Dalmations, I never knew they came in various colors!

Who knew some Dalmations arent black & white, though finding one is very rare. I found this very interesting.

http://www.geocities.com/paisleydals/color.html

Wow! I knew about the livers, but I'd never heard about the others either! That blue one is adorable

I knew about lemon and liver but wow, who knew the rainbow that dals could come in.

I knew about the liver color, I have seen many of those in person, but I never knew about those other colors! That's really neat, thanks for sharing that link!

I like the white dalmation and long coated dalmations.

Sorry to burst your bubble I used to own a dalmation and won a lot of 4-h shows with her. In 4-h you have to do a lot of research on the bred of your dog. Pure bred dalmations cannot have long coats, and they should only be black or liver colored. Any other color is disqualified as a dalmation. (AKC, the best breed quality there is)


But yes they all look really pretty!

Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

Sorry to burst your bubble

I used to own a dalmation and won a lot of 4-h shows with her. In 4-h you have to do a lot of research on the bred of your dog. Pure bred dalmations cannot have long coats, and they should only be black or liver colored. Any other color is disqualified as a dalmation. (AKC, the best breed quality there is)


But yes they all look really pretty!

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There are many "faults " AKC doesnt allow shown that DOES NOT mean they dont exist ... Think red or black bengals ... they exist but are not shown

Originally Posted by sharky

There are many "faults " AKC doesnt allow shown that DOES NOT mean they dont exist

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Right! And that's one of the reasons why I shy away from the whole breed/show world (no offense to those who enjoy it). I don't like the idea that any animal should be considered "inferior" on the basis of some silly human-defined standard.

One of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen was a Golden Retriever at a bead store I go to -- she was a radiant coppery color, and so friendly and happy, just a beautiful dog. There were several of us playing with her and telling her how pretty she was, but then some woman said, "The coat is too red, though. She's non-standard. Worthless for showing."

There was a moment of silence as that lovely comment sank in, and then I put an arm around the dog and told her, "Well, you're just above standard, aren't you, sweetie?" And we all ignored that nasty woman.

Genetics is so fascinating -- thank you for that link!

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Right! And that's one of the reasons why I shy away from the whole breed/show world (no offense to those who enjoy it). I don't like the idea that any animal should be considered "inferior" on the basis of some silly human-defined standard.

One of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen was a Golden Retriever at a bead store I go to -- she was a radiant coppery color, and so friendly and happy, just a beautiful dog. There were several of us playing with her and telling her how pretty she was, but then some woman said, "The coat is too red, though. She's non-standard. Worthless for showing."

There was a moment of silence as that lovely comment sank in, and then I put an arm around the dog and told her, "Well, you're just above standard, aren't you, sweetie?" And we all ignored that nasty woman.

Genetics is so fascinating -- thank you for that link!

Click to expand...

That is precisely what I think. I wnjoy watching the agility and obedience in Cruft's, but I think exactly what you said, they shouldn't be judged inferior to other dogs of their breed just because their colour is slightly different or their structure is too big or whatever.
How do we even know what the 'perfect' description of each breed looks like anyway? Did someone just make it up? Haha.
I love all dogs, small, big, pure-bred, mixes, mutts, short-haired, long-haired, they're all super-gorgeous.

I guess for the AKC they want the dogs that best fit the breeds description, meaning body shape,size,and color, heck they even need the dog to walk correctly! lol

I think they get the best fitting breed look from years ago when some breeds were created, the breeders passed down what they wanted the dogs to look like, and I guess after many years people try to preserve the look, if it looks different usually it doesnt qualify, though some breeds can be various colors and accepted, like in Poodles I think.

I still like dogs even if they dont fit the standards, and by the way great looking Dalmation!

Hmm,. I never knew any other colors exsisted!! I prefer just the original color myself

Wow- i knew about Livers but not about all of the other varities! Very cool and interesting thread! I learned a lot tonight

I had no idea they came in so many colors! Beautiful dogs!

Those are beautiful Dalmations! Never knew they came in other colors either...
Thank you for sharing that! But black & white will always be most beautiful :

I thought they only were either black/white or liver (brown)/white !

But it may be the variations are a mutant gene in the lines that causes the "mismarked" colors/patterns. I know it happens from time to time in the labradors. But there are only 3 colors - yellow (from pale cream to fox red), black, or chocolate (dark to light). Any other labs - like the so called "white" labs or "silver" labs are NOT purebred labs - they have mixes in the background. Silver labs are sometimes from weimeramers and labs - not necessary a direct cross, but somewhere in the pedigree there is a mix.

Any lab breeders selling "silver" labs are NOT legit breeders!

My parents own 2 dals, and I had only heard of black spotting, liver spotting, and lemon spotting (although the lemon spotted dals are not recognized by the AKC). Interesting article, though I still must say that my favorite color is black and white. (Which is what Io and Circe are )

I don't show dogs, maybe someday, but I understand the concern for creating a rainbow of colors in breeds. I don't know Dals, but with Newfs black, black markings on a white base (Landseer), brown and grey are the only acceptable colors. There are brown/whites and grey/whites, creams and even brindles, but some of those genes to create those colors are diluted and with Newfs color is NOT what a good breeder should be breeding for. I'm not a geneticist, but I understand what can happen to the soundness of a breed if color becomes a breeders primary objective. Yes, non-standard colors happen, but most of the time you can research pedigrees and avoid it. Those non-standard colors should not be considered for a future breeding program and should go to pet/working homes with a spay/neuter contract. Just my opinion.

I think Dals are gorgeous! The black/white is stunning, but I'll stick with Newfs...they fit my lifestyle better.