How much do Dalmatian puppies cost? A Step-by-Step Guide

Where You Get Your Puppy Affects the Price?

You may buy a Dalmatian puppy from backyard breeders or puppy mills that advertise on Craigslist and Facebook. However, they are less expensive because they do not come with the same amount of socialization and care that breeders give to their puppies.

Adopting a dog from an animal shelter is another option. However, this is mainly dependent on chance. Dalmatians are not popular at animal shelters, even though they may be somewhat common.

In addition, it’s difficult to find purebred puppies in shelters.

Dalmatian Medications and Vet Visits

Your vet costs will depend on many factors. The vaccinations that your dog requires, their health, and their overall size all affect vet costs. These expenses can also vary widely between locations. Some people may pay $100 for medication in one area, while others will pay $400 in another.

Puppies usually have higher vet costs. They need to take more trips to the vet and need vaccinations. You can expect to take your puppy to the vet three different times in the first year unless you adopt from a breeder who already took care of some of the puppy’s vet needs.

Pet insurance is highly recommended for Dalmatians. This insurance will help cover any sudden vet costs. Dalmatians are prone to quite a few conditions that are extremely expensive. For instance, allergies can cost up to $2,000 a year if your dog needs medication and regular treatment. Bladder stones can cost up to $1,500 if your dog needs surgery.

Pet insurance varies depending on what you purchase. Some are extremely inexpensive but only cover accidents. Those with more coverage and lower deductibles will have higher costs. In the end, it mostly depends on what you want to be covered. We do recommend choosing something that includes coverage for at least these common health conditions.

Dalmatians are working dogs, which means they are quite active. This breed will need walks multiple times a day, which can be a bit much for some dog owners to handle.

If you find yourself unable to walk your dog regularly, you will need to hire a dog walker. Many people hire this service while they are at work and are otherwise unable to take care of their dog’s needs. If you work long hours and your dog doesn’t have outside access while you are gone, a dog walker may be practically essential.

Dog walkers are quite expensive, though. This service can easily cost you $400 a month if you need a dog walker five days a week.

Dog Walker

$0-$400/month

Dalmatians are extremely active and playful. This breed will require regular exercise, which often includes plenty of playtime. Like most working dogs, the Dalmatians will love toys and can go through them quickly. They don’t have quite as strong of a bite as some other canines, but they can still destroy toys if left to their own devices.

You should plan on replacing Dalmatian’s toys regularly. Puppies will often play with their toys more than adults, but they will often need smaller (and cheaper) toys. Due to their larger size, adults will need more expensive toys. No matter how old your Dalmatian is, you should expect to buy durable toys. These are often more expensive, and you can expect to pay about $65 a month. This is assuming that you’re purchasing toys that are big enough for your Dalmatian and strong enough to last through tough play.

Factors Affecting the Cost of a Dalmatian Puppy

Dalmatians are considered pricey compared to other dog breeds. It is affected by a handful of factors such as heritage, age, appearance, and breeder’s reputation, among others.

Because of these factors, the market price for these puppies often fluctuates.

To find out what goes into the price of Dalmatian puppies, refer to the list of factors below:

Pedigree: The lineage of a Dalmatian puppy significantly affects its price. If it comes from a bloodline of champion dogs, you can expect a higher price tag. However, this ensures that your dog only inherits the best traits of its parents.

Age: In general, a Dalmatian puppy is much more expensive than an adult Dalmatian. Purchasing a retired dog is even more affordable. However, this will rob you of the opportunity to raise an adorable little pup.

Breeder’s Reputation: Getting a Dalmatian from a qualified breeder is expected to be more costly than buying from backyard breeders or puppy mills. Such breeders have years of training and experience in breeding dogs. They are also certified by major kennel clubs.

Color and Appearance: Besides their distinguished white coat with black spots, Dalmatians can also have liver spots. This rarer variation is typically pricier since it’s more uncommon. You can learn about other non-standard colors from our article about Dalmatian colors. Similarly, you can read about the rare long-haired Dalmatians since they are also quite expensive.

Health Guarantees: Most Dalmatian breeders also provide a health guarantee for their customers. If the Dalmatian puppy develops any congenital disease or condition within a year of purchase, the dog owner can return the pup and get a new one for free. Puppies with health guarantees usually are more expensive.

Kennel Club Registration: As a purebred dog, a Dalmatian can be registered to kennel clubs such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the United Kennel Club (UKC). Dalmatian breeders typically include the price of kennel club registration to the final price of the puppy.

Training Received: To easily adjust to a home setting, breeders provide basic obedience and socialization training to their puppies before adoption. You would usually spend more for Dalmatian puppies that come properly socialized, potty, and crate-trained.

The average price of a Dalmatian is also affected by minor factors such as shipping and the breeder’s location. That’s why it’s more practical to find a breeder near your area to avoid additional costs.

How Much Do Dalmatian Puppies Actually Cost?

You may be asking yourself: Whats the Dalmatian price and more importantly the lifetime costs of owning one? You’ve wanted a Dalmatian ever since you were a kid and you saw them riding on the backs of firetrucks in your picture books.

So, how much would it take to get one of these adorable doggos into your life?

Before you reach into your pockets, you should look into this breed’s temperament. For one thing, they’re not the kind of family dogs many people believe them to be.

You don’t want to spend the money on a dog, only to find out you need to surrender him because he’s not what you want.

Not only is this a waste of money for you, but it’s also not fair to the dog, nor to you and your family.

On that note, let’s take a deeper look into the Dalmatian temperament to see if he’s really the kind of dog you want.

The Dalmatian is one active dog who needs lots of exercise. Therefore, if you have the kind of lifestyle where you’d rather relax with your dog on the couch, perhaps you should look elsewhere.

While he’s good with kids, the Dalmatian is the kind of dog who doesn’t look where he’s going and can easily bowl them over.

You, therefore, must supervise your Dalmatian to ensure he’s not getting too boisterous when he’s around small children.

Here’s something cute about the Dalmatian: have you ever had or known a dog who could smile? The Dalmatian is one of those dogs.

That’s right – he bares his teeth in a non-threatening way to let you know he’s happy you’ve come back home.