I  own several dals and have 2 young kids aged 4 and 2 and was just wondering if anyone else who owns this fantastic breed ever gets comments like"oh I would never have dalmatians with young kids" and"oh they are supposed to be really tempermental with kids aren't they" and things like this. I have owned several different breeds of dog in my time and have found my dals to be excellent with children, whether mine or anyone elses, compared to some of the others. On a lighter note has anyone else noticed that when they wag their tails and catch you with it, it feels like a whip. On more than one occasion i have been left with a red mark from an energetic dog.

Well personally I agree my lot are brilliant with my kids.  Thomas trampolines, gets dressed up and generally thinks he is one of them.  The only problem we had when my youngest was small and Purdy used to jump and flatten him.   I think they are too bouncy for some kids which is why when I sell the litter I want to see the kids with the dog.   I was put of them for years because I had a friend who had two of them who snapped at her child but this would have been around 30 years ago so was well before hearing testing. Obviously if a dog couldnt hear and a child crept up on it that could have caused the problem.  No one has ever personally said to me they are bad with kids but I do know of people who have had this said to them.  I suppose like in any breed their are good or bad and they were vastly puppy farmed after the first Disney film which didnt help. 

Their tails are a totaly nightmare.  I am currently sleeping downstairs and I consistantly get woke up by their tails banging the floor or sofa.  They have broken nearly every ornament in the house with them not to mention the amount of bloodbaths I have had with end of tail bleeds. 

My dogs make their tails bleed as well by banging them off of the doorframes and our stone fireplace etc. A friend of mine had a dal a few years back that snapped a people, kids and adults alike, and when she returned him to the breeder she was informed "it runs in the bloodline", have you ever heard this before? As for the dog you knew that snapped could it be possible that she was deaf, just wondering as we have recently had a deaf dal dumped in our back garden(let the dogs out one morning and when they came back in there was an extra one!) and were planning on looking after her but I don't want her to be snappy with my kids.

Hi Leanne

A deaf dally with kids is a dodgy one.  To be honest personally I have had no experience of keeping one so couldnt comment perhaps JG has she is a lot more experienced than I am.  I dont know of anyone who has one either.  The only thing I would hesitate to keep one with young children is if the dog doesnt realise a child is sneaking up on it then it might snap but this is my own opinion and is not based on anything other than my opinion.  I have never bred or owned one.

Sorry I cant be more help but I am afraid bad tempered dallies arent my speciality now if you are talking bad tempered owners I could write a novel :)

I agree, a deaf dally with young children is most likely a big mistake. The poor things need far more attention and input than 'normal' dals (are they ever normal?) and they're demanding enough. And as T-T-S says, the possibility for a deaf dal to snap because it's been startled is very real.

Thanks for the advice. The last thing I'd ever want is for one of my kids to get hurt because she hasn't heard them coming up to her, I don't think I would ever forgive myself. As for giving her much more attention I would struggle at the moment as I've had a pup returned from some people who say they weren't prepared for the amount of chewing a puppy does if you don't give them any toys to play with. Some people really infuriate me and perhaps im not as good a judge of character as I thought!

I don't get comments like you do Leanne but I do get a few. I have Casey who is nicknamed Hyper, she is absolutely scatty, tears through the park, wants to play with everyone she meets, including humans, smiles at all my friends and tells them off if they don't get their treats out quick enough. (she sits and stares at them and gives off a pathetic bark)
Then on the other hand you have Charlie who is about twice her size and is kept on a lead and grumps at every dog he sees.
Casey is usually infront and greets dogs and the owners are usually talking to her when I arrive and they see Charlie and go to say hello and get a shock when they realise they are Chalk & Cheese.
On a recent visit to the behaviourist we were told Charlie would be like Casey in 12 months time if we followed her advice. 2 Caseys doesn't bear thinking about.
Yes their tails are dangerous, one elderly lady we meet in the park moves to one side so Casey can't whip her legs with her tail, Charlies is twice as thick and twice as lethal.

My male Tigger can be a bit funny with other males but is fantastic with bitches, pups, and humans and my female Tilly is really good with other dogs etc( but then shes only a baby still) And the funny thing is she smiles at everyone as well. She is my first to do this and to be honest the first time I saw it I thought she was snarling at the kids who were trying to take her photo(shes a poser and likes her picture to be taken!).

Charlie is a rescue dog so came with all his issues which we are slowly working out with the help of a behaviourist. The 2nd day we had him he came running into the kitchen smiling at me but doesn't do it much now but Casey seems to know it gets her loads of attention so does it to anyone who's willing to look.
Charlie is the biggest thief though.
It's nice having two opposites, Charlies personality is still coming out as he relaxes and trusts us more, we have had him 6 months now.