Pre-loved Dalmatians

reddust

on a one month trial

Generally one month isn"t really enough time for an older dog to completely come out of her shell.  8-12 weeks is usually what it takes for the dog to get used to the routine, and finally feel completely comfortable.

reddust

How can I encourage her to be a good guard dog?  She doesn't seem to want to bark, it this typical dal stuff or can she change?

What you are actually wanting then is more of a "watch dog" rather than a guard dog.  This comes with time.  Once she figures out her boundaries she'll probably bark at the appropriate things to bark at.

reddust

How long to dals stay active for? I'm worried that she is 8 and I need an active dog to go on trails etc with me and my horse, do you think she'll keep up with me for a few years yet?

As long as she's fit, she should thrive under moderate exercise.  Add a high quality food to the equation and barring injury or disease you should have years of companionship.

reddust

Can anyone give me some tips on training her since she is 8?  She doesn't seem to keen on learning obediance.  She's an ex-show dog so heels and stands, will sit on occasion.... that's about it. 

Investigate clicker training.  Find out what her motivations are and use those as rewards.

 Remember that a high-quality food for Dals isn't necessarily the same as for everyone else- organ meats encourage stones in Dals.

 8 isn't old- a friend of mine has a 7 year old Dal service dog who outruns all my crew regularly. Check out the Dalmatian Longevity Project for info on senior Dals. :) (Google it, it'll come up)

 
For training, I definately recommend clicker. Dals do NOT respond well to heavy-handed trainers, they need a really persistant, consistant trainer. Cheese helps too. :P

 Are you on ShowDals-L? I'd recommend joining it if you aren't, and asking for advice there. They seem to be a really great group of people.

 

Thanks for the responses, it all sounds pretty positive.  She really is a sweet girl.  She barked again this morning, at the big male dog again (not exactly what I hoped for but at least she knows how to bark!).  Her barking is probably one of the most important things for me, I really need her to let me know when she hears someone on the property, that's all. 

 I'll check out the web sites mentioned.

Thanks again,

Dee

Dals are generally naturally good watchdogs (keep in mind that they were coach dogs, bred to guard carriages).  Give her some time (it may take a month or two) to get comfortable and accustomed to you and your house.  In the meantime, build your relationship with her...train her, give her structure, take walks together, and so on.

Dalmatians generally stay active into old age.  I would expect that your girl, if you keep her in shape, should be able to keep up with you for a while yet.

Clicker training!  Dalmatians respond well to positive training, and they're intelligent dogs.  Take her to a class or two.  You might also put her into agility classes for fun.

Where is your girl from?  You mentioned that she's a retired show dog, so I'm curious. :)
 

 -Lindsay and Grady the Dalmatian

I'm hoping she will turn out to be true to dal form with watch-dog abilities and activeness.   Dals do seem to live a long time!  Sound like I just need to give her time.

 Everyone has so far recommended clicker training.  I tried this method with my old dog who was a whippet who I initially trained with more traditional methods, which worked really well.  The only thing I really got out of it was using "yes" as a bridging word, the rest of it seemed to be lost on both me and the whippet and my one other dog I tried to train with the clicker worked out click = cheese and that's where the depth of understanding ended.  Obedience classes start up here in Feb so maybe if they offer clicker training I'll give it a go.  I still have my clicker somewhere....

She was a show dog, but we are from Australia, so doubt you would know my girl.  Her registered name is Blairwick Bella Rosa from New South Wales and I believe she got her title and then retired from the ring.

Actually,  while I have the attention of some Dal people, I wonder if anyone can answer some questions about feeding her.  I've always done BARF or similar.  Her previous owner told me they only feed her chicken frames plus a recipie of veggies garlic, flax seed oil, egg etc.  I know Dals need a low protien diet, but would fish be ok occasionally as well?  I used to feed mackeral to my old dogs, great for putting on weight and for coat etc.  Would that be too much protien for a dal?

Would you recommend feeding anything else?  I always though you had to provide a variety of meat bases in BARF to get all necessary nutrients?

Never mind, I found this website in case anyone else is interested in the answer :)

http://home.att.net/%7ehattrick-dals/PreventingUrateStoneFormation.html

I hope some of my shared experience will help a bit! I currently own my second Dal, which I adopted about 8 years ago when he was found abandoned. He's about 10 now and is definitely less hyper than he was a few years ago but still active. I bring him on brisk walks and he's fine. I agree with other contributors to this thread that Dals are more watchdogs than guard dogs, i.e. they're an alert breed and will bark accordingly, but I wouldn't hope for my Dal to guard, give him a nice bone and he'll happily let you make away with the TV. :) I find Dals to be stubborn and extremely intelligent (will find ways to work around rules), and mine have not responded well to a battle of wills in heavy-handed training, so I too advocate clicker-training. A common breed defect appears to be deafness, so I'm glad to hear your Dal barked and seems to be settling down!

Thanks for that info.  Over the last week she's become a new dal :) I didn't expect her to be a guard dog, but she is becoming a wonderful watchdog.  She's quiet and friendly to everyone, but if someone she doesn't know tries to jump the fence or get in, she barks and growls and let's them know in no uncertain terms that they are unwelcome. She's definately smart enough and am understanding what people mean when they say dals are stubborn.

I think she just needed time to settle in and she's doing ok :)

Thanks again

D

It sounds like you're doing really well with her, that's great!