Me and wife are thinking of getting ourselves a Dalmatiain puppy. I've always liked them but never had the chance to own one. We both have had dogs in our families and have always liked taking dogs for walks.

What I would like to know is the temparment of the female and male. I would like to own a female but we have the option of buying this lovely male puppy. Are the males hyper and more naughty? Are the females easier to train?

I've done my research on health issues and what to look for but I am unsure as to which sex to go for.

I work from home so I'll always be around and we live in the country side where there are pleanty of long walks to take. On the subject of walking and fitness. How much would you reckon the Dalmatian needs. I know it's alot but does it have to be every day? Say if you go for a good long walk on the weekends. can you go for shorter walks in the week? Is there a set amount to aim for each day?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Hello Russell

From my own experience of owning a male, I have found him to be very hard work and headstrong.  He is now calming down at five years old.  I have heard that bitches are less of a handful.  Another factor to take into account is the strength of the males, they tend to be all muscle.

On excercise, it depends on what you mean by a long and short walk.  Once old enough they will run forever.  Mine gets about an hour during the week and longer most weekends.

If you have had dogs before, I found I needed to adapt to a completely different way of training.  They can be very stubbon and will only do things if they want to and they can see something in it for them.  It all has to be reward training.

However, he is a great character and I wouldn't be without him. (Not sure I would have said that a couple of years ago though)

JeanGeanie should be on to reply later, she has both dogs and bitches so can possibily be more help.

Do make sure you go to a reputable breeder, if you need help with that, please ask.

Good Luck
Sandra

Hi

IMO a female is better for first time dally owners, they are a bit more laid back :) That said, the males make lovely pets and are very loyal to their families. I personally prefer males in all breeds, so I am biased :)

You need to be firm, do lots of training (male dallies are stubborn - so you must be persistant), and they need a LOT of free running - at least 2 good walks a day. A fit male dally will become destructive if he doesn't get this level of exercise, they can literally run and run for miles - its what they were bred for - so you cannot skimp.

They can be very dog dominant, and are a formidable opponant to any dog that doesn't submit. They key to this is lots of early socialisation :)

You also need to take care with their diet as they can be prone to waterworks problems (I forget the name now - its been a while since my old dally suffered from it!), but JeanGenie will be along soon and she is the resident dally expert.

They are also real people dogs. If you go to the loo, he will be in with you, if you have a bath, he will lie on the bath mat. A lonely dally is a very unhappy dally...so they are not dogs to be left all day - they can eat their way through a kitchen in seconds few!

Other than that, you can find lots of information on the British Dalmatian Club site. You must also make sure your pup has been hearing tested :)

Good luck and keep us posted :)

my friend has got a dalmation puupy and its only three months old, and it is already humping everything, and very boistreous, if your home all the time so can take it for loooooooong walks as there were bred to run alongside coaches, aso have a lot of stamina, and give it something to keep its mind busy then i am sure there would make a great pet

Hi. I have 4 dals, 2 dogs and 2 bitches. And although they are all closely related, they are all very different to each other. The bitches (and all the ones I've had in the past) tend to stick closer on walks (not usually going more than 100 yards away from me, unless there's a kamikaze rabbit about), and are generally more - well, feminine! The dogs (these are my first males, and I'm still getting used to the difference even after 4 years) are just as loving, but more independently-minded, and will often be 3 fields away on our walks.

It's impossible to say which sex is 'better', because they are different. I have my personal preference, but that doesn't mean it is right for you. Also the variation in markings means that pups will appeal to different people because of their looks. Some people like the very plain faces, others the really spotty faces. The look of your dog has to appeal to you.

The dogs tend to be noticeably bigger, and much stronger than the bitches, and if they take a scunner to an individual dog, they will never forget it, and will treat all others of the same breed with suspicion. You have to be more alert when you're out with them and spot potential trouble before they do. That said, they are great soppy things - but female visitors wearing perfume can be just too much for them!

Training - they are all different. You have to be sneaky with their training. If they can't see an advantage to them, then they won't do it. Mine will retrieve something once willingly, reluctantly the second time, and not at all the third, because they decided that I obviously don't want something if I keep throwing it away! It's a mental challenge for the owner, and the first threat of temper or force means forget any training for several days because they go to pieces.

Exercise - like all breeds like this, you need to build up the exercise gradually as they grow, but after about 18 months they will take all the exercise you can give them. And it needs to be as regular as possible. You can get away with only one 'proper' walk occasionally if you are really really busy, but they will be hell to live with until they get back into their routine. A good amount to aim for every day is at least 2 walks, totally about an hour and a half, with free-running combined with leadwork.

Despite all this, they are a wonderful breed to own if you're good enough for them!
:)

Many thanks for the advice. I think that I am sure we'll wait for a female. Just as it's our fist try with a Dalmatian.

With regards to breeders I have found one in Wales called Stephanie Yates at http://www.millview.org

She seems very knowledgable about the breed and seems to give the puppies and their mum a lot of love and attention. . She also gave me some background info  to the fathers side which I thought was good. a lot of love and attention.

Another thing which I thought was a sign of a good owner is that she asked us questions and checked to see if we were good enough. Something which some breeders don't do.

i have asked about the BARE testing and allthe puppies were okay. Also HIP troubles are not in the Mum and Dad so that may mean the puppies are okay Although you can never tell.

Has anyone heard of Stephanie as a Dal breeder?

Hi,
Stephanie Yates is a member of the British Dalmatian Club, so she will rear her pups according to the Club's Code of Conduct. It's good that she has had the whole litter BAER tested - it's the only way of knowing for sure about any hearing loss.

If you like what you see with Stephanie's pups, then I would say go for it. I wouldn't recommend anyone who wasn't a club member.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.
:)

Good website too - she's very thorough - and hip tests aswell :)

I want one now :)