Frequently asked questions

an answer to frequently asked questions

Q?How do I raise my Dalmatian?

A.

We are often asked what the correct upbringing for their Dalmatian is. We can only give one suitable advice: take your puppy to an approved puppy class, and preferably also to several follow-up classes.
These are very effective for you and your puppy. Furthermore, you have to be consistent in everything you do with your puppy.
Make sure you discuss with your family beforehand what is and what isn’t allowed with the puppy and make sure everybody sticks to this. Allow the puppy to rest and never disturb the puppy when he’s sleeping.
Make sure the playtime inside the house is kept to a minimum and save this for outside or in the backyard.
This prevents for the largest part that your Dalmatian becomes too wild inside the house. It will teach him to get used to the correct energy distribution.
Inside calm, outside active!
Again, be consistent but always fair and only punish your dog directly if you catch him doing something, and never afterwards.

Q?How can I best feed my Dalmatian?

A.

Always feed with your eyes. A Dalmatian in growth should never be too skinny. You are not supposed to see its ribs.
But on the other hand, the dog shouldn’t be so fat that it loses its shape.
A Dalmatian dog in growth should always eat complete, well balanced brand food. After all, he has to grow up to become a adult, strong, healthy dog in the short period of a year, which can only be achieved with proper food. So never save money by buying so called scoop food from the pet store or the supermarket. These types of food are never stable with regards to their ingredients and quality.
The fact that they are recommended by the pet store is more due to the fact that they can make more profit, than due to its quality.
Preferably feed your puppy according to the feeding schedule of your breeder. An adult Dalmatian could in principle eat maintenance food, if no intensive sport performances are required of the dog. If that’s the case, we would recommend energy food.
We recommend giving him two meals a day in addition to continuous access to fresh water.
If you then give the dog a big bone from time to time to clean his teeth, and a reward cookie for good behaviour, you are a good owner regarding feeding.
Be careful with hand feeding and feeding from the table. Dalmatian dogs can turn out to be terrible slobs, and when you look the other way for a second, your dog will snatch the meatballs off your plate.
This is obviously not how it’s supposed to be. We know like nobody else that this is a difficult subject to be consistent with, because we hand feed our dog or feed them off the table on the occasion.
But we don’t get mad when they then try it with visitors. After all, we’re the ones who taught them…

Q?Can our Dalmatian come along on holiday?

A.

You can’t give a well-raised Dalmatian a bigger pleasure than allowing him to come along on holiday with you.
Always make sure you contact the vet in time to get information about the needed shots for the country you’re going to.
If you go to a warm country, make sure there is always plenty of shade and enough fresh water.
Be careful with ticks and other insects.
Make sure your Dalmatian doesn’t bother other holidaymakers. Also make sure you contact your holiday destination about whether dog are allowed, to prevent disappointments when there.
If your dog is not allowed to come along, make sure you arrange a place for him to stay in time, for instance with family or friends or a holiday exchange project.
A good guesthouse is of course always a solution, but make sure you book this in time.