Help!! We are cat family and have a new puppy....EEK!!!

[momtopj]

First, let me say that the puppy was a gift to my 6 year old son for his birthday today from my hubby's brother (who didn't ask...argh!!). The little darling is absolutely precious and although we weren't planning on having a dog right now, I won't kill the uncle just yet. Those adorable little brown eyes with one ear up and one ear down just sort of melt your heart into a big fat puddle.

Problem is, we've only had cats in this house. I don't know anything about dogs.

This little guy is about 9-10 weeks old and is a German Shepard and Lab mix. I think the Lab was not a full bred either, but the puppy does look a lot like a Lab. In any case, I had not intended to have a dog in the house with the resident Himalayan so right now the new puppy, Mario, is in a large kennel in the garage. So now what? Tomorrow he goes to the vet and then he's ours to love forever. Of course we already are attached to the little guy and we've only had him a few hours.

What do you think about dogs being outside? We aren't fenced in yet, so he will have to be in the garage at least for the forseeable future when we are not at home.

Basically, I just need some advice. Although we didn't really ask for the puppy, my little one adores him and we must take really good care of him now that we have him.

[jdf]

I'll try to give you my personal view for what's it's worth - been thinking about this cause we lost our dog, Roxy, last spring and we have three cats and we're thinking about another dog for sometime in the future. Our cats all got along really well with Roxy..Moe, our oldest cat, would even sleep on top of Roxy on cold nights - he just curled up on her side while she was lying down. Our youngest cat, who we got as a kitten ( the other two are feral cats who adopted us) thought Roxy was her mother and slept with her head on Roxy's tail.

For a dog to be really happy, he/she needs to be an active member of the family group. They're pack animals and don't do well if not included in everything that goes on. As you've probably guessed, I don't care too much for the idea of having dogs live outside. I think with a careful and slow introduction, your puppy and your cat can get to know each other and live together peacefully. It's great that you're planning on putting in a fence so your dog will be safe when outside but I think it's very important that the puppy be included in the inside the house life of your family from an early age. Dogs that are on the fringe of the family pack can become depressed, hard to train and manage and they tend to act out.

Every situation is different of course and everyone has to make adjustments and compromises that fit the needs of the situation but dogs and cats can get along very well. Roxy was an older dog who had no contact with cats ( other than to chase them) when she was younger and she learned to live peacefully with them - I think dogs can sense when a cat is part of the family pack. In my thinking about this in our case and in fairness to our cats, when it comes time to get another dog, we'll probably get a puppy. Puppies bond to members of the pack in the first few months and the bond becomes a life long one. I've got a friend whose two dogs defend their cats from anything they percieve as threatening.

Anyway, that's my view - best of luck with your new pal, sounds like he's already found his way to your hearts.

[JMM]

IMO, almost all dogs need to be in the house with their family. There are some working dogs that do well with a pack outside the home. The average pet needs the companionship of his pack -- you and your family.

As a first time owner, hands on knowledge might be a good way to get a good start with your pup. When you visit the vet, ask for recommended trainers who use positive methods (such as clicker training and rewards, no harsh punishments for baby pups) and get in touch with the trainer. Pick up a book on crate training and you may want to get the right size crate (just big enough to stand up and turn around) and a leash and baggies for walks and clean up. Good luck![/url]

[k9Karen]

I have to completely agree with the jdf and JMM. Banishing a dog, especially a small puppy, to the outside or the garage is not something I could even begin to endorse. I think you'll be surprised at how well your cat adjusts. I don't personally have cats, but my brother does. His cats react much better to dogs, than they do to other cats. The dog is fine (after all, to a cat, the dog is useless), when they got a new kitten, the house was divided with imaginary lines. Cat #1 forbade the other two from entering my brother's bedroom. The kitchen was the only place she allowed all three to be, and only if it was feeding time. The house is divided into cat zones - you will never see any of the three cats together. Cats seem to understand that puppies are babies, and seem to tolerate them within reason. They know how to get out of the way when needed, and are not afraid to administer necessary discipline (a quick swat to the nose - hopefully with claws in - usually gets the message across). Introduce them slowly, and make sure the kitty gets as much attention as before. Teach the pup from the beginning that agravating the cat is not acceptable (if you don't, the cat will)!

With any luck, they will be become best friends (with the cat feeling superior, of course).

[oconnorjoy]

If you decide to have your puppy in the house you should check out a puppy playpen. We have one for our two pups that we use for when we can't have our eyes on them. We have set it up in our main living area so they are able to see us when they are in it. We leave it open when they are out as the youngest is being trained to go on the puppy pee pad. She goes to her playpen without prompts to use her pad and to go to sleep in her bed. Our 22 year old cat (Susie) loves the pups (Bamm Bamm and Pebbles). In fact, I have seen an improvement in her spirits since we got them. She enjoys watching their antics!

Congrats on your new puppy...what's his name?

[Amandasmom]

I agree that dogs belong in the house. Some little safety tips, puppies will eat everything. Watch out for socks, rags, dish towel, they will eat them and then have a blockage. Here is a link on puppy chewing, check it out. They also have a lot of useful information. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. You won't believe the things a puppy can get into.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=164

[jdf]

one thing to add to Amandasmom's list of things puppies chew on is electrical cords. They can chew through the insulation and as soon as they reach the wires inside, are electrocuted. I was in an ER one night and a guy brought his puppy in after the pup had chewed through a cord - it was very sad , the puppy didn't make it.