Thinking of getting a small Dog

What kind of Dog should we get? What kind is good with Cats? Some of my Cats grew up with Dogs.

I think most little dogs are fine with cats, but it is a good idea to get one that is alreadu used to being around cats, I have a Toy pom she loves the kitties. But poms are very yappy.

Originally Posted by mbjerkness

I think most little dogs are fine with cats, but it is a good idea to get one that is alreadu used to being around cats, I have a Toy pom she loves the kitties. But poms are very yappy.

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I have had staffies ( one trust worthy the other not with cats), GSD, herding mutts , yorkie , ridgeback and others with my cats

Terriers tend to have a high prey drive. Bichons are hard to housetrain (want one?).

IMO, if you can deal with grooming, Poodles seem to be a good choice.

I would suggest adopting an adult dog from a shelter who's been cat tested/proven cat safe.

Our last Dog came from the pound and she was 15 when she died. They thought she was 1-1.5 years old when we got her. She was a German Shorthair Pointer. Coco and Meeko we had with her. Poodles are one of the breeds I am interested in. We mostly had big Dogs when I was a kid. Oreo and Sasha lived with a Shitz Su before I got them at 3 months. I do not want that kind of Dog. We talked to one rescue but they were not very nice. Our last Dog came from the Humane Society in San Mateo. I would go there again but they do not adopt to people out here because we are to far away.

I think mutts are the best kind of dogs.

I would not recommend a terrier because of the prey drive in general, however if you get an adult from a rescue you may find one with a low prey drive. I have a terrier mix, mostly Rat Terrier but mix of several kinds of terriers and he has NO prey drive, go figure.

Well, whatever you end up with, definitely look at rescue groups for that specific breed in addition to shelters and humane societies. Where I live there are a few small-dog rescues but where I used to live there were hardly any. Local shelters are always a great way to find a new family member If they don't have what you are looking for, have them take your name and info and that way you'll be the first contact person when a dog arrives that fits that description. (I'm sure you know all this, but am posting that in case anyone is lurking and the info could help them). Definitely check out Petfinder and just search for small sized dogs in your area. I would just make it clear to the shelter that it's important to you that the dog be used to cats.

I personally LOVE shih-tzus and in a few years I plan on adopting a shih tzu from a local shih tzu rescue group. They require a lot of grooming. My mom has one and keeps his hair short (he goes to the groomer on a regular basis). Ours was never one to bark or growl, he is very very quiet. He loved to play with our lab that we had and he also loved car rides. Shih Tzus can have breathing issues because of the way their face is structured. I absolutely love this breed. He and our cat got along just fine, they basically ignored each other and sometimes slept near each other.

Why don't you like Shih Tzus and why wasn't the rescue group nice? They aren't for everyone, some people just really don't like the way they look.

My grandma has a Bichon Frise and he's nippy toward people and I really can't imagine him with cats.

Terriers like to dig...so something to keep in mind.

I do not like the fur because I sneeze That rescue was being rude to everyone. It was some place I never heard of. I will try other ones near us.

Chihuahua

Any cat lover would love a Chihuahua because they are so much like cats! Thor thinks he's a cat! He's either playing with the cats or sleeping. You should try playing "Da Bird" around him

I do have to tell EVERYONE who's thinking of a Chihuahua, they are difficult to train. That includes potty training!

Also...Long haired Chihuahua's don't shed!

How small do you want? Are we talking 10 - 40lbs or under 20lbs?

I have to rec. the two breeds that I would definately look at if I liked small dogs...
The italian greyhound- very cat like, extremely short coat, no "doggy" odor.... BUT can be very hard to housetrain and the breed can have many genetic problems.

The whippet- A bit larger, but still under 50lbs...cat like again, low shedding, no "doggy" smell. Not barkers, and if you work with a breeder or rescue, I'm sure that you'll be able to find a cat-friendly one

I, myself, will be looking at dobermans, boxers, ridgebacks, and greyhounds when it comes time to get a dog

My aunt shows/breeds shih-tzus..I will be dog-sitting 4 of them at the end of this month, as a matter of fact They can be VERY friendly dogs, but you're right about the coat. Thank goodness she has her four trimmed down so I don't have to worry about grooming while I dog sit.

Pugs might also be an option, but because of the short nose, they are susceptible to heat stroke...Also, their eyes are very prominant, so you'll want to keep the kittie's claws well trimmed so that they don't scratch his/her eyes.

I've also heard good things about french bulldogs, but have no personal experience with them.

HTH,
Art

Thanks,
I am looking for a dog under 20 pounds.
I have never had my own Dog even though I helped pick them out.
Italian Greyhand sounds nice except for the training.
I like Mini Dobermans,Poodles,Chichiuas cant spell,Doxies.
My Neighbor had Pugs and they were fine with thier Cats.
Any small Dog is fine as long as the fur is short.

I'd say go to the pound and pick out a small mutt.

Personally.

I personally love Shih tzus. I have a 4 month old puppy and he is soooo cute. They do need alot of grooming but at least they don't shed hair (Shih Tzus have hair not fur) all over the carpets. He does chase my cats alittle though, but only cause he wants to play. Definitely not yappy like alot of little dogs though, which is a good thing. Also good for my son who suffers from allergies with most dogs( dogs that shed ) he is fine with our Shih Tzu. I would def stay away from the terrier group, they're not supposed to be good with cats.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Thanks,
I am looking for a dog under 20 pounds.
I have never had my own Dog even though I helped pick them out.
Italian Greyhand sounds nice except for the training.
I like Mini Dobermans,Poodles,Chichiuas cant spell,Doxies.
My Neighbor had Pugs and they were fine with thier Cats.
Any small Dog is fine as long as the fur is short.

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There is no such breed as a "mini doberman". Are you thinking of the Miniature Pinscher? Min pins and doxies are also both hard to housetrain. Little breeds as a whole tend to be harder to housetrain because they have smaller bladders and need to be taken out more often. Pugs are a good breed if you want a nice all around companion dog. They tend to get along with other animals, but can't stand extreme heat or cold due to their short muzzle and thin coat. Pugs also are not a terrier type, so there is less of that napoleon complex to deal with. Pugs are actually the smallest molossers.

They don't have short hair, but poms are nice. Roxie (my year old pom) is great with our cats.

Originally Posted by Sweet72947

There is no such breed as a "mini doberman". Are you thinking of the Miniature Pinscher? Min pins and doxies are also both hard to housetrain. Little breeds as a whole tend to be harder to housetrain because they have smaller bladders and need to be taken out more often. Pugs are a good breed if you want a nice all around companion dog. They tend to get along with other animals, but can't stand extreme heat or cold due to their short muzzle and thin coat. Pugs also are not a terrier type, so there is less of that napoleon complex to deal with. Pugs are actually the smallest molossers.

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You're thinking of the - Manchester Terrier

The Dogs I've always grown up with are Boxers.

My Neighbor had Pugs so I do know what they are like. Thats all she had. My Aunt only had Doxies and loved them. I well see what they have when we go to look. It wont be for awhile.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Thanks,
I am looking for a dog under 20 pounds.
I have never had my own Dog even though I helped pick them out.
Italian Greyhand sounds nice except for the training.
I like Mini Dobermans,Poodles,Chichiuas cant spell,Doxies.
My Neighbor had Pugs and they were fine with thier Cats.
Any small Dog is fine as long as the fur is short.

Click to expand...

These are not related breeds and aren't alike, so you don't call them "mini Dobermans" as such a thing doesn't exist. People that say this to me have in every case been taking about Min-Pins or Mini Pins if you want to shorten the name
Since your requirements are only good with small animals (cats) and a smaller dogs with short hair so far there are far too many breeds to suggest. Start searching petfinder.
Animal Planet has a dog breed locator if you want to google that. You might find your results interesting.

Are you looking specifically for a purebred? Do you have a preference for a puppy or adult?
Both of my dogs were here before my current kitties and they're both wonderful with them. One of them is a 30 lb. Border Collie/lab mix and the other is a chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix, so it goes to show many kinds of dogs can be great with cats.
Can you go to Petfinder? I've heard so many stories of people finding their wonderful dogs there.
http://petfinder.com/ If you haven't used it before, you just put your location, breed or size preferences, and they will show you shelters or breed rescues with dogs who match your preferences.
Chihuahuas are great little dogs, though it's important to find a good breeder if you aren't going to adopt one. They can come with so many health problems if people aren't careful.
You can also use search engines to find dog breed selectors. This is the best one I've found.
http://www.k9country.com/perl/dogBreed.pl
Some others:
http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...lectorindex.do
http://www.puppyfinder.com/breedselector_size.php