thinking of getting a dalmation puppy but not got alot of info anyone help?

Answer 1

Dalmatians are a wonderful breed of dog. They do however take a lot of time to train and need companionship. He is not the kind of breed that likes to be home alone all day or tied outside. I suggest you get a book specifically on Dalmation Dogs or call your vet to find out the cost of keeping him well and healthy and go from there. A well informed person wno knows what to expect would love this breed. do not purchase/adopt blindly. Good luck...

Answer 2

it's spelled 'dalmatian' not dalmation. Go to your local library and get some boooks out. Onme on the breed and another on puppy rearing and training. You will find all the info you need in books. Nobody can drip feed you all you need to know here.
Once you have spent several months researching the breed and learning how to take care of and train a puppy, you might decide that the breed is not the one for you after all since it requires masses of excersize daily. They were after all bred to run underneath carriages originally, covering 15 miles a day or more.
Once you've done the research, go to a couple of shows, look at the breed and speak to breeders.

Or you could do it the idiot's way. Choose a breed cos you like the way it looks, do no research, buy from a back yard breeder who advertises in the local paper and doesn't ask you any questions because what the heck, HE doesn't care if you can't look after it properly or live in a small flat, he's got your money and that's all he's interested in. Or you buy from a dog dealer, one who advertises at least 5 different breeds of puppy, no mothers to be seen, all from puppy farmers in Wales, again no questions will be asked of you to ensure that you will be right for the dog.
You take your pick. Will you be a concientious responsible dog owner who ends up having a dog for life who is happy and well behaved?Or an irresponsible one who buys the first one he can find without doing any research, cannot cope 6 mohts down the line and ends up selling on to another irresponsible owner who does the same. So that if the dog is very lucky, after 18 months and 5 homes, the last owner is a little more responsible and passes it to a dedicated breed rescue who makes sure that the next owner is the last one and has done all their homework.
You choose!

Answer 3

Start here:

http://www.thedca.org/

PLEASE READ THE LINK ON THAT WEB PAGE ABOUT HEALTH AND CARE. There are some hereditary health conditions that, whle very infrequent in dogs in general, occur al lot in this breed. The pulldown menu then has slide out menus,

To make the best effort to avoid getting a puppy who may have one of those problems, you absolutely want to deal only with a breeder who does all the testing for hereditary conditions and tracks their bloodlines for an occurrences of things for which there is not a yet a test. A dog can look fine but still have the condition - it just hasn't shown the symptoms yet. A vet checkup is NOT health testing.

That link takes you to the National Club which is the only club about the breed that is recognized and accredited by the AKC and it sets the standards for the breed .

The Clubs' websites will give you an ENORMOUS amount of information about the breed - the good, the bad, and the why or why not to get that breed. The clubs websites also have:

(1) a breeders list - all of whom have agreed to abide by the breeders code of ethics (which you can read under the "breeder & club" link)

http://www.thedca.org/referral.html


(2) a link to the breed rescue for their breed


http://www.thedca.org/rescue.html

Do give serious thought to adopting from an adult from a breed rescue. The clubs' breed rescues go to a great deal of trouble to determine the dog's temperament, personality, likes and dislikes (particularly kids and cats and other dogs in the household), health, and level of training. They make a huge effort to match the right dog to the right home - and if they don't have one they think will be suitable for your home, they won't place it. Great way to avoid the puppy training, newspapers, chewing.......They have dogs that are purebred and part-bred (1/2 or so of their breed.) Dogs that come through rescue are so thrilled to have a forever loving home having once been abandoned to a shelter or rescue that they are typically extra devoted and loving. Dogs lose their homes for reason that are not their fault: death, divorce, a move and they couldn’t keep them, financial problems…


.If you decide to get a puppy, please use one of the breeders who are members of the breed club. A well-bred pet puppy may not be a candidate for the show ring (that nose being 1/8th of an inch to long or something else very picky) but they will be very healthy, the parents carefully screened for hereditary health problems, and from a breeder who has devoted a great deal of time to understanding the breed and bloodlines. A responsible breeder will have a written contract with a health guarantee for hereditary problems; require that if for any reason you ever have to give up the dog that it comes back to them; and always be available for help, assistance and advice about your dog. Such a breeder will tell you if they don't think their breed is right for you based upon your needs. They want a perfect forever home for the puppies - not the money. (In 43 years in the dog show world, I have never known a breeder of that caliber who has made a profit on their dogs - it is labor of love.)

A puppy from such a breeder costs no more - and often less as poorly bred dogs tend to have very high vet bills over the years - than from a backyard breeder who doesn't do the health checks, knows nothing about the breed or bloodlines, doesn't give a guarantee, never wants to hear about the puppy again and has breed from mediocre or poor quality dogs.


You may find the breeder who has the type of dog you want but no litter on the ground at the moment. Most good breeders have waiting lists -get on it. You may find the breeder and puppy you want but at a distance. Among the really responsible breeders(members of the club) shipping a puppy is quite normal -they want the best possible home for the dog and the written contract is very extensive.


Do ask the breeders on the club list if they have any dogs they bred that they need to rehome - good breeders all require if the owner can't keep one, it comes back to them. It may be a dog they placed and it came back because the owner didn't have time, didn't realize how big it would get, got divorced.... It may be a dog who was a show prospect but as they grew didn't meet their early promise. It may be an AKC Champion they decided not to use in their breeding program because while it did get the Championship, they don't need more bloodstock or find a tiny conformation flaw they don't want to reproduce.

NEVER EVER buy from a pet shop. Those puppies came from puppy mills where the parents are locked in cages, bred until they literally die from it, never vaccinated, never wormed, fed just enough so they don't quite die of starvation, live in filth, never bathed or groomed or cared for, are typically of very poor genetic stock both physically and often mentally. The puppies are shoved off to pet stores with no vaccinations, no worming, no socialization or handling... You are buying nothing but heartbreak at a price higher than what a responsible breeder charged for a pet puppy.

IF A SERIOUS BREEDER OR RESCUE TELLS YOU THAT THE BREED IS NOT SUITED FOR YOUR SITUATION - BELIEVE THEM - NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU LIKE THE WAY THE DOG LOOKS

Answer 4

you go for it mate!!!
what others have said about the hearing and "mental problems" is the biggest load of pony I've ever heard.
i have a dalmatian, hes 2 years old and i wouldn't be without him.
i also have a doberman and they're the best of mates.
hearing problems in dals is rare, its caused by too much black pigment in their ears, and if you buy from a good breeder they should give you paperwork as proof that all the pups ears have been tested and are fine.
Dalmatian live for 12-15 years and are very loyal and loving to their owners and make one of the BEST family dogs.
yes they are lively and do need a lot of exercise because they are working dogs.
but an our and half morning and evening with a couple of short walks in between should be fine.
the splat who said pure bread dogs are prone to mental illnesses or what ever it was clearly knows F.A. about dogs.
they re great with kids, make great family pets, are very sociable, and one of the LEAST aggressive breeds.
some people should do their homework before they start bleating about a subject they know nothing about.
get yourself a dal, you will love every second of it i promise.
Ive grown up with them, and i will continue to keep dals and dobes forever.
just remember, the dalmatian is known as "the clown of the canine world" because of their charm, dedication, and humour!

to the person who niece was bitten in the face by a dal;
i'm so sorry to hear that, i would be the same if i were you, the dal was obviously brought up with zero manners and obedience, but please don't paint all dals with the same brush. dogs of any breed are what you make them. its more the owners fault than the dogs.
kind regards.

to the "qualified nurse"
if you really think that dals are prone to deafness then perhaps you should consider more training!!!
they are not prone to deafness at all.
it comes down to what i said above and like someone else has said,=bad breeding and bloodlines.
it can be avoided, and is more rare now than ever.
geeze, do your homework!!!!!!!!
and in any case, deaf dals are just as easy to train.

Answer 5

Firstly, common error....it's DalmatiAns, not Dalmations. (I used to spell it like that too).

I used to think that Dalmatians were not good family dogs, were high strung and deaf.

Then I met a fireman. (Did you make the connection yet?-LOL). He has had Dalmatians all of his life, he even bred his now deceased Dalmatian many many years ago. They are wonderful dogs, very intelligent, NOT as hyper as people like to think, and the deafness is a bad gene. Usually only the blue eyed dalmatians are prone to deafness.

I have been converted and I LOVE Dalmatians now!!

Also, you should see if there are any homeless Dalmatians out there!

Look at this website which lists MANY Dalmatian rescues:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/rescue.htm#D

Answer 6

Hi these are specialist site dedicated to The Dalmatian witj all the infomation/tips/breed standards...all that you want to know can be answered by specialists to the breed...contacts on the site will be a useful source of information for you...
Good luck with your new puppy if you go ahead & get one...Regards Jake
http://www.dalmatians.us/

http://www.eburg.com/~dalmatia/dullinks.html

http://www.bigpawsonly.com/Dalmation-breed.htm

http://www.pgaa.com/canine/general/dalmation.html

http://www.dogpage.us/dalmatian.htm

Answer 7

We had a dalmatian mix when I was a kid and he was kind of a pain in the butt. They're smart, but stubborn and purebreds tend to not do well with little kids. They need lots of exercise, so if you don't have a big yard, I wouldn't recommend one. Not really suitable for a first dog, but if you have the time and experience to properly train and socialize, they can be good companions. Like any breed, they're not right for everyone. Do your homework and seek a reputable breeder if you decide to get one.

Answer 8

When choosing what breed of dog to go for, get advice from the kennel club. Have a look around the site (www.thekennelclub.org.uk).

There's contact details of the kennel club and of various members of breed clubs (dalmatian being one of them).

In the meantime, go to your local library or bookshop, you'll find LOADS of info about every breed of dog you can think of, their requirements, what sort of home would be suitable for them etc.

Maybe after that you'll realise that a different breed might be better for you, or maybe a dalmatian would be ideal.

If you're going to get a puppy though, whatever breed you go for, get advice from the kennel club as to how to select your breeder. The irresponsible breeders are generally VERY easy to find, and you risk all sorts of problems with your dog (not to mention that you could be supporting puppy farming - albeit unintentionally).

Why not go to your local rescue and see what they have there? Can't hurt to look. For details of your nearest one, see www.dogpages.org.uk

Answer 9

I have 2 Dals & I wouldn't be without them the only down side is the casting. They have a brilliant nature, very loyal although mines are quite protective of their property. My youngest one is deaf but understands sign language and appears to read lips and facial expressions, his big brother helped train him too.

They can be lively but its not everybody that wants a dog that will lie and sleep all day!!!

Answer 10

Visit a local library and check out a dog breed book. If you're dead set on a Dalmatian, then find a breed book specifically for them. I suggest buying a book on them if you do decide on it, and read the whole thing, especially the sections on Dalmatian behavior.