Grooming a Dalmatian

Hair type: The Dalmatian coat is usually short, fine, and dense.  Dalmatian puppies are born with plain white coats and their first spots usually appear within three weeks after birth. After about a month, they have most of their spots, although they continue to develop throughout life at a much slower rate.

Daily coat care: Dalmatians shed considerably year-round. The short, stiff hairs often weave into clothing, upholstery and nearly any other kind of fabric and can be difficult to remove. Weekly brushing with a grooming mitt or a rubber brush can lessen the amount of hair Dalmatians shed, although nothing can completely prevent shedding. Due to the minimal amount of oil in their coats, Dalmatians lack a “dog” smell and stay fairly clean.

Recommended groom frequency: Dalmatians don’t tend to smell as bad as other dog breeds and have a reputation as a dog that likes to keep clean. However, professional grooming will help to control their profuse shedding. They should receive a professional groom every 6-8 weeks and sometimes more frequently depending on the amount of hair they are shedding.

At Petmania Grooming Studios we have a full range of treatments available for your Dalmatian. If you get puppy, we recommend our Puppy’s First Visit at around four months, once your puppy has received all his vaccinations.

Diet

Depending on the size of your Dalmatian, you will need to feed it between 275g and 362g of high quality dry food a day, divided into two meals. Adult Dalmatians in particular are prone to developing kidney stones so a diet which contains lower protein levels is recommended to help prevent this. Dalmatians are also known to be quite sensitive to changes in their diet, so it is important to monitor them closely if making changes.

Our pet advisors in-store can help you find the most appropriate food for your dog, while you can find out more about the different dog food brands we stock here.

Activity Level

This is a very energetic dog with enormous stamina. They need to be taken on daily, long, brisk walks or jogs. It absolutely loves a good run and needs plenty of opportunity to do so, preferably off the leash in a safe area. If these dogs are allowed to get bored, and are not walked or jogged daily, they can become destructive and start to display a wide array of behavioural problems.

Where to get a Dalmatian

There are lots of places offering dogs or puppies for sale in Ireland, but we would always ask that you consider adopting a dog first. Our animal rescue partners have 100’s of rescue dogs and puppies seeking a forever home and would be delighted to introduce you to them.

However, if a rescue dog is not for you, we do recommend that you choose a registered breeder and seek Irish Kennel Club registration papers which will confirm that the dog has been bred to their strict code of ethics.