1. Dalmatians originate from the area that is now the country of Croatia.

2. Although much of Dalmatian history is not known, we do know that these dogs were commonly used as coach or carriage dogs. They would follow along side carriages and horses on long trips to guard from thieves.

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3. Besides protecting from robbery during travel, Dalmatians were thought to add a flare to nobility.

4. Dalmatians needed to have a high energy drive in order to keep along side horses for hours. This means a simple round the block walk won’t satisfy a Dalmatian.

5. Dalmatians are commonly used as a sporting and hunting dog.  You can also find them at the circus preforming and of course fighting fires.

6. The Dalmatian is a highly intelligent dog. Pair this up with their high energy and they are perfect for obedience training, agility, and any number of other dogs sports and competitions. This also means if this highly energetic and smart dog isn’t exercised both physically and mentally they will get bored. And a bored dog usually chews everything in site.

7. The Dalmatian’s distinct piebald pattern can only be found in this breed.

8. Most people know that Dalmatians are born all white and develop their spots after a few weeks, but did you know that their spots can be other colors besides black? Dalmatians can also have brown, blue, lemon, or even brindle spots! As it turns out their spots aren’t so… black and white!

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9. But the spots don’t end there. Many Dalmatians even have spots in their mouth!

10. Speaking of spots, did you know that no two Dalmatians have the same spots? This makes each coat pattern unique to that dog!

11. Over twenty percent of Dalmatians are deaf. What? I said I’ve twenty percent of Dalmatians are deaf!

12. The gene that is responsible for their famous spots is also responsible for this genetic hearing loss. Dogs with this kind of coat can suffer from a lack of mature melanocytes in the inner ear.

13. Deafness isn’t so easy to avoid. Every Dalmatian family branch has a chance at producing deaf puppies. Buyer beware.

14. If this is something you want to avoid Dalmatians with larger patches are less likely to suffer from deafness.