questions about intruductions and things

karmasmom · Jun 18, 2008

So we got a new apartment and can get a dog. We plan on getting one sometime this summer but I want as much information as I can get before we bring it(don't know what sex yet so for now its an it) home. We plan on going to the Humane Society. In San Diego all adoption fees for dogs over 5 have been dropped also for dogs who have been there for more than 30 days(of any age) and dogs under 5 have reduced fees. Same for cats but that another story. The reason is they have seen a huge increase of animals due to the economy and foreclosures here, its bad to say the least. We were already planning on getting a dog before this, the way we look at it is all the money we would have spent to adopt can go to toys and things for the new pooch

.

So here are my questions/concerns I need to figure out before the new one arrives. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

1) Monkey is a very selfish kitty. Today she got mad at me for playing catch with the neighbor boy(human). If that bothered her how will she react when I give attention to the new animal? Will she plot to kill me or the dog? How can I help her to realize she is still the ruler of the house and will always loved, without making the dog feel unloved.

2)Should we crate train so when we are not home both stay safe? What are the pros and cons of crate training? Is is mean to do to the dog? It would only be crated 2 days a week for an extended period of time, about 8 hours. they rest of the time it would be with one of us.

3)Should we go for the dogs that are 5+ or look at younger dogs? What will be better for Monkey? We don't care what age it is we just want the transition to go as smooth as possible for Monkey.

4)We do know that we want a small dog, under 20 pounds. Our place is not very big, we do have a yard but at night or times when we are inside we do not want a dog that will take up the whole room. Plus we both love small dogs. Any recommendations on breeds to look at, if they are at the shelter? Mutts are good to but a lot of purebreds are being turned over so we will have both to look at. Any breads we should stay away from, ones that are known for not getting along with cats.

Last one for now
5)What do we need to do when going to look to make sure it gets along with cats? Whats the best way to know? It would break my heart to adopt one only to find out it wanted to kill Monkey and we had to return it. Any suggestions on what questions to ask the staff or what to watch for during the meeting?

Thanks for reading. I am sure over the next few weeks I will have many more questions. I just want whats best for everyone involved, human and animal.

brandi · Jun 18, 2008

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

So we got a new apartment and can get a dog. We plan on getting one sometime this summer but I want as much information as I can get before we bring it(don't know what sex yet so for now its an it) home. We plan on going to the Humane Society. In San Diego all adoption fees for dogs over 5 have been dropped also for dogs who have been there for more than 30 days(of any age) and dogs under 5 have reduced fees. Same for cats but that another story. The reason is they have seen a huge increase of animals due to the economy and foreclosures here, its bad to say the least. We were already planning on getting a dog before this, the way we look at it is all the money we would have spent to adopt can go to toys and things for the new pooch

.

So here are my questions/concerns I need to figure out before the new one arrives. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

1) Monkey is a very selfish kitty. Today she got mad at me for playing catch with the neighbor boy(human). If that bothered her how will she react when I give attention to the new animal? Will she plot to kill me or the dog? How can I help her to realize she is still the ruler of the house and will always loved, without making the dog feel unloved.

2)Should we crate train so when we are not home both stay safe? What are the pros and cons of crate training? Is is mean to do to the dog? It would only be crated 2 days a week for an extended period of time, about 8 hours. they rest of the time it would be with one of us.

3)Should we go for the dogs that are 5+ or look at younger dogs? What will be better for Monkey? We don't care what age it is we just want the transition to go as smooth as possible for Monkey.

4)We do know that we want a small dog, under 20 pounds. Our place is not very big, we do have a yard but at night or times when we are inside we do not want a dog that will take up the whole room. Plus we both love small dogs. Any recommendations on breeds to look at, if they are at the shelter? Mutts are good to but a lot of purebreds are being turned over so we will have both to look at. Any breads we should stay away from, ones that are known for not getting along with cats.

Last one for now
5)What do we need to do when going to look to make sure it gets along with cats? Whats the best way to know? It would break my heart to adopt one only to find out it wanted to kill Monkey and we had to return it. Any suggestions on what questions to ask the staff or what to watch for during the meeting?

Thanks for reading. I am sure over the next few weeks I will have many more questions. I just want whats best for everyone involved, human and animal.

1) Monkey is a very selfish kitty. Today she got mad at me for playing catch with the neighbor boy(human). If that bothered her how will she react when I give attention to the new animal? Will she plot to kill me or the dog? How can I help her to realize she is still the ruler of the house and will always loved, without making the dog feel unloved.
It would be best to get a puppy or a younger dog to help with her accepting it. She will be very upset with you for the first few days because the dog is new and its invading her territory she will hiss spit growl and smack the dog around until the dog has learned its place on the ladder. Also she may not be ruler of the house once the dog has established its place. In my house my collie is the ruler because she is 50lbs and demanding even though the cats were here first.

2)Should we crate train so when we are not home both stay safe? What are the pros and cons of crate training? Is is mean to do to the dog? It would only be crated 2 days a week for an extended period of time, about 8 hours. they rest of the time it would be with one of us.
Yes it is best to crate train from the very beginning. It is easier for house training and also helps out with any safety issues that may occur for the puppy or cat 2 days at 8 hours isnt bad, it would be good if someone could let the puppy out every 3 to 4 hours but if not 8 hours will be ok. Max my shih-tzu who weighs 9lbs is only crated at night but is in the batroom while we are at work which is about 3 hours a day(DH works dayshift and I work evening)

3)Should we go for the dogs that are 5+ or look at younger dogs? What will be better for Monkey? We don't care what age it is we just want the transition to go as smooth as possible for Monkey.
I would say a younger dog would be best...unless you can find an older dog that is cat friendly.

4)We do know that we want a small dog, under 20 pounds. Our place is not very big, we do have a yard but at night or times when we are inside we do not want a dog that will take up the whole room. Plus we both love small dogs. Any recommendations on breeds to look at, if they are at the shelter? Mutts are good to but a lot of purebreds are being turned over so we will have both to look at. Any breads we should stay away from, ones that are known for not getting along with cats.
for purebreds Shih-Tzu, Pekingnese,Poms(you can also research www.akc.org for small breeds and their characteristics to find what youre looking for) I would stay away from terriers as they can be cat aggressive and they are very hyper for mixes it would be best for you to research what breeds the dog is mixed with to get an idea of possible characteristics.

Last one for now
5)What do we need to do when going to look to make sure it gets along with cats? Whats the best way to know? It would break my heart to adopt one only to find out it wanted to kill Monkey and we had to return it. Any suggestions on what questions to ask the staff or what to watch for during the meeting?
Ask if the dog has been around cats before and if it is cat friendly. Ask if the dog has known aggression issues(with toys, food beds and so on) The most important thing to find out before hand if the staff know is if the dog is used to cats and has been around them before and also ask why the dog was surrendered to them(was it because the family was moving, or because of aggression, or a new baby)Your best bet for a dog that will be good with cats would be a puppy or a younger dog mainly because even if they have never saw a cat in their lives they will normally adapt to them DH and I had a pitbull that loved our cats they only reason she was re-homed is because she need more room to run and more attention then what we could provide at that time in our lives. She now lives with a friend of ours who is a professional dog trainer...

I hope this helps you if you have any more questions feel free to PM me and Im sure there will be more people to help you out soon!

ldpeterson · Jun 18, 2008

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

1) Monkey is a very selfish kitty. Today she got mad at me for playing catch with the neighbor boy(human). If that bothered her how will she react when I give attention to the new animal? Will she plot to kill me or the dog? How can I help her to realize she is still the ruler of the house and will always loved, without making the dog feel unloved.

Personally I think all kitties are a bit selfish. That's just the kitty way!

She will throw a tantrum, and hate the dog for awhile, but will adapt. Make sure you give equal and personal attention to both.

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

2)Should we crate train so when we are not home both stay safe? What are the pros and cons of crate training? Is is mean to do to the dog? It would only be crated 2 days a week for an extended period of time, about 8 hours. they rest of the time it would be with one of us.

Absolutely crate train the dog. There are no cons of crate training only pros. You will hear many different opinions on this, but I have 3 dogs and all are trained to go to the crate. If you choose a puppy though, you will not be able to leave it 8 hours. More like 4 at the most.

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

3)Should we go for the dogs that are 5+ or look at younger dogs? What will be better for Monkey? We don't care what age it is we just want the transition to go as smooth as possible for Monkey.

As long as the dog is cat tested and proves good with cats, then I would go with that. Doesn't matter about the age. There are MANY older dogs in shelters that do fine with cats. Also remember that puppies can be quite annoying to cats. Don't get me wrong, puppies are great too, but don't limit yourself to a certain age group. Choose by personality.

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

4)We do know that we want a small dog, under 20 pounds. Our place is not very big, we do have a yard but at night or times when we are inside we do not want a dog that will take up the whole room. Plus we both love small dogs. Any recommendations on breeds to look at, if they are at the shelter? Mutts are good to but a lot of purebreds are being turned over so we will have both to look at. Any breads we should stay away from, ones that are known for not getting along with cats.

There are some breeds that have a stronger prey drive than others. Again though, it really depends on the individual dog. Try to adopt one that has lived with cats in it's previous home, or one that you know the history on.

Originally Posted by KarmasMom

Last one for now
5)What do we need to do when going to look to make sure it gets along with cats? Whats the best way to know? It would break my heart to adopt one only to find out it wanted to kill Monkey and we had to return it. Any suggestions on what questions to ask the staff or what to watch for during the meeting?

Honestly the best way to know is to bring the dog home. I know that's a bad answer, but it's true. That's why I suggest finding a dog that has already lived succesfully with cats. You can ask the shelter as some will cat test them there, but sometimes the dog is so excited to be out of it's cage it doesn't respond to the kitty they are testing it with. Dogs true personalities come out later when you get them home, so it's really impossible to tell. The best way is to ask the shelter if the dog has been around cats and what the story is as to why it was dropped at the shelter. Obviously if they cat tested the dog there and it responded aggressively to the cat then that would be a bad sign. However, a non-response doesn't always mean the dog is kitty friendly. I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. I am constantly having to reinforce training with the dogs to prevent them from chasing the cats. That has to be something you are prepared to deal with.

I hope that helps some!! Good luck!!

questions about intruductions and things

karmasmom

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brandi

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ldpeterson

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