Are dalmatians dumb?

[dog_luver]

i just read the article on this page about dalmatians, and they come off sounding pretty smart. my mom has always told me not to get one because they're impossible to train and disobedient. what do you all think?

[BigDogBruiser]

dalmatians aren't dumb, they just have a bad habit of belonging to dumb owners. the dalmatian's recognizability makes it a popular choice for people getting their first dog, and that pretty much explains all the "dumb" dalmatians you see. i had a dal for years and it was a great dog.

[queenkarlata]

i completely agree with bigdogbruiser. i also want to add that dalmatians are actually a really smart breed of dog. they must be consistently trained well in order to keep their energy focused away from whatever bad behaviors your mother may have witnessed. if you dont take the time to train them well, they won't respect you as their owner and who's going to listen to someone they don't respect?

[PrincessCare]

Yes, dalmatians are nutoriously dumb. I have this one that lives across the street and I sware that thing can't think beter than bat in daylite!

[dog_luver]

PrincessCare,

LOL! seriously though i think dalmations are sweet. why else would disney make a movie about them?

[PrincessCare]

PrincessCare,

LOL! seriously though i think dalmations are sweet. why else would disney make a movie about them?

People make movies about just about anything these days.. think snakes on a plane (which was awesome, btw).

[mcdottie01]

What a silly question to ask? Of course, most dalmatians are highly intelligent. However, just like in people, some dogs are smarter than others. That is true of all breeds. Often, they are the victim of uneducated people.

Dalmatians usually have a very good memory, so early training is critical. Whatever they learn early on, is what they will do throughout their lives. They tend to imprint easily. Most of them like food/treats/toys, so training methods that include food/treats/toys are very effective. They do not do well with "drill sargeant" training. They are very social and want to please. They should not be left outside chained to a dog house.

Dalmatians also have a protective instinct that is often misunderstood as aggression. Many years ago, they were bred to protect horses. You need to understand that. They have been known to protect their families. Don't encourage them to bark, they will do that naturally at the right times. You need to socialize them a lot with other people and strange dogs, especially around 9 months old.

Dalmatians have been able to compete in obedience, tracking, agility, and rally competitions. They also compete in Road Trials which is when they need to run with a horse & rider. This is what they were bred to do. They stay within a certain distance of the horse while the horse is following a trail, road, etc. The horse may be pulling a carriage/coach. These are running dogs. They should be able to run 25 miles non-stop. Dalmatians need exercise or they can become distructive. This is what many owners don't understand. Chewing is a sign of frustration because of lack of exercise and stimulation.

Dalmatians are as smart as you teach them to be.

[queenkarlata]

thank you mcdottie. i think no dog is dumb, especially not dalmatians.

[fuzzdomestic]

Dalmations are dumb, Pit Bulls snap when they hit a certain age, and Huskies are vicious. I think there's just about a myth for every breed. Talk to rescue workers, reputable breeders, and owners who got their dogs from reputable breeders and you'll find out what the dogs are actually like, rather than just making an assumption. I always assumed that Labradors were well-mannered an obedient no matter what the owner did, but I found out pretty quick that I was wrong.

I've never done a lot of work with Dalmations, but I've never heard anything bad about them from someone who works with them regularly. They've got to have some sense to do what they were bred to do.

[babyjake228]

Exactly. Dalmations are not dumb. Just sometimes their owners are, which makes people get the wrong impression of them. (No offense to the owners, of course)

Dalmations are actually quite... intelligent,
Jakey

[Doggies4Evers]

101 dalmations made it worse for the breed, everyone wanted a dalmation puppy then when people would stop saying oh thats a dalmation just like in the movie, there buzz/fam/high is lost then they get rid of them, or when they arnt cute puppies or people say how bad they are from them not being good people and training them right a dalmation requires, the pounds/shelters/etc filled up pretty fast with dalmations. Etc Etc.

[babyjake228]

I agree, Doggies4Evers. 101 Dalmations made it worse, because everyone got a Dalmation puppy just to fit in with the trend. Then the fame and publicity died down, and so people started to abandon their puppies and all that, so they didn't give the Dalmations the training and attention they needed, so they were labeled incorrectly as "dumb".

Labeling any breed specifically as "dumb" is wrong, because within a breed, every single little dog is different. One Chihuahua might be different from the other. One may be smart, and one may be dumb. That doesn't mean that Chihuahua's specifically are dumb, does it?

Jakey

[mushee_doggie]

I don't hink dalmatians are dumb. My uncle has a dalmatian and it is pretty obedient. Training really depends on the owner, I guess.


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[sandram]

i owned 2 dalmatians at 1 point ( i have alot of experience with owning dogs) and i can tell u theyre the ones that need the most patience...they were a bit harder to train than any other breed i had/have...theyre not dumb just highly active therefore need an active person as an owner