Calling all Dal and Weimeraner people

[Alagirl]

I am tentatively considering to entertain the notion of possibly starting to look into the possibility of maybe adding a dog to the zoo again.

We lost our last dog 4 years ago, a week after my sisters passing (I guess it’s fair, Mom and I kept her dogs, so she got mine…) and in the last few years I was in no condition to even consider.

but recently I am feeling the urge for the dog snuggle that the kitties (I loff them) just can’t provide.

I am in no hurry to find a dog - which is good, because there aren’t any out there currently. Petfinder shows a lot of ‘Dals’ that are white with maybe a spot, but clearly no Dal…
DH wants a Weimeraner. I loff him, too, but he has n idea about what the breed is likely to bring. I’d also entertain the idea of a Vizla. My Mom had one a while back, he was awesome. And a friend of hers has one now, she is a nut, but sweet and pretty cool.

I lost my Dal connections a million years ago when I switched from AOL to something different (I used to be on the AOL boards quiet a bit back then)

I am not seeing anything in the South East when I am looking, the ‘cheap’ routes don’t yield much either. (which is not bad, the Disney movies put those dogs into the hands of too many people who should not be allowed to own a pet rock or a chia pet)

I think I got the Dal personality down pat (or spot on :D)

Anything Weimeraner I should know? (I think I have seen some regionally)

Yes, I know, I am charter member…enable me! :winkgrin:

[vineyridge]

My grandfather had Dals, our family had Dals because my father loved his father’s, and I have had Dals for about sixty years. Guess I know the breed pretty well.

My father got a pair of Weim babies as puppies, kept them for about a year and then dumped them on us on the farm. Now this was years ago. One was male and one was female, and they were brother and sister. The male didn’t seem to have much personality, but was a mighty hunter. The female was almost exactly like a Dal in her personality. She even hunted vermin exactly like my first Dal. She too was a mighty hunter, and she and her brother had a technique for killing armadillos that was brilliant and WORKED.

In my experience with the dogs that I’ve been exposed to, a female Weimaraner is just a Dal in a solid silver (or in my case silver/cinnamon) coat. My girl looked almost exactly like Fay Ray in Wegmann’s (sp) photos.

She was with me for twelve years; her brother for about nine.

You DO NOT want a blue Weimaraner. They are subject to skin conditions that you do not want to have to deal with. Unless they’ve changed their position, blue weims are not accepted by the Weimaraner Club of America, and breeders who do not cull them are shunned.

With Weims, one avoids the Deafness and kidney problems that are inherent in Dalmatians, but they are subject to their own peculiar disorders. Mine were perfectly healthy, however. And mine were larger than any of my Dals; the male was a Large dog and the female was probably twenty four inches at the shoulder.

[ljcfoh]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6290906]
I am tentatively considering to entertain the notion of possibly starting to look into the possibility of maybe adding a dog to the zoo again.

We lost our last dog 4 years ago, a week after my sisters passing (I guess it’s fair, Mom and I kept her dogs, so she got mine…) and in the last few years I was in no condition to even consider.

but recently I am feeling the urge for the dog snuggle that the kitties (I loff them) just can’t provide.

I am in no hurry to find a dog - which is good, because there aren’t any out there currently. Petfinder shows a lot of ‘Dals’ that are white with maybe a spot, but clearly no Dal…
DH wants a Weimeraner. I loff him, too, but he has n idea about what the breed is likely to bring. I’d also entertain the idea of a Vizla. My Mom had one a while back, he was awesome. And a friend of hers has one now, she is a nut, but sweet and pretty cool.

I lost my Dal connections a million years ago when I switched from AOL to something different (I used to be on the AOL boards quiet a bit back then)

I am not seeing anything in the South East when I am looking, the ‘cheap’ routes don’t yield much either. (which is not bad, the Disney movies put those dogs into the hands of too many people who should not be allowed to own a pet rock or a chia pet)

I think I got the Dal personality down pat (or spot on :D)

Anything Weimeraner I should know? (I think I have seen some regionally)

Yes, I know, I am charter member…enable me! :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

I have a vizsla, she is an amazing dog but you have to be prepared for velcro dog. They were bred to be companion dogs and its a job they take very seriously! Ours is certainly active, but even as a puppy she wasn’t crazy. I mean she does take off running laps around the yard, barn or whatever about once a day, but that’s just normal vizsla behavior – in no way neurotic they just love to run. She’s very obedient and NEVER wants to do anything wrong. Be ready for a bed warmer cause they were bred for that too. Overall, I highly recommend the breed but you have to select the dog carefully. Vizsla’s come from a pretty small population when they were brought back from severely dwindling numbers after the war so I’d imagine that is why breeding must be done carefully. (Ours came from Germany with the horses ) And of course, like a weimeraner you have to be realistic about your life situation to ensure you can incorporate these active and very people-oriented dogs into your life! I will say, compared my friends german short hair, my V is a couch potato!

[Alagirl]

Can’t help but grin.
Dal People call their dogs velco dogs.

I have to say ours never bothered to velcro to me much but golly, when DH was at home, he could not just stop and take a step back, because his dog was THERE! we had her for 14 years and it about did DH in when we lost her.

(but if Weimies are close in personality to Dals, that’s not a bad thing at all.)

I just talked to my Mom about that this afternoon. She does also not object to Weimeraners (We will probably move in with her in the next few years, most likely, really)

Thankfully I know a great deal more than (darn, it’s already been 18 years! :eek:) back then, when I do get to look for a new dog (I don’t mind not getting a pup though I do cherish the onset of a good night’s rest these days!)

I have heard about something like seizures in Weims though, any pointers there?

[ljcfoh]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6290968]
Can’t help but grin.
Dal People call their dogs velco dogs.

I have to say ours never bothered to velcro to me much but golly, when DH was at home, he could not just stop and take a step back, because his dog was THERE! we had her for 14 years and it about did DH in when we lost her.

(but if Weimies are close in personality to Dals, that’s not a bad thing at all.)

I just talked to my Mom about that this afternoon. She does also not object to Weimeraners (We will probably move in with her in the next few years, most likely, really)

Thankfully I know a great deal more than (darn, it’s already been 18 years! :eek:) back then, when I do get to look for a new dog (I don’t mind not getting a pup though I do cherish the onset of a good night’s rest these days!)

I have heard about something like seizures in Weims though, any pointers there?[/QUOTE]

All the weimeraner’s I’ve known have been very sweet and none had any seizure issues that I can recall. My friend had two – both lived very long lives. One was aggressive, but I am certain that was early handling (they got him from being rehomed at 2) and not necessarily breed related. Weimeraners are similar to viszla’s in personality so again people-oriented and active and of course bigger than V’s too.

[vineyridge]

Oh, forgot to say–Weims don’t shed like Dals, and their hair isn’t as visible when they do. And the hair comes off comparatively easily.

[Alagirl]

@vineyridge;6291013

Oh, forgot to say–Weims don’t shed like Dals, and their hair isn’t as visible when they do. And the hair comes off comparatively easily.

LOL, yeah, the shedding…my Taekwondo teacher looked at me odd when I suggested that probably his parents were discovering Dal hair in their house as of the moment I was shaking out one of my dog hair covered garments.
Certainly a plus not having to deal with the barbed Dal hair! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Bicoastal]

Dal temperament

The reviews of Dals on COTH are overwhelmingly positive. OP has had years of happiness with past Dals.

Yet every single one I have met, half a dozen from various homes (metropolitan yuppies to hobby farms to OB/AG competitors), have had poor and often dangerous temperaments. Bite records, rap sheet with AKC, unprovoked aggression. :no: Really unstable.

I guess you have to be extremely careful in selecting a very reputable breeder with a long history. I don’t know what the deal is . Disney effect still influencing opportunistic breeders? That was 15 years ago!

OP, good luck in your hunt and welcome back to the dog world!

[Alagirl]

@Bicoastal;6291422

The reviews of Dals on COTH are overwhelmingly positive. OP has had years of happiness with past Dals.

Yet every single one I have met, half a dozen from various homes (metropolitan yuppies to hobby farms to OB/AG competitors), have had poor and often dangerous temperaments. Bite records, rap sheet with AKC, unprovoked aggression. :no: Really unstable.

I guess you have to be extremely careful in selecting a very reputable breeder with a long history. I don’t know what the deal is . Disney effect still influencing opportunistic breeders? That was 15 years ago!

OP, good luck in your hunt and welcome back to the dog world!

Dals certainly have the dilemma that they are very graphically pleasing with the distinct coat pattern.
That does lead a lot of people to buy one for the wrong reasons and the wrong people to reproduce them for the $$ alone.

of course some problems do perpetuate themselves when less then stellar parents are paired.

I will really have to do some digging, because I have not seen Dals offered anywhere in years. To curb the Disney effect, I think a lot of people went the other way and bashed the breed needlessly.

[wendy]

Viszlas can be very sensitive and many tend towards neurotic/nervous; weimeraners kind of go the opposite direction towards hard-headed and stubborn, and are reputed to be horribly difficult as youngsters (up to age 3); a well-bred dalmation should be sort of inbetween the two in terms of temperament. If you like these kinds of breeds, you should consider the other similar pointer dogs- the english and german shorthaired pointers. They have temperaments similar to the dalmation, but it’s easier to find breeders of good pointers than breeders of good dalmations. Plus all dalmations, even those from good breeders, carry a serious genetic metabolic error that may complicate feeding time/cost you big bucks in vet care, and many are deaf. Pointers don’t have these problems.

I guess you have to be extremely careful in selecting a very reputable breeder with a long history. I don’t know what the deal is . Disney effect still influencing opportunistic breeders? That was 15 years ago!

that’s not very long in terms of dog lifespans. A few bad breeders cranking out multiple litters per year, even if these breeders all quit after only five years of breeding, you still get MANY dogs carrying the bad genetics, most of whom should still be alive, or possibly breeding themselves, and out there running around giving the breed a bad name. If the breed was relatively rare before the popularity, the products of the original breeders would be swamped out by the products of the bad breeders.

[vineyridge]

On Dal Temperment–you have to remember that there are some aspects of Protection Dogs that were bred in when they had jobs around stables and horses.

[Alagirl]

It seems that almost all the opportunistic dog multipliers have switched to other breeds around here.

As I said, I have not seen a pure bred one in a long time offered anywhere.

(also, while I don’t mind mutts, I am considering moving to Germany, so anything that even looks a shade like a pit is absolutely out of the question due to the laws in place)

[Chester_s_Mom]

@Alagirl;6290906

I am tentatively considering to entertain the notion of possibly starting to look into the possibility of maybe adding a dog to the zoo again.

Nothing to add except I love it when you are so decisive! :lol:

[Alagirl]

@Chester's Mom;6292395

Nothing to add except I love it when you are so decisive! :lol:

:yes::yes::yes:

[dalpal]

PM me…I can get you on a Dal yahoo group if you want a breeder puppy.

I cannot say enough nice things about Debi Smith who runs Southwest VA Dalmatian rescue…I’ve fostered for her and pulled for her…She usually has some very nice rescued dals.

[Hannahsmom]

Don’t have too much to say other than in my heart I still remember fondly my Dals although I’ve switched now to a smaller (less shedding) breed. I’m glad they are harder to find these days, really glad after the horrid explosion with 101 Dals. I do agility with a friend who has Viszlas and they seem like a really neat breed as are Weims.

[Bluey]

All the Weimeraners I have seen were bigger, strong, pushy dogs, that were hard to teach boundaries to.
Being short, 4’11" and 98 lbs on a good day, I was on the receiving end of them and not happy about it.
I like friendly dogs, I don’t like to be jumped on by big, pushy friendly dogs.

The trouble is not the dogs, but the owners, that many can’t handle such energetic, strong, pushy dogs and laugh it off, because the dog doesn’t maul, just bounces off you.
Not fun when the dog is bigger than you are.
They are beautiful dogs.

Dals are easier to train and a bit more reserved, Viszlas even more.
Viszlas are sweet dogs, not pushy at all with their very high energy and also light on their feet and very pretty in an elegant way.
A lady that owns a gun shop here has some and works with them in agility with our dog club.
She also hunts with them.

Dals here are all over the place, some good ones, some not so good, some a bit on the aggressive side, you have to look for a good breeder to find a good one, but they are out there.
They shed more than most dogs.

Since you like them all, why not look to what is out there and pick the one of either breed you find you like best?
Leave your breed option open.

[ljcfoh]

[QUOTE=wendy;6292239]
Viszlas can be very sensitive and many tend towards neurotic/nervous; [/QUOTE]

Not trying to pick a fight, but…

Of all the Viszlas I know, including my own, none are neurotic or nervous. Sensitive yes – they are bred to be companion dogs and do not want to do anything to upset you in any way. In the wrong hands/wrong situation, as in any breed, things can go wrong but I would say that’s a bit unfair to categorize them as “many tending towards neurotic/nervous.” That would be like me saying all German Short Hairs are neurotic because my best friend’s is…

I do agree with you that it is probably easier to find a larger pool of GSP’s to select from as my above post noted, Viszlas were nearly wiped out during the war so careful breeding is crucial. Limited bloodlines would always make me nervous in the hands of over zealous breeders.

One note, Viszlas tend to be relatively easy, compared to dogs of their size/type as youngsters…as long as they have PLENTY of exercise.

[Alagirl]

Yes, Vizlas are certainly bouncy.

I have met 2 so far, and both were a delight. My Mom still misses her old man.
BTW she was given that dog because he was in the wrong home: the bloke who had him could do not one thing with a sensitive dog. Supposedly the dog didn’t go into water…which my mom found out quickly was total bogus.
So yes, in the wrong hands I can see them turn neurotic.

If Weimeraners tend to be stubborn, maybe I should pass…a Dal’s stubborn streak was already a nut to crack for me (you know the one “I see your mouth move, but I can’t hear you”)

[Bluey]

Staying away from weimeraners is probably a good choice, unless you like to show how tough you are as a trainer, to gain and stay in control of them all the time when they are young, until they mellow with age.

Or you spend all your life apologizing for your dog.:lol:
I know some goldens that, a bit less energetic, can have the same problem, too exuberant for good control all the time, even after years of excellent training and competition awards.:rolleyes: