Introducing a New Dog to Your Cat

Many pet owners still feel that dogs and cats can't live together under the same roof. Having both a dog and a cat myself, I can attest that is not the case. There are, however, several factors to take into account.

How you introduce a dog to a cat is important. Also, introducing these two species when they are young is always helpful. You should never force the introduction, but there are a few things you can do.

If you have a cat or cats and want to bring home a mature dog, try to find out some history on the dog. Things like whether or not they've lived with cats before. If you can't get any history, make the assumption they haven't lived with cats. Keep them separate for awhile and socialize them slowly. Use of a dog leash would be good for this purpose.

Some breeds really don't get along well with cats. These include your hunting breeds like Dobermans, hounds and others. Also, terriers don't get along well with cats. Please keep the breed in mind when you decide to bring a dog home to a cat environment.

If your new dog does not react much to cats when brought home, don't automatically think everything is okay. Sometimes, mature dogs will be completely civil when inside, but then become aggressive when outside. So don't leave them unsupervised in the same room until you are sure.

Now, if you bring a new puppy home versus a mature dog, there are some better acclimation methods you can use. Remember, I mentioned earlier the age of the dog is a factor. You will want to keep them apart for a couple of days or so. During that time, let the cats smell the puppy's bed to get used to the puppy's scent. Be sure you let the puppy do the same for where the cats normally sleep.

Now it's time for the true introduction. You will need to hold onto the puppy firmly on the floor and let the cats come to the puppy. This is their first visual as well as physical meeting. The puppy is secure and the cats are free to approach and withdraw as they please. If the cats stay in the area after this, let the puppy loose. If the puppy starts to chase the cats, firmly say "No". This will bear repeating as the puppy learns not to chase the cats.

Before long, the two species will be romping around together and be good friends. Many will even become protective of the other. Just take the time to acclimate them properly and you'll be one big happy family.

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