Posts tagged "dalmatian"

Our apartment is not getting any bigger, but Pippi is. Anna and I are wondering: How big will our puppy get?

I was recently out of town for a few weeks, doing research for a book I'm writing, and when I returned she looked bigger. It was not my imagination. When we adopted her in December she was about six months old and weighed 30 to 35 pounds. Now she's closer to 40. Of course, many dogs don't stop growing until they are two years old.

As previously discussed, Pippi seems to be either a Dalmatian, German Shorthaired Pointer, or both (we're going to send away for the doggie DNA test soon). Her paws were (and are) too big for her body in that classic clumsy cute puppy way, but I've heard from numerous sources that it's not a good idea to guess a dog's full-grown size based on the size of her paws. (This can be deceptive.)

I've read that a good rule of thumb for small and medium-sized dogs is to take her weight at four months and double it. From talking with Pippi's foster dad, it's safe to assume she weighed about 25 pounds at four months. That would predict a full-grown size of 50 pounds, which would put her in the range of dogchannel.com's estimations; they say a full-grown Dalmatian can weigh between 40-65 pounds, and that a female German Shorthaired Pointer usually weighs 45-60 pounds as an adult.

Do these seem like good guesses? Have your rescue puppies ever turned out to be much bigger (or much smaller) than you expected?

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With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's round-up features the delightful Dalmatian!

Unless you're Cruella de Vil, you are guaranteed to love the new "101 Dalmatians" musical -- especially since all of the animal actors are shelter rescues.

"The script for the musical is based on the original 1956 book by Dodie Smith in which the story is told from the dogs' perspectives," the show's producer, Lee Marshall, tells Paw Nation. "Nothing in the musical is related to any of the motion pictures," he says, referring to the 1961 animated Walt Disney movie and the 1996 live-action film starring Glenn Close.

To illustrate the world as the dogs see it, all the human actors will be on 15-inch stilts surrounded by an extra-tall set scaled to show a dog's eye view of the world. The lead dog roles of Pongo and Missus Perdita -- whose Dalmatian puppies are stolen by the evil Cruella de Vil -- will be played by human actors dressed in fashionably spotted suits, and child actors will play the puppies.

But Marshall sprinkles each performance with real Dalmatians. Fifteen fortunate pups bound on the stage at the end of Act 1 and during the show's finale, performing choreographed movements set to music written by Dennis DeYoung, founding member of the legendary band Styx.

Source

A member of the Non-Sporting Group, the Dalmatian is the 74th most popular breed in the United States, according to 2008 American Kennel Club® registration statistics. As dogdom's only spotted breed, the Dalmatian's short white coat, dotted with hundreds of black or liver (brown) spots, stands out in a crowd. When the Dalmatian is not being chased down by Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians, he stars in Budweiser television commercials and serves as a mascot for many local firehouses.

A Look Back
Spotted dogs have appeared throughout history in Europe, Asia, and Africa, credited with a dozen nationalities and as many native names. The Dalmatian is believed to have developed over centuries by nomads wandering through Europe. The breed was named after an area in the former Yugoslavia called Dalmatia. The dog we know today as the Dalmatian has been a dog of war, a draft dog, shepherd, ratter, fire-apparatus follower, firehouse mascot, bird dog, trail hound and retriever.

Did You Know...
The Dalmatian's spots range from as small as a dime to as large as a half-dollar. Puppies are born white and develop their spots two to six weeks after birth. The Dalmatian is also the original and only coaching dog. When people used to travel by horse-drawn carriage, drivers would keep "Dals" alongside their coaches. If any loose farm animals wandered onto the road, the Dal would herd them out of the way. He also served as a companion to the horses and guarded the carriage when the coachman stopped for a rest or a meal. Today, this instinct is tested in "road trials," where the dogs must accompany horses over a certain distance and perform obedience exercises as directed by its rider.

Is a Dalmatian the right breed for your family?
The fun-loving, people-oriented Dalmatian thrives in a family environment. The breed is polite around strangers, but does possess some guarding instincts due to his history as a coaching dog. Very high-energy, Dals require daily exercise on leash or within a fenced area. The breed is great for runners, but owners should hold off on long jogs until their dog finishes growing at around the age of two. The breed's short coat sheds almost year round, but regular brushing helps minimize the shedding.

Thinking about buying a Dalmatian?
Additional information for those considering a Dalmatian – including things to know before you get a dog, tips on how to find a breeder near you, or a list of training clubs in your local area – can be found on the American Kennel Club Web site. Meet the Dalmatian and 160 other AKC breeds at Meet the Breeds.

© The American Kennel Club, Inc.

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