Dog breed guide
Dalmatian
An outgoing, friendly carriage dog with a short, hard, dense and glossy spotted coat that is low maintenance. Dogs NSW calls it a running dog needing daily exercise, gentle but boisterous with children, and best in a house with a garden.
Also searched as Carriage Dog, English Coach Dog, Plum Pudding Dog.
Dalmatian at a glance
- Adult weight, male
- 25 to 32 kg
- Adult weight, female
- 18 to 25 kg
- Size
- Large, 25 to 40 kg
- Height
- 56 to 61 cm
- Coat
- short, hard, dense, sleek and glossy
Ratings
Petboost editorial ratings from 1 to 5, drawn from the breed standard text under Sources. A breed with no basis in the sources for a rating shows none.
- Grooming effort
- Energy
- Good with children
- Suits an apartment
5 means it needs the most grooming
5 means it needs a lot of exercise
5 means it suits a family best
5 means it copes best in a small home
Next steps
- Find a local groomer or daycarePet businesses near you that take bookings online.
- Check a Dalmatian puppy's weightWhere a puppy sits against the breed's adult range.
- Dog age in human yearsFrom a formula, not the seven-to-one rule.
Sources
- Petboost breed reference data, adult weight ranges (breed list snapshot).
- Royal Kennel Club, Dalmatian breed standard, https://www.royalkennelclub.com/breed-standards/utility/dalmatian/, read 2026-10-05
- Dogs NSW, Dalmatian, https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/breeds/browse-all-breeds/dalmatian/, read 2026-10-05
General information about the breed, not veterinary advice. Speak with your vet about your own pet.