Spotted Dog Breeds

Depending on the breed a dog’s coat may come in many different patterns. Yet there is always something special however about a coat with spots. So here are some of the top spotted dog breeds you’ll want to learn more about.

Bluetick Coonhound

The Bluetick Coonhound is a hunting dog breed. It was created by crossing several different hound varieties in order to develop a dog that was specialized for hunting raccoons. Its medium-length coat is white with black ticking or markings.

The black ticking on the white background of its coat gives the appearance of it being blue. The Bluetick Coonhound’s head and ears however are generally black in color. This spotted dog breed is officially the state dog of Tennessee.

Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel is a bird-hunting dog that was created in the UK. It has long ears covered in hair and a highly attractive coat. The Cocker Spaniel coat is silky in texture, comes in several colors, and sometimes has spots. There are two slightly different varieties, the American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel.

English Springer Spaniel

The English Springer Spaniel is a hunting dog that was developed in England to flush game birds out of hiding and into the air. It is a compact and strong dog. The coat is medium in length and either white and liver, white and black, or tri-color. The white markings on this breed often include spots or ticking. The English Springer Spaniel is very closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel.

Dalmatian

The Dalmatian was developed to guard both carriages and the horses that pulled them. It is sleek, muscular, and intelligent. The breed has a glossy, short, and dense coat. And Dalmatian spots are either black or liver in color. A fact many people don’t know about this polka dot dog breed is that the puppies are actually born totally white in color. Those recognizable spots develop with age.

Pointer

The Pointer is a special type of hunting dog. This breed was developed in England to indicate the presence of game. It does this by pointing its body in the direction of the animal. This high-energy breed is also known as the English Pointer. The Pointer’s coat is short and fine. It comes in a handful of colors that may be solid, have patterns, or spots.

Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog is also sometimes called the Blue Heeler. It was created in Australia for the purpose of herding cattle. This is a solid and muscular dog. And because it is a working breed it does best when it has a job to do. It has a short, hard, and straight coat that is either blue or red speckle.

German Short-haired Pointer

Like its name suggests the German Short-haired Pointer is a hunting dog that was developed in Germany. It is medium to large in size and stately in appearance. This breed is used for both pointing as well as tracking a variety of different game animals. Its coat is short, thick, and rough to the touch.

The coat may be solid liver in color or have liver and white spots, ticking, or specks. However, the head of the German Short-haired Pointer is almost always solid in color.

Australian Shepherd

Different from many other spotted dog breeds, the Australian Shepherd has its roots in several countries. Its descendants were from Europe but the breed was improved in Australia, and then improved upon further still in the United States. The Australian Shepherd is a medium-sized and versatile herding dog.

The breed’s coat comes in four colors: red merle, blue merle, red, or black. Its coat is medium in length and both thick and smooth. The Australian Shepherd’s coat is considered to be one of the most unique of all breeds since it is often so multi-colored and includes such striking markings.

Brittany Spaniel

The Brittany Spaniel is a highly versatile bird hunting dog from France. It is elegant in appearance and is full of energy. Its coat is thick and flat. It is well-known for its visually appealing coat which comes in patterns of white and liver or white and orange with spots or ticking.

Braque Francais

In English, this breed is known as the French Pointing Dog. It is a rustic hunting dog from the south of France. The Braque Francais actually comes in two types. The Pyrenean type is known for being smaller and faster while the Gascogne type is larger in size and a bit slower. While it is a pointer, this breed can also flush, retrieve and track game as well.

Braque d’Auvergne

Although it is a white dog with black spots and mottling that may appear blue in color, this breed’s ears and head should always be solid black. It originated in the Auvergne province of France and is also known as the Auvergne Pointer or Bleu d’Auvergne. This is a highly adaptable hunting dog that can work in a variety of different terrains.

Large Munsterlander

One of the large spotted dog breeds, the Large Munsterlander or Grosser Munsterlander is a bird dog that can also be used to track a variety of game including large game animals. Unlike many other hunting breeds, it is not an independent thinker and is always responsive to its handler.

The breed has a mainly black head although the coat color and markings can vary since the breed is meant for working and not the show ring. It was developed in the region of Munster Germany, yet despite having a similar name and being from the same area as the Small Munsterlander, the two breeds are not related.

Small Munsterlander

The Small Munsterlander or Kleiner Munsterlander looks similar in appearance to both spaniels and setters. This breed is an intelligent and driven hunter, therefore when kept as a pet it needs both exercise and mental stimulation. Because of the careful efforts and strict standards of responsible breeders, the Small Munsterlander is an exceptionally healthy dog breed.

Great Dane

Despite its name this breed is not from Denmark, in fact, it was developed in Germany as a boar hunting dog. This is truly a giant dog breed that comes in several coat colors and patterns. The black and white pattern known as harlequin is one of the most stunning.

A harlequin Great Dane has a pure white coat with irregular and torn-looking patches and spots. It’s often compared to looking like a dairy cow, not just because of the similar colors but the fact that they look similar in size as well.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

Also known as the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, this spotted dog is the official state dog of Louisiana. It is a working dog that can hunt, herd, and guard. And it is believed to have been developed using the red wolf, Beauceron, Greyhound, along with mastiffs brought over by Spanish explorers, and Native American dogs.

While some Catahoulas have a spotted leopard-like coat they may also have solid-colored coats as well. Adding to the appearance of this rare breed, its eyes too maybe be a variety of colors or even be spotted themselves. The lightest and perhaps most sought-after eye color is referred to as “glass”.

Treeing Walker Coonhound

This is a breed that was created to track and tree raccoons. And it will actually climb trees in pursuit of its prey. The Treeing Walker Coonhound is well-known for being energetic but also for having excellent endurance. This American breed often has a tricolored coat consisting of white black and tan but may also be a spotted dog as well.

Chinese Crested Dog

The Chinese Crested Dog is one of the dog breeds with spotted skin. However, that’s not what makes it unique. What does is the fact that it doesn’t have a coat to cover up those spots. In fact, it is considered a hairless breed as it only has hair on the top of its head and tip of its tail. For this reason, it shouldn’t be kept by those who live in cold climates.

American English Coonhound

This spotted coonhound gets its name from the fact that it is was developed in America but using the English Foxhound along with several other types of dogs. It is also sometimes called the Redtick Coonhound because of the red spots or ticking it often has on its coat.

This breed was used to help create most of the other American Coonhounds. Because it typically hunts in packs the American English Coonhound generally gets along well with other dogs.

Bracco Italiano

Considered to be the oldest pointing breed in all of Europe, the Braco Italiano is an ancient breed. It originated in Northern Italy and is also known as the Italian Pointer. In the past the Bracco Italiano was used to drive birds into nets, however, its job changed to both finding and retrieving game when the firearm was invented.

While this spotted pointer dog is tough and versatile in the field it is also known for being calm and gentle when at home with the family.

Border Collie

Even though it’s best known for having a solid black and white coat, this herding dog comes in just about all coat colors and patterns. And yes, that means with spots too. The Border Collie is a highly intelligent canine that thrives when it has a job to do. Because it is a true working breed it isn’t suitable for every owner, as it needs a lot of mental stimulation and physical activity to keep it happy.

English Setter

The English Setter is a breed developed in England that was created to alert hunters to game. It does this by taking a half-sitting position. This medium-sized dog is slender yet powerful in appearance. And its coat is silky and flat with long fringes on its legs and neck.

The base color of the coat is white. However, it has spots or flecks of color all over. Unlike other spotted dog breeds, these markings have their own specific name to describe them. They are called, “belton” and are used only when speaking of the English Setter’s coat. Coat colors for this breed include liver belton, lemon belton, blue belton, orange belton, and tri-color belton.

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