We have 3 cats does it matter if we adopt a female/male puppy/dog?

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by flkingfan

I can't tell you what kind of dog to adopt but I can tell you from my own experience though, that it might take awhile for your cats to get used to the dog/puppy. I've always had a dog, or two, around my cats since I adopted them. In 2006, I didn't have a dog for 6 months. I adopted a male dog (about 2 yrs old), was more worried about how the dog was going to get along with the cats as I knew the cats were always good with my previous dogs. Boy was I wrong. It took them a few months to get used to him. I would suggest to give your cats plenty of hiding places to run to so they have their own space. My cats were all about 12-15 yrs old at the time I brought home the dog. It took time, but they did become comfortable with the dog around. Good luck!

yes .... this is true..... my cats were about 9 months old when i brought (then) 4 month old bailey into the house..... took about 2 months, but all are pals now...... i added (then) 10 month old dave to the family about 6 months ago, and things are just NOW settling down.....

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

There are two parts to your question and two very distinct answers.

Does gender of the dog matter? Not a jot.

Does age matter? HUGELY.

For larger dogs, the age of one is nothing. The dog is not mature and won't be mature for some time yet.

Both you and your husband work and you have young (which is to say unpredictable) children + three cats.

What you're looking for in terms of a dog is a dog that can cope with a) being left alone for the course of the working day (nix the lab idea right there - they're very much "be with my people" dogs and it's a major reason for behavioural problems with them when they're not), b) can cope with an ADD cat (we've got one, I can sympathise) and c) will be able to handle whatever young children decide to do at any given time.

In my book that means you need a fully "formed" dog - a dog whose personality and traits are already developed. For that to happen, you need age. You need to know that what you see is going to be (for the most part, there's always a period of adjustment) what you get.

Prey drive can and will often change with age. A young dog of a innate placid disposition is only going to be more placid with some years behind it. You need placid, you need calm, you need a dog that's going to have the sense to just move and go find somewhere quiet should there be just too much going on around it. All that points to a fully mature dog.

Forget breed, forget gender - size might be a consideration, and that's fine. You need a particular temperment and a disposition (perhaps within a size range that suits) that will allow the dog to fit into your house smoothly - which is going to be optimal for everyone's sake.

both posts above are EXCELLENT advice......

i would STRONGLY suggest a dog that is (at minimum) between 2-3 years old.... and that has been in a foster home with cats and young children..... at that age, they are likely to be house trained and have matured to adulthood, for the most part....... so the personality will be more known......

and i would recommend you avoid any of the sight-hound breeds or mixes...... they have a pretty strong prey drive and a cat running away just incites that......

and actually, the herding breeds (border collie, australian cattle dog aka blue or red heeler, australian shepherd, etc.) may be more problematic as well .... particularly with your young children ..... but much depends on how the dog was raised and trained prior to coming into your family.......