Looks as if a puppy is joining the family. Advice please

Got our spaniel aged 15 months so not a young pup. Cat swiped him once or twice but 6 months on they can sometimes be found in the crate together (never locked in) ... especially when I get the vacuum out

I hope she’s not getting a Bichon Frise as I’ve had 6 and my mother’s had 2, DS got 2 and there’s not one of them that wouldn’t chase a cat indoors or out! They are known to chase cars and no matter how much training they usually still do. Bichons usually hate cats. My last Bichon who lives with us now we rehomed from her previous owners due to they had 2 cats who she chased and made one of thems life a misery and the owners ended up locking said dog in the kitchen and the cat spent it’s time upstairs until they realised it wasn’t fair to the dog locked in the kitchen all the time and put her into rescue! Please tell your DD to do her research well into which breeds of dogs tolerate car’s well.

Great advice here. My experience is cats rules, a swift hiss and paw swipe usually establishes the pecking order.
Crate train the pup. Never use as punishment, leave the door open during the day, throw in the occasional treat ‘find it- good dog’. Feed in the crate. Buy a beating heart soft toy (e veil empires£12.99) for the pup to snuggle on in her crate. Pups need 19 hours sleep s day build that into her routine/toilet training.

Blondiescot

missdeke I love Kangals. The resort where we often stay in Turkey used to have a dog shelter there and we would regularly go there and take some of the dogs out on walks. My favourite was a beautiful big Kangal called Azra.

I worked in Turkey for 13 years, kangals are such beautiful dogs, unfortunately I can't have a dog now as I can't walk far enough to exercise one, nor can I bend down to pick up after it. If I could have a dog I'd choose a kangal evry time.

Feeding treats together, usually with the cat on a higher surface and the puppy having to sit and wait its turn after the cat has its treat first (pecking order reinforced) has always worked for us. A puppy has not learnt bad habits of chasing cats, which is helpful. You do need to protect the puppy from claws near their eyes though, and their noses are super sensitive too. We've had numerous cats and dogs who ended up being friends in the end, despite some rocky beginnings.

My cocker spaniel arrived in the house at 8 weeks old and terrorized the timid middle aged cat. She took refuge in an upstairs bedroom and rarely came downstairs. As the dog grew older, he grew quite fond of her, though she was always wary of him and stayed mostly upstairs. It wasn't an ideal situation. I do hope it works well for you and your daughter, and that your cats will be in charge.

missdeke I love Kangals. The resort where we often stay in Turkey used to have a dog shelter there and we would regularly go there and take some of the dogs out on walks. My favourite was a beautiful big Kangal called Azra.

That’s anew breed to me so I looked it up. I’m fascinated by these breeds that live with and protect the flock and the way they have been bred with that specific trait.

My friend has a 3 legged cat, he was the only pet until she got a Kangal puppy. Kangals are huge dogs but the cat is still in charge as he established himself as boss from the start. She now has 3 dogs all below him in the pecking order, resident cats almost always assert themselves right from the beginning. Enjoy the puppy.

On just seem your dd had already chosen the puppy. Good luck hope all goes well

Does it have to be a puppy? We have never had a dog but know they are very hard work.
Understand why you want to help your dd and don’t want to sound negative but if she is out it will be up to you to manage a lively puppy for quite a while.
As for cats which we have had, when they get old they just want a peaceful life.
Friends of ours looked after their dd two cats as kittens supposed to be temporary until they moved. Their dd has two houses now but the cats, now old, are still with my friends,
At least their dd pays the vet fees so always a silver lining.

Cats and dogs can live together very happily, but a careful introduction phase is the key. Do Not dump a tiny puppy on the floor in the living room and expect the resident cats to love him like you do. The cats have been used to 'owning' the house and garden for a long time. Ideally confine the puppy to a crate, or a couple of rooms with baby gates such that the cats can go in and out if they please, but the puppy cant. When puppy is out of its crate its heavily supervised at all times. In the garden puppy on a long loose leash with a strictly no chasing policy in place. Its actually very good for a puppy to learn who is in charge (you or your DD) and be given a little more freedom day by day providing puppy behaves. Dogs are pack animals and expect to fit into an established order with a clear leader, far from being cruel it helps them feel secure. Eventually every animal will settle down and you can ease up on the restrictions. I wouldnt leave cats and puppy alone however unless I was 100% sure of both. If puppy is crate trained then they will learn to be happy in the crate if everyone is out for an hour or two. We have always had cats and dogs together and this regime has worked well for us.

We made the mistake of following the vet’s advice and not letting pup socialise until all vaccinations were complete. I think it would have been easier to introduce when pup was small. However, they sort of get on. Cat will raise a paw when dog gets to close or tries to sniff her bottom(!) and dog retreats. However, dog seems to think she is up for a game if she starts to move!

I bought a puppy home in 1980 thinking two big adult cats could look after themselves but it was an ongoing nightmare and the dog spent his whole time trying to get at the cats and chase them. Conversely my mother had an acquaintance who took her eye off her tiny new puppy and her cat ate it. Possibly these days there are animal behaviourists who can help and some pups are sold from homes with cats and already socialized, they can be the best of friends. I'd prepare for the worst and hope for the best to be honest, try and get a pup who is known to be ok with cats, and consider an adult rescue dog which is cat friendly.

As a long life dog owner my advice is don’t 😂😂😂😂 Seriously cats are great at adapting, moving out of the way and hiding ! My advice choose puppy very carefully, not too big or too small, go to a reputable breeder and watch out for puppy farms and always ask to see mum dog - then please research dog type, register with a great vets, work out who’s going to be there with puppy during the day for a while if daughter works, decide where puppy will sleep, try and cage puppy asap it makes for a much easier life all round, get good pet insurance straight away, be prepared for “accidents” and sleepless nights and for the very long commitment - enjoy, dogs are wonderful companions and loyal and loving 🐾🐾

We got a puppy when our cat was 15 years old! The puppy and cat used to play, cat in a cardboard box biffing the puppy when she dared to go near him. They would swap beds and sometimes cuddle together on the sofa. Our dog missed our cat when we had to have him put to sleep, she kept looking for him, but only for a week or so. I don’t regret getting our dog when we had an elderly cat.

I agree it would be great for your DD, pets should be on prescription! Do look into the Cinnamon Trust though, foster short term for a dog that needs a home for a little while whilst owner is in hospital.

Hi I breed Lhasa Apso’s which make great family pets as not high energy or too large . Very few health issues and live on average for about 15 years . They are brave fun loving dogs but not yappy . They do have grooming needs and need a professional clip and groom every 10-12 weeks unless you’re competent at grooming yourself . I’ve had many owners who’ve had a puppy of me over the years who have cats . It’s about training the puppy , making sure it has its own place to rest etc and go to a good puppy training class . I wouldn’t suggest going for a breed with a strong chase / prey drive as you could be asking for trouble . Do your research & check out the guides on the kennel club website on how to choose a breeder and puppy . Good luck lots of love , fun and hard work coming your way

Please, please take training advice from someone who really knows how to get dogs to walk to heel properly and obey commands. Taught from the beginning, dogs love to please and will be a pleasure to own. N.B. Do not put the dog in a harness! This encourages them to pull - Huskies, anyone?! A slip lead is enough if the dog is well taught.

No advice this end as we’ve always had one or the other. But I’m sure the oup will be great for your daughter. Dogs are so loving and giving when times are tough.
I’m looking forward to hearing how it works out.

Thank you all so much. It will be a huge change for us , but I think I am quite looking forward to it. DD has already chosen the puppy and decided on its name. The owners of the puppy's parents live close to us. We will tell them what name DD has decided on so that they can start using that name and the puppy will be used to it. I think it will be a couple of weeks before he moves in with us.

Yes, my spaniel puppy bitch came into a cat house. Frankly no problem, cats will swipe a pup across the nose to show who's boss. Pup did sleep in a crate btw, and they were put in different rooms when I went out. Indeed I once brought 2 very tiny female kittens into our youngish female dog's home, and the dog got the nose treatment almost immediately!

This was taken 2 days after my Rottweiler arrived...she decided that my cat was her cushion / little friend and she absolutely adored him!

Wherever one was, the other wasn't far behind although I always made sure that he had a safe place to escape to, if he needed some space.

In fact when he died, it took a number of weeks for her to settle down...

Will be fine. Close family member in the throes of this currently with two middle aged aloof Burmese males. One moved out for a few days, just appeared for meals and disappeared again the other looked and swiped a paw now and again in warning. Already one is sleeping next to puppy when puppy doesn’t doze in cage and the wanderer is back just keeping a bit of a distance. The puppy is a laid back and well trained little dog who is luckily calm ( as pups can be).

Start off with restricting the puppy as much as possible to one or two rooms.

And try not to make a fuss of the little darling when the cats are around - leave making a fuss of the puppy to your daughter.

Make sure that the cats have a dog-free zone and that the puppy does not "invade" their beds or other favourite places.

Probably, it will all go fairly smoothly, as the cats are most assuredly in charge. If the puppy is only just old enough to leave its mother you may well see the cats more or less saying, "Oh, the poor little soul" and maternal or paternal instinct kicks in not only to teach the puppy manners, but to console him if he is feeling lonely.

Be prepared, though, for a couple of deeply offended cats that refuse to speak to you for a day or so (or a week or so) and for the fact that cats make no bones about slapping a puppy or kitten that steps out of line.

The puppy will know what a growl means and respect it, and probably can work out that being hissed at means much the same as a growl.

And of course, don't leave cats and puppy alone unsupervised even for a minute or two until you know they can be trusted together.