What does each club give for Height at the withers in the Dalmatian?

FCI, Male: 56–62 cm; KC, Male: 58–61 cm; CKC, Male: 56–61 cm; FCI, Female: 54–60 cm; KC, Female: 56–58 cm; CKC, Female: 53.3–58.5 cm; AKC, Height at the withers: 48.3–58.4 cm; UKC, Height at the withers: 48.3–58.4 cm.

Dalmatian breed standards compared

Each column is one club's published standard. An empty cell means the club says nothing on that point in our records.

Clubs compared: FCI, AKC, UKC, KC, CKC.

Size

Size
Measure	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Height at the withers, male	56–62 cm	No ruling	No ruling	58–61 cm	56–61 cm
Height at the withers, female	54–60 cm	No ruling	No ruling	56–58 cm	53.3–58.5 cm
Height at the withers	No ruling	48.3–58.4 cmunder 48.3 cmFaultover 58.4 cmFaultover 61 cmDisqualifying	48.3–58.4 cmunder 48.3 cmFaultover 58.4 cmFaultover 61 cmDisqualifying	No ruling	No ruling
Height to length	0.9	1	0.9	No ruling	No ruling
Skull to muzzle	1	1	1	1	1

Conformation

Conformation
Form	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
BiteScissors bite	Standard (“Scissor bite, i.e. the upper 6 incisors closely overlapping the lower teeth”)	Standard (“The teeth meet in a scissors bite”)	Standard (“teeth meeting in a scissors bite”)	Standard (“perfect, regular and complete scissor bite”)	Standard (“The teeth should meet in a scissors bite”)
BiteLevel bite	Alternate (“A pincer bite is tolerated in older dogs”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
BiteOvershot	No ruling	Disqualifying (“Overshot or undershot bites are disqualifications”)	Disqualifying (“Disqualifications: Overshot or undershot bite”)	No ruling	Disqualifying (“more than 3.25 mm (0.125 in) overshot bite”)
BiteUndershot	No ruling	Disqualifying (“Overshot or undershot bites are disqualifications”)	Disqualifying (“Disqualifications: Overshot or undershot bite”)	No ruling	Disqualifying (“Undershot or more than 3.25 mm overshot bite”)
DentitionFull dentition	Standard (“A complete set of teeth (42 teeth) is desired”)	No ruling	Standard (“a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth”)	No ruling	No ruling
Ear carriageDrop (pendant)	Standard (“Head prismatic form with hanging ears”)	No ruling	Standard (“The ears are drop, of moderate size”)	No ruling	No ruling
Ear setHigh	Standard (“EARS: Set on rather high, carried close to the lateral part”)	Standard (“They are set rather high, and are carried close to the head”)	Standard (“They are set rather high, are carried close to the head”)	Standard (“Set on rather high, moderate size”)	Standard (“Should be set on rather high, of moderate size”)
Eye shapeOval	Standard (“EYES: Oval, in a sub-frontal position”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“medium size, oval in shape, bright and sparkling”)	No ruling
Eye shapeRound	No ruling	Standard (“medium sized and somewhat rounded in appearance”)	Standard (“Set moderately well apart, somewhat round, medium size”)	No ruling	Standard (“medium in size, round, bright and sparkling”)
StopModerate	Standard (“Stop: Moderately defined”)	Standard (“The stop is moderately well defined”)	Standard (“There is a moderate stop”)	Standard (“Moderate amount of stop”)	Standard (“exhibiting a moderate amount of stop”)
Muzzle shapeSnipy	No ruling	No ruling	Fault (“Fault: Snipey muzzle”)	No ruling	No ruling
Neck lengthLong	Standard (“The neck should be strong and fairly long”)	Standard (“The neck is nicely arched, fairly long”)	Standard (“The neck is fairly long, nicely arched”)	Standard (“Fairly long, nicely arched, light and tapering”)	Standard (“The neck should be fairly long, nicely arched”)
DewlapNone (clean throat)	Standard (“tapering towards the head and free from throatiness”)	Standard (“free from throatiness”)	Standard (“The neck is entirely free of throatiness”)	Standard (“Entirely free from throatiness”)	Standard (“entirely free from throatiness”)
ToplineLevel	Standard (“Back: Powerful, level”)	Standard (“The back is level and strong”)	No ruling	Standard (“Well-defined withers, powerful level back”)	Standard (“Topline should be level and may arch slightly over the loin”)
ChestDeep	Standard (“Chest: Deep and capacious”)	Standard (“The chest is deep, capacious and of moderate width”)	Standard (“the chest is deep, moderately wide, and well filled”)	Standard (“deep and capacious with plenty of lung and heart room”)	Standard (“very deep and capacious”)
ChestBarrel	Fault (“not too broad or barrel-shaped”)	Fault (“good spring of rib without being barrel shaped”)	Fault (“The ribs are well sprung without being barrel shaped”)	No ruling	Fault (“never rounded like barrel hoops”)
Tuck-upModerate	Standard (“The belly is moderately tucked up but not drawn in”)	Standard (“curves gradually into a moderate tuck-up”)	Standard (“with a moderate tuck-up”)	No ruling	No ruling
Tail setLow	No ruling	Fault (“Ring tails and low-set tails are faults”)	Fault (“Faults: Tail set well below the topline”)	No ruling	Fault (“It should not be set on too low down”)
Tail carriageSabre	Standard (“Carried sabre-shaped”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Tail carriageCurled over the back	No ruling	Fault (“carried with a slight upward curve but should never curl over the back”)	Fault (“carried with a slight upward curve but should never curl over the back”)	Fault (“carried with a slight upward curve, never curled”)	Fault (“carried with a slight upward curve but never curled”)
Tail carriageRing	No ruling	Fault (“Ring tails and low-set tails are faults”)	Fault (“Faults: ... ring tail; vertical tail”)	No ruling	No ruling
FeetCat foot	Standard (“so called cat feet are typical”)	Standard (“feet are round and compact with thick, elastic pads”)	Standard (“The feet are round and compact with well-arched toes”)	Standard (“Round, compact, with well-arched toes, cat-like”)	No ruling
HocksWell let down	No ruling	Standard (“The hocks are well let down”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Hocks should be well let down”)
HocksCow-hocked	No ruling	Fault (“Cowhocks are a major fault”)	Fault (“Serious Fault: Cow hocks”)	No ruling	Fault (“FAULTS: Cowhocks”)

Markings

Markings
Marking	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Patch	Disqualifying (“Monocle (patching around one or both eyes) or patching elsewhere”)	Disqualifying (“Patches are a disqualification.”)	Fault (“Patches are a serious fault”)	Alternate (“Some patching on ears or head not to be penalised.”)	No ruling

Cropping, docking and other procedures

Cropping, docking and other procedures
Procedure	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Tail docking	No ruling	Not recognised (“It is never docked”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Dewclaw removal	No ruling	Alternate (“Dewclaws may be removed”)	Alternate (“Dewclaws may be removed”)	No ruling	No ruling

The law on these procedures differs by country. A listing here says nothing about whether one is legal where you live.

Dalmatian colors and patterns

What each club's breed standard says about every Dalmatian color and pattern. Point at a ruling to see the club's own wording.

Breed standards describe the Dalmatian in Black, White and Liver. Standard patterns: Piebald and Spotted.

Coat: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“Black spotted variety with black spots”)	Standard (“White & Black”)	Standard (“In black-spotted dogs, the spots are dense black”)	Standard (“Black spotted having dense black spots”)	Standard (“Black-spotted dogs having dense black spots”)
White	Standard (“The ground colour is pure white”)	Standard (“White & Black”)	Standard (“The ground color is pure white”)	Standard (“Ground colour pure white”)	Standard (“Ground colour pure white”)
Liver	Standard (“liver spotted variety with brown spots”)	Standard (“White & Liver Brown”)	Standard (“In liver-spotted dogs, the spots are liver brown”)	Standard (“liver spotted, liver brown spots”)	Standard (“liver-spotted dogs, liver brown spots”)
Albino	Not recognised	Disqualifying	Disqualifying (“Albinism”)	Not recognised	Not recognised
Blue	Disqualifying (“blue spots”)	Disqualifying	Disqualifying	Not recognised	Not recognised
Tan	Not recognised	Disqualifying (“White Black & Tan”)	Disqualifying (“Tri-color”)	Not recognised (“Tricolours and spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)	Not recognised (“Tricolours and spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)
Orange	Disqualifying (“orange coloured spots”)	Disqualifying (“White & Orange”)	Disqualifying (“Any color markings other than black or liver”)	Not recognised (“White with Orange Spots”)	Not recognised (“spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)
Lemon	Disqualifying (“lemon coloured spots”)	Disqualifying (“White & Lemon”)	Disqualifying (“Lemon-colored spots”)	Not recognised (“White with Lemon Spots”)	Not recognised (“spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)
Patterns
Piebald	Disqualifying (“Monocle (patching around one or both eyes) or patching elsewhere”)	Disqualifying (“Patches are a disqualification”)	Standard (“Some limited patching around the eyes (monocle) and on or around ears is acceptable but not preferred”)	Standard (“Some patching on ears or head not to be penalised”)	Standard (“Some patching on ears or head not to be penalised”)
Spotted	Standard (“distinctively spotted”)	Standard (“a distinctively spotted dog”)	Standard (“a distinctively spotted short coat”)	Standard (“A distinctively spotted dog”)	Standard (“A distinctively spotted dog”)
Solid	Disqualifying (“pure white colour without spots”)	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognised	Not recognised
Tricolour	Disqualifying (“Tricolour (black and brown spots on the same dog)”)	Disqualifying (“Tri-color”)	Disqualifying (“Tri-color”)	Not recognised (“Tricolours and spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)	Not recognised (“Tricolours and spotting other than black or liver unacceptable”)
Brindle	Disqualifying (“brindle coloured spots”)	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognised	Not recognised
Tan point	No ruling	Disqualifying (“tan markings found on the head, neck, chest, leg or tail”)	No ruling	Not recognised	Not recognised
Reverse brindle	Disqualifying (“brindle coloured spots”)	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognised	Not recognised

Eyes: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Blue	Disqualifying (“blue eyes”)	Standard (“Eye color is brown or blue, or any combination thereof”)	Disqualifying (“Blue eyes”)	No ruling	No ruling
Brown	No ruling	Standard (“Eye color is brown or blue, or any combination thereof”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Dark brown	No ruling	Standard (“the darker the better”)	Standard (“dark brown in black spotted”)	Standard (“dark brown in black spotted”)	Standard (“dark brown in black-spotted”)
Light brown	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“light brown to amber in liver spotted dogs”)	No ruling	No ruling
Amber	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“light brown to amber in liver spotted dogs”)	Standard (“amber in liver spotted”)	Standard (“amber in liver-spotted”)
Patterns
Odd-eyed	Disqualifying (“eyes of different colours (heterochromia)”)	Standard (“Eye color is brown or blue, or any combination thereof”)	Disqualifying (“Eyes of two different colors”)	No ruling	No ruling
Sectoral	Disqualifying (“partially blue coloured iris”)	Standard (“Eye color is brown or blue, or any combination thereof”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling

Nose: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“The colour must be in accordance to the colour of the spotting”)	Standard (“black in black-spotted dogs”)	Standard (“black in black-spotted dogs”)	Standard (“Nose in black-spotted variety always black”)	Standard (“Nose in black-spotted variety always black”)
Liver	Standard (“The colour must be in accordance to the colour of the spotting”)	Standard (“brown in liver-spotted dogs”)	Standard (“brown in liver-spotted dogs”)	Standard (“in liver variety always brown”)	Standard (“in liver variety always brown”)
Pink	Disqualifying (“Lack of nose pigment”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Patterns
Butterfly nose	No ruling	Fault (“Incomplete nose pigmentation is a major fault”)	Fault (“Incomplete nose pigmentation”)	No ruling	No ruling

What the rulings mean

Standard: Described by the club's breed standard.
Fault: Named by the club's breed standard as a fault: the animal can be shown but is penalised.
Disqualifying: The club's breed standard disqualifies an animal of this colour or pattern.
Not recognised: The club does not accept this colour or pattern for the breed.

Color changes

How a Dalmatian's colors can change over its life.

Blackchanges toRust
Coat · With body condition · can change back
Blackchanges toGrey
Coat · Progressive
Blackchanges toBrown
Coat · In the sun · can change back
Blackchanges toBrown
Coat · In the sun · can change back
Whitechanges toRoan
Coat · With age · from 2 weeks
Whitechanges toSpotted
Coat · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toDark brown
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toBrown
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toLight brown
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toAmber
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toHazel
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Bluechanges toYellow
Eyes · With age · from 2 weeks
Blackchanges toSnow nose
Nose · With the season · can change back
Blackchanges toPink
Nose · With the season · can change back

Sources

Each ruling comes from the club's published breed standard or color list.

Published standards

Back to the Dalmatian guide Grooming styles for the Dalmatian