If one does any amount of reading on the Dalmatian, one will encounter the terms, “Carriage Dog,” and “Coach Dog,” and the two after often used interchangeably. They are, however, different!

A Coach Dog is a working dog that has a very specific task, and that is to guard vehicles, equipment, and horses, and run with the latter. He uses his innate affinity for horses to do his job, and running with them – behind the heels of the horse, in front of the front axle or, better yet, between the horses and directly under the pole –  is, for this breed, as natural as taking in air. Historically speaking,  the only time a Coach Dog would ride on a vehicle was if s/he was hurt or stressed.

Conversely, a Carriage Dog is primarily a companion dog welcomed to ride with the driver or passengers on the vehicle. Think Budweiser Dalmatians:

Brewer, the Budweiser Clydesdale Dalmatian stands atop the Budweiser wagon as the horses prepare for their performance during the 2016 MCAS Cherry Point Air Show – “Celebrating 75 Years” at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., in 2016. Photo by Sgt. Grace L. Waladkewics

Once on the ground, a Carriage Dog can wander around a bit further than a Coach Dog can, but the dog needs to stay close proximity. Job One for a Carriage Dog is to stay with the turnout, avoid shenanigans, and stay under control.

This is not a modern invention.  In the late 19th and early 20th century,  classes for coach dogs were sometimes provided at horse shows, and they weren’t always Dalmatians, though the talented breed can do both. In 1890, Rawdon Lee wrote in his book, A History and Description of the Collie or Sheepdog in His British Varieties, “The collie is admirably adapted as a companion . . . and as such he accompanies the carriage when its owner goes out for a drive; for his fondness for horses is scarcely exceeded by that of the spotted coach dog or Dalmatian.”

These may be fighting words to a Dalmatian owner, but Edward Jesse committed a similar blaspheme when in 1859 he wrote  about the Great Danish Dog (Great Dane) in Anecdotes of Dogs: “…like the Dalmatian, he is chiefly used in this country as an attendant on carriages, to which he forms an elegant appendage.” We touched upon the Great Dane as a Carriage Dog here, but the list of breeds used to act in either capacity is longer than you’d think. 

Our source of authority for some of this information is the American Driving Society, an organization devoted to promoting the sport of driving horses and ponies to carriages, both competitively and for pleasure. It was through them that we learned that there is a Carriage Dog Class described in ADS Article 44 that has become increasingly popular at Pleasure Shows.

Image: “Dalmatian Coach Dog Guarding a Carriage,” a reproduction from a vintage publication that is available for purchase here.