The Dalmatian is a Croatian breed that was developed as a working and hunting dog. In the past they have been used as firehouse mascots, retrievers, vermin hunters, draft dogs, watchdogs, hunting dogs, and stage performers. They are most known for their mascot work in fire houses and at fire stations. Today they are used primarily as a family dog.
The Dalmatian is characterized by their white body with black spots. However, when Dalmatian pups are born they are completely white. The spots don’t develop until they are about two weeks old. This dog breed is friendly, all be it they are a bit high strung and excitable. This makes them a good family dog for families with older kids. Dalmatians don’t always get along with other dogs and they their behavior may flip between friendly and aggressive. Because of this you need to train your Dalmatian early and provide it with plenty of opportunities to socialize with other dogs when it is very young. This can help to counteract their bi-polar reactions to other dogs.
Because of poor breeding practices this breed is prone to deafness and other genetic health problems. Make sure to do lots of research before choosing the breeder of your puppy.
Dalmatians are active and athletic dogs. They are very playful especially when young. They are also very loyal and affectionate and with the proper training and socialization, they are wonderful lifetime companions
Origin of the Dalmatian
Dalmatians were once used as carriage dogs and they were used to trot along the sides of carriages guarding the horses and the people inside of the carriage.
Over time they have settled into various roles. They are versatile as working dogs but nowadays they are usually found as household companions.
Dalmatian Appearance and Abilities
Dalmatians are lean and athletic-looking. They have amazing agility and surprising strength. Their appearance is symmetrical and they have elegant stances.
There coats are short, hard, and dense. Their distinction is their white colored body with black or liver colored spots randomly splashed all over their bodies.
Their feet are round with well-arched toes and the nails are either white or the same color as the spots. They usually have dark brown eyes but you can sometimes find eyes of amber and blue.
The Dalmatian has a beautiful face that radiates an intelligent expression. When they are still puppies, they are completely colored white. Their spots appear later in life as they mature.
Temperament and Tendencies of the Dalmatian
Dalmatians are fast and have a lot of stamina. They are tireless with lots of energy. They always seem to play and run around a lot. Dalmatians are happy go lucky dogs.
Young Dalmatians are naturally rambunctious. They are great with kids but their hyperactivity may cause them to sometimes knock children down by accident. They are somewhat slow to mature but once they reach adulthood, they become more docile and easier to manage.
Dalmatians are very loyal to their masters. They are affectionate and very sensitive and they tend to become willful and dominant if they are not properly trained. They will easily take the role of the pack leader if their masters lack the ability to establish firm leadership.
Dalmatians are quite intelligent creatures. They excel in obedience training
Dalmatian Training and Care
Socialization is very important. Dalmatians must be socialized early and extensively. They will develop better as adults if they are exposed to lots of people and other animals when still young. Lack of socialization will make Dalmatians timid. They may also develop unwanted aggression towards people and other dogs.
Never be harsh to Dalmatians. They are very sensitive and the may develop behavioral problems if they are treated harshly. Positive reinforcement is the only way to train Dalmatians.
Owners must establish their dominance over the Dalmatian. Pack leadership is important. When walking Dalmatians, always make them “heel” beside or behind you. Never allow them to pull you around.
Dalmatians need a lot of physical and mental stimulation. If they are not exercised enough, they may become high-strung and may develop destructive behaviors.
Apartment living is not recommended. However, if Dalmatian owners can provide regular exercise regardless of living space, they may adapt to apartment living. That being said a large space for running and playing is always best for Dalmatians.
Dalmatians are clean dogs. They seem to avoid dirty surroundings and puddles. The thing about Dalmatians though is that they shed profusely. They do this at least twice a year. Brushing is essential to cope with their constant shedding.
Adopted a stray dalmatian 3 Months ago, probably a year old looking at it’s teeth. Starved and skinny when it first arrived. It’s so affectionate and playful. Totally no agreesive traits and friendly to all. Initially we were worried when it showed its teeth but we now know it’s the Dalmatian smile. Absolutely loyal. Its a male and gets on extremely with our minpin and chihuahua mix. A giant among dwarves. It even tried to play with our rabbit. We have had many dogs before from dobermans, cocker spaniel to dozens of bull terriers ad this is the friendliest,affectionate, lovable dog. Very active and boisterous that it tends to knock over vases, chairs with its tail.
Sounds like a great dog!
DALMATIONs ARE SOCIAL DOGS AND ARE VERY FRIENDLY I HAVE 3 DALMATIONS
I was just looking for advice on how to stop a 6yr old dalmatian neutered bitch from biting small dogs please. She is fully house trained + on 99% of the time she is a lovable + friendly dog. She only really barks when someone comes to the door which I suppose is a natural instinct. She sleeps in a basket. I know dalmatians are hard animals to train + found it difficult to make her walk on a lead but bought a head turning lead which turns her head when she pulls so she’s fine now with it. We have a 7yr old son who she is very good with + they are best friends, but when she’s playing in the garden with him she constantly tries to escape + on the very rare occasion she will get out + bite the first small dog she sees! We have had a few vets bills to pay + fortunately it has never been too serious but it is getting a bit frustrating having to keep her locked in the back garden, PLEASE HELP – I would be very grateful for your ideas.
My aggression formula to stop aggression has three main components:
1- You MUST have very high levels of obedience, even around distractions.
2- Once you’ve achieved that obedience then you need to apply it around your dog’s ‘aggressive triggers’, i.e. small dogs.
3- You need to correct the aggression when it occurs.
Our aggression dvd program helps with each one of these aspects- http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/curing-dog-aggression-pb
I have a Dalmatian we got from 8 weeks old she’s very hyper and loves walks, also people say Dalmatians don’t like water, so my aim for my dog was for her to like water. I used to take her to my local resavoiur and walks with lots of streams, and she loved her ball to chase so I threw it in the water for her to chase and since been around 3months old she has been in water and started swimming properly at around 5months, now she could find water in a dessert you can’t take her on a walk and her come back dry she absolutely loves water. And people say there scared of it ha.
hey can anyone tell’m how can i make my dog agreesive!
Nope. Go find another website.
DALAMTION ARE
DALAMTIONS LOVES WATER I HAVE 3 ON IS FEMALE AND ANOTHER ARE MALE FEMALE IS 8 WEEKS OLD AND MALE ARE ALSO 8 WEEKS
This is the best info I’ve found on Dalmatians. I would certainly never come on here and rudely put a comment to try to make myself feel superior when I found what I perceived to be an error.
Thanks for the kind words!
we dont gave training till now it is one year old how to train it from now HELP ME
hello,
I have a 1yr old dal , want to know about some issues dealing with him . While taking for a walk he always pulls the person hell like anything . also in between walk start nibbling me don’t know why can u plz guide me . does he feel that he is the boss.
More than likely he does feel like he’s the boss. Also very likely is you’ve just got an untrained dog there. The question you need to ask yourself, is what have you done to train him to walk properly, what has worked, what hasn’t, and what steps have you taken to find methods that do work? We teach a method called the ‘crazy man method’ which normally gets a dog to walk well within minutes.
I have a 3 year old deaf dal. When i adopted her she was an untrained dog at the age of 2. We’ve get over the barking problem after great effort but not the obedience issue outside yet . At least i’d like to try on the “crazy man method”, i really wonder how it works?
HEY TUSHAR IF THERE IS A PROBLUM IN UNDERSTANDID YOUR DOG THEN U SHOUL BETTER HAVE A TRAINER
My Dalmatian is 2 and he has become more mature but he is still very hyper. We live on a farm and he was born on a different farm. He gets along with our horses but he has a big problem with eating the chickens and other poultry that liveson our farm. We have tried many ways to stop this habit of his but it’s hard to correct him because he eats the entire bird and by the time I find the feathers he has forgotten what he did wrong. I have researched many ways to stop this but they don’t work, I know Dalmatians aren’t really farm dogs but he loves being out here with lots of room to run and we have also had a Dalmatian before who was perfect. Please help us stop this bad habit!
First off, being calm is not an age thing, it’s a training thing. If you’ve got a hyper dog who is 6 months old, 2 years old, or 6 years old it isn’t about maturity, it’s about the training and structure that you need to be giving the dog.
Second, you can only correct something if you catch it in the act. What that means is one of two things:
- You have to supervise the dog 100% and set up scenarios where you can catch the dog in the act
- The dog can’t have that level of freedom.
Freedom is earned and this dog hasn’t earned it. With the freedom you give him he does bad things. He’s telling you he’s not ready for that freedom.
Thank you! I never thought about him having a lot of freedom, he does have the entire place to himself during the day. Now I think that if I got him a nice pen he would learn more. Thank you very much, I will try this!
My Dalmatian is 7 and a half. She has never been hyper. She is the most mellow and affectionate dog. I started training her as soon as I got her as a puppy. She like walks and has play time where she romps around, but she will lay in bed with me all day long. She loves to sleep under the covers with me and I hug her like a teddy. I think I am lucky and just found a rare lazy Dalmatian. I hope to train my next one like I did her and see if it’s hyper all the time.
Hi There…I just got a 6 months old male Dal…as opposite to what is normally mentioned about Dals, he is very quite & dull..can I anyone please guide me as to how can I really make him enjoy his life & our companionship..and also if I could get some advice on “How can he be best trained on obedience? Thanks much…
My dal is super lazy. Always has been. To make her do something I usually sit on the floor and play with her toys with her. She has over 40 to choose from. I know, spoiled. But she loves to be outside with me. She is 7 and a half now and last year I introduced her to a Frisbee for the first time. She absolutely loves it. Try doing things like that and see if he just needs you to interact with him.my dog rarely plays by herself. She wants me to do it do.lol
hi
My puppy is very nice and loving . But he is used to go potty in the bathroom . Now he can go out already and i tried to take him to pee in the yard but he is holding it until we go home . We went for a 2 hour walk and he didnt go outside. I
Hello,
I have a 2 year old dalmatian and he is not responding to discipline very well…I have trained him well since he was a puppy but he wont pay attention to me long enough to be corrected. The other day he ripped open my neighbors sweat pants and luckily I caught before any damage could be done. My dalmatian is very territorial and he is protective of me, but he only likes men and he will only be nice to people when he is loose and not in his kennel. What are some positive ways to discipline my dalmatian? How do I make him like other people?
I’m afraid I don’t understand your question very well.
You say you’ve trained him well but he won’t pay attention?
You say you can’t discipline because he doesn’t pay attention. What does paying attention have to do with discipline?
How was he able to get to your neighbor to bite him?
How can you discipline in a positive way? Discipline by definition is negative.