Why not a long coat Dal? Or a Lemon?

Like many breeds, Dalmatians have coat varieties that are naturally occurring but “out of standard”. What that means is these colours or types would be a disqualification in the show ring as they are not allowed in the official written standard of the breed.

It is interesting to note that neither Lemon nor Long Coated Dals were originally part of the bred. Black, Liver, and Tri are the colours mentioned historically.

Why do I care about the show ring?

Whether or not you are planning to show your future pup, you should definitely work with a breeder who is breeding “to standard”. Why? Because breeding to standard means we preserve the historical look of the breed that we are so passionate about. Breeding to standard, in Dalmatians, also means that we are producing sound dogs that move properly and retain their historical athleticism.

Within every planned pairing there will be pups who are not destined for the show ring. Perhaps they have an adorable patch like gorgeous Taffy from our Cabin in the Woods litter. Maybe they have generous spotting like beautiful Random. Maybe they have a blue eye (which is allowed in AKC but not in any other kennel club because of the link to higher rates of deafness). These fabulous pups still make wonderful pets and are often great candidates for performance because reputable breeders are breeding for sound conformation and stable temperaments.

Why aren’t these colours/coat types allowed?

There are many theories on why some of the out-of-standard colours are not allowed. Maybe in their historical role as a coach dog the lighter-coloured lemon spots made them harder to see? Maybe the longer coat was a pain to deal with in an endurance breed who is running through all types of brush, brambles, and mud? Regardless, the written standard for the Dalmatian states short coat and liver and white or black and white. Full stop.

Are there health issues associated with these off-standard colours or coat?

Not related to the actual colour or coat itself, BUT, I am extremely confident in saying there will be more health issues within the population of dogs being bred FOR these coat colours and types.

Reputable breeders are breeding to the standard. Breeders who choose to focus on a coat type or colour are working with a population that is VERY small. After generations of reputable breeders selecting AWAY from dogs who produce off-standard colours and long coats and/or running genetic panels to avoid dogs carrying these genes, there are very few lemon, tri, blue, or long-coated Dals out there.

If a breeder is focusing on producing lemon, long coat, tri, or blue, their available gene pool is very small. In order to produce an uncommon colour of coat, they will have to compromise somewhere else, resulting in choosing pairings that include poor conformation (which will increase the risk of joint issues), no health testing or ignoring poor health testing results (which will increase the risk of the issues reputable breeders are testing to avoid like hip dysplasia, autoimmune thyroiditis, vision issues, etc), and choosing dogs with unstable temperaments.

Whenever a breeder is laser-focused on one attribute, other pieces of the puzzle are neglected. There just *isn’t* a population of healthy, health-tested, great conformation, stable temperament Dals carrying long coat or a recessive colour.

Can these off-colours/long coats appear in a reputable litter?

Sure, it is just super uncommon. Not every breeder is running a genetic panel to look for long coat and recessive colours. Reputable breeders are balancing so many different things: overall health, specific health testing, conformation, temperament, working drive, spotting pattern, etc. – knowing a dog in the pairing carries long coat or a recessive colour may not change the decision of the breeder.

For my pairings, my goal is to produce dogs that conform to the standard, dogs that could do well in the conformation ring, dogs with fabulous temperaments and great workability, using dogs with extensive health testing and fantastic test results. I am not concerned if I produce a heavily marked puppy that won’t be in the conformation ring but is a fantastic obedience or agility dog and a loving family member. I also wouldn’t be concerned if I produced a (wholly unexpected) long coat pup, or a lemon pup. I wouldn’t select for an off-standard pup and I wouldn’t breed from an off-standard dog. But health, temperament, and conformation trumps all else for me.

What about breeders with off-standard dogs who are doing health testing?

I am thrilled whenever I see complete health testing (as long as breeders are actually taking results into account, not just doing the testing then still proceeding with whatever pairing they wish). However, one generation of health testing is insufficient. The great reputable breeders out there are choosing pairings where you can look back on multiple generations of health testing and make decisions based on more than one isolated generation. The best chance of producing healthy pups who live long and healthy lives is to study multiple generations of pedigrees both for health testing results AND for occurrences of issues we don’t yet have a test for.

***side note When referring to genetic testing to determine what colours or coat varieties a dog may carry, I am referring to something like an Embark panel. Although this is potentially valuable (and interesting!) information, it is very important to remember that genetic testing, like Embark, is NOT = to “health testing”. Dalmatians (and any breed) should not be bred without the full health testing recommended by their breed club, ideally reported publicly to OFA and assigned their CHIC number that demonstrates those tests have been done. ***

The best pups come from the best breeders

Preservation breeders are those reputable breeders who are working to preserve the breed standard and breed type and are producing happy, healthy, sound, and stable puppies.

For your spotty best friend, work with a breeder who is doing all the appropriate health testing (or more!), a breeder who is breeding to standard to preserve this special breed and their historical look and function, a breeder who is proving their dogs in AND outside the show ring, a breeder who is demonstrating fantastic temperaments, and a breeder who will provide the lifetime of support you and your puppy deserve.

Walk away…even when it’s hard

All puppies deserve an amazing home. Buying a pup from a disreputable breeder will simply encourage them to continue breeding. If you see a pup (or dog) that seems to be in poor condition, PLEASE call the appropriate authorities. It’s our job to advocate for these animals whenever we see them in distress. Support the rescue organizations who are helping these animals instead of supporting the people who are breeding them.

Not only is purchasing a pup from a poor situation encouraging that breeder to continue breeding, but puppies from poor breeders are also missing out on all the socialization and enrichment that sets them up to be wonderful family members.

Dalmatians are such an incredible breed. You deserve to get a happy, healthy, stable, and sound puppy that will be the perfect fit for your family.