So far....we brought the dog home, walked him around the yard and let him smell. He went to the bathroom and we gave him half a treat and praised him. Brought him inside and let him smell the main room and the kitchen (where his food and water are) and get a drink. We treated him for going in the crate and let the cat out. The cat came alongside the crate and smelled and hissed (there is a crate cover on three sides), and she tiptoed around him...of course, he barked. She is now sitting on the other side of the room watching his every move. I am not sure what to do next and wish to cause neither of them any undue stress.
The dog has been exposed to cats before...I watched him walk right by a cat at the shelter yesterday and not utter a single bark.
I can gate off where the cat's food and water and box are......help? I read the intro to cats part of the book we bought on adopted dogs, but there is not a lot of help. Dog is going out for another walk and pee very shortly and soon we'll put the cat up and let him run loose in the living room for a while.
Shelter dog and resident cat....
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: Shelter dog and resident cat....
Hi, I've copied below a post I made awhile back on another thread on this very subject . . .
We recently rescued an 80 pound golden retriever mix and I too was concerned about how she would do with my three cats. They're used to dogs, but it takes them awhile to get comfortable with a new one in the house. I was more concerned about Layla (the dog) and how she would react to the cats. On the advice of a trainer, who is also a friend, I bought a large crate and from the day I brought Layla home, she was in the crate any time we didn't have her outside for exercise and feeding time. (I made sure I took her outside a lot to keep her happy and let her stretch her legs and romp around.) So for the first week, she and the cats got to know each other through the safety of the crate.
At first, Layla was very excited when she saw them, even crying a bit and behaving like she would chase them if she got half a chance. Each day she became more accustomed to seeing them and calming down with each encounter (through the crate bars). By the end of the week, we let her out to have free run of the house and she was fine walking calmly around the cats since they were no longer new and exciting to her. All are great friends now and I'm so happy I took the time to introduce them slowly and safely. This method also had the added benefit of giving Layla a chance to acclimate herself the the sights, sounds, routine of the house in a safe, comfortable place. She had been through a lot before coming to us and I think it really helped her to settle in comfortably.
It's important to note that Layla was accustomed to being crated and comfortable with being in one before coming to me. Also, I made sure she had a few fun things in there with her, like a large rawhide bone, and toys to snuggle and play with. And third, on advice of the trainer, I had a large sheet sitting on top of the crate. If Layla acted aggresively (growling, barking, lunging) towards the cats, I quickly covered the crate for several minutes, removing it only when she settled down to reward her calm behavior. (Victoria has used this similar method on her show when dogs carry on in the car. I've seen her rig it so she closes the dogs off from whatever is setting them off - usually the sight of another dog - then opens the curtain back up when they settle. It works very well!) I'm happy to say I only had to do this once when Layla growled slightly at one of my cats walking by. She got the point right away and didn't do that again. Now that they're all friends, I won't say that Layla doesn't chase them because when they move fast, she will trot after them, but it's not with aggression, just playful curiosity that the cats are comfortable with.
I hope this information is helpful to you and that your dog and cats eventually become the good friends that mine have become. Or at the very least that they learn to tolerate and respect each other.
We recently rescued an 80 pound golden retriever mix and I too was concerned about how she would do with my three cats. They're used to dogs, but it takes them awhile to get comfortable with a new one in the house. I was more concerned about Layla (the dog) and how she would react to the cats. On the advice of a trainer, who is also a friend, I bought a large crate and from the day I brought Layla home, she was in the crate any time we didn't have her outside for exercise and feeding time. (I made sure I took her outside a lot to keep her happy and let her stretch her legs and romp around.) So for the first week, she and the cats got to know each other through the safety of the crate.
At first, Layla was very excited when she saw them, even crying a bit and behaving like she would chase them if she got half a chance. Each day she became more accustomed to seeing them and calming down with each encounter (through the crate bars). By the end of the week, we let her out to have free run of the house and she was fine walking calmly around the cats since they were no longer new and exciting to her. All are great friends now and I'm so happy I took the time to introduce them slowly and safely. This method also had the added benefit of giving Layla a chance to acclimate herself the the sights, sounds, routine of the house in a safe, comfortable place. She had been through a lot before coming to us and I think it really helped her to settle in comfortably.
It's important to note that Layla was accustomed to being crated and comfortable with being in one before coming to me. Also, I made sure she had a few fun things in there with her, like a large rawhide bone, and toys to snuggle and play with. And third, on advice of the trainer, I had a large sheet sitting on top of the crate. If Layla acted aggresively (growling, barking, lunging) towards the cats, I quickly covered the crate for several minutes, removing it only when she settled down to reward her calm behavior. (Victoria has used this similar method on her show when dogs carry on in the car. I've seen her rig it so she closes the dogs off from whatever is setting them off - usually the sight of another dog - then opens the curtain back up when they settle. It works very well!) I'm happy to say I only had to do this once when Layla growled slightly at one of my cats walking by. She got the point right away and didn't do that again. Now that they're all friends, I won't say that Layla doesn't chase them because when they move fast, she will trot after them, but it's not with aggression, just playful curiosity that the cats are comfortable with.
I hope this information is helpful to you and that your dog and cats eventually become the good friends that mine have become. Or at the very least that they learn to tolerate and respect each other.