Talk to me about Dalmatians please

RabbitRabbit78 · 2014-06-08T19:25:09+00:00

We have a soon-to-be-three year old, a cat and rabbits. I am a SAHM so wouldn't be leaving them for more than a couple of hours. We are considering getting a puppy - a friend of a friend is a reputable breeder who hearing tests etc.

Lonecatwithkitten · 08/06/2014 20:43

They were carriage dogs so do need an incredible amount of exercise to keep them as lovely laid back dogs.

VetNurse · 08/06/2014 22:03

My friend has dalmations and they are bonkers. Need a lot of space and exercise. Not a breed I would ever consider. I call them damnations :)

SpicyPear · 08/06/2014 22:12

I would only consider if you are am experienced owner willing to put a great amount of effort into exercising and mentally stimulating them as they are high energy dogs.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 08/06/2014 22:14

Epilepsy and Deafness - 2 health problems they can be prone to.

fingersonbuzzers · 08/06/2014 22:18

Don't have a dalmation, but just wanted to say that I do have a deaf dog and they can live very full and happy lives

Kleptronic · 08/06/2014 22:22

I've known 3, 2 belonged to a friend of my Mum's and were neurotic (not exercised enough - walked, but not exercised) and had lots of health problems, 1's at agility and is wilful and selectively deaf. Can do everything, just sometimes won't, but still tears round like a mad thing. Trained to within an inch of her life too.

Lovely looking dog though! Also, she is huge.

I had the chance to get one (someone in work was rehoming, wonder why?!) and looked into them. Basically to get the spots means an incredibly small gene pool, which means all the tests in the world can't definitively rule out problems. Or this is my understanding, anyway.

monkeyfacegrace · 08/06/2014 22:22

Dals are a pain in the arse. Horrible, snappy, energetic lumps of attitude.

They can be quite vicious too.

Plenty of 'better' breeds in my opinion.

Like a rescue greyhound

PacificDogwood · 08/06/2014 22:32

They are gorgeous but the potential genetic problems and how high maintenance they are would put me off.

Bettythree · 09/06/2014 13:00

We had a dal for 13 yrs until he died last year.
He was completely mad, didn't even slow down until he was 11 and never really stopped.
He was, however, the most gorgeous friend. I wouldn't say loyal as he would swear true love to anyone who had food in their hand.....but he was such good fun, always happy and ready to play. No aggression at all, loved everyone and everything. All 3 of my dc's grew up with him and I never had a moments concern. We have had a variety of cats too and visiting dogs to stay all of whom he got on fine with.
The white hair is something else though. They shed all year and it gets everywhere. You just have to resign yourself to wearing it and choose your carpets accordingly.
Choose the right breeder and brace yourself! I guarantee you will have a lot of fun along the way x

Bettythree · 09/06/2014 14:51

We had a dal for 13 yrs until he died last year.
He was completely mad, didn't even slow down until he was 11 and never really stopped.
He was, however, the most gorgeous friend. I wouldn't say loyal as he would swear true love to anyone who had food in their hand.....but he was such good fun, always happy and ready to play. No aggression at all, loved everyone and everything. All 3 of my dc's grew up with him and I never had a moments concern. We have had a variety of cats too and visiting dogs to stay all of whom he got on fine with.
The white hair is something else though. They shed all year and it gets everywhere. You just have to resign yourself to wearing it and choose your carpets accordingly.
Choose the right breeder and brace yourself! I guarantee you will have a lot of fun along the way x

Bettythree · 09/06/2014 14:55

We had a dal for 13 yrs until he died last year.
He was completely mad, didn't even slow down until he was 11 and never really stopped.
He was, however, the most gorgeous friend. I wouldn't say loyal as he would swear true love to anyone who had food in their hand.....but he was such good fun, always happy and ready to play. No aggression at all, loved everyone and everything. All 3 of my dc's grew up with him and I never had a moments concern. We have had a variety of cats too and visiting dogs to stay all of whom he got on fine with.
The white hair is something else though. They shed all year and it gets everywhere. You just have to resign yourself to wearing it and choose your carpets accordingly.
Choose the right breeder and brace yourself! I guarantee you will have a lot of fun along the way x

RoseyHope · 09/06/2014 15:05

Our Dalmatian was 14 1/2 when he passed in December. He was absolutely fantastic. The most affectionate, loving dog I've had; he'd sit down in front of you and snuggle backwards against your legs. If you stopped patting him he'd look up at you and wiggle his head underneath your hand until you continued.

He wasn't horrible, snappy, a lump of attitude or vicious. He was very tolerant and loving towards children, made friends with the birds outside while waiting for them to drop breadcrumbs for him, and never snapped or bit us.

He did need a lot of exercise though and was very fast, so plenty of open space to sprint around and tire himself out on walks. At home we strung up some old cds hanging above the driveway and he kept himself busy for hours chasing the reflections.

Very, very food driven. And he had very little interest in toys. Wouldn't play with chew toys, fetch sticks/balls etc.

I second the hair issue! The hair is so short and stiff it gets stuck EVERYWHERE. So hard to get out of clothing/upholstery as well! x

ARightOldPickle · 09/06/2014 18:52

High energy – yes, lots of fun – yes, but vicious? snappy? That is definitely not in a well bred Dalmatian’s nature, they are one of the most affectionate dogs I have come across – all the ones I’ve known have absolutely loved people (and food!)
Deafness should not be an issue, a decent breeder will have them BAER tested and you should be given the report so you will know when you get the pup that their hearing is OK. The other point of concern can be their urine crystal issue, but our old boy never had a problem although we did keep him on a low protein diet just to be sure (nothing ‘special’ – James Wellbeloved did him fine). Just about every breed has potential problems of some sort. He was very healthy all his life and was 13 and a half when we lost him.

When we were considering another puppy we looked at a lot of different breeds but always came back to a Dally, so we have Mollypup, 12 weeks old. Yes she will need lots of exercise, but that is the same for other breeds such as border collies, who also bounce off the walls or become destructive if they don’t get enough physical and mental stimulation. We didn’t want a couch potato dog and the energy levels of a dally suit us fine.
Prospective dog owners need to do the research and be honest about whether their lifestyle can meet the dog’s needs – but that goes for any breed.
I love them and can’t imagine having any other variety!! Although the hair problem ... as others have said, it gets everywhere! My office chair has a covering of white hair but I've never taken the dog to work with me

Nanasueathome · 09/06/2014 19:01

I am kn my 3rd Dalmatian nose and have to say they are very affectionate and playful, full of boisterous energy and would run non stop all day
At the moment mine is running in and out of the house into the garden and back and each time she comes in she is looking for something to steal and take outside with her, attention seeking
Have just retrieved my shoes and a door stop from the top of the garden and managed to get the TV remote control from her before she ran out
We have a list of rules on the fridge door, in a joking manner, warning everyone of the perils if they leave anything lying about
That said, I would not change her for the world but Dalmatians are certainly not dogs to have with young children- she has been known to knock me over jn the garden on occasions when she has ran at me to play

Nanasueathome · 09/06/2014 19:02

Spelling is terrible , sorry, drafted auto correct

Bonnefoi · 09/06/2014 19:04

Goofy, high energy, stubborn, very loving and loyal. They need a lot of space and exercise. Ours used to go out for several hours following behind my horse out hacking - still full of beans afterwards.

If they don't get enough training, exercise and boundaries they can be a menace. I wouldn't suggest them as a first dog.

Check the breeding and meet the parents before you get any puppy.

We lost my spotty lunatic last year at 14 years old. Still miss him.

They are amazing but there are easier breeds of dog out there.

RoseyHope · 09/06/2014 20:08

Also, did anyone else have a beastly strong tail on their Dal? It was like a whip!

everlong · 09/06/2014 20:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

noddingoff · 09/06/2014 21:11

My best friend's family had a gorgeous, happy friendly bouncy Dal. He died young from kidney disease (probably the urate thing, I don't know). It was horrible. Find out as much as you can about this and how to avoid getting a pup that may turn out to be affected.
Yes to the bounce and need for loads of off lead exercise (not just in a garden)
Yes to the strong tail whipping your legs.
I have only seen one or two nasty ones, the rest have been nice, if a bit wild and untrained (my impression is that they need more effort to train than average).

CraicWhore · 09/06/2014 21:22

I've kept dalmations in the past and I luffs them, but they are a full time job and I would definitely not have one around young children. They are just too lively and boisterous. That tail bloody hurts too if it gets the back of your legs.
I had to have specialist pet insurance with some and I still ended up keeping the vet in fast cars and holidays!
Don't do it! Leave them to experienced dog owners.

Original poster

RabbitRabbit78 · 09/06/2014 21:24

Thank you all! Lots to think about...

OP posts:

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 09/06/2014 21:31

I had a dalmation as a child ... not the best dog for a child to look after. The gentlest, kindest dog you could imagine .. although very sneaky; funny to see him with an egg in his mouth when he had been raiding in the kitchen, pretending that he was just casually passing ... however, there was literally a ditch in the garden where he had worn the grass away running up and down the roadside hedge as he was so frantic for exercise ... we all loved him very much though.

18yearsoftrying · 09/06/2014 22:49

My Dally is great with toddlers and children as well as the elderly, I'm so proud of him. He also without training instinctly knows to go to the toilet on the perimeter of our garden as we sit in the middle, yet automatically goes to the middle of the fields that we walk around as we walk around the boundary.

He is naturally nervous - hides when I go to put disposable gloves on to administer his Spot-On & barks at the Meerkat adverts.

I got him from a winning Crufts breeder who

wanted photos of our garden to check the security
wanted the floor plans of our house to see which rooms he access to
wanted a reference from the vet we would register him with
asked to speak to my in-laws and checked them out as we said they'd have him occasionally
asked us our opinions on training and discipline

He came to us with a very long family tree and believe me, there is nothing wrong with his hearing...especially when it comes to the word "biscuit"! He has never stolen anything from the work-top

He is very loving, SO excited to see a friendly face but not overwhelming with it.

He loves watching the horse-racing and news on TV but similarly he knows his place and when we say "basket" he runs to it.

He does get hyper when on certain brands of dried food eg Arden Grange so we have to be careful. Health-wise the vet has told me he is susceptible to a build up up of crystals (due to urea I think)

He is incredibly protective of us and loves to chat to us when we make skin contact with him.

RoseyHope · 09/06/2014 23:12

Oh yes to the eggs! Ours would go out to the chicken coop and root around for the eggs. Pick one up ever so gently in his mouth and carry it away down the field to nosh in private.

Heyland · 10/06/2014 09:49

I have a two year old Dalmatian.

He came from a very reputable breeder who had the litter BAER tested, limbs, vet inspected and vetted us thoroughly. We weren't allowed to choose a puppy until the breeder had met the whole family and grilled us as to how much we could exercise him, when we were out etc.

He is the most amazing dog you could ever wish for, full of character and just so loving and gentle. I have 3 children of 8 and twins of 10, they chill out together on his bed and they ride him around the kitchen (not putting their weight on him obviously). Play with him for hours which they all adore.

He was dead easy to train and I know that goes against the general consensus of opinion on Dalmatians. He sticks to us like glue and never runs off, fantastic recall and loves chasing tennis balls. I did take him to training classes initially but it really wasn't difficult.

They do need a fair bit of exercise and like someone said up thread an almost pathological need to almost 'bolt' for a few minutes and stretch every limb - wonderful to watch though. I was scared by the whole 'they need two hours of off-lead exercise every day' - I've found as long as he gets a good run even if only for 20 minutes a day he is fine. Saying that I always try and take him out for an hour or so and once a week a good 2-3 hours. If he's not exercised until later he prowls around and climbs all over you for the whole day!

The hair is dreadful.

One of the best decisions I've ever made but I do think that they need people around a lot - I know most dogs do but Dally's are exceptionally people orientated.

He's 'talking' now and it really is one of the most endearing things about them!

Tail is like a whip, not sure that your DC's are quite old enough yet OP but maybe a dog for the future? Do you run at all? You really do need to be pretty active.

Any other questions feel free to ask