Summary by Country:
The Dalmatian is unique in its appearance and a fine physical example of a strong and athletic canine breed. Found across the globe, there are established standards of what this breed should look like in its form and be like in its temperament, determined by the registered and governing kennel clubs in each country.
Below is a short summary of the Breed Standards from each of the Kennel Associations in America, Australia and the United Kingdom, including links to full descriptors. A discussion also compares and contrasts minor differences found between these countries and potential reasons why there exist such discrepancies. If considering showing a Dalmatian, this summary may be useful before reviewing full and formal descriptors linked for the relevant Kennel Clubs. Alternatively, you might just be interested in what characteristics are favoured in the breed, versus what are considered faults, cosmetic or otherwise.
America: AKC Dalmatian Breed Standard
The American Kennel Club or AKC was established in 1884. Dalmatians officially entered the AKC stud book in 1888 and are classified under the non-sporting dog group, a broad group difficult to generalise, due to their diversity in size, shape, personality and appearance. It is noteworthy that this group are considered good watch dogs and house dogs. They are considered dignified, smart and outgoing in temperament, ranking 56 out of 196 breeds.
| General appearance | Distinctively spotted, poised and alert, strong, muscular and active. Free of shyness, intelligent expression. Great at endurance, fair in speed. |
| Size and proportions | Height between 19 and 23 inches at withers. Length from forechest to buttocks approximately equal to height at withers. Good substance, strong and sturdy. |
| Head | Balanced, alert and intelligent expression, indicating stable and outgoing temperament. Eyes well set, medium sized and somewhat rounded. Any combination of brown or blue eyes.Proportionally sized ears, wider at the base, tapering to a rounded point, carried close to the head. Flat top of the head, slight vertical furrow. Powerful muzzle about equal in length to top of head. Completely pigmented nose (black or brown). Clean lip, scissor bite. |
| Neck, topline, body | Nicely arched, fairly long neck that blends smoothly into shoulders. Topline is smooth, tail natural extension of topline. Deep chest, underline of ribs curve in moderate tuck-up. Strong, level back. Short, muscular, slightly arched loin, flanks narrowing. Tail tapers to the tip, reaches the hock, slight upward curve. |
| Forequarters and hindquarters | Smooth, laid back shoulders. Foot falls under shoulder, elbows close to body. Hindquarters powerful, smooth and muscular. Hind legs parallel from hock to heel of pad. |
| Feet | Round, compact, thick and elastic pads, arched toes. Black/brown or white toenails. |
| Coat | Short, dense, fine, sleek and glossy. |
| Colour and markings | Pure white ground color. Dense black or liver brown spots. Round, well-defined and evenly distributed spots between a dime and half-dollar in size (approx. 1.8-3cm), few intermingling. Spots usually smaller on head, legs and tail. Ears preferably spotted. |
| Gait | Steady, effortless movement. Powerful, muscular drive from the rear, extended reach in the front. |
| Temperament | Stable and outgoing, yet dignified. |
| Allowances | Dewclaws may be removed. |
| Faults | Under or over size standard. Abnormal position of eyelids or eyelashes. Incomplete eye pigmentation. Incomplete pigmentation on the nose. Ring-tails, low-set tails. Flat feet. Shyness in temperament. |
| Disqualifications | Height over 24 inches at withers. Overbites or underbites. Any colors other than black or liver brown, including tricolor. Patches. |
| Full Breed Standard Link | https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/Dalmatian.pdf |
Australia: ANKC Breed Standard
The Australian National Kennel Council or ANKC first met in 1949, later to be formally established in 1958. The Dalmatian features in the non-sporting group 7. Breed Standard developed from London, 1987, with the last update in 2013.
| General Appearance | Balanced, strong, muscular, active with good demeanour. Symmetrical in outline, great endurance and fair speed. |
| Size and proportions | Ideal height: Dogs 23-24 inches (58-61cm), Bitches 22-23 inches (56-58cm). Overall balance of prime importance, slightly outside size range should not exclude dogs of good balance. |
| Head | Fair length of head, flat, broad top of head, but refined. Long, powerful muzzle. Completely pigmented nose (black or brown).Eyes set moderately well apart, medium sized and round with intelligent expression. Dark eye colour in black spotted, amber colour in liver spotted. Complete black or liver coloured rim around eyes.Ears set on rather high, moderate size, wider at the base, tapering to a rounded point, carried close to the head. Clean lip, scissor bite. |
| Neck, topline, body | Nicely arched, fairly long neck that is light and tapering, free from throatiness. Chest not too wide but deep with plenty of lung room. Powerful level back. Strong, muscular, slightly arched loin. Tail tapers to the tip, reaches the hock, slight upward curve, preferably spotted. |
| Forequarters and hindquarters | Moderately oblique, clean and muscular shoulders. Elbows close to the body. Hindquarters rounded, clean and muscular, hocks well defined. |
| Feet | Round, compact feet, tough elastic pads, arched toes. Black/brown or white toenails. |
| Coat | Short, hard and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance. |
| Colour and markings | Pure white ground color. Dense black or liver brown spots. Round, well-defined and evenly distributed spots between a five and twenty cent coin in size (approx. 1.9-2.9cm), few intermingling. Spots smaller on extremities. Ears preferably spotted but well broken up. |
| Gait | Great freedom of movement. Smooth, powerful, rhythmic action with a long stride, parallel moving legs with hindlegs tracking the fore. |
| Temperament | Of good demeanour. |
| Allowances | None formally listed. |
| Faults | Any departure from the following is a fault, the severity of which dependent on the proportion and degree of effect upon the health and welfare of the dog:Blue eyes, patches, tricolours, colours other than black/liver spot and other pigmentation faults. |
| Disqualifications | None formally listed, degree of fault would warrant effective disqualifications. |
| Full Breed Standard Link | http://ankc.org.au/Breed/Detail/198 |
United Kingdom: KC Breed Standard
The Kennel Club, United Kingdom was founded in 1873, the first national Kennel Club in the world. In 1939, the KC acquired the world famous Crufts dog show. The Dalmatian Breed Standard is reported as last updated by the KC in 2010. The Dalmatian is classified under the Utility group, being a miscellaneous group of breeds of a non-sporting origin. Utility is understood to be fitness for a specific purpose.
| General Appearance | Distinctively spotted, balanced, strong, muscular and active. Good demeanour, great endurance and fair turn of speed. |
| Size and proportions | Ideal height: Dogs 23-24 inches (58-61cm), Bitches 22-23 inches (58-61cm). Overall balance of prime importance. |
| Head | Fair length of head, flat, reasonably broad between ears. Powerful muzzle. Completely pigmented nose (black or brown).Eyes set moderately well apart, medium sized and oval with intelligent expression. Dark brown eye colour in black spotted, amber colour in liver spotted. Complete black or liver coloured rim around eyes.Ears set on rather high, moderate size, wider at the base, tapering to a rounded point, carried close to the head. Clean lip, scissor bite. |
| Neck, topline, body | Nicely arched, fairly long neck that is light and tapering, free from throatiness. Chest not too wide but deep with plenty of lung room. Powerful level back. Strong, muscular, slightly arched loin. Tail tapers to the tip, reaches the hock, slight upward curve, preferably spotted. |
| Forequarters and hindquarters | Well laid back, clean and muscular shoulders. Elbows close to the body. Hindquarters rounded, clean and muscular, hocks well defined. |
| Feet | Round, compact feet, tough elastic pads, well arched toes. Black/brown or white toenails. |
| Coat | Short, hard, dense; sleek and glossy looking. |
| Colour and markings | Pure white ground color. Dense black or liver brown spots. Round, well-defined and evenly distributed spots of 2cm-3cm in diameter, few intermingling. Spots smaller on extremities. Ears preferably spotted but well broken up. |
| Gait | Great freedom of movement. Smooth, powerful, rhythmic action with long stride. Feet move along straight lines with rear feet tracking the fore. |
| Temperament | Outgoing and friendly, not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and aggression. |
| Allowances | Some patching on ears or head not to be penalised. |
| Faults | Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, the severity of which dependent on the proportion and degree of effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work. |
| Disqualifications | Colours other than black/liver, including tricolours, listed as unacceptable. |
| Full Breed Standard Link | https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/utility/dalmatian/ |
Identifiable Breed Standard differences between countries:
- Height
- Eye colour
- Patches
- Spots
- Faults and disqualifications discrepancies
Height:
America reports a slightly smaller size standard (19-23 inches) in comparison to Australia (22-24 inches) and the United Kingdom (22-24 inches). Additionally, the AKC disqualifies Dalmatians exceeding 24 inches, whereas the ANKC reports allowances slightly outside this range in an effort to seek balance of form and the KC similarly reports balance as greater priority. The reason for this may be linked to the Dalmatian’s original job description, where the belief that they only ran under the axle of carriages is suggested to be incorrect, it is equally likely they ran beside, in front of or behind carriages. The size discrepancy is most likely linked to this historical opinion of the Dalmatian needing to fit under the carriage.
Eye colour:
The most noticeable (and the most discussed) discrepancy is the allowance or fault of blue eyes in the Dalmatian breed. The AKC allows blue eyes without any penalty. The ANKC specifically lists blue eyes as a fault, which being taken from the KC Breed Standard, the KC lists specific eye colour requirements and a general statement that deviation is also a fault. The reason for this may be linked to pigmentation, which has a known genetic link with deafness. Although a complex genetic issue (indeed something deserving further exploration elsewhere), a blue-eyed Dalmatian has a higher risk of being deaf, either in one or both ears. Because of this, it is very unlikely that the ANKC or KC will ever change the decision to fault blue eyes in a Dalmatian, seeing it as a deviation or abnormality which can have a negative effect on the overall health and welfare of the breed.
Patches:
The AKC states all patches are grounds for disqualification. The ANKC lists patches as a fault, the degree of which is to be assessed as to the severity as it affects the health and welfare of the dog. The KC also lists patches as a deviation resulting in a fault, again dependent on severity. However, the KC does specifically list some patching on the ears or head may not be penalised. All clubs agree that spotting on the ears, preferably broken up, is desirable. It is more aesthetically desirable for a Dalmatian to have mostly black ears, but preferably as spots, not as a patch (a solid black section of fur). The reason for this is again linked to pigmentation and subsequently deafness (and also sunburn). Again, this is a complex issue requiring further exploration, but small patches covering ears are becoming potentially more acceptable, as studies are showing that dogs with ear patches may be at less risk of being deaf in that ear. That is not to say that patches in other areas are at all acceptable, but indeed, in cases where patches on ears are difficult to distinguish between a group of spots, it is being questioned if it is better for the health of the breed to make allowances for it, in reducing more detrimental genetic faults than what is simply a minor cosmetic one.
Spots:
Very minute differences in spot sizes are attributed only to preference of measurement, that is, Australian versus American coin system, or Metric versus Imperial measurement conversions. All clubs are in agreement that spots on extremities will be smaller. All clubs fundamentally agree on this most critical part of the Dalmatian breed in terms of spot size, colour and positioning, an important part in maintaining the special character that identifies this breed.
Faults versus disqualifications:
As outlined in discrepancies over eye colour and patches, decisions over what is determined to be a disqualification or instead a point score fault for the Dalmatian varies between clubs. Whether the decision is made to disqualify or deduct points as penalty, all clubs adhere to a strict policy to maintain the breed standard for the sake of the health and welfare of the breed as it is traditionally perceived to be. Hence, any flaws, deviations, abnormalities or extremes would of course be faulted as such, resulting in discouraging these undesirable characteristics in selection for breeding the Dalmatian dog.
At the end of the day, breeding Dalmatians is human intervention in the selection of a domesticated and designed dog breed. For this reason, we have a great responsibility to that breed to do the right thing, breeding true to the best character and conformation that the Dalmatian deserves to be.
