Dalmatian
Dogs

Dalmatian

4.1
8 reviews
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The Dalmatian is an instantly recognisable spotted breed with a history as a carriage dog, firehouse mascot, and circus performer. Athletic, energetic, and intelligent, Dalmatians thrive with active owners who can provide substantial daily exercise and consistent training. They are dignified and reserved with strangers but intensely devoted and playful with their own families.

Pros

  • Athletic and tireless exercise companion
  • Striking appearance with unique spotted coat
  • Devoted and loyal to family
  • Low-odour, relatively clean coat

Cons

  • High energy requires significant daily exercise
  • Can be stubborn and independent
  • Predisposition to deafness and urinary stones
  • Shedding of white hairs is constant and sticks to fabric

Reviews 8

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RustyFang13
3/5

Underestimated the exercise requirement

My Dalmatian is wonderful but I did not fully appreciate how much exercise this breed truly needs. I am relatively active but she needs more than I can consistently provide. On high-exercise days she is perfect. On lower-exercise days she is restless and destructive. We now have a dog walker three d…

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H
HappyBark76
4/5

Beautiful and energetic

My Dal is stunning to look at and exhausting to own in the best possible way. She needs at least ninety minutes of vigorous exercise every day. When she gets it she is calm, affectionate, and well-behaved at home. When she does not she finds her own entertainment which is rarely appreciated. She is …

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S
SwiftRomp89
5/5

My running partner for six years

I have trained for three marathons with my Dalmatian running beside me. He has been the most extraordinary training partner, consistent, enthusiastic, and apparently never tired. He has made me a better runner. Off the trail he is dignified and calm, a completely different dog from the athlete on th…

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GentlePurr45
5/5

The most athletic dog I have ever owned

My Dalmatian runs alongside my bicycle for fifteen miles without showing fatigue. He is extraordinary physically, lean, fast, and seemingly inexhaustible. He is devoted to me and to my family, reserved at first with strangers but warm once he has assessed them. His shedding is impressive and constan…

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GoldenPaw90
5/5

Devoted family companion

My Dalmatian has grown up with my three children and has been everything I could have wanted in a family dog. He is patient, playful, and enormously loyal. He sleeps outside my children's rooms at night, positioned like a guardian. He is reserved with people he does not know but never aggressive, ju…

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VividGallop34
4/5

Health check essential before buying

My Dalmatian is wonderful but I want to mention the health considerations. He has had two urinary stone incidents requiring dietary management, and one of his littermates was deaf from birth. These are documented breed issues and any reputable breeder will test for them. With appropriate care my boy…

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LivelyMuzzle85
4/5

Unique and captivating

Everyone stops to admire my Dalmatian everywhere we go. Her spots are not evenly distributed and she has a large patch over one eye that gives her a piratical look. She is smart, independent, and can be a bit of a diva about things she dislikes. She flatly refuses to go out in heavy rain. But she is…

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BraveHowl85
3/5

Beautiful but not for first-timers

My Dalmatian tested me more than any previous dog. She is intelligent enough to find every loophole in my rules and physical enough to get into any trouble she finds. Training required professional help and two years of daily work. She is now reliably obedient but it was a real commitment. She is a …

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