When house training your Dalmatian puppy, you will need to take him out frequently and at regular intervals: first thing in the morning directly from the crate, right after meals, after the puppy has been napping, or when you notice that the puppy is looking for a spot. Choose more or less the same place to take the puppy each time in order to establish a pattern. If he does not go immediately, do not return him to the house because he will probably relieve himself the moment he is inside. Stay out with him until he has finished; then be generous with your praise for his good behavior. If you catch the puppy having an accident indoors, grab him firmly and rush him outside, sharply saying "No!" as you pick him up. If you do not see the accident occur, there is little point in doing anything except cleaning it up, because once it has happened and been forgotten, the puppy will most likely not even realize why you are scolding him.

If you live in a big city or are away many hours at a time, having a dog that is trained to go on paper has some very good advantages. In order to do this, proceed the same way as taking the puppy outdoors, except this time you place the puppy on the newspaper at the proper time. The paper should always be kept in the same area. An easy way to paper train a puppy if you have a playpen is to line the area with newspapers; then gradually remove a section of it until you are down to just one or two. The puppy acquires the habit of using the paper; and as the prepared area grows smaller, the dog will usually continue to use whatever paper is still available. It is pleasant, if the dog is alone for a long period of time to be able to feel that if he needs it the paper is there and will be used.

The puppy should form the habit of spending a certain amount of time in his crate, even when you are home. Sometimes the puppy will do this "voluntarily, but if not, he needs to learn to do so, which is done by leading him over by his collar, gently pushing him inside, and saying firmly, "Down" or "Stay." Whatever expression you use to give a command, stick to the very same one each time for each act. Repetition is very important in training as well as association with what the dog is expected to do. When you mean "Sit" always say exactly that. "Stay" should mean only that the dog should remain where he receives the command. "Down" means something else again.

Do not confuse the dog by shuffling the commands, because this will create training problems for you. As soon as he had his shots, take your puppy with you whenever and wherever you can. Nothing builds a self-confident, stable dog like socialization, and it is very important that you plan and have the time and energy to do this.

Diet For The Aging Dalmatian

Dalmatians are considered old when they reach seven years of age. There are certain changes that occur as dogs age that changes their nutritional requirements. As they age, their metabolism slows and must be accounted for. If maintenance rations are fed in the same amounts while metabolism is slowing, weight gain may result. Obesity is the last thing a dog owner wants for his Dalmatian, since it increases his risk of several other health-related problems.

As pets age, most of their organs do not function as well. The digestive system, the liver, pancreas and gallbladder are not functioning at peak effect. The intestines have more difficulty extracting all the nutrients from the food consumed. A gradual decline in kidney function is considered a normal part
of aging. Elderly dogs need to be treated as individuals. While some benefit from the nutrition found in "senior" diets, others might do better on the highly digestible puppy and super-premium diets. The latter diet provide an
excellent blend of digestibility and amino acid content, though many are high in salt and phosphorus than the older pet really needs.

Older dogs are also more prone to developing arthritis and therefore it is important not to overfeed them since obesity puts added stress on the joints. For Dalmatians with joint pain, supplementing the diet with fatty acid combinations containing cislinoleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid can be quite beneficial.