Advice from experienced dog owners plz

kizzyw

Hi,will try and cut a long story as short as poss.Sadly after many years we had to have our beloved Husky x pts on New Years Eve due to old age and illness. He was a rescue from our local animal sanctuary with no history,and joined a household with 5 already established (also rescued) cats.He never gave us a moments trouble.(Tentative intros but on his first night home within 1/2 an hour he laid bum to bum with 1 of the cats and both went to sleep) Despite saying never again we are looking at rehoming another rescue tho this time looking at a smaller breed probs about 2 yrs plus.
I realise how extremely lucky we were in having such a gentle sweet dog but in addition how inexperienced we are...as i said we were lucky.I want to be prepared and not make any mistakes or blame the dog for my own stupidity.
Although as yet we have yet to find a dog or a dog find us i am already looking into dog training classes in our area but would appreciate any advice from any experienced dog owners with regard to introducing to the cats...thinking of installing baby gates and litter trays upstairs for a while also any recommended books dvds etc re dog behaviour training etc.Basically any words of wisdom knowledge etc you can pass on would be appreciated.
Thank you for reading

UKTigerlily

Hiya, i'm sorry to read about your Dog, what a start to 2009. Well done though on getting a Rescue & on considering another Rescue! I too was looking for a Dog recently, I have one Cat who turns 11 next month & while she's lived with Dogs for 7 months in the past, I was worried about introducing her to one.

I made sure the Rescue were crystal clear (And then some!) that I had a Cat which must & would come first & it was essential they got on as I wouldn't have the Cat harmed or frightened in her own home. Where I got my Dog has a Cattery also, well, not a boarding one but rescues, so they were able to see my Dogs reaction.

If you try toe Dogpages forum many Rescues there (It's a Rescues forum where Rescues from all over the country post) foster Dogs out, there's no doubt tons of Dogs that are in foster families with Cats so you would know it's lived with Cats & how it is & could get tips from the Foster 'parent/s'

Once you get a Dog & have done your best to be sure it's 100% Cat friendly, you could swap scents, I did this. I left my Cats bedding with the Dog for a while & brought the Dogs home for the Cat. When you do bring the Dog home baby gates are useful as the Cat can escape through them but the Dog can't follow, some will jump them so that's one thing to consider if you use them, will the Dog jump & if so would a higher gate work?

I kept Chaya (My rescue) on a lead at first, the Cat had the run of the place but the Dog was restrained. You could crate the Dog (IF it's crate trained) & let the Cats approach when & if they want to. (If you copy this post to Dogpages you'll get tons opf relevant help also)

I guess your Cats are used to Dogs, so the main thing I think is that the new Dog doesn't have opportunity to chase them, so stopping the Cats from running helps. If they're happy with Dogs & the Dog is on a lead or behind a baby gate then they might be happy to have a sniff about & approach in their own time.

I'd take it slow, i've had my Dog for two months on Thursday & i'm still not forcing her & Tess (The Cat) together, they happily hang out in the same room & the Cat will walk about if the Dog is on the bed or a chair. You'll be able to tell how interested the Dog is in the Cats & judge how slow to take things. Never leave them unsupervised until you've had the Dog a while & are 200% sure it won't go at the Cats, or them at it!

I'd honestly go for a rescue that's in foster care with Cats if possible, but also many rescues know the Dogs history if a hand in & many of those Dogs have lived with Cats, so it'd just be a case of slow & careful until they both know the other won't harm them

Other than that, positive stuff when they're both together/all together & behaving well, praise, maybe a tasty snack or treat when the Cat or Dog is behaving near the other. You can also buy tons of books on it or the library may get them in.

You sound like you'll be a great Owner to a Rescue, keep us informed!

kizzyw

Thanks really appreciate you taking the time to reply.My old boy wouldnt sleep in a bed...found his own spot but bought a dog bed which is now filled with blankets which the cats are at the moment snoozing in.Also im daily "towelling"the cats so that i can hopefully give the blankets to the rescue centre to transfer scent whilst waiting for any home checks to be carried out.Never had a home check before and sadly our circumstances have changed since we got Mitch ie had wonderful neighbours both sides all cat and dog owners and all of us had a key to each others homes and would walk/feed without a prob and as we all knew each others work patterns often just did whatever without being asked.Sadly both have moved and both mine and hubs work patterns have changed.Therefore i may or may not pass home check.I fully intend to be totally honest about our hours of work and if deemed unsuitable will sadly NOT go ahead with any rehoming although ive already been advised from a well meaning friend to lie.The longest any pooch would be left is 31/2 hrs not ideal i know hence going for older dog but on any forms i will say 4 just to be on safe side...not ideal but would rather err on side of caution.

UKTigerlily

kizzyw wrote: »

Thanks really appreciate you taking the time to reply.My old boy wouldnt sleep in a bed...found his own spot but bought a dog bed which is now filled with blankets which the cats are at the moment snoozing in.Also im daily "towelling"the cats so that i can hopefully give the blankets to the rescue centre to transfer scent whilst waiting for any home checks to be carried out.Never had a home check before and sadly our circumstances have changed since we got Mitch ie had wonderful neighbours both sides all cat and dog owners and all of us had a key to each others homes and would walk/feed without a prob and as we all knew each others work patterns often just did whatever without being asked.Sadly both have moved and both mine and hubs work patterns have changed.Therefore i may or may not pass home check.I fully intend to be totally honest about our hours of work and if deemed unsuitable will sadly NOT go ahead with any rehoming although ive already been advised from a well meaning friend to lie.The longest any pooch would be left is 31/2 hrs not ideal i know hence going for older dog but on any forms i will say 4 just to be on safe side...not ideal but would rather err on side of caution.

Aww you sound fab, I told the Rescue mine is left for 4hrs, the longest i've left her is 4.5hrs but generally I try to keep to 4hrs tops. People can worry too much about leaving them I think, all mine does is sleep when i'm gone & if i'm here too! Fair enough that leaving a Dog alone day in, day out with no company or chance to get to the loo isn't good, but sometimes leaving it 4/5hrs is ok IMO. Mine is 5 & doesn't do much at all, no chewing, no barking, nothing. I think pretty much all Rescues are fine with 4hrs or even longer if someones coming in to check on them.

I really believe there's a Rescue Dog for almost everyone, I passed & don't have a garden! Also, you had a Husky x, Huskies aren't the easiest of Dogs & especially with Cats so I think you have more experience than you give yourself credit for! I agree to not lie to rescues but if one says no keep going! The RSPCA said no to me but the second I tried were fantastic & I got Chaya about 11 days after first calling about getting a Dog. Good luck!

tylersbabe

Hi sorry to read about the loss of your husky,

I too have a rescue doggie (greyhound), and I also work full time shifts. When I initially approached the rescue I was very honest about my work pattern and the fact that any potential new addition to the family would be left alone and this could potentially be for up to four hours.

Well they were quite understanding and "found" the right dog for my circumstances, it did take a bit longer tho.
Evie has now been with me for three months, and we are starting to settle. For me she was always staying, but I think she is just starting to realise this tho, as she is starting to push her luck now :rotfl:.
The no dogs on the sofa rule is finaly being challenged, and at moment she is winning

ETA Opps just remembered I introduced Evie as Izzy here, that was her old name, her new beginning name is Evie

kizzyw

Thanks,i was worried about our work patterns but after reading your replies feel better:T Hopefully it wont be too long before we are matched with the right dog for us but we are prepared to wait as long as it takes.Off to the rescues this weekend,and will keep you posted :j

YorkiePud_3

tylersbabe wrote: »

Hi sorry to read about the loss of your husky,

I too have a rescue doggie (greyhound), and I also work full time shifts. When I initially approached the rescue I was very honest about my work pattern and the fact that any potential new addition to the family would be left alone and this could potentially be for up to four hours.

Well they were quite understanding and "found" the right dog for my circumstances, it did take a bit longer tho.
Evie has now been with me for three months, and we are starting to settle. For me she was always staying, but I think she is just starting to realise this tho, as she is starting to push her luck now :rotfl:.
The no dogs on the sofa rule is finaly being challenged, and at moment she is winning

Awww ... but a sofa isn't a sofa unless it has a greyhound sprawled full length on it and you end up having to sit on the floor ... :rotfl:

But of course, a Chesterfield is best, then they can lay their head over the arm ... and the best cushions, of course ... he he he!

The best fun is when you come in for a walk and you and the grey stand in the door, look at one another and both make a mad dash for the sofa to see who claims it first!! I used to love having greyhounds ... not that you can tell, eh?!

YorkiePud_3

kizzyw wrote: »

Hi,will try and cut a long story as short as poss.Sadly after many years we had to have our beloved Husky x pts on New Years Eve due to old age and illness. He was a rescue from our local animal sanctuary with no history,and joined a household with 5 already established (also rescued) cats.He never gave us a moments trouble.(Tentative intros but on his first night home within 1/2 an hour he laid bum to bum with 1 of the cats and both went to sleep) Despite saying never again we are looking at rehoming another rescue tho this time looking at a smaller breed probs about 2 yrs plus.
I realise how extremely lucky we were in having such a gentle sweet dog but in addition how inexperienced we are...as i said we were lucky.I want to be prepared and not make any mistakes or blame the dog for my own stupidity.
Although as yet we have yet to find a dog or a dog find us i am already looking into dog training classes in our area but would appreciate any advice from any experienced dog owners with regard to introducing to the cats...thinking of installing baby gates and litter trays upstairs for a while also any recommended books dvds etc re dog behaviour training etc.Basically any words of wisdom knowledge etc you can pass on would be appreciated.
Thank you for reading

I am so so sorry to hear of your loss .. I lost a pet 29th December just gone and although it hits you hard any time of year, it certainly does round Christmas and New Year.

I just wanted to say what a wonderful person you are ... how you have looked after your lovely doggy and now to be considering all the ins and outs of bringing another little one into your home, wanting to do everything right ... all I can say is that someone who obviously cares as much as you do and wants to do the right thing by their pets surely won't ever go far wrong!!

People don't often understand how, when we lose one of our pets, some of us feel able to open our hearts so quickly to another.
Some folks, of course, make that decision never to have another pet, fearing going through the pain of loss. But the joy and love a pet brings to a household far outweighs the sadder times ...a hundred fold!!

I have only lasted a few days after losing pets ... and I said to a friend, my God, people will say I am being selfish, won't they? She said, nope, because somewhere out there right now is a little dog just waiting for you ... one who needs care, love and a good life ... and if you say you won't ever take another pet on, he or she might not get that, so whenever you find you have room on your lap, then give it to another deserving dog.

Fingers crossed you find your new dog soon and all goes well *S*

sharronloves2spend

I have two dogs and two cats. My cats were also here before the dogs and we had a real problem with Lucy the younger cat. She absouloutly hated the fact that the dog was even in the house and as a consequnce started overgrooming. After lots of discussion with the vet, we put in two feliway plug ins in areas where the dogs don't go and made a fuss of her. We also gave her a safe bed (actually a box ontop of the garden bin all cosy and safe) where she sits and watches the dogs. The dogs were never aloud to chase and rewarded when they didn't and were gentle around the cat.

Only now, 2 and a half years later will they sleep in the same room and the cat not be bothered by the dogs(the dogs actually arn't fussed anymore)

Kizzy i think the key is to just take your time and use your own judgement, you will know best. the rescue centre that you get a dog from will also be a valuable source of advice. Well done on considering a rescue dog:T
Sharron

foreign_correspondent

Hopefully it wont be too long before we are matched with the right dog for us but we are prepared to wait as long as it takes

I think its a case of finding the right dog, and it may take some time, but luckily you recognise that - the working hours and the cats shoulnt be too much of a problem for the right dog - for the wrong one it could be terrible!!

However, the right dog will be out there - Tigerlily is your expert here, having recently had the same experience of looking for a dog that would be ok with her cat, from a rescue prepared to home to someone in a flat with no garden!! She did it and so can you!

moomin5

I think 3.5hrs being left is fine, my dogs are usually left for about 4-5hrs as i pop in at lunch and the rehoming group were fine with this.

I know greyhounds are normally cat tested by rehoming groups and they have quite a bit of info on introducting to cats. I found these articles which might be useful for any type of dog.
http://www.greyhounds4u.co.uk/cats_and_dogs.html
http://www.grwe.com/downloads/factsheet12-catsandothersmallanimals.pdf