A Dalmatian s coat is short but dense. It should be neither wooly or silky but sleek and glossy with an overall healthy appearance. The base or background color of the Dalmatian s coat is pure white. The spots should be round and well defined, well distributed over the entire dog with a preference for not intermingling. The spots on head and legs are usually smaller than on the body.
Patches are a disqualification.
They are considered a solid mass of black or liver color without any white. Unlike spots, patches are usually present at birth. Although rare, a dog is occasionally tri colored. In these specimens, tan markings can appear on the head, neck, chest, legs or tails. This is an automatic disqualification.