Help! My family wants to get a dog...

...and I've only ever had cats, and I'm sort of terrified.  I know so little about how to raise puppies - can anyone tell me a good source to learn the basics, such as potty training, how to keep them from eating the cats, etc.?

I'm afraid that my cats' lives will be hell if we rescue a puppy, but these guys are wearing me down.  My husband (who is not really a cat person) is worst of all.

Will Scaredy, the feral I rescued 4 years ago, adapt to this situation?  She is still somewhat of a nervous Nelly.

Will 12-year-old Dusty or 7-year-old Mickey learn to get along with a dog?

Does it work better if you introduce a puppy, rather than a full grown dog?

For some reason I feel like our lives will be disrupted and changed in a major way by bringing in a puppy.  Don't get me wrong - I LOVE dogs, I just also realize they are much higher maintenance than kitties.  On the other hand, dogs are so much more loving - and I know I'd immediately fall in love.  I also know there are so many out there that can use a loving home.

So, if anyone has ideas on where I can get good, up to date information on how to care for a puppy, please let me know.  I don't want to go into this thing uneducated.

Thanks!

I've decided to be cat-only as it suits my lifestyle and, well, I just love them. 

Having said that, I get my doggy fix at the Animal Welfare League, where they rehome both cats and dogs. 

If you can find a shelter like ours, they may have good insight into how the dog behaves with cats (if you are going for an older dog).

If you're going for a puppy, keep in mind that, just as a kitten can drive older cats mad, so can little puppies. And puppies are destructive! (And there are so many gorgeous older dogs needing a home.)

Choose a breed or mix that does not have a high prey drive unless it has a good cat track record (although I'd avoid it anyway).  I thought this was a reasonable site that tells a little about it:

http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/Dog-Breeds-that-Do-Not-Get-Along-with-Cats

With dogs, research is important.. the dog must suit your lifestyle or they will not have their needs met and that is a recipe for doggy disaster.

You can go to this following website and find out the type of dog that may suit your lifestyle, but it doesn't mention how they go with cats, and they are breed specific.  Once again, if you go to a shelter, you're unlikely to get a purebreed, but the site will give you some idea ( mixed breeds are often the best, IMO, but they'll still have the characteristics of their original breeds - it depends on the mix)

http://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet/choose-a-pet

There are oodles of sites on caring for puppies and what to expect, but perhaps other forum members will give you first hand experiences!

YES, your lives will be disrupted and changed in a major way if you get a dog, and especially a puppy. It's a lot like having a baby. You need to be OK with this or you'll end up resenting the pup. Since you've never had a dog before, I suggest trying to spend time with dogs before bringing one home. Otherwise it can be a real shock.

Generally speaking, getting an adult dog is much easier. Of course, this depends on the dog's background and previous training. If you find a dog who was raised properly and lost his home due to unfortunate circumstances, it can be super easy. If you get a big dopey untrained hyper dog, it can be super hard. And, unfortunately, if you get a puppy but don't raise it right, it'll grow up to be a big dopey untrained hyper dog, and you won't have anyone to blame but yourself! :tongue2: I prefer to get adult dogs--I'm not so great at raising puppies. Of course, cat friendliness can be an issue when you get an adult, but if you get the dog from a rescue that uses foster homes, the foster family should be able to tell you about stuff like that.


If you buy from a breeder, make SURE it's a responsible breeder! Nevereverever buy from a pet store or from a mass producing breeder (the kind most commonly found in newspaper ads). Only support someone who truly cares about their dogs, does all appropriate health testing, and who takes responsibility for the lives they produce.

Dog Star Daily is a good place to read about training and such: http://www.dogstardaily.com/

Well, not only your life, but possibly your cats lives too.

My daughter has three cats.  Then they, or shall I say, her husband decided he wanted a chocloate lab.  Well these cats now live in fear.  They stay upstairs all the time and the dog has the run of the downstairs.  Not the cellar, but the main floor. Once in a while, one of the cats will venture down.  The dog wants to play, but he is soooo huge, he scares the cat right back upstairs again.

I think it is unfair to her cats....they were there first.  Stress brings on all kinds of ailments in cats and they def are suffereing stress.  If you have a former feral....good luck.  If he is a scaredy cat now, I dare say he will be petrified.

On the other hand, my son has two cats.  They brought a golden retriever puppy into their home.  She and the cats get along ok.  Again, she wants to play and they don't.  But they don't hide upstairs and tolerate her well.  However, they are not best friends.

His other dog, a Malamute, was brought in as a puppy.  Grew up with the cats.  Tried to kill one on a day I was babysitting.  She had other health concerns, and had to be pts.  Very sad.

I do disagree with you about dogs being more affectionate than cats.  My cats love to curl up on my lap, give me head buts, or just stare into my eyes while purring.  I don't see how any animal can be more affectionate than that.

If you must get a dog, make sure there is a dog free zone for your cats where they aren't stressed.

I have cats and dogs and have integrated both successfully together....including a feral. My first suggestion is to get an older dog through a rescue that fosters. Many foster situations have both and can tell you how the dog interacts with the cats. Second, get a calm dog. If the dog approaches you by throwing it's paws out, running in circles and lunging at everything it sees, you will want to pass on it. Trust me, everyone will laugh and think its the best dog ever, but remember, this animal has to be introduced into your life and the less 'crazy' the dog is, the easier it will be. Your life will be changed, how much depends on the dog you get.

I would also recommend visiting with a certified trainer prior to adopting a dog. This person will be able to talk you through what exactly to look for and what to do from the moment you bring them home. Those first few days are very important and if have no idea what you are doing your resentment and frustration can grow fairly quickly.

Whether its a puppy or older dog, start obedience training with them immediately. The difference it will make in your life and the life of your pup is immeasurable. Your dog MUST learn a few commands quickly to help with the integration. 'Leave It' and 'watch me' will be the two single most important commands you will ever teach your dog. To teach it properly you need to spend time with a trainer.

Also, NEVER, EVER let the dog chase the cats in a dominant frame of mind You have to be very diligent in watching to make sure you recognize the signs of stalking and increasing anxiety in the dog to be able to redirect. Once the dog and cats have a relationship in which they trust each other, you may notice them play chasing....there is a huge difference between the two types of chase and very easy to recognize.

Never let the dog bark at the cat. Period. Even in play. We do allow a quick 'play with me' bark but typically, if the dog has resorted to that bark, the cat really isn't interested in playing right then.

If and when the cat pops the dog for getting too close, don't punish the cat and redirect the dog to another activity.

Get a cat tree and place it in the room you will be interacting with both of them in the most. This will give the cats somewhere to go so that they can just watch the dog and begin to figure it out.

Everything in the integration depends on your selection of the right dog and the training you do together. Sorry, you won't be able to plop the dog in the middle of the living room on day one and expect everything to be hunky dory, it will take work from the entire family.

Again, the fact that you have never owned a dog leads me to advise you to go with an older one, I wouldn't even balk at a 5 yo dog. You are going to make mistakes with the first dog but an older dog allows you to take it slower and reduces frustration since they aren't crazy like puppies.

There are just too many things to put into one post, dogforum.com has a lot of knowledgable dog owners, go check out that site as well.

Good luck, you can make it work, it will just take some effort!

Thank you all - very much - for all the great advice!  I will check out all the sites, and I really appreciate this.

We will definitely, definitely get a rescue - I will insist on that.  I love breeds, but I won't have one when there are so many needy.

I was thinking puppy, because I thought that might be easier on the cats, if I bring in something smaller, rather than full grown.  I'm probably looking at this wrong?

I will do everything in my power to maintain calm in this house.  We went through hell when we brought in Scaredy - Mickey was positively terrified of her (she was a bit aggressive) , now he goes to her to get his face washed.

I know many folks have dogs co-existing with cats, and that this can work.  My husband always had dogs - till he met up with me.  Maybe I am over-thinking this.

Regarding puppy vs. older dog.....seriously consider the amount of time you have to work with the dog. Not what you 'think' or 'should' be able to commit but what you can realistically commit to. It's like when people go on a diet and say they are giving up sugar, caffeine, chocolate and fried food all at once....sure, it sounds great but in reality, you know it won't work. If you start saying things like 'we can devote an hour to training every night after the kids get home from soccer...think about what else will be happening when the kids get home from soccer now, do you really have an hour every night when the kids get home or are you getting dinner on the table, finishing homework, cleaning up the kitchen, etc? Are you flopping onto the couch each night at 10 begging for another hour in the day? If so, you probably don't have an hour to devote to training and walking and playing...all things the dog will need to be happy and content. If you have one hour each night, are you going to spend that playing or walking or training?

With an older dog, the hour is still important but you aren't using the hour to clean up puddles on the floor because no one had time to run the dog out for his walk because he's house trained already. When you are cooking dinner you won't have to constantly say 'where's the dog' because you can't see it and are worried its chewing something up. An older dog that has experience with cats will know they can bite and scratch and typically respects that.....everything an older dog comes into contact with isn't a new experience to have to chew thru. Older dogs have longer attention spans and can sit with you and watch an ENTIRE movie without having to go out or have a 30 minute play session in the middle of the 'good' part. Now, I'm talking older as in 3-5 yo.

It all just depends on what your family can handle. If your husband is experienced enough he will know what to look for and what to do. But, the kitties were there first and you all need to have a discussion about that. I've seen alot of cats lose their homes of many years because the family got a dog and the cats couldn't get along with it. And when I've gone into their homes to take the cat, yeah, the dog was ill-mannered and had never been trained. This is an impactful decision, weigh it wisely and go into it with the knowledge that there will be work involved.