Caissie Canine Instruction: Helping Cats and Dogs Get Along

We begin this week’s “RUFF TAILS” featuring a beautiful 5-year-old Nova Scotia Duck Toller/Aussie Shepherd mix named Joey.

Joey is a smart and playful dog who is happiest when he is with his people. He loves running and playing fetch in a creek in the woods. He loves being pet and will paw at us when we stop.

Joey came to us at 4.5 years old with severe anxiety (he had been kept in a sedated state for years. He was afraid of everything i.e., our fridge, water cooler, kitchen table etc.…) and with love, training, patience, the assistance of Paul and exposure, we can now take him off all his medications.

We are now able to visit our friends and family. Just this past weekend we were able to take him to a restaurant patio with no issue. Something that seemed impossible 6 months ago.

Welcome to Doggie Dialogue

When adopting or adding a new puppy/dog to your family pack and your pack already consists of cats, kittens, or other small animals’ species, it is important to make good adoption decisions.

It is important to introduce a positive and rewarding introduction and good management, therefore cats and dogs can live together peacefully.

If you have a multi-species family and are planning to adopt a dog, we recommend finding a dog with a known history of being accepting of other small animals’ species.

Adopting a K9 who has lived with cats previously is usually the safest. Remember with all animals be prepared for a period of introduction.

We recommend doing breed research before selecting your K9, as some K9’s traditionally with high prey drives, such as herding dogs, sighthounds, and huskies may not be the “perfect match.”

We recommend for helping your cat to feel safe around your new dog, for the 1st couple of weeks, keep your dog on a leash in your cat’s presence. When your K9 is ready to be off leash, it is essential to give your cat a dog-free zone so he/she can retreat to safety, if needed. (Use baby gates if needed.)

Cats are generally safe around puppies; however shyer cats may not be so bold and may need to be separated until the puppy is older. Kittens, however, because of their small size, should not be left unsupervised around dogs.

We recommend building up the time the animals spend together and keep it positive. If you are constantly stressed or punishing your K9, pulling the leash, or raising your voice, this will create a negative experience and can redirect aggressive towards your cat.

Should you need any assistance with this type of introduction, please feel free to reach out to Paul anytime.