Dalmatians??

[Pops]

and if you read the show fancy crowds books you'll also hear that chihuahuas slept w/ the aztecs & pharoah hounds pissed on the pyramids as they were built. both assertions have been proven wrong by genetic testing. however prior to the genetic testing there were old written records that asserted the truth which was borne out by the testing. namely' that both breeds were created in the last 100 yrs from european stock.
the basis of the dal was a couple of croatian dogs that were then heavily bred to both the english pointer (similar build) & english setter (similar/identical color pattern) by the english. the dalmatian is no more croat than the lab is candian, both were built by the british who then kindly named them in a way that nods to a very distant relation.

[George Streepy]

Who cares about dalmations? I thought they were one of the dumbest breeds around. From what I understand you have to kick them in the ribs from time to time because they forget how to breath.

[radar]

[jkcasey]

So thats why my wife has been doing that. It hurts like hell, but now that I know, I'll try not to get so mad at her.

[George Streepy]

I use to get a kick from time to time. Since she bought that life insurance on me, she just sits there with a little smile on her face. I don't know what she thinks is so funny.

[WAARHEID]

Folks should probably learn their breed histories better before asserting things that are incomplete or simply untrue.

Just because people think of a dog breed in terms of it's last 50 years or last 100 years, that doesn't mean that it's always been that way.

Look at the Rottweiler. My oh my, how the centuries have changed that breed. Or look at the Weimaraner, how many people think of them as bird dogs and assume that it's always been that way. They wouldn't believe that the original Weimaraner was a sho'nuf get-it-done bear-bred big game dog.

The Dalmatinac Dog (that's Dalmatian to you and me) began its development in India, a -long- time ago. It was later adopted by the Roma Gypsies and under their use it became what those of us with an American houndsman background would call a Cur-Dog. It should by all rights be called the Roma Gypsy Wagon Dog. They used them as guards to the wagons, and to hunt/poach red stag and wild boar.

The FCI (the largest dog registry in the world) looks to a breed's parent club in the country of origin for both a breed standard and for group classification. Croatia wasn't picked as the country of origin by accident - these dogs are not British. The Croatians, aware of the breeds real history, have the dog classified as FCI Group 6.3 - Breeds related to Leash Hounds (a "leash hound" is a track and trail scent hound). This label doesn't make much sense in English or even in the FCI's native French, that is until you learn that the translation for this group name in the Scandinavian languages translates roughly "versatile/utility track-and-bay dog". Essentially FCI 6.3 is the Cur Dogs developed outside of the US, namely the Rhodesian Ridgeback (my breed, which is why I've studied this) and the Dalmatian. They are the only two breeds in this group, and indeed, they really do belong together.

All that said, the British did indeed do a TON of crossing of the dog with their own stock and did indeed turn the breed into a straight coaching dog. A service that allowed it to keep it's affinity for wagons and horses and even guarding instincts, but not much for the serviceable hunting instincts. If someone were committed to doing it and had the stock, the time, and the discipline, they could restore the breed to it's hunting functionality.

While it is true that PRA is a huge issue in the breed, and I'm sure there have been breeders who have done pointer crosses before permission was secured from the registry, it should also be pointed out that the pointer crossing program was eventually allowed by the AKC and done under the american parent club's supervision. I'm not sure if it actually helped them or not since i haven't read about any follow-up studies.

But it's not hype, the breed really was developed as a ground pounding Cur-Dog by the Roma gypsies and there are still a few used on big game in some remote corners of eastern Europe. Which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone - the truth is you can hunt any dog of any breed or mix if they've got enough hunt in 'em and the right combination of nose/instinct/trainability/etc.

[WAARHEID]

[broncobilly]

[stevemac]

30yrs ago a good friend of mine had a pair of dalmatians he let free hunt on his property they had plenty of hunt and accounted for fox roo and pig. when we hunted with these 2 dogs they were the first dogs to strike lead most hunts, they were a very handy pair to teach the young dogs I had at the time.

Well put your post Waarheid it seems some times that if a lot of guys do not see it happening in their neck of the woods then it isnt happening, its no different over here.
I wouldn't tell some one to go and by one as a hog dog but given the chance some can make the grade.

[creek2000]

i'm an old coon hunter and we always had a dalmation as a yard dog,,,never any stray cats or critters on our yard,,, she treed every squirrel that made the mistake of trying to find a new home at my place !! caught quite a few on the ground,,,and would bring them to the house and leave by the front door,,we always got a ton of looks when we went sq hunting,, often took the dal coon hunting,,,,silent track dog,,,,rock solid tree dog,,never trashed ,,,,i crossed my merle leopard cur ( no not a catahula) with my dal bitch,,,11 pups,,every one a blue merle !!!
a dalmation is not for everyone,,they have to be handled kinda light,,,posivive reinforcement,,,
i live in town now,,, but if i was ever to move back in the country you can bet a dalmation will guard my place !!!!

[stevemac]

I get him to get you fellas a pic but my son has been hunting this weekend with a fella that has a female dalmation that goes real well on the pigs. I know I hunted with two in the 80s that hunted real well as well. I think this is the difference between aussie and american or english hunters we will give anything ago. Im not saying the breed as a whole will hunt but bought up to it you can be lucky sometimes. Dogs even show dogs are pack animals that learn from the dogs they are bought up with. Another way we look at dogs over here is we get an active dog like a dalmation with a bit of hunt about it we will put a bull terrier to it and get some cracking pigdogs.