Cats and German Shepherds

[Suddenly]

How does one introduce their new 1yr GSD to two indoor cats for the first time? Any suggestions?



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[FirstTimeGSD]

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!

[k9carrie]

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!

[Blanketback]

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.

[Gharrissc]

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.

Originally Posted by k9carrie

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!

[Suddenly]

First here is a photo of my 2 cats.


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.

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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[llombardo]

Well my GSD has been around the cats since she was 12 weeks. All of them like her except one, but she keeps trying. One of them plays with her all the time. At the end of the day, after she spends it chasing them(leave it works when I catch her), they sleep together. I would say its a work in progress with lots of consistency. The picture I attached is the dog with the black cat...the cat does think he's a dog, so I don't know if it counts




http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...attach/jpg.gif

[huntergreen]

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.

[Chicagocanine]

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...

[FirstTimeGSD]

I'm curious...the GSD is already a year old, and you have only visited him and aren't taking him home for another four weeks. What's the story there?