualification in the show ring. Patches are present at birth, and consist of a solid colour. Patches can appear anywhere on the body, but are most common on the head and ears. Patches are not to be confused with heavily spotted areas on a dog, however. Spots should be in size of a quarter to half-dollar.
According to the AKC breed standard, the eyes are set moderately well apart, are medium sized and somewhat rounded in appearance, and are set well into the skull. Eye color is brown, amber or blue, or any combination thereof; the darker the better and usually darker in black-spotted than in liver-spotted dogs.While blue eyes are accepted by the AKC, the C.K.C faults any eye colour other than black, brown or amber. The Kennel Club (UK) allows only dark eyes in black-spotted dogs, and amber eyes in liver-spotted dogs.. Blue eyes are regarded as a fault by many organizations because there appears to be a link between blue eyes and deafness. Amber-colored eyes are more common in liver spotted Dalmatians. Although other color variations do exist, any color markings other than black or liver are a disqualification in purebred Dalmatians.
Dalmatian breeders breed for a solid spot with no white hairs salted in. This classic spot pattern, however, is linked to a genetic urinary tract problem unique to Dalmatians. This treatable, but not curable, problem can be controlled with medication and diet.