Have you ever wondered if Dalmatians have webbed feet? Since many friends asked me about that, I decided to some research on it. Here is what I found.
Do dalmatians have webbed feet? Yes, Purebred Dalmatians have webbed feet up to some degree as a genetic feature. It helps them to run, walk, swim, dig, and to maintain stability. Especially It extremely beneficial during the winter.
Since Dalmatians have loads of benefits from webbed feet, being aware of that is crucial for a responsible owner.
Dalmatians’ webbed feet are extremely beneficial for walking.
I have visited about 14 Dalmatians so far. So I have found so many important information about them.
When we get into the original purpose of this dog, they often used as watch dogs and hunting dogs.
So often they have to go to the wild with their owners for hunting purposes.
About 5 Dalmatians (I have visited ) are serving as hunting dogs. The owners said that they are excellent hunters.
When walking or running over different kinds of surfaces
Like other dogs, Dalmatians have to walk over different kinds of surfaces in day to day life.
Often these dogs have to pass muddy or slippery areas as they hunting in woods or during exercising or playing simply in the backyard.
So the webbed feet are much helpful for dalmatians to go over those surfaces without falling or sinking.
How? In these cases, their paw pads become wider by widening the toes apart. Since they have webbing between the toes, they can maintain stability in such situations.
In fact, it acts as a firm grip and gives them good confidence to navigate.
Dalmatians’ webbed feet are extremely beneficial during the winter.
Oh, I know. Now you are like, “what does it mean?”. Well, let me ask a simple question first.
Can you walk through snow without wearing snow boots? It’s not about the cold, right.
Probably you will sink into too much deep unless you have snow boots. The same theory applies to dogs.
Unless Dalmatians have webbed feet, they cannot walk through snow without sinking.
How? It’s exactly the same as we discussed above.
But I want to tell you something so important.
Assume you are going out with your Dalmatians during the winter. Don’t forget to clean their paws once you return home.
Why? There might have stuck snow inside their webbing. Trust me, it’s excruciating for them.
How to avoid that? Well, they can get rid of that problem by using Dog snow boots. In fact, it will be so comfortable for them.
Dalmatians’ webbed feet are much helpful for swimming.
Are dalmatians make excellent swimmers? Yes, they do. Since dalmatians have excellent body structure with long legs and webbed feet, they can swim like pro swimmers.
In fact, these dogs love to play with water for long hours.
But when we compare this ability with water breeds, actually it’s quite a bit worst. Anyway, they are excellent swimmers.
Actually, their feet are just like Oars and help them to navigate easily through the water.
But there is a small thing I really wanna point out. Many dalmatians are living in apartments. So most dogs don’t know how to swim, or they have never experienced it.
But the problem is every dog has to swim at some point in their life. So it is crucial to train them to swim at an early age.
But if you have a mature one, don’t worry. They also can learn to swim. Because we know that dogs are natural swimmers.
As my experiences go, Dalmatians can start training sessions once they turned at least 12 weeks.
But they have one major barrier to overcome. Many dogs have a fear of water. So it is difficult to get them involved in swimming.
But there is one handy trick that I personally love, which you can use to overcome it.
How can they overcome the fear of water?
I have done this so many times. Set aside a day for a long walk or hike.
Then you have to find a shallow water body that isn’t depth more than one-third of your Dalmatian.
Next, you cross the water body and call him well from the other side of the water body.
He will probably find a suitable path to reach you.
So do this until you feel that the problem has been overcome successfully!
But how to train your Dalmatian to swim?
Well, finally the time has come. It will be straightforward if you have a swimming pool.
But if you don’t have a swimming pool, don’t mind. You can use a lake or whatever the place you used to swim.
So take him with you each time you go swimming. But don’t throw him out into the water.
If you suddenly put him in the water, the fear of water will appears again. Because they can be confused.
So take him into the water gently and slowly. Let him feel the water. In fact, give him a nice weight upwards through his belly.
It will make a high confidence level in their mind. Often, in this situation, the dalmatians may start to paddle using their webbed feet.
Don’t forget to help them to keep his head above the water level.
Remember that you need to be with him throughout the training session.
Pro tip 1: Put him a Dog life jacket. It will make them easy to learn movements at the beginning.
Pro tip 2: You can speed up the process by using plenty of puppy treats.
Dalmatians’ webbed feet are much helpful for digging.
If I honestly say, this is not a huge advantage for them. But this trait has been with dogs since ancient times.
Actually, this is a kind of satisfying behavior for them. If you have a backyard and a dog, you know what I mean.
In my case, Bella tends to dig throughout the backyard. Often they used to dig the coldest places in the ground.
Then they love to lay on it for long hours.
This behavior is most likely to increase as summer approaches. Because lying on the cold ground can make them so comfortable feeling.
But unless Dalmatians have webbed feet, they cannot dig this kind of holes.
What if your dalmatians don’t have webbed feet.
If your dalmatians don’t have webbed toes, don’t worry. Because they have lived so far. So, probably they have to get used to it. But in some cases, you need to worry about it.
If you keep them as a hunting dog, they really need webbed feet.
The reasons for that I have discussed above. Because if they don’t have webbed feet, hunting can be a little bit difficult work for them.
So if you hope to buy new dalmatians for hunting purposes, make sure to check whether they have webbed feet or not.
On the other hand, if you keep them just as only house pets, you no need to worry about their feet too much. All he wanna do is give a little protection and be a domestic pet.
But if you still worrying about his feet, go meet a vet and check whether everything okay.
But then my opinion is if they are purebred dalmatians, they should have webbed paws. Today most people tend to bread dog Irresponsibly. As a result, breeds become mutations.
So, if you are hope to buy new dalmatians, make sure to find pure bread dogs.
How to find purebred dalmatians?
Well, if you are willing to buy a new dalmatian, there are several things you should consider before him. Checking just the webbed feet is not enough to identify purebred dalmatians.
|Male weight||33-71 lbs|
|Female weight||35-53 lbs|
|Male height||23-24 inches|
|Female height||22-23 inches|
|Coat color||black and white|
|Feet||dalmatians have webbed feet|
|Coat nature||short, silky, and smooth.|
|Toenail color||black, white|
|Eyes color||brown or blue or both|
|Nose color||dark brown, black, blue, grey|
First of all, you can consider their coat. They have unique markings which are round black or reddish-brown spots. Usually, these spots spread across the entire body.
You can see small spots in their legs, head, and tail. Typically, these dogs are entirely white until they get two weeks old.
When we consider their chest, it is deep. They mainly have a thin tail.
Next, you can examine their feet. Purebred dalmatians have webbed feet, and their feet are round. Toes have arched.
Next, consider their head. If you look carefully you will see dalmation’s head is somewhat flat, and the width and length are equal.
Little Bit more about Dalmatians.
Dalmatians’ name comes from their native region Dalmatia. Although their exact origin is a mystery. The first representations of dalmatians are not from the 17th century.
They appeared in church frescoes and paintings across Croatia. Including the region that gave their name Dalmatia.
Dalmatians have played different roles in history. From assisting hunters in protecting carriages for the English higher classes. So as you understood, these dogs can serve as a good hunting dog.
Most people love to have dalmatians. So, they tend to find a lot of information through the internet. So, it’s fair to have a problem like “Do dalmatians have webbed feet?”. I have discussed everything through this article. You can see a quick overview below.
- Dalmatians’ webbed paws are extremely beneficial for walking.
- Dalmatians’ webbed feet are much helpful for swimming.
- Webbed toes help much for digging.
- What if your dalmatian doesn’t have webbed feet.
- How to find purebred dalmatians?
Why do you like dalmatians? Tell us the reason in the comment section.
LOVE YOUR DOG, HE WILL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEART!