Thinking of getting a Dalmatian

LucyAmelia

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Hi,
I have been thinking of getting a dalmatian puppy and would like to know if any of you guys have a dalmatian and what they are like to train etc. Just curious really. If anyone has any pics of theirs would be nice to see :)
 
I have no idea how to add a photo from my iPad but my dalmatian was the best dog ever to walk the earth! Fact.

I bought two boys from the same litter, ignored all the advice. Having never ever given up an animal before at 2 years old I found a new home for the smaller boy who lived on his nerves and bossed around by his chunkier brother (love of my life). It was awful to give him up but he went to a friend of a friend and is very happy.

Neither were 'mad' or difficult to train at all, I found them no different in temperament to any Labrador that I had ever had. Sadly my beautiful boy died aged seven after he developed some issues that made eating and drinking difficult. Worst day of my life, which makes me very lucky I guess.

I have been thinking about having another lately but I just don't know if I could. They wouldn't live up to my expectations I don't think.

The only warning I have from my own experience is that mine moulted, steadily, all year and the hairs were stubborn little things, I can pull out a jumper that has been stored and still find the very odd Dalmatian hair and that is after 3 years of him being gone.

Oh and liver spot Dalmatians are the best. Black spot are soooo last decade :p:o
 
My sister has a liver spotted dallie and he is a lovely big lad. As with all breeds they need a firm controller or they will rule the roost but he is trainable if you are firm with him. He loves to bounce about and get cuddles and is good with her 2 kids. Unfortunately he can be a bit "guardy" over the house but I think my sister lets him away with it when it's not really necessary :cool: and he does have health problems so he's on a special diet that costs her £50 a week.
Like all breeds I think they have their pros and cons but overall IME Ghillie is a lovely boy :)
 
I have no idea how to add a photo from my iPad but my dalmatian was the best dog ever to walk the earth! Fact.

I bought two boys from the same litter, ignored all the advice. Having never ever given up an animal before at 2 years old I found a new home for the smaller boy who lived on his nerves and bossed around by his chunkier brother (love of my life). It was awful to give him up but he went to a friend of a friend and is very happy.

Neither were 'mad' or difficult to train at all, I found them no different in temperament to any Labrador that I had ever had. Sadly my beautiful boy died aged seven after he developed some issues that made eating and drinking difficult. Worst day of my life, which makes me very lucky I guess.

I have been thinking about having another lately but I just don't know if I could. They wouldn't live up to my expectations I don't think.

The only warning I have from my own experience is that mine moulted, steadily, all year and the hairs were stubborn little things, I can pull out a jumper that has been stored and still find the very odd Dalmatian hair and that is after 3 years of him being gone.

Oh and liver spot Dalmatians are the best. Black spot are soooo last decade :p:o

Haha I want one so bad they are so pretty! My sister reckons they are ugy but I think they are beautiful Sorry to hear about yours :( Think I will definitely get one I need a nice lively one to encourage me to do a bit of exercise too lol
 
My sister has a liver spotted dallie and he is a lovely big lad. As with all breeds they need a firm controller or they will rule the roost but he is trainable if you are firm with him. He loves to bounce about and get cuddles and is good with her 2 kids. Unfortunately he can be a bit "guardy" over the house but I think my sister lets him away with it when it's not really necessary :cool: and he does have health problems so he's on a special diet that costs her £50 a week.
Like all breeds I think they have their pros and cons but overall IME Ghillie is a lovely boy :)

I guess all breeds have their issues. I have no problem with dogs that tend to get dominant as my border collie was like that when I got her. Now shes the loveliest dog in the world and I think a spotted playmate would be nice for her :)
 
I think they are a fantastic breed, but might be slightly biased as I have three!!

Seriously, I think they are lovely dogs - very loving and people orientated. They do need a lot of exercise but are perfectly trainable if you are prepared to put the work in. I find the bitches are generally quieter and less boisterous than the boys.

If you buy a puppy make sure it is from a reputable breeder.

The major health problem with them is urinary stones but in 30 plus years of having them I have only had one who had problems and it was treatable by diet.

They do moult all year round and the hairs go everywhere!

Check out Dalmatian Lovers! on Facebook if you want a quick spotty fix.
 
I think they are a fantastic breed, but might be slightly biased as I have three!!

Seriously, I think they are lovely dogs - very loving and people orientated. They do need a lot of exercise but are perfectly trainable if you are prepared to put the work in. I find the bitches are generally quieter and less boisterous than the boys.

If you buy a puppy make sure it is from a reputable breeder.

The major health problem with them is urinary stones but in 30 plus years of having them I have only had one who had problems and it was treatable by diet.

They do moult all year round and the hairs go everywhere!

Check out Dalmatian Lovers! on Facebook if you want a quick spotty fix.

Yeah I wasn't sure of what sex to get. I think I should start with a girl :) and thats cool, who doesn't love a load of dog hair everywhere ;) and ok will check it out! :)
 
Just wrote long post and lost it :o:confused:. So trying a shorter version;)! great dogs , not for everyone though . High exercise requirement, very easy to train so don't listen to those who say they are stupid , a bad workman blames his tools;). Moult twice a year , the first six months of the year and the second and they stick to EVERTHING ! And livers are the best colour :D.
 
Just wrote long post and lost it :o:confused:. So trying a shorter version;)! great dogs , not for everyone though . High exercise requirement, very easy to train so don't listen to those who say they are stupid , a bad workman blames his tools;). Moult twice a year , the first six months of the year and the second and they stick to EVERTHING ! And livers are the best colour :D.

whoops what happened there haha, and it really annoys me when people say things like that about dogs! High exercise is good for me and I can tolerate a bit of hair, or a lot of hair haha
 
My sister has a liver spotted dallie and he is a lovely big lad. As with all breeds they need a firm controller or they will rule the roost but he is trainable if you are firm with him. He loves to bounce about and get cuddles and is good with her 2 kids. Unfortunately he can be a bit "guardy" over the house but I think my sister lets him away with it when it's not really necessary :cool: and he does have health problems so he's on a special diet that costs her £50 a week.
Like all breeds I think they have their pros and cons but overall IME Ghillie is a lovely boy :)

By the way how do you do that time line thing of the horse on the bottom screen???:confused:
 
I think my mind is pretty much made up. I can deal with the hair and lively is good because it would by nice for it to come stables with me and my border collie especially so my collie can have someone to play with when she comes out for rides with me :)
 
I think my mind is pretty much made up. I can deal with the hair and lively is good because it would by nice for it to come stables with me and my border collie especially so my collie can have someone to play with when she comes out for rides with me :)

Well good luck with the future of your lovely Dalmatian!

I have two Standard Poodles and a Cat:D
 
Lovely dogs, but make sure you purchase from a reputable breeder. Their other major health problem is deafness. They must be tested at a very tender age.

The other problem...they leave spots all over the house!
 
I have a 6month old liver bitch, the sweetest, easiest dog I have ever owned. Shes my first dally after only ever having rotts and she's been no trouble since day dot. Very easy to train and was clean in the house at 9wks. They do love their creature comforts and mine certainly feels the cold, shes great with kids, other dogs, cats etc. Can you tell I like her just a bit?! Not to mention shes beautiful :) will get some pics up when on my laptop. Make sure you go for one that has haf the relevanthealth tests tho!
 
Love my Dalmation Jasper, he was very easy to train when you use food VERY food focused but utterly charming :-) As long as they get plenty of exercise they are happy even if it is just playing about while you are working with the horses. Hates being cold and wet - will let himself back into the house and curls up on his settee if he thinks the weather is not nice enough! Definately has a sense of humour LOL
 
Lovely dogs, but make sure you purchase from a reputable breeder. Their other major health problem is deafness. They must be tested at a very tender age.

The other problem...they leave spots all over the house!

Two of mine are deaf so I don't see it as a health problem. A reputable breeder would have their litter BAER tested so you would know if your pup was deaf or not.

I still maintain that a lot of Dals that were labelled untrainable were actually deaf and if their training had been geared towards a deaf dog they would have been different dogs.
 
Lovely dogs. Kept them for years and on my third dally now. Very good boy, brilliant off lead and near the horses, although cant trust him with roads as not a lot of brain. Incredibly loving and tolerant with children, excellent with the cats and used to look after the chickens (til the foxes ate them all). On the minus side the greediest dogs I've ever known and will go to great lengths to steal food, including getting the oven open and eating a whole shepherds pie whilst cooking. Two of mine moulted constantly throughout their lives, the current boy never moults and has kept his soft baby fur, at 6 yrs old.
 
The (liver spotted!) dally bitch who belongs to my friend is the 4th member of my pack. Not the food orientated, does moult, is a complete and utter wimp with rain and cold weather and can be found next to the Tackroom Heater or buried in horse rugs. This is despite being well rugged herself. She can be selective with her hearing at times and the downside of having a dally with 3 staffords is that, Dottie thinks she is the same size which has led to a few human squashing incidents and unfortunate meetings with electric fencing...
 
Going against the grain here but I prefer the black and white ones I love a good dally and would own one if I didnt love gundogs so much
 
I've had Dalmatians since I was little, and I still adore them. They are such characters, and very eager dogs. Loki, my current Dal, is extremely people orientated. I can leave him to go do what I need to do without any trouble, but when we are home he simply has to be with us. Training him is very easy some of the time, he is very smart and quick to pick things up, but if he decides he isn't interested, he will play deaf. Food usually does the trick, he is incredibly food motivated! On the downside of that, he is also a scavenger. We have had several Dals like this. They look guilty for about five seconds, and then the tails are wagging again, and they are after more.

He sheds all the time. Seriously, if he rubs against you, you're peppered with white hairs. He is extremely active, rarely sits still until after supper, at which time he switches gears and becomes amazingly lazy. Loki can walk for miles without slowing down. He makes a fantastic walking partner!

He is friendly, not an aggressive bone in his body. We call him our non-aggressive guard dog. He is quick to alert us if anything is out of the ordinary, so very observant. Loki notices things before I do, and is always quick to let me know what is going on. He is also patient and kind with my soon to be 4 year old daughter, who says that Loki is her best friend. He adores her as much as she adores him!

He can be destructive if he gets bored. No amount of fetch in the hall or playing with our JRT makes up for a good walk! Exercise is essential, I think. In the winter they can get very cold, though, so they benefit from having a coat.

I think I've gone on long enough... :D I wouldn't be without at least one now, but they are like Pringles, and I don't reckon one is ever enough. ;)

This is Loki:
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