New furry baby in the house!

[saxguy64]

At long last, after much planning, and finally finding a decent, legit breeder, aaaand driving 9 hours each way... introducing the newest member of the family, Zoey! Sweetest little girl ever.

I'm completely in love with this one, but wow, she's the puppiest puppy we've ever had. Latest nickname- Roomba. Trust me, it fits lol!

Now I have to say, gorgeous as they are, dalmatians aren't for everyone. They're extremely high intelligence, high energy, high maintenance, kinda like the cockatoos of the dog world. Once you figure out how they think and how to burn off all that energy, they're wonderful, loving, and loyal to a fault. I've found them extremely easy to train, once you understand how they see things.

Sadly, every time a dalmatian movie comes out, backyard breeders go crazy, and so many wind up in shelters when their humans can't deal with them. Hmmm, sound familiar? Fortunately, there hasn't been one of those movies released in quite a while, so the numbers in rescues and shelters have gone way down for now.

We've been blessed with six beautiful dals over the last 30 years, but haven't had one in the house for 7-8 years. Their personalities are so different from other dogs. Completely different agenda. We've missed it so much.

Puppy nap/snuggle time is the best! (Next to birdie snuggles, of course )

 

[chris-md]

Congrats on the sweet puppy! What’s an adorable little thing!

Im curious to hear what you mean by “easy to train once yoh know how they see things”. Interesting notion!

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Welcome to the family, beautiful Zoey!

 

[bill_e]

She's absolutely gorgeous! Good luck with her.

 

[Terry57]

I'm so happy for you, Jon! I'm happy for Zoey too, she sure hit the jackpot when you brought her home
She is a beauty and I am thrilled that we will get to watch her grow up with you.

 

[LaManuka]

Welcome home, gorgeous Zoey, and you have indeed found pretty much the best new mum and dad that a precious little pup could possibly hope for!❤️

 

[saxguy64]

Congrats on the sweet puppy! What’s an adorable little thing!

Im curious to hear what you mean by “easy to train once yoh know how they see things”. Interesting notion!

There's so many different methods of training. Some work better than others, and I've found it largely depends on the personality and mindset of the dog. Way back, when we got our first Dal, I took him to a puppy class, run by a local, well regarded trainer. I should have just left at the start of the first class, when she looked around the room and proudly announced that the two she was going to have a problem with were "the boxer, and the dalmatian." She was one that trained by "corrections." Choke collar and all. That approach like it or not, is effective for a lot of dogs, even though it encourages fear as the primary motivation. Absolutely the wrong way to motivate any dog in my opinion, but especially not a Dal. They're extremely headstrong, but they have an undying need to please their person, as though it's their only function in life. They are very aware of everything around them, and absolutely try to plan 3 steps ahead. There's the trick- reading them so you see what is their ultimate goal at that moment. Praise, attention and reward for their behavior work miracles, as it should for any dog, but the only way to go for dals.



No doubt, others will have different ideas. I'm no expert by any means, just have learned what works and doesn't with our previous 6 dallies. They are unique, amazing dogs for us, but we're... different lol! Have I mentioned that I love them?

 

[Scott]

Zoey is a beauty inside and out, congratulations! Now I'm intrigued, Jon, with analogy of Dalmations with Cockatoos!

 

[GaleriaGila]

My favorite breed of all time.
Oh, just look at her. Princess Z.
My former mother-in-law had one who ruled the family roost for 17 majestic years. I'm searching for a photo.
Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!

 

[saxguy64]

Zoey is a beauty inside and out, congratulations! Now I'm intrigued, Jon, with analogy of Dalmations with Cockatoos!

Much like cockatoos, dalmatians are super intelligent, so they require a lot of mental stimulation, constantly. They need a job. They're also high maintenance health wise, and kinda OCD. They are honestly a tremendous amount of work until you can establish solid communication and understand each other's expectations, but entirely worth it. They repay the effort with endless love, extreme loyalty, and happiness.

 

[T00tsyd]

I just wish everyone realised that different breeds function so differently. I had a rescue that they said had Collie in him. They based that on his colouring alone. I got him home and realised he was nothing of the sort. I had him DNA tested and found that he was mostly German ShepherdxWeimaraner. Completely different tactic required. Grew from a complete rogue to the perfect dog. One size certainly doesn't fit all when it comes to training.

 

[Skarila]

Gorgeous spotted lady you have!!! Wish you many many happy years with your new furry companion!!

Bonus question: how do you manage to keep the dog and the birds separated?? I know this certainly was a huuuge challenge for me!

 

[saxguy64]

Gorgeous spotted lady you have!!! Wish you many many happy years with your new furry companion!!

Bonus question: how do you manage to keep the dog and the birds separated?? I know this certainly was a huuuge challenge for me!

Thanks, she is pretty special!

Dogs and birds are a challenge for anyone. Fortunately, my other dogs show zero interest in the birds. That said, the birds are never out without me knowing exactly where the dogs are, and close monitoring just in case. Baxter doesn't get along with Tucker, much though he tries, so they have individual time out of the cage. Much easier to keep track of one bird at a time. Tucker is a fantastic flyer, and hates the floor, so that's helpful. Baxter, though quite capable, has no interest in flying, so she mostly hangs out on my shoulder or arm, or top of her cage. (76 inches tall)

Our new little ball of energy, Zoey, is going to take some time. She's definitely showing some interest in Baxter's cage, but she's a puppy, and super curious about everything. Saving grace is that she plays really hard, then takes nice long naps. She's crate trained, so she has no issues with napping in there. Meanwhile, that's when the birds come out. So far, so good, but I never let my guard down. Ever.

 

[T00tsyd]

I have always cage trained my dogs as puppies but the trouble was Syd could get through the mesh! I worried for the dog's safety more than Syd's. The dog was definitely more predictable. We decided that the dog would wait through a glass door where we could see him and he didn't seem as banned. It didn't stop the really mournful expression on his face while Syd romped. It was a relatively short time before I lost the dog with cancer. Syd now seems to have filled the hole left in my heart.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Found it!
This was Lady Tiffany Enchantress Something-or-other, who supervised North Dallas society back in the day. HAD to be a relative. HAD TO.

 

[saxguy64]

Awwwwwwww, thanks for sharing that, Sis! She's gorgeous!