not sure whether my dog will be ok with my cat in the house.. (shepherd, shepherds) - Dogs - - City-Data Forum

wild_spirited_elz · 06-16-2009, 02:06 PM

Basically to cut a long sotry short!

I got a dog called Baker and also 2 cats George and Squeak..

the cats live at my mums and have been for the past few yrs as i moved out of home quite some time ago..

I live about 30mins from my mums house..
Last week my furbaby george wasnt very well (he is 20..) and have been up the vets a few times... Hes got problems, but has had steriods.. anyway to cut to the chase, my mum is going on hols this sat and willl be back in 2wks.
So, I said i would keep Goerge and Sqeak at my house wilst shes away...

Problem is Baker... Shes a staffy and very beautiful sweet natured 1...
However, recently she has started to chase cats.
I will put both goerge and squeak in the back lounge of the house so they can both look outside and observe their new land!

I am worried though that Baker will stress them out... particulary George as he is unwell and old... If Baker starts to bark wilst im at work or barks at the french doors (as she can see both cats) how can I stop her from doing that and get her used to the fact that the cats are sharing her house?

Just worried about her feelings and my precious cats....
Any ideas?!

1phwalls · 06-16-2009, 02:50 PM

If your dog does not already know them, she is not going to be able to get used to them in two weeks. Put something over the doors so she can't see them.

wild_spirited_elz · 06-16-2009, 02:55 PM

wel she kinda grew up with them, she knows of them and has met them a few times..
Both cats are NO WAY sociable so everytime bakes has been near them i have generally had to take bakes out of the room as the cats would hurt her.

SouthernBelleInUtah · 06-16-2009, 04:57 PM

Crate the dog while you are at work. And cover the glass so she can't see them if the crate has to be nearby. Good luck!

maul767 · 11-25-2009, 03:05 PM

hi i have a german shepherd called sophie she is 5yrs old and very lovley but i am thinking of getting kitten i was woundering will they get a long i had a dog from dogs trust and she almost killed him but she chases cats eccept my friends cat she is nose to nose with him and doesnt show any aggression towards him can any one help thanks

flkingfan · 11-25-2009, 04:37 PM

Definitely keep them separated. Maybe turn some music on, soothing music, or leave the tv on.

mrs1885 · 11-25-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maul767

hi i have a german shepherd called sophie she is 5yrs old and very lovley but i am thinking of getting kitten i was woundering will they get a long i had a dog from dogs trust and she almost killed him but she chases cats eccept my friends cat she is nose to nose with him and doesnt show any aggression towards him can any one help thanks

Sounds like your dog needs some serious training before you attempt to bring in a helpless kitten. If it's got aggression issues toward another dog, there's no way I'd bring a tiny kitten in.

SheridanPDC · 11-25-2009, 10:10 PM

Maul, if you get a kitten take it very slow. First introduce them through a crate. Be sure to muzzle your dog, and use a leash collar that gives you a lot of control, some people prefer a halter type collar, I personally use a prong/pinch collar. Just introduce them a little bit at a time. Make sure Sophie can not get at the cat when you are away- that means be sure that the cat cannot get into Sophie's area either. One thing about German Shepherds in particular, they gaurd their territory like crazy, which is probably why you had problems with bringing in another dog. Big problem areas I can see would be the cat going near your dog's food, toys, and special sleeping areas. Bringing in another animal will be a lot of work, and it may take quite a while for everything to work out. It can be done, but don't attempt to bring a cat in unless you are totally commited to the task at hand. Always keep the cats saftey in mind, stay tuned in to your dog's signals/body language, and be prepared to find the kitty a new, loving home if it just dosen't work out.
I have a Shepherd/lab mix who is two years old. She dose not get along well with other dogs, and she chaces and tries to eat everything small and furry or feathered. She has always had an urge to go after cats in particular. Well, we decided we wanted a cat. We brought the cat home, and it was like living in a war zone. Riley, our dog, tried to bite the cat at every oppertunity, and the cat cowered and hid in the bedroom and every time he saw the dog he puffed up like a fuzzy balloon. I slowly worked at introducing them, as described above. Had to bring out the dog crate and keep Riley in the crate over night. All this was about 4 months ago. The dog and cat now sleep together, and play together like two loonatics (the dog is ALWAYS gentle, even when the cat has four paws full of claws wraped around her head). It took a lot of work, but out house is now in balance

...... Riley still wants to use the cats we see on our walks as chew toys though........

groar · 11-30-2009, 08:16 AM

agreed with sheridan's post. it might work, but you need to be very, very careful and have a contingency plan (either keeping them totally separate or finding another home for the cat) in case it doesn't work out. you need to make absolutely sure that the dog and cat are never together unsupervised until you are positive they will be ok, and the cat needs to have a safe place to get away from the dog, forever. i still keep a room fenced off with a baby gate for the cats to go to if they don't want to be around the dog. i'd recommend talking to a local shelter and ask them if they test dogs for cat aggression. if they do, ask them how they do it and how they evaluate the results. see if maybe they'll let you take your dog in to test him - if you're going to adopt from them they may even require it.

when i got my dog sadie the shelter got a feisty cat and let him loose in the room with sadie, with sadie held tight on a leash. the best reaction is ignoring the cat, the worst is growling or snapping. sadie was in between - she got in the cat's face trying to sniff him and got swatted a few times but didn't react negatively. and that's how she is with my cats - if they run, she chases them, but she doesn't try to hurt them. if they're calm around her (and over a year later, they finally all are), she's calm around them. she actually snuggles with one of them, and is close to it with 2 others. i also trained her to always defer to them - they can eat her food if they want, whatever, she has to wait. i'm not super into the idea of pack hierarchy (there's no rigid hierarchy in dog packs) but that's the best way to explain it - she is below them in the pack. one of the cats (the obvious top cat) has actually trained her a bit. i don't use negative reinforcement, but he does!

you have to be careful though, even if they get along - even a dog who's friendly to cats might not realize that you can't play as rough with cats as you can with dogs.