5 Cats - New Dog Breed/Age Compatibility

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Bob - 16 May 2006 14:25 GMT

Hello All!

I currently have five cats (rough ages 8,3,3,3,2). They generally all
get along with only a scuffle here and there.

My wife and I are moving into a larger house (for us - about 2,000
sqft) and plan to get a dog. We'll have around a half acre fenced in
for the dog. And we will be getting pregnant sometime soon with our
first child.

My question: Given this scenario, can someone recommend a
good/compatible dog breed/age that will be able to assimilate with our
family easily?

Thanks,

Bob

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Bianca L - 16 May 2006 15:56 GMT

Don't get a hunting or herding dog. Beagle, Jack Russel, Border Collie,
Australian Shepard. Golden Retrievers have pretty good temperments with
children and cats. However, if you are really looking just for a dog that
gets along well with both. I suggest going to the local shelter or humane
society. They have lots of owner surrenders. They will have profiles on these
dogs. They will have their history as well. Did they live with cats? and
children? They will know if they got along or not. The number one reason an
animal is surrendered to a shelter is because the owners moved. It's not a
personality trait of the animal.

Also, the breeds that I mentioned are not set in stone. I have an Australian
Shepard/Border Collie mix and he loves loves loves cats. He still tries to
herd them once in awhile, but the cats seem to enjoy it. They play a lot and
they sleep together as well.

Good luck on finding your new friend.

>Hello All!
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
>Bob

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NanCe - 16 May 2006 16:27 GMT

>Don't get a hunting or herding dog. Beagle, Jack Russel, Border Collie,
>Australian Shepard. Golden Retrievers have pretty good temperments with
>children and cats. However, if you are really looking just for a dog that

Jack Russells are actually hunting dogs and see cats, hamsters, etc. as prey.
Unless brought into the house as a pup, it may not work out well. Children
have to be well behaved around them too as they won't tolerate any
mishandling. Of course, this is not always the case but in general.

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NanCe - 16 May 2006 16:30 GMT

>Don't get a hunting or herding dog. Beagle, Jack Russel, Border Collie,
>Australian Shepard. Golden Retrievers have pretty good temperments with

Sorry Bianca, I just re-read this and see that you said "don't" get a Jack
Russel. My bad.

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Bianca L - 16 May 2006 17:04 GMT

>Sorry Bianca, I just re-read this and see that you said "don't" get a Jack
>Russel. My bad.

lol..no problem! It happens.

I also wanted to add that you might want to think about having the baby first
before getting a dog. Dogs are higher maintence than cats. They need more
attention than a cat. New babies can take away love and attention that a dog
does deserve. I have seen a lot of people surrender dogs because they got a
new baby. I am not saying that you would do this. Just consider it first. Get
the baby, then after a couple of months consider a dog. When you do, get an
older one. Around 3 years or more. Puppies do not do well with children in
general. They are puppies and they are mouthy, and they have razor sharp baby
teeth.

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Bob - 16 May 2006 18:01 GMT

Thanks for the info! I failed to mention that we were going to
rescue... That's how we got the cats!

Our variables right now are the breed (or breed mix), the age of the
dog and the size. My thinking was that a puppy might be better for the
cats to get used to b/c of its smaller size. Maybe the cats would not
feel as threatened and by the time the puppy grew up, they would have
already established some sort of relationship (buddies or just
tolerant). Your thoughts?

So for age, it sounds as though the consensus might be a fully grown 2
or 3 y.o. This may be benificial to our new house re: training
break-in, too!!!

For breed, check with the dog's history at the shelter, etc.

Any opinions on full grown size? I was thinking Lab size. Does it
even matter???

Thanks,

Bob

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Anna - 16 May 2006 20:51 GMT

>Our variables right now are the breed (or breed mix), the age of the
>dog and the size. My thinking was that a puppy might be better for the
>cats to get used to b/c of its smaller size. Maybe the cats would not
>feel as threatened and by the time the puppy grew up, they would have
>already established some sort of relationship (buddies or just
>tolerant). Your thoughts?

If your cats have never been around dogs before, a puppy wouldn't seem as
threatening, but, that being said, I brought home 2 cats when I had a German
Shepard and they got used to him. If you want them to feel unthreatened a
puppy or small dog might be better. But there are also many dogs out there
who are used to cats and won't hurt them (just make sure you find out if the
dog lived with cats before or not); your kitties should be able to get used
to him even if he's already full grown. I don't like to say "just get a
puppy" because there are so many full grown dogs in the shelters that need
homes

>Any opinions on full grown size? I was thinking Lab size. Does it
>even matter???

No, probably doesn't matter unless you're thinking Great Dane or Newfie!!
Fuhget about it; your cats would probably freak! lol.

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NanCe - 16 May 2006 16:21 GMT

>My question: Given this scenario, can someone recommend a
>good/compatible dog breed/age that will be able to assimilate with our
>family easily?

Go to your local shelter and ask if there's any dogs that have lived with
cats and children, what their temperments are, etc. Golden Retrievers,
Beagles, Labs (but labs can be very hyper and require lots of attention) are
usually gentle but so are many mixed breeds too. You can meet with a dog and
see how it goes. Expect him to be very hyper though when you meet as they
are so excited to get out of thier cage.

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