History of the Dalmatian

Dalmatian is very easily recognizable, because of his coat, but his history and origin is mysterious. We dont know much about it, especially about early origin. The name suggest that the breed came from Dalmatia, which is region in today Croatia, but it is probably not true.

Old painting with dogs that looked like Dalmatians were found in 14th century in Spain, Italy, but also in some regions of Asia and Africa – we know that there were dogs with similar markings in Egypt. The breed was also found in bands of nomadic gypsies, making its history even more mystical. Gypsies have traveled with these dogs for many centuries. We believe that ancestors of Dalmatians were some kind of pointers and spotted Great Danes.

Dalmatians look very noble nowadays. It is due to breeding by English nobility, which started using Dalmatians in the beginning of 19th century. They were used as companions of nobility coaches. It was perfect dog for this purpose, because not only that they look noble, they have amazing stamina and endurance and they are good hunting dog, so they can help hunters as well. They were not used for pulling weights, but mostly for protecting the coaches.

Check our full video about Dalmatian origin: