I have heard that Dalmations were very aggresive and that they bite alot.Is this true or is it just a rumor?please reply if you have any idea.

-- Stephanie (aubrey56@maine.rr.com), November 19, 2001

Answers

Hi from a lurker!

Dalmations are agressive and nervous in nature. If you have children, I would not get one. I have an understandable dislike for them as I was attacked by one when I was four years old.

I am sure you will get a variety of answers though! :0)

-- Laurean (cranston_06010@yahoo.com), November 19, 2001.

It all depends on the breeding behind the dog .Dalmations got a bad rep after 101 came out .Everyone and there brother wanted one and every idiot bred them .You have to do research and decide for yourself if they will fit into your family .I myself with small children would not get one.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), November 19, 2001.

We had a lovely dal, who unfortunately had to be relocated once we started to homestead. He was sweet with the children, but always cleaned off barn cats. Once we added chickens he was pretty good at snatching them. We could live with all of these things, but when my first goat doe had her beautiful doeling, he jumped into the horse stall, ( 6 foot walls) and grabbed the baby and jumped back out with the doeling and dragged her into his doghouse. That was the last straw for me. We probably could have managed around the problem, but at that point I couldn't have him around. I was very upset.

-- Marci B (daleb@kent.net), November 19, 2001.

IMHO it is not a breed problem, agression. We have had dalmatians since we first started homesteading. Some were rescues and we had some problems with them with the animals, but were able to overcome them. (accept for one sweet female that was terrorized by our cats when she first came here and decided that she hated them for ever!!) That same female helped me clean the newborn kids and would protect them in the pasture. The male we have now "owns" two of my doelings as they were bonded to him in the house last winter when they were bottle babies. He was terribly upset with me when they were put out in the barn.

Improperly handled dogs of any breed can be agressive and destructive to farm animals. Dalmatians DO need room to exercize and do not belong in apartments where they never can get rid of their high energy. I have heard of children biting episodes with almost every breed. Anyone who doesn't protect their animals from small children can end up with a biter. Four year olds are terrible at teasing dogs if they have not been taught differently. I have noticed that dogs tend to grade children by size and how they move if the child is a stranger.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 19, 2001.

I used to breed dalmations before that horrible movie came out. Yes they are agressive. They were originally coach dogs. They would run with the coach and when the owner got out the dal would guard the coach. Thier temperment is similar to a Doberman. This does not mean that there are some kind and gentle dals out there. Our dal loves babies of any species. Our cat had kittens and she would sneak in when the cat was out and lick and snuggle the kittens. She protects our chicks from other dogs and was wonderful with my five kids. I think that she may be the exception though. I would not get a dal if you have small children (under 6 yrs)or plan to have more.

-- buffy (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), November 19, 2001.

While I've never owned one, I've never met one that didn't have set backs. I have a friend, though, who has had them all his life. He has told me on several occasion, that there is something in the brain, that causes them to go bad. Sort of like dementia. He has never recommended them to people with children.

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), November 19, 2001.

I had a Dalmation many years ago. That dog would have been hard pressed to outsmart a six pack of pork chops !!! He wasn't aggresive though.

-- Glenn (gj_usa1@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Speaking as a person with a mass of scars on her back from a dalmation attack, I would NOT recommend dalmations around children. The dog that bit me belonged to my aunt and uncle with five children...they put that dog to sleep. I recently visited, almost 30 years later, and discovered that they have another dalmation that is aggressive towards young children. The aggressiveness in these dalmations has nothing whatsoever to do with their training or their owners.

-- Sharon/WI (pinnow@inwave.com), November 20, 2001.

We had a spayed female dalmation, when our two older children were small, who had a beautiful temperament. She was, however, from a well-known gentle line. She was not aggressive but was a bit nervous. As with any dog, get to know the dam and sire. Watch how they are around children. Freckles was protective of the kids. Another thing to watch for is the tendency of dals to go deaf as they age; a genetic disorder of dals. Freckles lived to be 17, so if you get one, you better like her because she'll be around a long time.

-- Rosalie (deatline@globalsite.net), November 20, 2001.

We have a dalmation, she is now 10 and we have had her since she was 10 months old. She is the most gentle dog with kids and the grandkids. BUT...she has been with us 24/7. We work at home and we spend "time" with her. My opinion, is most people buy dogs and either pen them up or turn them loose and ignore them...that is how you get the bad ones.. They aren't bad, they just don't know any better.

-- Lynette (fear_the_bear@webtv.net), November 20, 2001.

While I don't doubt that agressiveness in some dogs is the result of improper handling (penned up, tied up, ignored, etc.), it is irresponsible to discount the fact that many dogs are bred to be agressive. I don't know if that's the case with dalmations, but there are agressive lines.

My aunt and uncle are with their indoor dalmation 24/7, too. They are not at fault for the dog's agressiveness towards children.

-- Sharon/WI (pinnow@inwave.com), November 20, 2001.

As a breeder of great danes, I am around a lot of dog breeds because we show our dogs. Temperament is primarily a genetic predisposition although some dogs can "turn" bad if they are mistreated. No matter which breed you get, you should always check out the temperament of the sire and dam as well as other puppies that might have been produced by either one in an earlier litter. There are some lines that have poor temperament and some that don't. You need to do the research. Great danes are known for being gentle, they are nicknamed the gentle giant, but I will be the first to admit that there are some out there with bad temperaments that had nothing to do with the way they were raised. The problem with the dalmation is that it became a popular dog when 101 came out and they were indiscriminantly bred for people to make a fast buck without any concern about the temperament of the breeding stock. Consequently, there are a lot of them out there that have temperament problems. I have met both sweet ones and nasty ones. But the other important thing to know is that dogs and children, when together, need to be supervised. Children can do things to a dog in a split second which can cause them to react even when they are a great dog. The number one breed for biting is the Cocker Spaniel. Everyone thinks they are just a sweet cuddly dog. They are, except they are high strung and very reactive. The saving grace though is that their bites don't tend to do too much damage because their jaws are not that big or powerful. That is the reason that the Doberman's and the Rottweilers get the bad rap. When they bite, it is serious and they can do more damage so you hear about them more. That is also the reason that the only breed of dog I will not own or even get near is a pit bull. And it is not because they are any more of a temperament problem than any other breed. It is because the damage their bite does is way beyond what any other breed does because of the power of their jaws and the way they were bred to attack their prey. They latch on and won't let go and then shake their jaws. This causes a whole lot more damage. So, the bottom line is, check out the breeder and the stock they are producing no matter which breed of dog you buy. Temperament is a genetic issue you want to be sure you don't have to start with. Then, ensuring that the dog is not mistreated will go a long way towards having a happy pet in the family. But remember, dogs are still prey animals. Their instincts can be strong. Seeing a toddler running across a yard can trigger a response unexpectedly. So, always supervise the little ones when they are with the dog.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 20, 2001.

I have owned three dalmatians in my life, and am a former secretary for the Dalmatian Club of Northern California. I think the main point is ANY breed is capable of being agressive. Some of it is bad breeding, and some of it is lack of socialization when they are puppies. If you are looking to buy a dal, the best thing is to contact a breeder who is a member of a recognized Dalmatian club, and who shows. Yes, you will pay more money, (then again maybe not...) but there are a couple of good reasons. One is that people who show, are doing that breeding in order to keep a puppy that will be their next champion. Therefore, care has been taken to select the right "spouse" for their dog. So genetically there is "less" chance of genetic problems. Secondly, a show dog must be socialized! They must get used to people opening their mouths and looking at their teeth, and male dogs must be used to someone checking out their "spark plugs" as the judge will check to see that they have two decended testicle. That plus needing to be around hundreds of people and dogs at a dog show. I am not discounting the person who said that they were attacked. But, I was once bit in the face by a Dobie, and yet I know that they are wonderful around children. Any dog really must be raised around children in order to understand and tolerate them, though of course even with that there is the exception who loves children tho not raised with them. For those who have seen a Dal "showing teeth ready to attack", one very unique thing about dals is that they smile. I do mean SMILE. Some pull back their lips in a grin, and some do that till you see teeth, but it is NOT a snarl, it is most definetly a smile. Ours could smile on command. (they had been in movies)

-- Joyce Dingman (FriendsPatterns@juno.com), November 20, 2001.

Well said Colleen. Any dog that I have owned, no matter what the breed, has to past a lot of trust issues with me before they would be in the same room with a small child and NEVER unsupervised.

I had an experience with a GOAT once with one of my grandchildren. I had not had goats when I had small children and was not aware that they needed to get used to small children and that some NEVER would. I had my three year old granddaughter in with the goats and turned around just in time to see my lead doe go up on her hind legs and ram the poor little girl. That goat had never shown me the lest big of aggression, but she saw that child and thought she was a predator. Now whose fault was that??

Laying blame to a whole breed of dogs based on a childhood experience is not rational. If I were to place blame on most every dog attack of children I am aware of, it has to do with irresponsible adults not supervising the children and dogs or just plain irresponsible breeding practices.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Okay, I usually just scan and go, but I cannot resist putting in my two cents' worth here (maybe 50 cents' worth by the time I'm done!). My husband is a firefighter, and we own a dalmation (go figure). They are not allowed to have them at the fire stations any more, contrary to seemingly popular opinion (people think every fire station has one, it seems!). They are considered a liability hazard, as would be any dog. Our dalmation is extremely gentle, but can still be assertive, especially if she thinks you are messing with something that is "hers" (like one of us). They are very high energy - ours is six (nearly seven) years old and still has more energy than a lot of puppies I have seen. I wouldn't recommend a dalmation to a family with small children, but we had our dog first and kids after; Aerial thinks the kids belong to her and is protective of them as she is of us. That said, I wouldn't leave my small children (or chickens or cats) alone with ANY dog unsupervised, that's just common sense in my opinion. It does a lot of good to teach children how to treat animals; a lot of people don't do that any more.

I read one post saying that they have a temperament similar to a doberman's??!! I've never heard such a thing, and if I had, I wouldn't own one.

I do agree that certain breeds of dogs have certain inbred characteristics: after all, not all dogs are white with black spots, and not all dogs bark! But a certain amount of how any dog acts has to do with training and treatment.

For a comparison: Husband's grandfather had a dalmation that was mistreated by kids years ago; my mother-in-law wouldn't go near it, or let my husband and his sister outside if it was around at all. It loved grandpa, however, and one day, for no apparent reason,jumped in front of him out in the woods. About that time, a rattlesnake struck, getting the dog instead of grandpa. He was a good dog, just not for kids. ----- Shortly after my first was born, I took him in his carrier out into the back yard so I could help my husband with something. Our dalmation, not quite two at the time, laid down next to the carrier and kept watch over the baby the entire time I was out there. She's a good dog - even with kids; but I still wouldn't have left that baby alone with her, even if she were a golden retriever.

Sorry to be so long, I warned you all it might be 50 cents' worth, but I just hate to see people tag all dogs of one breed as bad; that's just like tagging all the kids in one family as bad just because their great-grandfather was Jesse James or Machine Gun Kelly!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), November 21, 2001.