Help with dog/cat introduction :( so far it's been exceptionally BAD!

I have a lovely, friendly, confident 1 year old cat named Captain Cat who I have never even heard hiss or growl until today.  Today a new dog moved in.  Before the dog moved in, she came over to meet my Captain Cat and the meeting went great.  The dog has lived with cats before and been fine.  My cat often in the past has enjoyed interacting with dogs that will play gently with him.  This dog has attempted to attack Captain CatTWICE today and my little baby is so traumatized and scared!!!  And this cat is seriously NOT the skittish type - I've never seen him hiding and fearful.  Please give me advice!  Of course I will move if it's hopeless but I'm hoping there is a non-traumatic way to help these two live together.  D: Please help!!! My heart is breaking for my scared little one!

The only way for this to work is for the dog to be kept under close control. That means on lead or crated until the dog learns your cat is off limits. If that isn't possible, then I can't see a way forward.

This article may help http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

What breed is the dog? Some breeds are not good with cats no matter what.. that's why I am asking. You might just have to keep them separated permanently and if you can't do that rehome the dog. Your cat's safety comes first. Is the dog yours or someone else's? And I love dogs.. I have dogs of my own. But your cat shouldn't have to fear for his life.

It is a German Shepherd mix, and she belongs to my new roommate.  How are German Shepherds with cats?  We are actually looking into hiring a professional animal behaviorist to help us - I definitely don't want to risk the safety or happiness of my little one!  If the prognosis is bad I have already started making plans to move out, so wish me luck with the animal behaviorist!  Thanks for the help and support!

German Shepherds are usually not good with cats, unfortunately. I hope the animal behaviorist can give you some hope. Good luck and no problem! We're all here to help.

I think it's a bit of a myth that some breeds of dog can't mix with cats. It all depends on the individual personalities involved, and on how well trained (ie obedient/respectful) the dog is.

I have a greyhound. He came from a shelter, so I know very little of his background. Yes, we had to be careful in the beginning, but he's spent the last 11 years living with cats and there hasn't been a problem. For the first year he was crated when we were out, and we were careful with supervision, but he's not been any trouble really. It's simply a case of teaching the dog that the cats are part of the pack and are not to be messed with.

My lab would chase cats on walks of given half a chance (she has a very strong prey drive), but she differentiates between 'her' cats and cats she meets outside the home. It can be done.

I've just reread your OP. In this situation, you need the dog's owner to be 100% on board with going for a slow, careful integration. The dog beds to have total respect for its owner, and a thourough understanding of 'no' 'leave' 'sit' 'down' and 'heel'. Of the dog isn't very well trained regarding basic obedience then there may well be a problem. The dog has to be on a leash when around the cats to start with. It's the only safe option. Clicker training could be a real help too...If good things happen when the cats are ignored then it won't take long for the dog to realise that it makes sense to let them be.

GSD are guard dogs and herding dogs and closely related to the wolf, so be careful. I had two terriers, which chased everything. They lived with cats for 7 years, they would eat and sit right next to the cats no problem but if the cat moved quickly like prey the dogs went nuts and chased them, they could jump out of reach of course. Some traits in certain breeds of dogs are instinctive! Later on this became a game for the cats to excite the dogs! I would be nervous with a GSD that had not been around since kittenhood! Post this under behavior, you might get more feedback! Good luck!

It's not a myth.. I worked at a shelter and a lot of those dogs were not good with cats. If they saw a cat their prey drive would kick in and we tested them with the office cats. I should have said some dogs are not good with cats, it depends on the individual dog and it's prey drive.. I have 2 dogs who are amazing with our cats.. but they've known them since they were pups.

miagi's_mommy I absolutely agree that some dogs can't safely live with cats. I just think the individual dog and it's training play a bigger part than breed alone. I hate the way that some breeds get a bad rep because of irresponsible owners and breeders.

Of my two dogs (a rescue greyhound who'd never lived with cats - the shelter actually had him marked down as unable to live with cats - and a labrador brought up with cats from puppyhood), the assumption would be that the greyhound would be the more problematic/dangerous to the cats. In reality, its the lab who we have to watch.

Bottom line - extreme care needs to be taken with any cat-to-dog introductions, but imo individual temperament and training play a bigger part than breed alone.