Who Has Dalmatian's?

Hi,
I am hopefully getting a Dalmatian soon so was wondering who on here has them?
Also what are they like as pets?.
Hope you can include pics.
Thanks
Janine

Wahay another dally owner!!!

You must be mad

Ok, what are they like as pets:

you will find yourself buying all the latest gadgets to remove hair from clothes... they moult like crazy!
you will never sit down again! They ARE crazy!
you will look at him/her for the first few months and think 'what the hell have I done?'

And then...
with lots of training and patience, he/she will turn into your best friend
STILL moult lots
and you will never look back again.

They are great pets, apparently fantastic with children (I don't have kids so don't know!), but you need to be vigilant as they are VERY giddy as pups and play bite a lot.
They love smaller animals, rabbits, cats etc. and will mother anything once they've grown up a bit. (It just depends whether your cat wants mothering!)

They're always ready to play
Hate being left alone
they are VERY family orientated, make great guard dogs whilst still being friendly. Takara will guard the house and bark at strangers who come to the house, however, once she sees us welcoming them, she's all over them!

It's rare that you find an aggressive dalmatian - I've not come across one yet but they will stick up for themselves.

They're extremely strong both physically and mentally. If a dally isn't heel trained, expect to be taken for a walk!

In order to train a dal, you need lots of patience, lots of food lots of positive reinforcement and always carry through consequences.
Don't let a dal get away with anything once, because they'll remember exactly how they managed it and you'll have a hard time training them!

All in all, they make fantastic family dogs, but not for someone who isn't fully committed. I totally underestimated it, and the first 6 months were extremely tiring! they won't be left alone, are always ready to play and need LOTS of exercise!

However - if you've got the time, patience, and you're not worried about going out looking like a scruff (they really do moult!!) then they are the perfect dog!

My dalmatian pup at 7 weeks:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...a/DSCF0481.jpg
(when she was in bed was the only time I could get a photo otherwise all I got was a foot, or a tail

this is what she has grown into so far!
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...finally016.jpg

Not always so cute though!
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...tchenmess2.jpg

Hi,
Thanks for all that information its really helpful. The dog, well bitch as they say is 9months old, her owners have split up so can't take her.
Do you have a e-mail address i could forward you a pic - see what you think of her as i am not that good at seeing wots a good dal to a bad breed one if that makes sence?

Forgot to add,

if you do get a dal, there's lots to know before you commit to buying one, but they are prone to deafness due to the white gene being linked to deafness, so always insist on a BAER hearing test. Any breeder who doesn't want to BAER test has something to hide in my opinion.
puppies that are found to be bilaterally deaf have to be put to sleep by any breeder who is a member of the British Dalmatian Club (all reputable breeders should be). Because of this, some breeders don't test so that they can say that they didn't know the pup was deaf.

Bilaterally or unilaterally deaf dalmatians (or any dogs) can be prone to aggression due to not being able to hear you approach etc.

Remember, training will be tough as dalmatians are strong willed and like to test you, as well as working out ways to outwit you, the cogs are ALWAYS turning! lol

bear with me - was typing!
have added you to msn, carlotta bennitto is me!

All I can add is that a Dally is a lovely dog to own, and good on you for thinking about taking in a dog that needs a new home.