|  British Kennel Club Breed Standard Utility Group General Appearance
A distinctively spotted dog, balanced, strong, muscular and active. Symmetrical in outline, free from coarseness and lumber Size
Overall balance of prime importance. Ideal height: dogs: 58-61 cms (23-24 ins); bitches: 56-58 cms (22-23 ins). [The height of a Dalmatain comes from the height of a carriage, where the Dalmatian could & can run under and around the wheels with ease as it rolled across the country] Head Of fair length, skull flat, reasonably broad between ears, moderately well defined in front of ears. Moderate amount of stop. Entirely free from wrinkle. Muzzle long, powerful, never snipy; lips clean, fitting jaw moderately closely. Nose in black spotted variety always black, in liver spotted variety always brown. Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.Eyes should be set moderately well apart, medium size, round, bright and sparkling, with intelligent expression. Colour, dark in black spotted, amber in liver spotted. Eye rims preferably completely black in black spotted, and liver brown in liver spotted. The ears should be set on rather high, moderate size, rather wide at base, gradually tapering to rounded point. Fine in texture, carried close to head. Marking well broken up, preferably spotted. Neck, Top line and Body
Fairly long, nicely arched, light and tapering. Entirely free from throatiness. Chest not too wide but deep and capacious with plenty of lung and heart room. Ribs well sprung, well defined withers, powerful level back, loin strong, clean, muscular and slightly arched. The tail length reaching approximately to hock. Strong at insertion gradually tapering towards end, never inserted too low or too high, free from coarseness and carried with a slight upward curve, never curled. Preferably spotted. Forequarters
Shoulders moderately oblique, clean and muscular. Elbows close to body. Forelegs perfectly straight with strong round bone down to feet, with slight spring at pastern joint. Hindquarters
Rounded, muscles clean with well developed second thigh, good turn of stifle, hocks well defined. Feet
Round, compact, with well arched toes, cat-like, round, tough, elastic pads. Nails black or white in black spotted variety, in liver spotted, brown or white. ( the “cat like” foot is a result of short digital bones and means the Dalmatian requires less energy and is capable of great endurance, thus it being a great runner over long distances. It is not just the Dalmatian that has “cat like” feet but also the Akita, Doberman Pinscher, Giant Schnauzer, Kuvasz, Newfoundland, Airedale Terrier, Bull Terrier, Keeshond, Finnish Spitz and Old English Sheep Dog. It is important when choosing a Dalmatian that you check their feet as the feet is how your Dalmatian will absorb shock when running, climbing rocks on the beach, walking etc. If you’re Dalmatian has flat feet they will absorb shocks less affectively which will cause strain on their other bones, hips etc.) Coat The Coat should be short, hard, dense; sleek and glossy in appearance. Colour
Ground colour pure white. Black spotted, dense black spots, and liver spotted, liver brown spots; not running together but round and well defined. In size one-penny to fifty-pence piece. Spots as well distributed as possible. Spots on extremities smaller than those on body. Tricolours and spotting colour other than black or liver undesirable. Bronzing on spots undesirable in adults. Gait/Movement
Great freedom of movement. Smooth, powerful, rhythmic action with long stride. Viewed from fore and aft, the legs should appear straight with a degree of convergence towards the centre line at the trot. The feet should move along straight lines with the rear feet tracking the fore. A short stride and paddling action is incorrect. Characteristics
A carriage dog of good demeanour, capable of great endurance and a fair turn of speed. Temperament
Outgoing and friendly, not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and aggression.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. Male Bits
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. Last Updated - January 2009 http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/158 You will hear that a Dalmatian is patched, the below picture is a good example of this: You will note that the ear is solid black with no clear signs of them actually being black dots that have overlapped, in a show dog this is a fault, in a pet it is cute. Another thing you will hear is Ticking, which is a fault, ticking are grey marks that are not spots. Some dogs have the odd area of ticking, older dogs could have ticking shadowing their spots - sort of age spots. However I have seen a Dalmatian recently that was all ticking and no spots? very strange. Don't confuse new little spots with ticking, new little spots will grow in to big spots, ticking will remain as little marks. 
| |  American Kennel Club Dalmatian Breed Standard Non-Sporting Group General Appearance
The Dalmatian is a distinctively spotted dog; poised and alert; strong, muscular and active; free of shyness; intelligent in expression; symmetrical in outline; and without exaggeration or coarseness. The Dalmatian is capable of great endurance, combined with fair amount of speed. Deviations from the described ideal should be penalized in direct proportion to the degree of the deviation. Size, Proportion, Substance
Desirable height at the withers is between 19 and 23 inches. Undersize or oversize is a fault. Any dog or bitch over 24 inches at the withers is disqualified. The overall length of the body from the fore chest to the buttocks is approximately equal to the height at the withers. The Dalmatian has good substance and is strong and sturdy in bone, but never coarse.
Head
The head is in balance with the overall dog. It is of fair length and is free of loose skin. The Dalmatian's expression is alert and intelligent, indicating a stable and outgoing temperament. The eyes are set moderately well apart, are medium sized and somewhat rounded in appearance, and are set well into the skull. Eye colour is brown or blue, or any combination thereof; the darker the better and usually darker in black-spotted than in liver-spotted dogs. Abnormal position of the eyelids or eyelashes (ectropion, ectropion, trichiasis) is a major fault. Incomplete pigmentation of the eye rims is a major fault. The ears are of moderate size, proportionately wide at the base and gradually tapering to a rounded tip. They are set rather high, and are carried close to the head, and are thin and fine in texture. When the Dalmatian is alert, the top of the ear is level with the top of the skull and the tip of the ear reaches to the bottom line of the cheek. The top of the skull is flat with a slight vertical furrow and is approximately as wide as it is long. The stop is moderately well defined. The cheeks blend smoothly into a powerful muzzle, the top of which is level and parallel to the top of the skull. The muzzle and the top of the skull are about equal in length. The nose is completely pigmented on the leather, black in black-spotted dogs and brown in liver-spotted dogs. Incomplete nose pigmentation is a major fault. The lips are clean and close fitting. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. Overshot or undershot bites are disqualifications. Neck, Top line, Body
The neck is nicely arched, fairly long, free from throatiness, and blends smoothly into the shoulders. The top line is smooth. The chest is deep, capacious and of moderate width, having good spring of rib without being barrel shaped. The brisket reaches to the elbow. The underline of the rib cage curves gradually into a moderate tuck-up. The back is level and strong. The loin is short, muscular and slightly arched. The flanks narrow through the loin. The croup is nearly level with the back. The tail is a natural extension of the top line. It is not inserted too low down. It is strong at the insertion and tapers to the tip, which reaches to the hock. It is never docked. The tail is carried with a slight upward curve but should never curl over the back. Ring tails and low-set tails are faults. Forequarters
The shoulders are smoothly muscled and well laid back. The upper arm is approximately equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an angle sufficient to insure that the foot falls under the shoulder. The elbows are close to the body. The legs are straight, strong and sturdy in bone. There is a slight angle at the pastern denoting flexibility. Hindquarters
The hindquarters are powerful, having smooth, yet well defined muscles. The stifle is well bent. The hocks are well let down. When the Dalmatian is standing, the hind legs, viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other from the point of the hock to the heel of the pad. Cow hocks are a major fault. Feet
Feet are very important. Both front and rear feet are round and compact with thick, elastic pads and well arched toes. Flat feet are a major fault. Toenails are black and/or white in black- spotted dogs and brown and/or white in liver- spotted dogs. Dewclaws may be removed. Coat
The coat is short, dense, fine and close fitting. It is neither woolly nor silky. It is sleek, glossy and healthy in appearance.
Colour and Markings Colour and markings and their overall appearance are very important points to be evaluated. The ground colour is pure white. In black-spotted dogs the spots are dense black. In liver-spotted dogs the spots are liver brown. Any colour markings other than black or liver are disqualified. Spots are round and well-defined, the more distinct the better. They vary from the size of a dime to the size of a half-dollar. They are pleasingly and evenly distributed. The less the spots intermingle the better. Spots are usually smaller on the head, legs and tail than on the body. Ears are preferably spotted. Tri-colour (which occurs rarely in this breed) is a disqualification. It consists of tan markings found on the head, neck, chest, leg or tail of a black- or liver-spotted dog. Bronzing of black spots, and fading and/or darkening of liver spots due to environmental conditions or normal processes of coat change are not tri-coloration. Patches are a disqualification. A patch is a solid mass of black or liver hair containing no white hair. It is appreciably larger than a normal sized spot. Patches are a dense, brilliant colour with sharply defined, smooth edges. Patches are present at birth. Large colour masses formed by intermingled or overlapping spots are not patches. Such masses should indicate individual spots by uneven edges and/or white hairs scattered throughout the mass. Gait
in keeping with the Dalmatian's historical use as a coach dog, gait and endurance are of great importance. Movement is steady and effortless. Balanced angulations fore and aft combined with powerful muscles and good condition produce smooth, efficient action. There is a powerful drive from the rear coordinated with extended reach in the front. The top line remains level. Elbows, hocks and feet turn neither in nor out. As the speed of the trot increases, there is a tendency to single track. Temperament
Temperament is stable and outgoing, yet dignified. Shyness is a major fault.
Scale of Points General Appearance | 5 | Size, proportion, substance | 10 | Head | 10 | Neck, top line, body | 10 | Forequarters | 5 | Hindquarters | 5 | Feet | 5 | Coat | 5 | Colour and markings | 25 | Gait | 10 | Temperament | 10 | Total | 100 |
Disqualifications
Any dog or bitch over 24 inches at the withers / Overshot or undershot bite / Any colour markings other than black or liver /
Tri-colour / Patches Approved July 11, 1989 Effective September 6, 1989 http://www.akc.org/breeds/dalmatian/ 
| |