 Barked: Tue Aug 28, '12 7:46pm PST |
 | |  | | Might I also add that I have a german shepherd, am currently fostering another GSD mix and my girl is great with my cats? You would, however, need to clarify for me what 'good with cats' entails as well. Very few dogs will not give chase when a cat runs, it's what they do to the cat at the end that matters most.
And there's a lot of training that can be done on that end as well. My foster boy is likely a gsd x husky mix who'd never lived with cats. At the very beginning (and even now still, sometimes, he's only been with us 2-3 weeks) he was WAY too interested in them. I blame that husky prey drive. With the help of bossy clawed cats, keeping him on leash whenever they are around and lots and lots of high value treats and work, he's learned to really ignore them most of the time.
It does help he's a very smart boy. We can stop him now with a verbal command as he's en route to investigate a kitty on the move, and he's allowed off leash about the house supervised. Anytime he's too interested in them I break out the hot dogs and we work and train. He'll do anything for hot dogs.  I would argue it would still be a long time before I'd trust him completely, and I'd never leave even my girl alone and unsupervised with them for extended periods of time. But it's very doable.
So my point is you have to further define 'good with cats'. I'd say my girl is VERY good with cats, but she doesn't snuggle them or play with them. She simply gives them all the space they need, and never tries to bull or boss them. It is funny to see the 65 lb gsd back away from the 20 lb kitty. 
Also, as for the kitty turd eating thing- my girl's never had one. But we hacked Ikea cabinets and hide the litterboxes inside that. Keeps the stink to a minimum, gives the kitties privacy, and very conveniently never allows the dogs (since they are big!) to get into kitty litter and have a nice snack of kitty roca, as Bruno called it. So like she said- a management thing.
Also, since somebody hasn't brought it up yet- apartment dog is very loosely defined, tbh. I could quite easily keep my girl in an apartment, since we walk every day. So could my foster boy. They're very mellow indoors. Now it's not always typical of GSDs! But it proves that it can be done. There are many breeds that are like that, that can be good in a smaller space as long as they have their exercise needs met.
So perhaps a better question is what are you willing to put into the dog in terms of that? Are you a runner? A hiker? Or is a trip around the block enough?
I would prefer to learn more about size preferences from you too. Great Danes, for example, can be wonderful apartment dogs. So can pugs, and tibetan spaniels, and many of the other popular toy breeds. Is there a type you've always leaned to? A personality you've always preferred? Do you like the look of long haired/coated dogs vs short haired? |  |  | |  |
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I'm guessing you either meant 15 lbs or 50 lbs.
You just have to ensure the dog doesn't have access to the box.
