1. Start training your Dalmatian as early as possible. The earlier you start training your Dalmatian the better, even if it isn’t formal obedience training. Dalmatians are very eager to please, and, as puppies, will start to look to their owners for approval or disapproval. For example, if your Dalmatian is chewing your shoes, redirect him towards chewing a bone to let him know that chewing your shoes is not acceptable.[48]
- Since Dalmatians like to see just how much they can get away with, start teaching your Dalmatian from an early age about what is appropriate and what is not.[49]
2. House train your Dalmatian. When you first bring your Dalmatian puppy home, take him outside once every 1.5 hours so he can relieve himself. It would also help to set up a consistent schedule for taking your puppy outside. For example, take him out 15 minutes after he drinks water and 45 minutes after he eats.[50]
- With a set schedule of going outside, your Dalmatian puppy will be less likely to go the bathroom inside.
- Your puppy should be housetrained by about 16 to 18 weeks of age.[51]
- Although it may be tempting to rely on puppy pee pads for housetraining, your puppy should learn to relieve himself outside.
- Reward your puppy for going to the bathroom outside, but do not punish or scold him if he has an accident inside. The punishment will only encourage him to go to the bathroom in the house when you’re not looking.[52]
3. Crate train your Dalmatian. Dalmatians do not enjoy spending time a lot of time by themselves, and could become destructive if left to their own devices for long periods of time.[53] If you work outside of the home, and do not want it to look like a disaster zone when you return, consider crate training your Dalmatian. When done properly, crate training will help him see his crate as a place of refuge and safety, rather than confinement or punishment.
- Dalmatians can also become bored easily, so you may not want your Dalmatian to have free reign of your house to relieve that boredom.[54]
- With crate training, you will make the crate comfortable with treats, toys, and blankets, and encourage your Dalmatian to spend longer and longer periods of time in the crate. Eventually, he will go in the crate willingly and enjoy his time inside of it.
- Since puppies cannot control their bladders very well, limit your puppy’s crate time to 2 to 3 hours at a time until he’s 6 months old. Beyond 6 months, he can stay in the crate for 6 to 8 hours.[55]
- Adult Dalmatians can stay crated for 8 to 10 hours.[56]
- Since Dalmatians are prone to developing urinary stones, provide your Dalmatian with plenty of fresh water while he is in the crate.[57]
4. Enroll your Dalmatian puppy in puppy kindergarten. A puppy kindergarten class is a great way to teach your Dalmatian puppy important socialization skills that will help him mature into a well-rounded adult dog. With early socialization, your Dalmatian will learn how to interact appropriately with other dogs, which will be helpful if you have other dogs.[58]
- Puppy kindergarten will also expose your Dalmatian to new situations and experiences. Dalmatians do not always adapt well to new situations, so puppy kindergarten will teach your Dalmatian how to handle something new in his environment.[59]
- Outside of puppy kindergarten, you can introduce your puppy to new people and experiences at home and when you take him out on walks.
- Without early socialization, your Dalmatian could become very possessive of you and your household, making him unfriendly towards strangers.[60]
- When your puppy gets older, enroll him in obedience training where he can learn such basic skills as sitting, staying, and walking on a leash.
5. Train your Dalmatian to be a guard dog. Historically, Dalmatians were trained to be guard dogs. In addition, Dalmatians tend to be very protective of their households.[61] If you want to feel more protected in your home, train your Dalmatian to be a guard dog.
- Make sure you understand the difference between a guard dog and an attack dog. A guard dog’s main purpose is to alert you to danger. It is an attack dog that will actually attack and bite the intruder.[62]
- As a guard dog, your Dalmatian will learn how to give an ‘alert bark’ that will let you know when danger is nearby.
6. Use positive reinforcement when training your Dalmatian. In addition to being eager to please, Dalmatians love attention and will respond well to positive attention from you (e.g., treats, extra petting, verbal praise).[63] In fact, positive reinforcement could be considered one of the best training tools you can use for a Dalmatian.[64]
- Do not ever abuse or yell at your Dalmatian. Dalmatians are very perceptive dogs, and may not easily forget being mistreated.[65] Mistreatment could lead to future behavioral problems.
7. Be firm and consistent when training your Dalmatian. Despite being eager to please, Dalmatians can be very headstrong when it comes to training.[66] Along with the positive reinforcement, you will need to be very firm and consistent when giving your Dalmatian commands. If he doesn’t think that you mean business, he will continue to push the boundaries to see just how much he can get away with.
- The more firm and consistent you are with your training, the more your Dalmatian will respect and trust you as his leader.
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