Introducing a new dog to Miki, any ideas?

Hello everyone! This is Miki's mommy (I just had to steal the computer from her when she was sleeping  )

As Miki has told you, I am thinking about adopting a dog that Miki can play with, hang out with (and train!). I have already visited the shelter that I am planning to adopt from twice and I currently have my eyes set on a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix (small breed dog). She is listed as "cat friendly", and when I visited her she seemed to have a very sweet and laid-back personality. However, I'm most worried about how Miki will respond to a new dog in the house! Will she be jealous?   She's heard the neighborhood dogs bark and is mostly indifferent to that, but she's never met a dog face-to-face.

Any tips on introducing the two? The people working at the shelter told me not to bring Miki to the shelter on the day I would adopt because it would be too overwhelming, and I agree, but I don't want any paws stepped on when the home introduction takes place.

Thank you so much! 

~Miki's mommy 

Hi... I have a Mi-ki [pure bred dog]  and I am bringing home a Ragdoll kitty in a week ,so I can use all the help you get. I was going to suggest a Mi-ki they are mild mannered sweet as can be, and have many mannerisims [sp] as a cat, washing them selves, laying on the back of your sofa ,loves to sleep with you ,but not as independent as a cat .might be a great choice and  doesn't get bigger then 8lbs.

 I didn't know I was named after a DOG breed! Thanks for the advice!

Miki said:

 I didn't know I was named after a DOG breed! Thanks for the advice!

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:funpst: LMAO !!!

Your welcome.... If you decide a mi-ki is for you, make sure you get it from a reputable breeder on line, they are listed, "The American Mi-ki Association"

Thought you might find this link useful: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

I'd separate them to begin with, do scent introductions, etc. Just as you would introduce cat to cat. I'd make sure the new dog is trained to sit and stay, at the very least, also. Another thing you'll want to consider is having places for kitty to get away from the dog - up high, preferably. Maybe put some pet gates up for certain rooms so only your kitty can get to certain places. You might also want to consider some pheromone diffusers. Maybe for both the cat and the dog - they sell both, actually.

The introduction phase can be long, or short. It really depends. As long as you put time into, be patient, and take it slow - I'm sure things will work out.

Also, Miki is a great name. In Japanese it can mean "Beauty" but also "The Beginning/Start of the Century". Great name!

pinkman said:

Also, Miki is a great name. In Japanese it can mean "Beauty" but also "The Beginning/Start of the Century". Great name!

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Haha, thanks!  When I adopted her from the shelter the people there told me Miki meant "Beauty" or "Beautiful story" in Japanese and I thought she was very beautiful, so I named her right then and there.  

I didn't know about the "The Beginning/Start of the Century" part of the meaning though--that gives a very interesting twist to it, thanks for sharing! Maybe that's how they came up with the dog breed name too... are Mi-Kis a relatively recent breed?

~Miki's mommy

You're welcome! Japanese names tend to have different meaning depending on the Chinese character they use - so names can be interpreted in many ways.

The Mi-Ki dog breed seems to be fairly new - I am not sure if it has passed the "experimental" stage, or is still a developing breed. I used to be into dogs a lot, still am, but been reading up more about the cat showing world moreso.

The Mi-Ki breed seems to be orignated using various toy breeds such as the Papillon, Maltese, and Japanese Chin, it seems like! 

I wish you luck with your introduction! I also found a link via Jackson Galaxy about introducing dogs and cats: http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/introducing-dogs-and-cats/  - another resource you can look into.

pinkman said:

 
You're welcome! Japanese names tend to have different meaning depending on the Chinese character they use - so names can be interpreted in many ways.

The Mi-Ki dog breed seems to be fairly new - I am not sure if it has passed the "experimental" stage, or is still a developing breed. I used to be into dogs a lot, still am, but been reading up more about the cat showing world moreso.

The Mi-Ki breed seems to be orignated using various toy breeds such as the Papillon, Maltese, and Japanese Chin, it seems like! 

I wish you luck with your introduction! I also found a link via Jackson Galaxy about introducing dogs and cats: http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/introducing-dogs-and-cats/  - another resource you can look into.

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Hmm... I did some research on the Mi-Ki breed- it's fairly new in the dog breed world I guess? It appeared in the U.S. in 1980... so definitely one of the newest breeds, but I do believe it's still in the process of being recognized by all of the different Kennel Clubs and such 

Thank you so much for the Jackson Galaxy link! It is, again, really helpful. The part about dogs eating cat food and cat poop was funny, but I'll keep an eye out for that 

I'm now a little torn between which dog breed I should choose to adopt. I'm definitely sticking to the small-breed spectrum, and I was initially going to adopt the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I mentioned earlier in the thread- but my neighbor just called me yesterday and said that her friend's Mi-Ki recently had a litter of puppies!  (I have a really severe case of puppy love. And, of course, kitty-cat love.) I expressed my interest in POSSIBLY adopting one of them. I also checked the shelter in which the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I visited was in, and she's still up for adoption.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thank you again Pinkman for the link!

Hmm... I did some research on the Mi-Ki breed- it's fairly new in the dog breed world I guess? It appeared in the U.S. in 1980... so definitely one of the newest breeds, but I do believe it's still in the process of being recognized by all of the different Kennel Clubs and such 

Thank you so much for the Jackson Galaxy link, Pinkman! It is, again, really helpful. The part about dogs eating cat food and cat poop was funny, but I'll keep an eye out for that 

I'm now a little torn between which dog breed I should choose to adopt. I'm definitely sticking to the small-breed spectrum, and I was initially going to adopt the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I mentioned earlier in the thread- but my neighbor just called me yesterday and said that her friend's Mi-Ki recently had a litter of puppies!   (I have a really severe case of puppy love. And, of course, kitty-cat love.) I expressed my interest in POSSIBLY adopting one of them. I also checked the shelter in which the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I visited was in, and she's still up for adoption.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thank you again Pinkman for the link!

And just for fun- here are some pictures of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I met at the shelter- her name is Belle 

She is a sweet heart!

As long as you take precaution and take it slow with the introduction I believe they will be fine together.

Hi,she is a sweet heart I would feel very happy knowing you  took a dog from a shelter, that's  great! however I would read about the congenital[sp] problems that they may have with their hearts.I believe that they still have not bred out heart problems so I would have her heart checked so your not heart broken !because of a mi-ki 's a newer breed they have been very careful about their breeding program,talk to the breeder that has mi-ki's and they should be ONLY pappion ,Maltese and Chin Some breeders are adding shizu and that's a NO NO