Dalmatians breed info
 Life expectancy - 10-12 years
Typical weight - around 25kg
Litter size - sometimes up to 15!
History of the Dalmatian breed
The history of the Dalmatian is uncertain, some people think Dalmatians originated from Dalmatia (hence the name), once a province of Austria. There are also other theories of them being dated back to ancient Egypt, where there has been evidence of drawings on tombs of spotty dogs. Maybe Dalmatians once guarded tombs? Nobody knows for sure.
It is thought that the Dalmatian was introduced to Britain in the 17th-century. Dalmatians were originally used as carriage dogs. There job was to trot beside the carriage's to protect their owners from thieves. Later on the Dalmatian became the trademark 'Fire dog' they were used by the fire stations to run alongside the water wagons, they were also sent ahead of the carriage's to clear the road of people who would hold the water wagon's up in an emergency. It is also thought they used the Dalmatian because it was easier to see their spotty coats in darkness. Plus they have amazing stamina. In effect, the Dalmatian was used as the blue light and sirens we have today. The distinctive Dalmatian was then used by the rich and famous carriage owners as a status symbol.
Description of the Dalmatian
The typical Dalmatian is a strong, muscular dog. 
Fully grown Dalmatians tend to weigh around 25kg. They have a white coat with either black or brown spots. Other colours of spots include lemon, dark blue, stripy or even no spots at all. These are very rare in Dalmatians and are looked upon as a fault in the 'show dog world'. Patches of colour are also classed as a fault (like coco has), although studies have shown it helps with a major fault in Dalmatians, deafness. (scroll down to Health problems to find out more on this matter)
Dalmatian Temperament
As I mentioned in the 'history of the breed' Dalmatians used to be carriage dogs. This means that Dalmatians are very energetic and incredibly loyal as their purpose was to protect their owners. Dalmatians aren't typically aggressive but they can come across as aloof with strangers. Well, until you give them a treat anyway!! Dalmatians crave human companionship and can become destructive if left alone for long periods of  time. They also need to know who is boss and ongoing training. If they don't receive this they quickly presume they are boss and can become slightly aggressive towards other dogs. Dalmatians do not respond well to physical punishment. They are a lot easier to train if a reward system is used (go to my 'training tips' page to find out more).
Dalmatians need at least 20minutes of free running a day to keep them alert and happy. I tend to use two tennis balls and a racket so they don't stop running! Although Coco tends to find it amusing to run off with the ball if she ever gets to it before Daisy! Coco hardly ever gets the ball she's a bit slow, she seems happy running behind Daisy though!
Going back to the Dalmatian temperament, they can make fantastic pets if trained properly and exercised correctly.
Health problems in Dalmatians
Deafness in the breed can affect about 10-15% of the Dalmatian population. 'Certain dog clubs' actually state in the agreement for a club membership that you should put deaf puppies down. As a Dalmatian breeder myself I find this unacceptable. We as humans don't put deaf children down, do we? What's even worse is that you can only find out at 6 weeks old if a pup is deaf or not. I can't believe anyone with a heart can take a deaf six week old Dalmatian to the vets to be put down. To find out more on the deaf Dalmatian issue go to my Dalmatian breeding page.
Research has shown that breeding off patched Dalmatians (like Coco) can half the chance of deafness within the breed. 'Certain dog clubs' don't want this to be done  because patched Dalmatians aren't aesthetically pleasing. Instead, they try and cover up this problem by getting rid of the deaf pups.
Be very wary of any Dalmatian breeder that says he or she has had no deaf puppies. The chances of having one are at least 1 in 10! If the mother has had several litters chances are there will have been the odd deaf pup. Or...they're incredibly lucky!!
Deaf Dalmatians have always been labeled as aggressive. I have partly trained a deaf Dalmatian myself and this was certainly not the case. In my experience owners of deaf Dalmatians who have trained their dog with 'sign language' from an early age have had no problems with aggression within the breed.
My thoughts on the aggression problem are that owners don't know about their Dalmatians deafness. They think their Dalmatian is mis-behaving when not responding to commands such as 'recall'. The Dalmatian tends to get a telling off and doesn't know what its done wrong. I would get pretty naffed off if I was getting a punch for nothing too!
Also, when the deaf dogs are sleeping they are completely unaware and may be aggressive when woken suddenly, but wouldn't you be!?
If you take all these things into consideration when adopting a deaf pup they can be just as good as a normal Dalmatian.
Other health problems with Dalmatians include urinary stones and skin allergies.
Urinary stones have been linked to foods which contain high purine levels. Foods high in purine include organ meats (liver is the worst) and beef. Lamb and poultry have a lower purine content and should be offered instead of beef, heart or liver. To hear more about food allergies go to the 'Dalmatian food info' page.
Skin allergies are quite common within Dalmatians, reactions tend to be 'hive' like lumps appearing all over the body. These can be caused by pollen, food allergies or stress. If this ever occurs take your dog to the vets.
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