New pet owner

sheramber

Be aware that the breeder's vet may not use the same vaccine as your vet. In that case you may either need to return to that vet for the second vaccine or start again at your own vet. I returned to the breeder's vet for the second vax.

Puppies should have 5 minutes per month of age , twice a day, of 'exercise'- that is lead walking. Free exercise in the garden is okay. When walking the pup cannot tell you when ii feels tired so carries on walking. With free play in that garden they will lie down and rest when they feel the need to do so.

Puppies bones are growing and joints can easily be damaged by too much exercise. No jumping or climbing until plates are have closed.

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Puppy-Exercise-Needs-How-Much-is-Too-Much

Once fully grown your dallie will love running with you- they are bred to run with horses and carriages. Seeing a Dalmatian run with a carriage, sometimes with its front  under the back axle, is something to see.

http://www.britishcarriagedogsociety.co.uk/

Naomim

I don't know much about Dalmatians but have you researched how good they are for families? Our first dog was a cavalier king Charles spaniel.

We've now recently rescued a German Shepherd/Labrador pup. She's 6 months old, huge and a ball of energy.  I can't hoover or use the iron whilst she's around so try to acclimatise your pup to new things early. She's a nightmare on the lead even after 6 weeks of puppy training classes 🤦‍♀️

Your local council should be able to provide a list of registered breeders.

I agree with all the other posts. Positive training and enjoy!

Edited to add. Insurance. Get lifetime cover for the highest limit you can afford. I had a £2k limit for my cav. One MRI scan wiped that out in one go and I struggled to pay for an operation he needed. I now have a £7k limit for pup which fingers crossed should cover most eventualities. 

sheramber

Dalmatians love people,  big or small,  but they are big and boisterous  dogs so you need to be aware of that.

I got my second dallie when my younger son was 2. I had my first dallie before my my first born. There was never any problems.

Usual rules were observed, like never  leaving the dog alone with the children.  . I f I need to go out of the room either dog or child came with me. 

A large wooden play pen was ideal for protecting the dog from toddlers- the dog was in the play pen.

Never approach  the dog when eating or sleeping. 

SensibleSarah

My last dog was a dallie - lost her last summer aged nearly 13. 
Mine wasn't actually really to type behaviour and character-wise to be honest. She was a rescue who had been badly abused and passed around a bit and nearly found herself put to sleep age 3, before she thankfully ended up in rescue. She was an absolute diamond, despite the trauma, and although never 'normal', she was such an easy dog in lots of ways and very chilled - which is unlike most dalmatians 

You need to look for a low purine diet for yours to hopefully prevent issues in later life. There are plenty of options if you google it. 

sheramber

My first dallie was not typical. If she had been I doubt there would have been a second! She was more like a border collie and should have been out working sheep. She herded 4 sheep to us by running back and forth behind them to drive them to us, while we were walking on the Yorkshire moors.

The second (and third ) were typical as in hanging from the washing on the whirly as it spun round.
When being told off he would look over his shoulder as if to see who I was talking to. 
He would go and get hold of something he knew he shouldn't have and then parade on front of us with it in his mouth.

he was a 'smiler'.

Still my favourite breed but  I am too old for one now. 

I raw fed my last one and was able to adapt his menus by cutting out offal/beef/ salmon   to be able to continue that  after he developed oxalic stones.  

liddyloo

Whatever the budget, double it! There are so many little and big extras you don't think of. Eg. I had to buy a new raincoat after finding out mine was no where near waterproof enough for a decent length walk! And wellingtons. Slow feeders, because just eating out of his regular bowl the food was gone in seconds plus it's good mental stimulation. More toys than you bargained for 😂 training treats - finding ones high enough in value and then having enough of them and a big enough pouch to carry them in when out. 

It all adds up very quickly.

snakepit

You need to make sure you ‘train’ your child as much as you train your dog. Children can be unpredictable and just want to cuddle / play with your cute pup but they need to learn boundaries as well as your pup. So if your pup is in his crate / bed he’s left alone. Pup needs to know he has somewhere to go when he’s had enough and kids need to know that when he’s there they leave him alone. If he wants to play they’ll be the first to know 

Crazydoglady96

One thing that has et been mentioned yet is care costs for your dog. As one of you is always home it sounds like you won’t need daycare, but you will almost certainly need kennels at some stage. I would wholeheartedly recommend kennels over home boarding or a dog sitter, for a lot of reasons (always will be licensed and so therefore insured, inspected, council will have made sure the premises are suitable for dogs and the owners and staff have the appropriate knowledge etc), but particularly in the case of dallies as they have so many particular needs and kennels are more likely to be knowledgable about those since they get experience with a much wider variety of dogs than home boarders or pet sitters. I’d recommend looking up your local ones now, deciding on a few you like and getting in touch to arrange a visit (some people suggest turning up unannounced but I’d only do this if they explicitly say you can on their website/on the phone, otherwise it’s quite rude, they’ll be very busy and if you arrange a time they can make sure someone has 15-30 minutes or so to chat to you about your needs). From the budgeting side, try and get a feel for prices in your area and then think about how much you’re likely to need their services each year - and remember it probably won’t just be the big holidays but also things like weddings, visiting family, even day trips if you’ll be out all day as you may decide it’s kinder to your dog to put them in kennels the day before and collect them the next day.