need advices,thanks

Hi, I just found this great place to looking for some advices. thanks in advance. I am thinking about bring in a dog into my life, never have dog before, the first thing I concerned is new puppy need satisfy my cat , I want she will get a company ,not a enemy, I want her life get better not worse. next, I would like the new puppy has some personality , such as , don't bark too much, smart,loyal, able to take care itself when I go to work. I did a lot research, but not quiet sure even the books told me some breeds will get along with cats. anybody have experience have cat and dog both at home, please give me some advices. thanks.

HI and welcome! Hope we can answer your questions satisfactorily.

I will try and answer each:

I want she will get a company ,not a enemy, I want her life get better not worse.

Do not get a puppy. Your cat will hate this. You need to get a dog that already gets along with cats. Even then, you will have to introduce them slowly until the cat gets used to the dog.

I would like the new puppy has some personality , such as , don't bark too much, smart,loyal, able to take care itself when I go to work.

If you work all day, you need to get an adult dog who is housetrained and preferably one who is used to being alone during the day and wont' destroy things or bark all day. I dont' know what you mean by "take care of itself".

I did a lot research, but not quiet sure even the books told me some breeds will get along with cats

Even in certain breeds, each dog is different. The ONLY way to be sure your dog will be okay with the cat is to get a dog who is already living with cats.

I have a dog and two cats. My dog was 2 years old when I got her, and I already knew she liked cats before I brought her home.

Where are you located? Maybe we can help you find a dog that is right for your situation.

Thanks. but I prefer a puppy because I don't want to miss every moment in his life, also even a dog accept his cat friend in his ex-family, not means he will love another cat. start from a puppy, I can train him to get along with my cat , for achieve this goal, I have to choose a breed fit my needs.

"take care of itself" means kind of independ, can sleep or play at home alone or with cat. I don't want my dog get depressed because be alone whole day.

I know how hard it is to want a puppy - believe me there are days I find myself wishing I'd been there for my 2's first years. However, to adequately socialize and housetrain a puppy, you need to be there a LOT during the day - especially with housebreaking. It's not an overnight thing and puppies can't hold their bladders for very long at all. Older dogs can really be the best way to go - not that they don't have their own sets of training needs, just that if you're gone all day, they (and your house) will fare better.

"I prefer a puppy because I don't want to miss every moment in his life, "


Please don't let this deter you from getting an older dog. My first dog was a rescue dog and I think I loved him even MORE because of the time that I missed. I wish I'd seen him as a puppy but because I didn't I think it made me more determined that the time he had with me be wonderful.

There is something very special about allowing yourself to be rescued by an older dog !:)

I've had dawgs almost my entire life and a few were puppies when they came into my life. My current 3 dawgs are all rescues - my 2 (now 6 yr old) grrrrls came home with me when they were not quite 7 weeks and my boy came home 3 weeks ago - he is 8 years old. He came with NO training but, is as smart as a whip and has learned more in 3 weeks than I think my grrrls did in 6 months !

But, I know how you feel - I luuuuvvvv puppies - who wouldn't ? They are sweet-faced and innocent, playful and ever so cuddly! What I have learned along the way is that my 6 year grrrls and my 8 year old boy are all of those things still - and more. It sounds like this may be your first dog - so, if you are seriously considering a puppy, here are just a few things you will need to think about and plan for (I'm sure others can add to my list...)
1/ You will need to childproof your entire house: buy plug shields for all wall sockets and door closures for all cupboards and closets; put away everything that is breakable or valuable; buy a few dozen towels and sheets for covering up furniture and mopping up messes on the floors; re-locate all shoes/ boots/ books - basically anything that can be chewed will be chewed if the puppy can get at it (including the legs of your dining room table and the inside of your couch as I well know !) ; either remove items or wrap sharp edges like glass or metal tables with secured foam insulation 2/ the first year of a puppies' life is expensive - you will need to budget at least $600 for check-ups, tests, vaccinations, 2-3 collars (they outgrow them pretty quickly), tools, 1-2 leashes, boots, bedding, crates, carrying cases etc. 3/ if you work all day and cannot come home every 2-3 hours you will need a dogsitter, doggy daycare or a dogwalking service, these generally run about $600 per month 4/ if you are a "single parent" make sure you are very, very organized with your regular chores/ duties and prepare to give up your social life for about a year - puppies demand at least 5-6 hours of playtime (AND need to be walked for whiz/poop every few hours) each day 5/if you have carpet, you may want to invest in a steam cleaner or put down plastic - puppies have alot of accidents 6/ research puppy kindergarten and obedience classes in your neighbourhood - this will involve 1 -3 sessions a week and cost between $80 and $180 dollars for 6-8 weeks and finally 7/ invest in meditation classes for you ! (puppies, although lovable can really get on your nerves when you're sleep-deprived...)

While I truly do know how you feel about puppies please think carefully about what you've read - an animal is a lifetime commitment and puppies are very, very hard work. Please don't get me wrong rescuing my grrrls as puppies was worth every grey hair on my head but, when I look at my newly adopted 8 yr old boy, who is so smart and so loving - by rescuing him from euthanasia - my heart beats just a little prouder.:love: :pawprint:

"take care of itself" means kind of independ, can sleep or play at home alone or with cat.

A puppy can do none of these things. You have to be home to housetrain it and teach it to leave the cat alone. You cannot leave a puppy loose in the house - it will cry, chew and pee and poop all over.

A cat certainly is not going to play with a puppy all day, especially if the cat is not used to dogs.

Puppies are adorable but they are babies and need a long time to grow up and stay alone during the day. Do you have someone to come in and take it out each day?

We all love puppies, but you have to be realistic and fair and get what suits your lifestyle. For someone who is not home all day and who has a cat, an older, calmer and trained dog is a better choice.

Having a puppy is like having a child. You wouldn't leave a child alone all day would you? Also like the previous posters it's really impossible to find out if a breed gets along with cats or not. It's not really the breed that determines if the animal gets along with another animal, its the personality. Now if your getting a puppy, no matter what breed no body can guarantee it will get along with cats. It's safer to get a dog that has a good history with cats.

thanks all. your advices and suggestions are valuable and very important for me. I will think it through and make a good decision, good for my cat, and for the dog. :)

Very good advice from all. One last little note. Puppies and dogs do not train themselves so you will need to do this. They don't learn to behave on their own, someone needs to teach them. Also get a puppy or dog that you are able to satisfy their needs for exercise. Some will need more than others and if they don't get it you will know very quickly when you see destruction in your home and just plain bad behaviours. Whatever your choice get enrolled into a training program. Getting an adult that is already trained doesn't seem to matter because you haven't been.
Check out www.akc.org or www.ckc.ca
These sites have good info on choosing the right breed for you.

Is this thread identical to this one: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=22052

just come back to say thanks again to all. and StaceyB, your note is very important, I don't want my dog get bored or unhappy. I can't train my cat, it is too late, she is 5 years old and always do everything she want, because I believe she is equal creature, she got right and good reason for do eveything she want. and she is sweet, I don't worry she will hurt the dog. but I will try my best to find a good dog for her as a buddy. even she get used to stay alone at home all the time, I always feel she is so lonely. I will try to give her a best cat life , by the way, give myself a son who can give me a little more love back than my cat. most of time, I just looks like her chef,waitress and server.:D