Dog Breeds - introducing cats to dogs
 

I've been thinking of getting a dog but I have 2 cats. Are there any dog breeds that are known as being better with cats or any breeds that are definitely not a good idea. I've tried to do some research on the internet but I haven't had much luck. I know that when I do get a dog I want a rescue dog but I'm just trying to get some ideas as to what to look for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As for the cats I don't think they would have any problems with the dog they are very laid back and not high strung at all.

It's best then to adopt a dog from a rescue that has previously lived with cats :D


[url]www.petfinder.com[/url] do a doggie search, they explain and there are little emoticons that tell you if the dog is good with cats.

Best of luck!! :D

Thanks for the advice on the website...I've looked at petfinders a couple of times and it's excellent. :D Now when I do get a dog what is the best way to introduce the cats to the dog. The cats aren't very old they are both a year old but neither have had any experience with dogs.

If you can introduce them on neutral territory (outside) not in the cats home, they are usually more accepting. You will also need a friend to help so you can hold your cats and they can hold the dog on a leash a go slow let them sniff and approach on there own time. It may take a few days of introducing them but if you go slow they will probably get use to each other as long as they are not being forced. I am sure others here will have some other suggestions. I have not done it woth cats but I have with dogs.

You CANNOT introduce cats to a dog the way you introduce two dogs. If you try it, you'll have a big mess on your hands.

Do not take the cats outside for this. They must be on their own territory in the home.

Find a dog that is living or has lived with cats and does not chase them. Then set up the cats in a spare room with all their stuff and put up a baby gate. If you get a big dog, you can raise the gate just high enough for the cats to get under. The dog has to learn he cannot go in there.

Let the cats come out when they feel like it. They will be much braver knowing they have a "safe" place. Keep the dog on leash first,and correct him if he tries to approach the cats (unless the cats are willing) Reward the dog for ignoring the cats.

Since your cats are young, they will probably be more curious than frightened, IF the dog doesn't lunge at them. Never allow the dog to chase the cats.

[B]Do not ever hold a cat up to a dog's face.[/B] . The dog could end up blinded, and you could be badly hurt. The cats must make all the moves and cannot be forced to interact with the dog. They will do when - and ONLY when - they feel it's safe to do so.

Boston Terriers
 

I was looking into Schnauzers but I've heard that they are notorious for being cat chasers. Does anyone know if this true? I know it also depends on the individual dogs personality but at the same time I don't want to adopt a breed of dog that is known for not getting along with cats. Any suggestions? :confused:

Yes, there are breeds known for not being good with other smaller pets. Schnauzers may not be good, unless the dog is used to cats or has lived with them. The same can be true of any dog, but in GENERAL, terriers and northern breeds are often not good with cats because they often have a very high prey drive. Boston terriers, however, are usually pretty good with other animals and don't seem to have prey drive on a level with other terrier breeds.

My suggestion is to find a rescued dog who is in a foster home with other animals and is known to be good with them. That's what I did, and found a dog who is absolutely perfect with my cats.:)

Since I picked up a shih tzu, I've been reading up on the breed quite a bit. Most of them mention that Shih Tzu get along quite well with cats.

[QUOTE=Lucky Rescue;39330]Yes, there are breeds known for not being good with other smaller pets. Schnauzers may not be good, unless the dog is used to cats or has lived with them. The same can be true of any dog, but in GENERAL, terriers and northern breeds are often not good with cats because they often have a very high prey drive. Boston terriers, however, are usually pretty good with other animals and don't seem to have prey drive on a level with other terrier breeds.

My suggestion is to find a rescued dog who is in a foster home with other animals and is known to be good with them. That's what I did, and found a dog who is absolutely perfect with my cats.:)[/QUOTE]

I don't know much about terriers as I've never owned one, but I do take some offense to the "northern" breeds not being good with cats. We've owned both an Elkhound and a Husky and both were very gentle and loving with our cats, even when they were tiny kittens. We even had a pet rabbit with the Husky and she was much gentler with it than the cats! The cats all wanted to poke at the rabbit and basically try to get it to play like they did but the husky would just lay next to it and lick it's ears. I think most dogs do fine if they are introduced to cats/kittens when they are puppies. It's always a bit harder when they are older but not impossible. I don't think any particular breed is better than another - there are exceptions with every breed - but it mostly has to do with the owner more than anything.

There are exceptions to every breed--retrievers who won't retriever, pit bulls who wouldn't fight other dogs even if they were being eaten alive, dobermans who would happily show a thief where the silverware's kept--but LuckyRescue's right, [i]in general[/i] northern breeds are not good with cats. We have a local husky rescue that lists dogs on Petfinder and almost every one has the little "not good with cats" icon next to its name. Ditto with a local daschund rescue. (Daschunds were bred to hunt badgers.) That's not to say huskies, etc, are NEVER good with cats--some are, like your dog. :) But a lot aren't.

Raising a puppy with a cat will generally make a dog more accepting of cats, no matter the breed--as long as it's never allowed to chase the cat to begin with. (It helps if the cat is willing to stand up to the pup and enforce its status with a well-aimed whack. But potentially dangerous, too, because cat scratches can cause infections.)

Even so, a dog who's perfectly fine with his own cats may try to chase and kill strange cats. It's instinct. And the dog finds it fun.

As Lucky said, do NOT introduce a cat and a dog outside the home . . . The cat will be doubly stressed, both by the strange territory and the presence of the dog.

The original post was from 2004. OP has likely made a decision by now. ;) :pawprint:

Regardless of the age of the tread....

Pardon my cluelessness tonite, but ... by "northern" breeds you all mean huskies and so on right??? Why " northern"??? Arent they spitz family??? IM not very familiar with huskies and other "northern" breeds ( I know what they are but havent read much on them)

Thanks for the info!
 

I had the same question about introducing a puppy to my two 1 year old Bengal cats, so the information has been very helpful! Someone mentioned Northern breeds and asked if this included members of the "Spitz" family - my understanding is that Pomeranians are, and I wonder if anyone has had any experience with Poms and cats??

Thanks for any assistance in advance!

CD

I believe they're called "northern breeds" simply because in the present day they're associated with dog sledding in Alaska and (I assume) northern Canada. :) I just looked up "spitz breeds" and they are in there, all right. So are poms. I don't have any experience with pomeranians myself, though.

carol_izzy If it was me I would choose to introduce adult dogs from a rescue that fosters dogs in home with cats rather than a puppy or an older puppy who had been exposed to cats preferably 6 months and older

For one cats are territorial so may end up ganging and attack a very young puppy, my cats used to try and hunt my ferret that was the size of a young puppy though the ferret was just as much as a hunter and wanted the cats as well ther have no fear of size he he even went after the greyhound once whe he got loose and had the greyhound in a corner screaming for me to save him,

number 2 a puppy will go thru a very active stage and try to treat the cats and though they are puppies and they may be too rough for a cat,

number 3 the pup may mature and think cats should be for dinner. just because you rasie a dog from a puppy does not mean it will be cat safe, some dogs have natural high prey instincts that no amount of training is going to get rid of. So yoiu could end up living in a divided house if thing do not go well.

95 % of ex racing greyhound are able to live successfully with a cat some of the greyhound rescue groups have foster homes in which to test them in, I used to be a foster home that did that, some groups are able to bring in greyhound from the US who have been tested down at the track adoption groups.

There 3 greyhound adoption groups in Calgary if you are interested all 3 offer details on what a greyhound is like as a pet on their website, just because they are racers don't assume they are hyper, they calm, relaxed and a very easy going breed that does well even in apartments.
[URL="http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/directory/list.cfm?region=3&orderBy=RegionLookup.StateName"]http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/directory/list.cfm?region=3&orderBy=RegionLookup.StateName[/URL]

Elkhounds, if not around other dogs, cats or any other animals early, will not be very chummy with them. Elkhounds are hunters and a large part of that is the chase. My past and present Elkhound both would chase cats but never harm them, though. In fact they each at one time or another cornered a cat then cried because it stopped running and eventually walked away from it.
Huskies on the other hand will go the full 9 yards and actually kill what they chase. My neighbor's husky has brought back possum and squirrel from the woods. My neighbor brought home a stray cat that was injured and the Husky was very protective of it but later when it had kittens, he killed 2 of them. You never know.

I guess my point is northern breeds may have a harder time adjusting to living with a cat or other animals if they haven't been socialized early with other animals. I suppose that's true of many breeds, especially hunting breeds. I know I've seen plenty of pictures online of Elkhounds sharing sofas with cats, so it is possible. I wouldn't take offense to claims that northern breeds aren't great with cats.

Dog Breeds - introducing cats to dogs
 

I know this original post is a few years' old, but I'm also in the same situation. I have two cats, Moe & Pie-Pie. Moe is about 17 years old, and Pie-Pie is about 8. Moe is a bit skittish around other animals. He has adjusted to Pie-Pie, but only just :-} I lost both my dogs a few years ago, and I am finally at the point where I am ready for another. I just need some recommendations of breeds to definitely stay away from - those that definitely do not get on well with cats. And I see from this forum that there is some discussion about whether or not it's better to get a puppy versus a dog that has lived with cats. I was thinking about getting a puppy, so that the puppy would adjust to them more easily. But I'm wondering now if if that is the best idea. My plan is to adopt a puppy or dog from my local animal shelter, but I've also noticed from this thread that some of you are of the opinion that rescue dogs are better. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, thoughts, or can refer me to any other Web sites, books, experts, etc.

Thanks so much!

-Anna G.
Dallas, TX

Cats & Dogs
 

I'm glad that people have continued to respond to this thread. I have the same dilemma. I really wanted to get a Parson Russell Terrier (AKC version of the Jack Russell), but chickened out and got my rescue corgi, Monty instead.

He has been great with the cats. They live in parallel universes that never intersect. I was hoping for the dog and the cats to bond, but this is the next best thing.

The success with Monty gave me the courage to try a Parson pup and after a week I felt I had made a serious mistake and returned him to the breeder. He was just a pup and any pup would chase a cat - basically trying to play with the cat, not hurt or hunt it, but I just couldn't see my cats ever learning to live with such an active dog (Monty is a slug). A couple stood their ground, but several were terrified (I have 7). If they kept running in terror I couldn't blame a terrier for his prey drive kicking in and I am inexperienced with training dogs in the first place. I think the sheer number of cats I have was the biggest problem. Unfortunately, one of the youngest cats was the most terrified, he's a fairly jumpy cat to start out with, so I don't think I could get a terrier while he is alive. I hope he will have a long life and that will mean possibly 14 to 16 years before I could even consider trying this again.

If anyone knows of a dog that has many of the traits of a Parson, with a lower prey drive I'd love to hear about them. I like the fact that they are smart, feisty, mischievous, clown-like affectionate dogs. I like their size combined with the fact that they don't act like "little dogs." I really like their body structure which is very moderate, balance, healthy. I don't want a dog that has any extreme features which will make it less sound. I love Monty dearly, but I can't see getting another corgi because they are dwarfs. Breeding specifically for a genetic weakness makes no sense to me. I hate the fact that I have to worry that he might hurt himself jumping up and down from high places. I want a solid sturdy dog. I do like the personalities of the corgis I've met so I might mellow on this point.

[QUOTE=Megan1967;463887]I don't want a dog that has any extreme features which will make it less sound. I love Monty dearly, but I can't see getting another corgi because they are dwarfs. Breeding specifically for a genetic weakness makes no sense to me. I hate the fact that I have to worry that he might hurt himself jumping up and down from high places. I want a solid sturdy dog.[/QUOTE]

corgi's are very sturdy dogs. Their short legs have a definite purpose, they are a herding dog, low to the ground so as to not get kicked by cattle. I don't understand why you think they are "dwarfs" and that it's a genetic weakness. I see it as a strong point of the breed, to be able to herd so successfully.

as for dogs that are good w/ cats, I think harmony can be achieved with any breed, if rules are set and followed STRICTLY... NEVER EVER allow the dog to chase the cat, and the dog must have a strong LEAVE IT. I have a basenji-mix and 2 cats who all live in harmony - my dog understands the cats are higher up in the pack than he is, he is NEVER allowed to chase or rough house w/ them, and he must LEAVE IT if asked (which he does). these are "his" cats though - stray cats who wander into our yard would not be treated so kindly.

This is from the national breed club:
[url]http://www.pembrokecorgi.org/genetics.html[/url]

I know why the corgi was bred the way it was and in many ways it is a sturdy breed, but they are prone to seriously hurt their backs in a way that dogs of normal height aren't. I also don't mean to sound like I'm passing a value judgment on dwarfism in terms of human beings, but it is a genetic abnormality and does have a number of health issues associated with it.

Many dogs were bred for specific purposes that make them less sound overall, even though they are perfectly suited to the task for which the breed was developed. Any extreme trait is bound to have problems. The giant breeds are a good example of this. Very well suited to the task they were bred for, but fraught with health issues.

The thing is, while a breed may be well suited to a particular task, it is rare that dogs are used exclusively if at all for those purposes anymore. There was a time when a dog was a tool, not a pet. As long as it served it's purpose well the ability to function in different areas was not emphasized.

Ironically, this is on the front page of the pets.ca web site today.
[url]http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog-purebred-dogs.htm[/url]

Dog Breeds - introducing cats to dogs
 

We have a bengal tiger, 5 yrs, that has a huge prey instinct and basically hunts down and kills anything smaller than him and even some three foot tall raccoons. Wewant to get a dog but don't want the cat to hurt the dog or the dog to hurt the cat. We were aiming for a puppy. The dog has to be family friendly. Is this a pipe dream? The vet suggested a pug but we are afraid the cat would stalk it and kill it. We would like a medium sized dog.Any suggestions?

Is this a joke? :D

You have a 5-yr-old tiger with huge prey instinct and you worry about a new dog hurting the cat?!? :confused: :laughing: Not likely...

However, if you [I]do[/I] have a 5-yr-old tiger with a huge prey instinct, introducing it to a dog would likely have dire consequences for the dog...no matter how big, what breed or what age... :shrug:

The original poster, katy82, adopted an American Eskimo - unfortunately she no longer posts - I also have an American Eskimo and it was nice to have someone with the same breed. When we adopted our guy we still had our 22 lb. cat who loved me, but had been trying to kill me from the day we rescued him. Our Eskimo weighed 11 lbs. when adopted but they got along very well -at first cat chased him, but as Eskie grew to 22 lbs. they were even - and played - until the Eskie took exception to the cat knocking me down the stairs, tripping me so that I ended up face down in kitty litter, jumping on my head from dryer - that type of thing - good thing the cat really loved me! At that point the Eskie started to stand between us - but did not harm the cat. The cat died last Dec. at age 16 and we won't be getting another cat. Many people on Eskie board have cats that get along with their dogs - and others have cats that were there first and want to pack the the Eskies' suitcases and move on - so it is a crap shoot. Prior to our Eskie we had an Alpha mini Dachshund - 10 lbs. and he took care of the 22 lb. cat - benevolent - but the cat was a lot more careful in how he treated me. Actually we have had 5mini Dachshunds and a Beagle and all lived peacefully with our cats - so I just think luck of the draw. BUT I WOULD NOT GET A SMALL DOG with a big cat with a prey drive. All of our Dachshunds were fully grown when rescued -there is not a chance I would have brought home say a 5 lb. puppy with a cat with a huge prey drive - mini baby Dachshunds look like mice.

Get a puppy if you already have cats and want a dog. A dog raised around cats learns to love and protect them very quickly. Or, alternatively, an adult dog who is known to have been raised around cats. They will have more patience with the attacks the cats pour upon them until the cat learns this intruder is not a threat.

CATS see DOGS as threats.

It's harder to introduce an adult dog who has never known cats to be a part of his/her famliy for that dog to learn to accept them. That dogs sees cats as PREY, or something to be tolerated in your presence and then to be chased or eaten when you're not looking.

A puppy, on the other hand, is more interested in PLAYING. And even this can pose a problem. Dog language and Cat language pose a BIG communication problem between the two species.

Dogs who want to play pounce with their bottom up in the air with their tails wagging. When dogs wag their tail, they are happy and excited.

Cats who are attacking pounce. A Cat who is wagging its tail does not want to play, is NOT happy, and is angry, and, is about to strike out in attack. A Cat who is wagging its tail is often also growling at the same time. They are definately NOT interested in playing with the "monster" you bought into their territory.

BIG communication problem between the two species, but with patience on the part of the owner, they can and do develop strong friendship ties.

I was raised in a home with cats, dogs, birds, retiles, all at the same time. I currently have a puppy and 4 cats and one of the cats is a kitten the same age as my puppy Flower (who already stands at 4 feet). Flower (6 month puppy) and Gracie (6 month kitten) are play buddies. Kobi and Shylo (both 1 year) have learned to tolerate Flower. Jazmyne (3 years) still hisses at Flower.

It's important to keep ALL claws trimmed, to include the cat and the dog. You don't want them to tear eachother and you into shreds as they 'get used' to each other.

[QUOTE=bengalca;531701]We have a bengal tiger, 5 yrs, that has a huge prey instinct and basically hunts down and kills anything smaller than him and even some three foot tall raccoons. Wewant to get a dog but don't want the cat to hurt the dog or the dog to hurt the cat. We were aiming for a puppy. The dog has to be family friendly. Is this a pipe dream? The vet suggested a pug but we are afraid the cat would stalk it and kill it. We would like a medium sized dog.Any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

You have a Tiger and you want a dog. And you're concerned the dog might hurt the cat, or visa versa. Are you kidding?

Why not a Bear? The two would be able to hold thier own should one get hungry and start looking at the other.

I would someday like to have a tiger as a pet, but that is going to wait until I no longer live on a planet full of sinful humans which has caused animals to eat eachother for food. Your tiger doesnt belong with you as a pet. What happens if children come around? Or if he gets loose off your property and decides to eat at the local playground?

I think maybe theres been a misunderstanding.. not sure though.

Theres a breed of cat, called a Bengal Cat..
And [B]bengal ca[/B] did describe her pet as a cat. Maybe tiger was a slip of the tongue.
moggies.co.uk says:
[I]"Bengals do reveal traces of their wild origins in some of their character traits. they can be restless, lively and curious. They particularly love the thrill of the chase and the hunt. Bengals are a large breed, it is friendly , loving, alert, curious and intelligent. The Bengal has little fear of other cats, or any other animal and makes a charming pet."[/I]

So that could tie in with the huge prey instinct and fearlessness of reasonably big animals [B]bengal ca[/B] described.


Then again, she might own a tiger. But a five year old tiger is preeeeeeeeeety big, and I doubt anyone would let it out of sight long enough to hunt a racoon.

To heck with worrying about a tiger... I'd never want to live anywhere that had three foot tall raccoons!! :evil:

Stay away from all sled dog breeds. There are exceptions but your chances of getting one are about as romote as finding a husky that can be walked off leash. I've raised 3 Huskies with a cat and under no circumstances would I leave them unsupervised. I've nearly lost her twice and know 3 people so far that have lost cats to huskies. We sled dog enthusiasts have a saying: "cat" is the other white meat. --Kelly

[QUOTE=katy82;39325]I was looking into Schnauzers but I've heard that they are notorious for being cat chasers. Does anyone know if this true? I know it also depends on the individual dogs personality but at the same time I don't want to adopt a breed of dog that is known for not getting along with cats. Any suggestions? :confused:[/QUOTE]


My sister has a yellow tabby cat named Simba that she has had for almost 10 years and about 5 years ago she decided that she wanted a dog. A friend of hers had a litter of Boston Terriers and she got to have one. Let me just say that Debo (the Boston Terrier) and Simba get along great. The play together all the time.

This is Debo
[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/8830/l908a59e1a6a091d1db7a9fcy2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]