Over the course of its history, the Dalmatian has worn many hats of occupation which include: retriever, bird dog, ratter, war dog, shepherd and more. But it was as a coach dog in Victorian England that the Dalmatian found its true calling; a coach dog. As a coach dog the Dalmatian served both a practical and aesthetic purpose.

The practical function of the Dalmatian as coach dog was to ward off marauding dogs and any other like animals from harming or disturbing the horses drawing the coaches. As for the aesthetic aspect, well let’s just say it looked cool to have those spotted dogs trotting by the carriage and most likely it was probably a distinction of affluence to have such dogs accompanying one’s carriage. From the 1880s the Dalmatian was selectively bred for its fondness to run beneath horse drawn carriages, the ideal dogs being those that ran close to the hooves of the rear horses.

However with the rise of the automobile the Dalmatian lost its prominence in society though it continued as a coach dog for horse-drawn fire engines, a tradition that transitioned into the Dalmatian being adopted as the contemporary fire dog. The Dalmatian was formerly recognized by the AKC in 1888 but due to selective intensive breeding for its characteristic spotted pattern this dog breed was plagued by genetic urinary problems; namely a predisposition to uric acid stones (kidney stones). To correct this problem the Dalmatian dog breed was subsequently crossbred with various Pointer breeds!

Dalmatian Dog Article By Kayye Nynne