Famous for more than just being the only spotted breed of dog, Dalmatians are easily distinguishable by their white coats with black speckles. These dogs, who originally hail from Yugoslavia, don't start life with their distinctive spots. When they are born, their coats are pure white, without a single black spot in sight.
Showing Spots
Dalmatians are born all-white, but that doesn't mean they don't have spots -- you just can't see them yet. These dogs are born with skin pigmentation spots; they're just obscured by their white fur. As they grow, the pigmentation shows in the fur. When your Dalmatian is about 2 weeks old, spots will start to show in his coat. From that point on, any hair that grows over a spot of pigmented skin will be dark-colored. Ultimately the spots won't have any stray white hairs mixed in with them.
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Writer Bio
Tom Ryan is a freelance writer, editor and English tutor. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English writing, and has also worked as an arts and entertainment reporter with "The Pitt News" and a public relations and advertising copywriter with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.