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Cats and German Shepherds

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  RowdyDogs 
#1 ·
How does one introduce their new 1yr GSD to two indoor cats for the first time? Any suggestions?



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#2 ·
That's a bit of a tuffy. Jackson was something like 12 weeks when we brought him home, and he was roughly the same size as our two cats ( our cats were feral, so on the larger side) and they kind of man handled him the first couple days. I let it happen as long as there were no vicious scratches to the eye region (if they started striking at his face I separated them). He learned to respect them in the sense that he knows there is a limit to how rough he can play with them. The male actually has to rile him up to get him to really play, the female almost never plays with the dog. As far as a 1 year old goes....obviously you need to use caution when introducing them. Keep the dog leashed, bring them into the same room...see what happens. It all really depends on how high your dogs prey drive is. If he sees the cats as prey he's going to have a strong inclination to chase. Hopefully he's been around cats before or doesn't have a super high prey drive. If it seems that he does, in fact, have a higher prey drive hopefully someone on here can chime in with more advice (my advice is better suited for a dog with less prey drive lol). I hope you find success in getting the cats and dogs used to one another!
 
#3 ·
When I got my male 3 years ago he was 9 & only used to chasing cats. I have 3 housecats who were very put out. I started on leash, not just holding him back but correcting with leash & verbal. The dog was crated or in the yard when I was gone. When I was home he was teathered to a big sofa, on his dogbed. This became his "safe" place & the cats learned where he would be, so they felt safe to move around the room. The first 6 months there were alot of corrections & I did finally use an e-collar(only about 2 times needed). I kept up with the teather for about 9 months total, but he really got it after the e-collar. Now he spends most of his "down" time on his bed. He brings me toys frequently & even "plays" with one of the cats! I trust him inside alone with cats-never any problems!
Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I have also used the tethering method for our dogs and it works really well especially if you have a cat who is a little timid.


When I got my male 3 years ago he was 9 & only used to chasing cats. I have 3 housecats who were very put out. I started on leash, not just holding him back but correcting with leash & verbal. The dog was crated or in the yard when I was gone. When I was home he was teathered to a big sofa, on his dogbed. This became his "safe" place & the cats learned where he would be, so they felt safe to move around the room. Good luck!
 
#4 ·
Do you have a room that you can block the puppy from, and let the cats have that as some private space? I think that would make everyone's lives easier. If you don't have a big cat tree, I suggest getting (or making) one. I don't really introduce my animals to each other - depending on how curious or scared the cats are, they might just want to hide for a while. That's why I suggest the extra room for them to feel safe in. But open, so if they want to venture out to investigate, they can.
 
#6 ·
First here is a photo of my 2 cats.
Cat Mammal Vertebrate Small to medium-sized cats Felidae

Cat Small to medium-sized cats Felidae Whiskers Photo caption

They are both very sweet cats. The little one Tali is a little hyper, where Tobe the bigger guy is very laid back.
I do have a separate huge room for the cats so I can introduce them very slowly.
Hero my GSD.
Dog Mammal German shepherd dog Vertebrate Canidae

Is suppose to be very kind full his breeder says. I've visit him every Sunday and we are bring him home in about four weeks. He does seem to have a very mellow personality. I know we will have to be very patient and it will take some time.
Thank you all for your ideas and the more the better.
Thanks again,
Susan


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#8 ·
brought kira home at 8 weeks. we already had 2 siamise cats and kyra was just enthralled with the whiter of the two. could not help herself, had to chase him, but once cornered kyra was at a loss as to what to do next. this is how it went for years, kyra saw the siamise and had to chase him. now when kyra was asleep, the siamise would run out of some hidden corner, runninig over her, around her or pawing at her so the "chase" could begin. now that kyra can no longer chase, meeko will still paw at her, and even groom her a little. our other siamise always stayed hidden. our adoptee, rubs on her and sleeps with her.
 
#9 ·
Bianca was 4 when I got her. I think I just had her on leash at first to be sure she would be ok with the cats. Then again she was raised with cats with her previous owner and my cats were used to dogs, so it was clear very quickly that they would be fine.
With dogs where I wasn't sure how they would be with cats, in the beginning either the dog was crated, or the cats were in a separate room with the door closed.
When I started to introduce them I started with a baby gate between them and the dog on leash (in one case the cats were in a crate, but that was because it was a litter of young kittens and they were crated anyway when I could not watch them).
Then if that seemed to be going ok, I might have someone hold the cat on their lap, and have the dog on leash. Basically the dog stayed on a leash until I was sure they would be ok and not try to chase the cats.

Bianca never tried to chase the cats, she did try to chase their toys a few times but a few "leave its" and she learned which toys belonged to the cats and not her...



 
#11 ·
Has he ever met a cat before?
I would make sure you brush up on his obedience, mainly "leave it" & a good long "down stay". It's so much easier when the dog is a puppy. I have always allowed my cats to go up on the counter or high places for safety. Since he is the newbie I would have him in the crate and maybe let one of the cats walk around, you will see what kind of reaction he has. Baby gates raised in the doorway of a room so the cat can get under and the dog can not. No matter what do not allow your dog to chase the cat, have a leash on. Lots of patience, good luck.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Well, the first time my GSD met a cat was the first day I found him, I was trying to leave him out in the yard but he slipped in the door under me and went to chase the cat who was sitting in the middle of the floor as I watched in horror but couldn't move quick enough to grab the dog and of course he had no training yet. It played out almost in slow motion, the cat stayed perfectly still until the dog reached out to grab him and then slashed the dog's face with his claws. Poor Hector still has a little scar from it but he leaves cats alone now.

Don't do it that way, please. ;)

I've introduced a lot of dogs and cats because we do some fostering for rescues sometimes, and we have 4 cats. Here's what I do:

1. Leave them separated for a couple of days, so they can both smell each other (under a door or whatever) but not have to interact. Once everyone is relaxed and ignoring each other, move on.

2. Let them see each other through a barrier. We have a "cat room" in a spare bedroom and when we get to this stage, we start by putting up several baby gates stacked so the cats can't jump out. Letting the cats out when the dog is in a crate would also work. While you're doing this, work on your "leave it" and "watch me" type commands. Reward your dog for ignoring the cats, especially if they do something interesting. However, I do let the dog sniff the cats if the cats are up near the barrier--a short sniff, then a command to redirect their attention.

3. Once seeing the cats through a barrier isn't a big deal, start letting them out while keeping the dog leashed to you. Again, reward the dog for ignoring the cats. Also, make sure you don't let the cats torment the dog too much. What I mean is, some cats will come up and climb on the dogs or play with their tails or whatever--don't let this happen. Your dog can't get away from sharp claws or uncomfortable situations when he is leashed, so err on the side of caution.

I start this phase by only going maybe 20-30 minutes at a time, and actively training the dog during that time (just obedience stuff, but keeping his attention on me). Gradually we both extend the time and allow the dog to just relax. When we get to where we can sit and watch a movie with the cats in the room and the dog ignoring them, we'll start removing the leash.

How long this takes depends on the dog, and make sure the dog does see the cats run and play a bit (and ignores them doing so) before you start letting them loose together. You don't want to think your dog is okay with cats but then have a zoomy cat trigger his prey drive and get a bad result.

Also, I always make sure the cats have a refuge--I mentioned the cat room we have, and we always have a baby gate there so the cats can jump in and get away from the dogs if they want. Vertical space is also good for this, if they have a tall cat tree or something of that nature.

I also don't leave dogs and cats unsupervised together for quite some time. Again, the fear is that even though they're normally okay, something could trigger the dog's prey drive and without you there to call them off, it could be disastrous.

Also, throughout the whole process you should be reinforcing your dog's recall and leave it commands, just in case something goes wrong.

That's probably more detailed than is necessary for a lot of dogs, but I've introduced dozens of dogs to cats over the years and I've never had a bad result doing it that way. I would say that for the average dog with a decent prey drive (I foster herding breeds, so they can be pretty chasey) you should anticipate taking 2-4 weeks doing this, but some dogs may take longer. I wouldn't expect less than 2 weeks, even if your dog is doing well--take your time just to ensure good results. Just don't rush it and teach your dog that cats are absolutely off limits, and things should be fine. The nice thing about GSDs is that while they do have a strong prey drive, they are also a herding breed and seem pretty responsive to discerning what species they can chase and what is of limits.
 
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