I have to care for an abandoned dalmatian while finding her a new owner but I'm quite useless with animals. Only she had been left tied to a post everyday near our house till owner finally stopped feeding her so I have no choice but to take her in. Original owner says she is about 5 years old, and that she is an "a**hole dog". I got her a leather leash but she broke it, then I got her a longer leash, she broke it again. So she's back on her original chain. I still keep her on it because she has a tendency to bare her teeth suddenly and get hyper and jump at people. At night when no one's out she can run free in the yard but daytime she has to be tied to the post - it is really bad I know. I gave her a ball to play with but she keeps running away from it. If I walk away from her she starts crying, then once I'm in the house she starts howling so I have to come back and pat her. What do dalmatians play with? Is she no longer trainable at this age? Don't tell me I'm the wrong person to own a dalmatian, I know that, I just don't have a choice right now since nobody else wants to adopt her.
Breed rescue group. Buy her a big dog bone, they sell them in grocery stores. Although I give my dogs plastic soda bottles to shred, they like them. Cow hooves are fun too, and cheap. Dalmatians are trainable, but she sounds like she started out with a high temper and was then brutalized. It's actually easier to housebreak older dogs...if much grosser when they mess up. Do NOT spank her. If she bares her teeth, say NO, walk out of her reach and half-turn away from her. When she stops, then you be nice to her. She wants your attention; use it. I use this trick to get my crazy dog to not claw me because he's so happy to see me...he does not get petted until his butt's on the ground, and the instant he jumps up, I jump out of his reach. (I have at least one toenail scar from this dog, and he's pulled me off my feet twice with a leash-only weighs about 60 lbs, but all of it's hard muscle...so not being unnecessarily mean.) I have the crazy dog and the lab that needs to go away on something like this: http://www.tieouts.com/id85.html They thus have a short chain that is hard to tangle going to a long cable that lets them run around a bit. My dogs will do absolutely anything for cheap imitation cheese product. Can be used to get her to like strangers, sit, come, whatever.
The easiest way I've found to train a dog is with treats and a clicker. I have trained wild dogs before - the kind that are starving and scavenge. All dogs are trainable. I think you should work on a simple command like sit, and don't miss too many days. The dog will start to understand basic communication this way. Don't worry about other tasks until the dog has sit nailed.
Thanks! She was being playful when I fed her, jumping around and then spreading herself on the floor. I felt like she wants me to jump around with her too but I have to think twice about making sudden movements that could surprise her because I still don't know her moods. What interactive games can you suggest?
Also the advice I got was to feed her only 2x per day. Googling, I get the same answer. But could that be right? She is hyper and only has to eat twice?
Every dog is different from other dogs, just like people. Each of us has our issues, sounds like she has been abused to me. Get educated on this topic, and NOT just from us here. My 3 year old Lab requires 10 miles a day, swimming and playing - fetch, tug-o-war, rolling catch and lots of touchy-feely loving. She eats 3 - 4 times a day and has snacks, organic dog cookies and duck jerky. Because she is run every day, she is content to hang out in the yard - not on a tether. EDIT: Despite that some folks have bitched me out for the 10 miles a day and claim that my dog and I are both going to be unhappy and miserable, we are both extremely fit and very happy. The doc and the vet both agree with this.
Read up on dog obedience for free online so that you can learn how to train your dog so that she will listen to you instead of doing only what she wants. There are many free classes online and phone numbers to call as well. It is best for any dog to be trained so they are calm and submissive not hyper and freaky. Good luck and read this information soon. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...u7X7BQ&usg=AFQjCNHyDzvJP7kp5PPzDCcNDBVVo9S7YA
Get Victoria Stilwell's "It's Me or the Dog" information, tapes, etc. It's not just the breed you have, it's how it was raised. Most dogs can be converted to good pets. You have to be consistent and know what you're doing. Dalmations can be great pets. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/its-me-or-dog/
Awww! The spreading herself on the floor thing is both a sign of nonaggression/submission and a play signal. She likes you! Dogs are just giant emotional sponges IMO. They just want love.
I don't think she was ever brutalized - she probably just never experienced any affection because her hyperactivity was misinterpreted as aggression. She's had some form of abuse though via her chainlink leash. There is a deep red circle round her neck. I can't do much with her until I get the Gentle leader leash I ordered. (It fits round her muzzle, just like with horses). From then I can take her out for walks without us hurting each other. Owner said that dalmatians are unfortunately the dumbest of all dog breeds, and at first I assumed some truth in this, but looking it up I didnt find any reason to believe that. I think she must be very intelligent because her epileptic bouncing and running routine is now punctuated by her kissing my feet (just for a split second, then she goes back to bouncing). She'll go through this routine about 7 times in 10 seconds. I think she added the feet kissing because she sensed I get scared by her bouncing. Thank you for all the advice. I think I am more worried now if I can put all this new knowledge into action. She is still on her chainlink leash (but has had lots more walks and freedom from the chains since) so I don't have much to be proud of yet re caring for her.
Bad ass Lilalena....good for you. Fire departments used to use dalmatians to keep the horses that pulled the engines running...so let her run as much as you can.
She is giving you kisses because you are the food goddess and are good to her. The way I taught the crazy dog to sit was to pull his head up with the leash, push his butt down, and say, Sit! Then tell him he was a good dog when his butt stayed touching for a fraction of a second...took a couple of daily walks with me randomly stopping and pushing his butt down to get it. My crazy dog bounces because he's happy to see me or anybody. Also jumps in circles.
One of my brothers was a dalmatian. He bit a burglar that broke into our house through the doorwall in our bedroom. He was not just smart, he was brilliant, lived to 16 & 1/2. I loved him with all of my heart, still do. Even now at 60, I have his pictures right here and think of him often. I was 6 when we got him as a pup. This is an opportunity for you to grow quite a lot. If you do well at this, you will become a better person for it. The daily walks are the real secret, the rest is just filling in the blanks. A front - ringed halter (the ring is in the center of a strap that goes across the chest) is vastly better than a muzzle. This is a fact. You may ask me about this if you want or need to do so. I will assist you as needed.
A Dalmatian owner told me that once too. The thing to understand about dogs is that they are pack animals. They don't like being alone. They like being a member of a group. They like knowing what their place is in the group, although they might argue about it. They also like activity. Any dog who is left alone for long periods of time is going to be pretty sad and even a little crazy. And any dog that doesn't have much opportunity to play and move around is going to be even worse. Our Lhasa Apsos are one of the few exceptions, they tolerate or even appreciate solitude and they're not very active--more feline than canine. This is why they became so popular when people started living alone, being away all day, and leaving their dog locked up in a tiny apartment or condo. So give your dog lots of quantity time not quality time--just being in the same room with you even if you're not paying attention to her. And give her as much exercise as you can. You're doing your best on a job you didn't ask for, so you have plenty to be proud of. Chains have a bad rep, but leaving a dog tied to a post with a rope isn't really a whole lot kinder. Invisible electric fences work very well, but you're hardly going to re-landscape your house for a dog you don't intend to keep. Besides, humans don't trust them and when they see a dog lunging at them with no visible barrier to stop him, it's hard to be logical. They're more appropriate for dogs who just drool and wag their tails.
Huh. Rescued a mostly-deaf pitbull once...he was a nice guy but could barely hear. If I screamed at him from a few feet away he might hear me and look excited. Other than needing tons of food and eating my socks, not a bad dog...and yeah, I think he ATE the socks...confetti-poop is a real option with the bully breeds, they eat everything.
