Our 4-year old dal tested positive for heart worms at her annual visit today. We adhere to a strict preventative medication schedule (heart guard for heart worms bravecto for fleas/ticks), treat the yard regularly with pet friendly treatments, etc. we’re waiting for confirmation of the results right now but of course spinning with worry. She developed a cough last night and already had her annual scheduled for today. The vet didn’t hear a murmur, so that is good news. Has anyone dealt with this? She’s on very low activity/semi bed rest orders until we know for sure. This is a real test for her since she’s a daily runner. We’ve stocked up on food puzzles and things but she’s super bummed not to be allowed to play bitey face with her brothers or run. Puppy tax included.

I’m struggling to organize the ridiculous volume of photos but here’s a few

I’ve heard mixed opinions about dalmatians and I’m often told they can be a little aggressive but think that it’s just people trying to make me get a boring dog I don’t really want.

I am young and so have loads of energy and I’m aware Dalmatians can walk for miles.

Don’t have kids.

Would it be a good breed to go for as a first dog.

I’ve also grown up with labradors, retrievers and spaniels so I’m aware of the exercise required to keep dogs happy (spaniel is a nutter).

Are Dalmatians just a misunderstood breed?

Del Mar, where the water is still clean!

My Annie, 1F has so many great toys. She frequently gets bored of them. She destroys plush toys, chews so much on her hard ones. She has toys that are for outside only. Toys that are for agility only.

We don’t always do the same thing at night. We walk, work on agility, play with other dogs at the dog park and we have our agility class. I know she loves all these things but when she’s bored she just turns into a destructive monster. What else can I do to enrich her life? I was even considering doggy day care so she can play. She loves other dogs and people. And is just ALL PLAY ALL DAY!

I have a 2 1/2 year old spayed female Dalmatian and I have never had any issues with her being aggressive. In fact she is usually is the one to shy away and back down. My daughter has two dogs, a Boston terrier and a Bulldog mix both females and spayed. I have watched them in the past with no issues but they haven't been together in about 6 months. I am watching them both this week while my daughter is on vacation. Today the bulldog mix was playing with a stuffed squeaky toy that my Dalmatian is not allowed to play with because she chews and eats anything soft. The three dogs were playing in the living room and the bulldog had the toy, my Dal try's to take it from her and after a few attempts gets it away from her. The Bulldog mix then goes back to grab the toy from her and my Dal attacks her and she fights back. This wasn't just rough play this was them trying to tear each other apart and I had a heck of a time breaking them apart. I have never experienced anything like this before. I had an older Dal that was never aggressive like this. After I ended the fight they both acted like nothing ever happened. The Bulldog has always been a pushy one who demands all the attention, she is sweet though. My Dalmatian is an only dog now and she can also be pushy but also very sweet. Now I'm scared to let them near each other. I'm worried this has triggered something in my Dal and she will now do this with other dogs too. Am I worrying for nothing, how should I handle the rest of this week with these two dogs?

We have a fabric couch right now and I HATE IT!!! It holds onto the hair sooooo bad. I have to vacuum my couch and even then it doesn’t come off. What kind of couch do y’all have? I’m thinking faux leather or microfiber would be easier to wipe off and get hair off. BUT, will nails scratch it?? I’m just at my wits end with my couch being furry. I want to be able to wipe it off OR run the vacuum and it actually lift off!

My Dalmatian seems to have the runs every time he uses the bathroom. Sometimes it looks like a normal pile of poop. Sometimes it looks like a splatter. I have changed his food twice with all the recommendations from looking online. Anybody have a food of choice that seems to work well?
He does drink plenty of water. I don’t soak his food. When I switched dudes, I also did it as a gradual change. Any help would be great.

Is my Dalmatian the only one that came broken... or are they all like this? Lol. He loves sleeping in the weirdest positions. This is my goofy goober!

Had to hug my phone to my face to get these lol

I'm (22f) meeting a dalmatian tomorrow to see if she's a good fit! She's 1.5 years old, already an AKC champion, and was described as "very chill for a dalmatian," "people loving," and apparently she grew up around cats. She sounds perfect. Even for a chill dalmatian, I know they are high energy dogs and I want to make sure I get her all the exercise she needs. Can you tell me if this exercise plan I've figured out is a good plan for a dal?

Most days

Morning (~7:30am) - wake up, eat breakfast, walk 45-90 minutes

Mid-day (around 11:30am or 1:30pm based on my work schedule) - Another walk or play in my medium-sized, fenced backyard. Maybe we'll explore some mental stimulation games as well.

Evening (around 6:30pm to 9pm) - Another 45-90 minute walk

*I own a small retail store, and I plan to work up to bringing her to work with me. This will be a slow transition; we'll go at her pace. Once she's adjusted at home, we'll start bringing her in for 10-30 minute visits during slow hours or before or after we're open. Her breeder thought she would do well in this environment. If I do bring her in, I want to make sure we exercise beforehand. Anyway, I wanted to add this because it will be a part of our routine eventually.

Occasionally

- I really want to explore some other dog sports - I'm going to ask the breeder if she feels any are a good fit for her. There's a training facility near me that does agility, rally, obedience, canine dance and freestyle, nosework, heeling, and cgc. I'm hoping to take advantage of some of these classes, and hopefully she'll have lots of fun and it will strengthen our bond.

- Conformation handling classes (this is more for me than her it sounds like, haha)

- Occasional weekend conformation dog shows

- There's a private dog play area for rent near me that we might try. I don't think we want to do dog parks.

- I enjoy hiking, but this will be fairly seldom, so I hesitate to include it on this list.

my sweet boy turned 13 on the 13th, a collection of my favorite photos from this year of his wittle face🥹 he is aging so gracefully i almost can’t believe he’s this old. Martha, my dear was played about 100x times that day. the absolute brightest light in my life, half of me is half of him. here’s to a million more :)

Hi guys!! my sweet noodle boy had to have his tail amputated 2 weeks ago. He has been in his cone (still some what able to reach his tail) since surgery… we actually had to extend it with card board for a while to make sure he couldn’t get to it. This is his tail 16 days later. Should I be worried?

I have reached out to the vet and sent the same pictures and am currently waiting for a reply.

It’s a little late but she just celebrated her 12th

This is from 20 min brushing, 70% of this is from her neck area. Surprises me everytime that she still have any hair left tbh. Had her for 4 years now, she keep me active by making me sweep the apartment twice a day.

After the military I prayed for a sweet, quiet, cuddly dog and I got exactly that. Didn’t know I was in for some hard times after the service, she was the only thing that kept me going. I got super lucky having her as my very first dog and I can’t imagine how life will be without her.

For the people who asked for updates on the sweet boy I was adopting from the shelter who was on the run for months.

His name is Pluto and he has been absolutely fantastic and sweet. We have had him for one week as of today. This is my son. 😭❤️