Puppies?

[CaseyK37]

FH and I went to the humane society yesterday. We held a couple kitties but decided it probably isn't a good idea to get another one. The two that we have now are from the same litter and have been together since birth. I think it might be hard for them to adjust to having another cat around.

Then, we got to thinking about getting a puppy. As most of you know, we just moved into a house and have quite a bit of room. We found this little girl there:
http://www.tricountyhumanesociety.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=4&sobi2Id=3844&Itemid=6
Isn't she cute?! Well we probably won't get her just because we just started talking about it.

For those of you with dogs and cats - How did it go introducing the new dog to the cats? Our cats are about 2 and a half. I don't want to get a puppy and have our cats freak out. I know you can return your animal to the humane society if it doesn't work out but that would be devastating for me!! What are some good breeds of dogs to look at?

[FFC]

She is a cutie!!! She looks like she's got a little pitt in her.

As for introducing her to the cats. I think you're better off having the cats first, then introducing the dog - like you would be. We had the dog first and introduced the cat and the dog is very jealous. While I think the cats will be a little jealous, they're less of a threat than the dog would be if the situation was reversed.

[WebLady]

I have no personal experience with dogs and cats, but I have heard that you just introduce them in a supervised setting a little each day. Give them time to get use to each other and sort of let the cats get close on their own time.

A puppy is going to want to play and the cats may not. From what I have heard, some adult cats may just not take to the dog and will avoid it. So I would always surpervise them if they are together so neither one hurts the other, even on accident.

If the puppy grows up with the cats it will learn how they like to play or that they don't like to play.

If you get an older dog you may have prey drive issues to deal with. But some shelters will "cat test" dogs to see if they are safe with small animals.

:goodluck:

[savepaws]

Sometimes I think its more difficult to introduce cats to dogs when the cats are used to only living with cats. If your cats are easy going and tend to go with the flow, they'll probably adjust eventually, but if they are easily freaked out by strangers and new things, a pup might be too much for them. I don't know of any breeds that are better around cats but I do know that terriers tend to have a higher prey drive. I know there's many terriers out there that live in peace with cats too though.

[Kfancii]

She is precious and actually a mix of two of my favorite breeds! You can't go wrong with a lab if you want a family dog. They are one of the sweetest breeds out there and most are great with kids and other animals. The Border Collie is a "working class" dog and is best when they have a "job" to do. There is a possibility that she might try to herd the cats, but as the others have suggested, as long as you supervise them at first, you will most likely be fine. Border Collies are smart as a whip and love to please too. She appears that she will be a pretty big girl when grown, and will need to have room to play and be active to stay busy and happy. The fact that she is only 8 weeks old mean she is going to need lots of attention and training, but if you have the time to devote to her she would make a wonderful fur-kid. Just realize that you probably have about 3 years of puppy minimum and most labs stay puppies all their life! Our 18 year old lab girl still has moments where you think she is 8 months old!! With puppies comes chewing things you don't want chewed, puddles on the floor until they are house trained, and ooodles and oodles of love and cuddles.

[amisteratwisterandme]

The Border Collie is a "working class" dog and is best when they have a "job" to do. There is a possibility that she might try to herd the cats, but as the others have suggested, as long as you supervise them at first, you will most likely be fine. Border Collies are smart as a whip and love to please too.

My baby is part border collie and he doesn't have any problems with the cats. He will every once in a while decide to chase them, but it is all in play. I think introducing a puppy to cats is probably a lot better then a full grown dog. I think a bit every day is the way to go also, as well as making sure the cats have a place away from the puppy that they can just chill.

[CaseyK37]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Danielle - We are a little hesitant to get a dog because our cats are very timid when it comes to stranger. It takes them a while to warm up but they eventually do. Steve said Dorian (one of our cats) went outside with him and the neighbors dogs were out and he went right up to them! Which really surprises me since he is such a scaredy cat!

Kelly - We are thinking we want a bigger dog. FH really wants a lab. We will probably end up waiting until at least May to get a puppy so we will have more time for it. We will probably end up enrolling it in some training classes since neither of us have had dogs before.

Brandi - The shelter here has little note cards for each animal that will say if it is good around kids or other dogs or cats. It is nice!

Here is another puppy I fell in love with! (Okay... he's not a puppy! He is 7!)
http://www.tricountyhumanesociety.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=3&sobi2Id=3740&Itemid=6

He was so fricken cute! Very excitable. FH doesn't want an older dog though.

[Kfancii]

Casey-

We have 4 big rescue dogs that run our household. DH had 2 and I had 2 when we married we became a "blended" family. Our Maggie (lab girl) is the smallest and at 50+ lbs, she isn't little by any means! The boys are: Wally (Aussie/Newfie 95lbs), Jack (Golden/Chow 80lbs) and Cooper (Aussie 72 lbs) so you can tell we like bigger dogs too.

When the time is right, you will find a good match for you. Since you haven't had dogs before, it will be good for you and FH to visit the shelter and learn as much as you can about the different breeds before you adopt.

I agree that classes are a great plan, but the real trick is being consistant in your training outside of class. We adopted Cooper and Jack when they were just a little over a year old, and to be honest, they are our two best when it comes to following commands. Of course they were also wild children and have been the ones we have worked with the most. Read up on the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) method and see what you think about that training method. It has been a huge blessing in our household! Even being a dog person, my 4 made me crazy until we got control over the pack.

You might think about adopting a younger dog as your first over a puppy as they tend to be alot less work. By age 1, most dogs have outgrown the chewing stage and aren't so crazy hyper. Now this isn't always the case, but it has been my experience. I love puppies, but I'm old and they wear me out! :frantic: I do love me some puppy kisses though!

Thanks so much for looking into a rescue dog when you are ready to adopt. There are so many wonderful pets out there that need a forever home and a rescued pup just seems to know that they are getting a second lease on life and love you even more for it!