Goldmation Dog Breed

The Golden Retriever-Dalmatian mix, as a crossbreed, is not an official member of any breed group. Neither does any info exist about these hybrids' specific origin; while a Golden Retriever mix with Dalmatian may have existed naturally for a long time, no breeder or breed club has claimed its creation. The Dalmatian-Golden Retriever mix likely gained popularity during the designer dog "explosion" in North America in the late 20th century. Whatever the case, these friendly, intelligent, energetic dogs make excellent pets for active families of any size.

A few Goldmation facts: they're medium- to large-sized, averaging 22 inches at the shoulders in height and 60 pounds in weight; they have short to medium-length coats that shed regularly (and often heavily during the spring and fall shedding seasons); and they're very energetic and will need a lot of exercise.

Some advantages and drawbacks to owning a Goldmation:

The Goldmation is the offspring of two breeds that are similar in a lot of ways: both the Golden Retriever and the Dalmatian are active, enthusiastic, and personable--so you can expect your Goldmation hybrid to share those qualities too. Physically, these dogs are on the larger side of medium: height at the shoulders is 20-24 inches, and weight is 50-70 pounds. Their coats can be short or medium in length--and they'll shed quite a bit.

In terms of personality, a Goldmation is friendly, smart, and loyal. These hybrids will be very loving with their human family members, and they make great playmates for kids; they normally socialize well with other household pets as well. They're also very intelligent and respond well to training, so they can learn commands or tasks without too many repetitions--though they can sometimes be a bit stubborn like their Dalmatian parent and may need a little extra training. Goldmations can be pretty good watchdogs too, and are likely to sound a vocal alarm if they see or hear anything unusual (especially if they inherit the Dalmatian's frequent barking tendencies).

Perhaps the most important bit of Goldmation information is that these hybrids will need constant exercise, be it walks or jogs, fetch, or even canine sports competitions. These hybrids' high energy levels mean they don't do well in apartments; they're much better suited to homes with large, fenced yards.

The Goldmation, due to hybrid vigor (in which a crossbred dog inherits the healthiest traits of its parent breeds), is very healthy. Even so, these dogs can suffer ailments common to the parent breeds including hip and/or elbow dysplasia, assorted eye problems like cataracts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), and, in larger, deeper-chested Goldmations, gastric torsion (commonly called bloat). The Dalmatian is more likely than other breeds to carry a genetic predisposition to deafness, too, which could possibly be passed on to a Goldmation puppy. Potential owners are advised to ask breeders for health screenings for the dog and/or its parents, or they can have their own veterinarians do the screenings.

Life expectancy for the Goldmation is 12-14 years.