Depending on who you ask, Dalmatians are either difficult to train dogs or relatively easy to train. The difference between these people is that some of them take time to learn about the character of their Dalmatians and choose a suitable program for training them while the rest think the Dalmatian is like any other dog, thus become disappointed when their Dalmatian doesn't respond the way they expect him to.

One thing people have in agreement is that Dalmatians are stubborn dogs that would rather things be done their way or no way at all. In training Dalmatians it is important to take into consideration their strong character and intelligent mind.

In training Dalmatians, the number one rule is that you must establish boundaries early enough. This is important so that as the dog grows he/she knows to respect these boundaries. Basic training in Dalmatians will involve:

- House breaking
- Obedience training

This is one of the more challenging aspects of training Dalmatians. These dogs may be stubborn when they want to be and will ignore you if you are not assertive enough. Command should only be given once.

Dalmatians have a very short attention span and will easily get bored. Keep training sessions short and fun, if you want to teach your Dalmatian anything.

Using treats and other forms of rewards such as verbal praise is the way to go in achieving the best out of training. Dalmatians love attention and will appreciate these motivators.

The dog should understand the meaning of the word "no" and this should be used to discourage undesirable behavior.

- Solving behavior problems

Dalmatians love attention and will seize any opportunity to demand this attention. If this happens, playing into their trap only encourages this behavior. Ignore such demands till the dog is calm, then you can pat them on the shoulder or play with the dog for a while. If the dog shows destructive behavior as a way to seek your attention, you can crate them or restrict their movement. Wait till the dog is calm and quiet then you can reward and shower the dog with some attention.

Dalmatians value their pack a lot, as a member of the family they will regard other family members as their pack mates. Every pack must have a leader, in absence of a strong leader Dalmatians will take over this role. Establish yourself as the leader of the pack, give commands in an audible voice and use strong tone. Never give the Dalmatian a chance to take over your role since once this happens, it will be difficult to reverse.

Using physical force or punishment when your Dalmatian behaves badly is counter- productive. It does not achieve any meaningful behavior change and only serves to make your Dalmatian become more obstinate.

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