My mom wants a dog...ideas? (update: think she found one)

[slleipnir]

She's had problems around her house lately. Some kids broke into her barn and stole her bike one night. Another night they broke stuff around her house. So she's scared being alone. She's wanted a dog for a while but hasn't had the time. She is now off work for disability, so she has a lot of free time. She's suppose to walk regularly so a dog would be great motivation.

She thinks a puppy will be less likely to hurt/kill her cat and can be more likely to be trained to like her cat? And an older dog would be more likely to hurt the cat. I told her to look for a dog that is known to like cats and is pretrained but she is set on a puppy I guess. I told her I'd help her train it, but I'm hoping she'll go to obedience classes to learn for herself.

She's now thinking she wants a medium sized dog that she will feel safe with. Are Miniature Poodles good guard dogs? Our shelter really does only seem to have Shephards, collies or labs though. They certainly are the majority. I'm not sure if those breeds have high prey drives or not..I've heard husky's are bad for it.

We're going to the shelter tomorrow to look around. I heard they have a lot of dogs right now. It's always nice to see a shelter dog find a home too. You never know, she might just find a perfect "older" dog too.

Out of the bigger breeds, are some known to be better with cats then others?? My Josie (lab) really didn't like my cats but she learned to live with them and gets along with them now. Zeke (shep mix) has always seemed to get along well with cats and will even play with them.


Here is the adoptables up on their site http://peihumanesociety.com/dogs.html

I'm assuming it will be best to stay away from anything with Husky in it? (for the cats safety. That is her #1 priority)

[Giselle]

I would disagree. You can raise a puppy up to a certain point, but if that puppy has a high prey drive, that puppy is going to grow into a high-prey-drive adult dog no matter what you raise it with. It may perhaps be more familiar with the cats and the rules of the household, but all bets are off if you place the dog and cat outside. IMO, no matter how impeccably one raises a puppy, it is still a shot in the dark.

I'd say you're far better off with a stable adult who either does or does not show interest in cats. Adult dogs are more reliable because their temperaments and drives have pretty much settled. All you need to do is find an adult who doesn't show interest in cats (and you'd be amazed by how many dogs just don't care about cats!). I say, don't go for breed. Go for the individual There are a LOT of greyhounds who live peacefully with cats. If ex-racers can do it, any breed can!

[slleipnir]

I would disagree. You can raise a puppy up to a certain point, but if that puppy has a high prey drive, that puppy is going to grow into a high-prey-drive adult dog no matter what you raise it with. It may perhaps be more familiar with the cats and the rules of the household, but all bets are off if you place the dog and cat outside. IMO, no matter how impeccably one raises a puppy, it is still a shot in the dark.

I'd say you're far better off with a stable adult who either does or does not show interest in cats. Adult dogs are more reliable because their temperaments and drives have pretty much settled. All you need to do is find an adult who doesn't show interest in cats (and you'd be amazed by how many dogs just don't care about cats!). I say, don't go for breed. Go for the individual There are a LOT of greyhounds who live peacefully with cats. If ex-racers can do it, any breed can!

Yeah that's what I've been telling her...but for some reason she really wants a puppy.

Thanks for the input everyone

[Husky_mom]

in my experience I would say stay away from Huskies for the cat´s sake.... but as you can also see Glacier has Huskies and cats living together... although and she can confirm that, they have to be supervised.... and also as they may follow indoor rules...indoor cats being out are fair game...sad but true...

Huskies to have prey drive which can be subdued or very high.. but it can be triggered anytime... so I agree with Giselle... an older dog know to tolerate or even like company of cats is your mom´s best bet....

a pup might be what she wants and can be "trained" to live with cats peacefully.. but it will take time and effort and sometimes frustration... so she might consider that too...

[CathyBogart]

My mom's Wilbur is a miniature poodle mix...he does bark to alert when people come near the house and while him and Cupcake (My mom's cat) aren't exactly pals(More Cupcake's decision than his) he gets along with my sister's two cats beautifully.

Perhaps you could find a rescue or three near you that have websites and check them every few days for newcomers. Even if it's not a PUPPY puppy, maybe an older puppy (5-8 months) will suit. That way the potty training and some of the basics of manners are out of the way but there's still some growing up to do.

Edit: Craigslist can be a valuable resource too. A lot of rescues post there, and my sister in law found her puppy there from a woman who breeds English Shepherds but had a mismate between one of her bitches and the neighbor's Australian Cattle Dog. She wanted a high drive working dog and she found him!

[cassiesmom]

Winston is so handsome! My nephew's late bunny was named Winston and he had a mess of nicknames ... Winstie, Winny, Win-Win. i hope they will be very happy together!

[Husky_mom]

boy is he cute!!... what a serious lovely expression he has...awwww....

one thing though Salukis are sight hounds... so theres prey drive.... just keep a look at it....

donñt mean to discourage he sure sounds pretty good and if he does do good with cats it should be fine... just though about letting you know.. although you might have already know that, but sometimes even the simpliest thing slip our minds when excited......

[Suki Wingy]

oops, that's what happens when you try and read at 8:45 am after staying up all night on your computer!

[dreamparkingspace]

Did anyone mention a Beagle? They are good little watch dogs that don't shed too much. They are also more often than not friendly towards other pets in the house. Hector, my Beagle, was my very first dog of my own (though I had other dogs growing up, they just weren't primarily my responsibility like Hector is), and he worked out great for an amateur dog owner 'cause he is such easy maintenance. That was four years ago though and I consider myself a much more responsible and knowledgable dog owner know so I now can handle a breed like Shawnee (my German Shepherd/Border Collie mix) who needs more exercise, stimulation, and whatknot.

[Pam]

Are Miniature Poodles good guard dogs?

As to barking and alerting your mom to strangers - miniature poodles will do the job! Ripley excels in that area!


Ripley is a miniature poodle and, before him, I had a miniature poodle named Ashley. Both live/lived with cats. They both have/had an interest in the cats but not in a bad way. Ripley will play bite at the air around Andy and Andy, in turn, will bat at him, usually from position of lying down on his back so he obviously doesn't feel threatened. The other day they had a session where Andy puffed up and hissed. Ripley sort of didn't know what to do and make a growling sound in return. Ashley was raised from a puppy around cats and Ripley was older when I got him but really there have been no problems. Bella, on the other hand, completely ignores cats. Each dog is probably different, though, even within the same breed.


I would suggest that you mom select a dog (whatever breed she decides on) who has been fostered around cats. I think that is the only way to really know for sure. At the shelter where I got Ripley there are many dogs being fostered at any given time. She could start e-mailing folks and set up a meeting that way. That is what my daughter did when she was looking for a second cat. She wound up e-mailing a woman who was fostering Guinness and very much liked what she was hearing about him even before laying eyes on him. Good luck!