another dog thread...

[patride71]

i plan on buying myself a dog for my 35th birthday in a few months.

we have 3 cats and we want to find a dog that will get along with the cats and not eat them etc.

i have been leaning toward a blue heeler, golden retriever, lab, german shepard or just a plain ol' mutt from the pound.

my online research has been frustrating because most sites will tell you if the dog is a good choice if you have kids, but doesn't say much regarding other pets, especially cats.

any "experts" here?

 

[erics_bruisers]

go to the pound, get a puppy, and introduce them slowly --

-- then, you're "adopting", not "buying" --

-- mixes are often better health-wise than pure-breds -- less inbreeding (can you say, sex with your sister?) and also better temperaments --

e

 

[stinkyfj60]

If you adopt a dog from the pound, sometimes they know the history of the dog and can tell you whether or not it is cat friendly. The mutt we rescued did spend some time with a cat when he was a pup and is VERY cat friendly and never harms ours.

Some Terriers can be cat aggresive, or small animal aggresive, and so can Northern Breeds (Husky, Malamute). But it is hard to pin down, if you are getting a puppy then if raised with cats around they will be cat friendly, at least to your cats.

Growing up I had a Pit Bull, great dog, raised with a cat. He would die to protect that cat, they were good friends. But strange cats? He would really go after them!

 

[LongIsland60]

In my experience any dog breed can be cat friendly or aggressive - just depends on the socialization.

Post up pics when you get the woofer.

 

[wesintl]

I agree, If a pup is brought up with a cat its usually no big deal.. After that it's hit or miss on whether or not they are cat aware. For example my pointer which is very animal/game aware and for that matter my mutt are very cat aware too. Mine would love nothing better than to terrorize one. On the other hand I've met several pointers that are very cat friendly.

my pointer saw my parents cat at their place and flipped the F out, total hunt mode.

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

We had a beagle growing up as a kid. He didn't seem to pay any attention to cats. Rabbits were his natural born enemy. Beagles don't shed either. I own a Minni Schnauzer now and he HATES cats. I would not recommend one.

 

[tucker74]

Labs are pretty good with cats in my experience ... they're chasers, not biters I think pretty much any dog will be ok if you raise it around them from a pup ... adopting an older dog is a gamble (in this situation). If the pup gets boxed a couple of times they will remember it even when they get bigger ... that pretty much cures them of cat hunting.

Tucker

BTW: This is just my experience with a lab and two cats ...

 

[kevinmrowland]

Every pound I talked to experimented to see how all their dogs did around cats. It's not foolproof but they try to find out for you.

Get a pound puppy

 

[lunyou]

well i have a feeling the blue heeler will hate cats, the german shepard probably will to. The golden retreiver and lab are pretty laid back dogs if they have room to run around. I had a dog that was half lab and he loved cats until we got rid of all of them. Dogs that are a little be more agressive will be a little bit more agressive to cats i would say.

lunyou

 

[El Perro Grande]

My Rotti loves cats. Here he is practically sharing his dinner with my ex-landlord's cat (who had like 5 cats and a pitbull). My dog however, has been attacked by cats twice (hit and run artists... damn pussies)... so not only consider how your new pup is going to act around the cats, but also how your cats are going to act around a new pup.

So I guess I'm trying to say I've seen Rotties and Pitbulls successfully co-exist in the same house with cats and no problems at all.... it's not a breed thing, it's a familiarity thing. Maybe get a pup that is smaller than the cats so they aren't intimidated by it and will be all chill with the pup as it grows bigger than them.

 

[crushers]

if you raised a dog from a puppy with cats around they accept them (generally speaking) i have never had a dog that didn't get along with the cats.
i nver had a rotti or a pitbull or a shepard but i have ahd beagles, hounds, labs, mixes of all sorts.
labs are great dogs but i agree with Tyler, get a mutt, they do seem more healthy...
just my 2 cents
cheers

 

[koop]

Cat dog relationship can be weird. Our cat and dog didn't really get along, fought on occasion but when we had a friend come over with her dog our mutt shoved the cat under the coffee table and got between the dog and the cat, growling.

Another time we had the MIL's dog and it scrapped with our mutt. The cat jumped off the back of the sofa onto her dog and kicked it's ass.

Big Maine Coon cats are cool.

 

[macneill]

Only if you get a dog smaller than your cats.

 

[phantom60]

In my experience any dog breed can be cat friendly or aggressive .....

I agree....
Nice thing about pound puppies is that most pounds will let you take the dog home for a "test drive". When I got my Black Lab my roommate had two cats. The pound let me take the dog home with the option of bringing him back within seven days if things didn't work out between him and the cat.
Definately a lot more convenient than spending $400 for a dog with no return policy, only to find out he has a cat fetish........

 

[patride71]

thanks for the feedback. i have been leaning more towards getting a mutt from the pound, and i think this gave me the push. i was planning on getting a puppy regardless because i figured that would make things better in the long run for the puppy and the cats as far getting acclimated.

thanks again and i'll post up pics of the pup once i get him....

 

[Gumby]

I prefer large cat eating dogs myself, but have been unable to reconsile my need for a big friendly dog with one that enjoys the taste of cats.

My newf could care less about them. The Dane thought it was a chew toy, but never really hurt it.

 

[Degnol]

-- less inbreeding (can you say, sex with your sister?) --

e

NTTAWWT

 

[PHAT MAX]

my sister decided to get two cats about two years ago (did I mention i'm allergic to cats?). We introduced our 10 year old golden/lab mix to them and we haven't had any problems to date. he just avoids them...he's so old and slow that he doesnt care anymore.

 

[calfj60]

My 120 lb German Shepard....Dakota was raised with a cat and the cat, Mr Chompers was tiny when we got him. So between the cats nature, per his name and the dog being a puppy when we got him they are like long lost brothers. The cat thinks he is a dog and they get along great...But I wouldn't bring either into my house unless they were little...