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Lab mix and cats?

This is a place to gain some understanding of dog behavior and to assist people in training their dogs and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. This can cover the spectrum from non-aversive to traditional methods of dog training. There are many ways to train a dog. Please avoid aggressive responses, and counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice. Please refrain from submitting posts that promote off-topic discussions. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

  


Member Since
06/07/2007		 
 
Barked: Mon Jan 14, '13 9:09pm PST 
We recently picked out an adorable lab mix puppy from a nearby rescue shelter, he's too young to take home but we should be able to bring him home in a week or two. Since then (and even before we picked him out) I've been doing a ton of research on raising a puppy and I think I understand the majority of it, but I'm still concerned on how well the puppy will get along with my cats. The idea to get a dog was not mine, but my dads. He thinks that the puppy will have no problems getting along with the cats since it will be raised with them. Our vet also said that the cats and puppy should have no problem getting along. But most of what I'm reading online says the dog and cats should be under constant supervision. The main reason I am concerned is because the puppy is a lab mix and the 'mix' part is unknown (mom is a full bred chocolate lab). Most of the puppies are brown, and some of the puppies from this litter have white paws, chin, and chest. I'm worried that the mix may be pitbull (or other terrier) or boxer, only because from what I have read, neither of those two are good for a house with cats. Obviously he will be kept under constant supervision as a puppy, both to see how he interacts with the cats and to make sure he's not destroying anything. At night and if no one is home, he will be crated. My questions are:

Does he have to stay under constant supervision for his entire life because of the cats? Or will there ever be a time when they can be trusted together? Say if my cats are in the bedroom and the dog happens to wander up there? Or could he ever be allowed to sleep outside of his crate and be trusted not to hurt the cats at night?
This may be a stupid question, but does constant supervision also mean that if I'm showering, using the restroom, etc that I have to put the dog back in his crate or in a room away from the cats? Again this is after he can be trusted not to chew the house, not while he's a baby.
And about his mixed breed, are there any other breeds he could be mixed with that would cause some of the puppies in the litter to have a white chin/feet/chest?

Hope this all made sense.
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Kye

I'm like- Einstein only- hairier. 		 
 
Barked: Mon Jan 14, '13 9:50pm PST 
The main thing is you provide your cats with an up high escape route, or a baby gate the cats can jump over into another room where the puppy cannot get into. My cats have their cat tree and the window sills in the bedrooms where they can get out of reach if they feel threatened or just had enough dog time.

Puppies are usually really good because they learn right quick when the cat says no he/she means it. Puppies raised from really young with cats tend to become super reliable around cats once they outgrow that puppy stage where every living creature is a potential toy.

My dog Kye is a notorious cat killer but after a lot of supervision and patient training he now stays home with the cats un-kenneled while I go to work. They wont have to be supervised forever no, and I wouldn't worry too much about the unknown breed, just make sure the cat(s) have an escape route and that your puppy understands proper cat manners, most of which the cats will probably teach for you.
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