Dog Breeds that Do Not Get Along with Cats
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Cats and dogs have a history of being portrayed as natural enemies yet, owners that have raised cats and dogs together can provide plenty of testimonials supporting that cats and dogs can get along and even live in harmony. The secret often is allowing them to grow up together, which means raising puppies and kittens together from a young age.
While this is the best and ideal method, adult cats and dogs introduced later in life can still get along together if given ample time to get to accept each other and if the owners provide timely corrections to any unwanted behaviors.
As much effort, however, as one may put into training cats and dogs to get along, in some cases, there is not much that can be done to prevent nature to take its course. Indeed, there are dog breeds that have an inherited impulse to chase, injure and even kill small animals regardless of the training methods involved.
This is called ''prey drive'' and many times it is genetically instilled deep into the dog's genetic core leaving small place for changes. High prey drive dog breeds are those that have been used for years by humans to chase and hunt small animals or that have inherited hunting attitudes because of their survival instincts. There are also some dogs that love to chase small animals just because they get a kick out of it, regardless if their intention is to kill or play a game.
While one cannot really generalize on which dog breeds are not suitable for feline households because there are exceptions especially when the dog and cats are raised together at a young age, there is evidence that some dog breeds have higher prey drives than other breeds, therefore upping the likeliness that it may be challenging to make them get along with your feline friend.
Dog Breeds with High Prey Drive
Afhgan Hound
Akita Inu
Alaskan Malamute
Australian Cattle Dog
Basenji
Beagle
Border Collie
Bullmastiff
Doberman Pincher
Greyhound
Jack Russell Terrier
Jindo
Norvegian Elkhound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Samoyed
Shiba Inu
Weimarener
Whippet
Yorkshire Terrier
The above are dog breeds that generally may not do well with cats. If they were raised with cats and trained to respect them, they still should not be left unsupervised with cats. Some dogs know they must respect cats in the owner's presence but once the owner turns around the dog may take advantage of its primal instincts.
More Tolerant Dog Breeds:
Australian Shephard
Boxer
Cavalier King Charles
Dachshund
Dalmation
Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever
Maltese
Papillon
Pekingnese
Pomeraniain
Poodle
Pug
Shit-zu
The above dog breeds are breeds that are generally tolerant of cats. Yet, no generalization can be done, as each dog has its own personality.
The above lists therefore, are not a black and white declaration, rather they just simply list breeds of dogs that are more likely to chase and view cats as prey and dogs that are more ready to accept cats as a friend. It is ultimately, the cat owner's responsibility to do good research on the dog's breed and temperament before adopting a dog and allowing him/her to co-habitat with cats.
Rottweilers and Pitbulls generally do pretty well with cats when raised together
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Comments
Thanks for the tips. Inteesting hub!
That's very interesting i thought that any dog wouldnt like a cat, period if they were not raised together. thnx for the info!
I didn't know that. I guess my family's been lucky - we've had, over time, 2 border collies and 5 assorted cats (not all at once!) and they've always got on fine. One of the cats plays with the current collie puppy, the rest ignored the dogs mostly, and swatted them if they were out of line.
I thought that terriers in general were not cat-friendly - I know that mine two have zero tolerance but I do agree that if cats and dogs are raised together, they are more compatable - B.
I researched this again, and it looks among the terriers boston terriers may tolarate cats more than other terriers, but it looks like over all, they may somtimes create problems(after all all dogs can even those thought of being cat friendly), however, I am taking it off the list, just to make sure, thanks for bringing that to my attention!
source
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-boston-terrier-
Any dog with proper training and socialization can live happily with a cat. You can't determine what breed will have problems with cats and what won't just by breed alone.
I know many people with dogs on your don't get along with cat list who have that breed and cats with no problems and leave them alone with the cats without problems.
Very true, but I clearly stated this both at the begining and at the very bottom of the article:
'' No generalization can be done, as each dog has its own personality. The above lists therefore, are not a black and white declaration, rather they just simply list breeds of dogs that are more likely to chase and view cats as prey and dogs that are more ready to accept cats as a friend. It is ultimately, the cat owner's responsibility to do good research on the dog's breed and temperament before adopting a dog and allowing him/her to co-habitat with cats.''
This article is mostly about dogs with higher prey drives. I had a dog owner client e-mail me a few weeks ago about her Jindo killing her guinea pig . She said to me devastated ''I never thought these dogs were so cruel'' I had to explain to her that Jindos were actually bred to hunt rodents! Therefore, the idea of putting this article came up.
I think I made it enough clear that nothing can be generalized, but thanks for the comments.
Thanks for this helpful hub. I agree fully about staying away from high prey dogs. Yes, each dog has its own personality, but i do not think it is worth it to adopt a dog with high prey drive and just use a ''wait and see'' way of thinking:( I would rather stick with calmer dogs even though there is no 100% guarantee, but at least the chances of getting along with cats are higher:) Will add this to my favorites, as i may adopt a doggy soon.
Thank you Alexandry for posting this - so many say 'oh you can train a dog to be around any cat' but that is simply not true. Animals are not one-size-fits-all especially dogs, who have been bred for centuries so many different ways.
We were in the 'all dogs are fine' and even in the 'once a dog is cat exposed it's fine' camp - we own a Walker Hound (great dog w/kids and families!), and have owned a German Shepherd, a Dalmatian and a Doberman in the past. All that changed when we brought home a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback mix from a no-kill shelter. He had per his history lived with children and cats. All was well for well over one month - he ignored the cats and was fine with the child...until one day two of our cats got in a tiff. He and our other dog went upstairs to investigate...I heard rustling, went upstairs and found our 15 YO cat in the Rhodesian's mouth. I shouted for him to drop, which he did immediately but it was too late. She died in my arms a moment later.
Please, people, heed these words. Dogs with prey drive are great dogs, they are just not great to mix with cats and the primordal 'switch' can be thrown in their minds in an instant. We very sadly returned our dog to the no-kill shelter, where we made sure he was well cared for until he was placed in a home with no cats or other small furry creatures. It is in his nature, and you cannot expect nature can be trained out.
PS Please add Rhodesian Ridgebacks to your list - we learned later that sudden cat kills are the #1 problem with this breed. They're fabulous dogs for experienced owners (they are highly intelligent) who don't have cats.
Thanks for your valuable information. I sort of had to look all about the web and my books to list the dog breeds with higher prey drive, so I know I may have skipped many. I added Rhodesian RB as suggested, it was described as ''They are good with children but not so good with smaller pets, as they have a high prey drive. ''
Alexandry - no problem. I'm glad you're doing the research on this and gathering the info because so many places just say 'oh, any dog will be fine with cats' and it's all anctedotal stuff. It's simply not true, and people (I was one of them) don't think of the consequences should you 'get it wrong'. As I did.
I adopted a shelter dog. She was perfect - didn't bite, bark much, jump and just loved my children. The only problem was it wanted nothing more than to eat one of my cats! I tried taking it to a trainer, having a trainer come to my home, I kept her on a leash with me for two weeks in the house trying to teach her appropriate behavior around the cat. But, as soon as I thought it would be okay I took her off the leash and she picked the cat up and shook him like a rag doll. A $450 vet bill later we sadly resigned to the fact that Zoe was not and never would be a lover of cats. It's been six months and we have placed a deposit down on a pug. It would not be my first choice for a dog, but my kids fell in love with it and I have heard they are GREAT with cats! I guess it's not to blame for it's odd appearance. Thanks for the post - I printed it and will keep it as a reference. I just wanted to add that if you adopt a shelter dog that is not a puppy you never know what you are going to get so they should be on the list too!
Thanks, I think you made a great point about shelter dogs. There are never really no guarantees as each dog has its own personality.
Nice Hub! I totally agree about that. We just got a new kitten and are slowly introducing him to the dogs, you cant be too careful. :)
This is so useful because I have seen dogs and cats hang out as buddies while others just were like oil and water, so now I can see that it is by particular breeds that make the biggest difference.
I have a silky terrier that hates cats. He continues to terrorize them no matter what I do. My husband has taken up with the neighbors cat and Sammy (my dog) acts like he wants to kill him when ever the cat comes around. I don't know any good training methods. Can anyone help me? Is there a person or organization I can call to learn how to train him to be more accepting of cats? He also does not care for other dogs to come into the house although he is somewhat tolerant of them. We have family members that come for holidays and bring their pets. He acts friendly towards them outside but when they come inside he is barely tolerant and it doesn't take much for him to start a fight. I've learned to keep all toys and food put up and this helps but he also gets so possesive (spelling?) of me. He will get close to me and growl if another animal gets close. I need help with him! I know part of the problem is that I have spoiled him. So I guess I need help being trained myself as it appears he has trained me and not the other way around. As a side note, I do have another dog, a beautiful Cocker Spaniel named Patches. He gets along great with Patches but they do have an occasional tiff. Both dogs were adopted from people who could no longer keep them. We got Sammy about 4 years ago from a family because Sammy kept picking vicious fights with their boxer. Sammy weights 10 lbs. and they were scared the bulldog would get tired of Sammy's antics and kill him. After 2 several hundred dollar vet bills they had to get rid of Sammy. He was originally a run-away and we soon found out they he's an incredible escape artist and we have not found a fence that can keep him in. We live on a 4 acre plot of land at the end of a dead end road with only a few neighbors. Our land is not fenced. HELP!!!!!!!!
For the escaping perhaps you can get an electronic fence installed? here is a hub about them:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Invisible-fences--a-great-
About teaching your dog to accept cats this may be challenging. If you have spoiled your dog, he may not follow through commands and therefore will not listen requests such as stopping to chase cats or fight with dogs. Establishing a good leadership role is important and I see it as the only way to solve main behavioral issues. This is what you should expect by your dog:
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Well-Mannered-Dogs-Bib
and google NILIF to learn on how to achieve this..However, keep in mind that some dogs (as you can see generally terriers are in the not cat friendly list) may never be taught to like cats.. best wishes!
You hit it right on the head as far as Australian Shepherds and Golden Retrievers go. While my goldens will frustrate the cats by wanting to chase and play like goldens do, my aussies pretty much ignore the cats completely, other than an occasional sniff. I have seen my aussie stud try to mount fluffy, my nuetered male cat, to show him who is the alpha dog. Fluffy could give a rat's ass who is the alpha dog, but he tolerates it with only an occasional slap at Sambo, who never takes it personally. Aren't animals fun to watch? My dogs and cats grew up together, and don't discriminate. LOL. V
I have a jack russel terrier and he makes a game with the cats(we live on a small farm)when he goes outside he likes to chase the cats but if they dont run he gets upset and goes to find something else else to chase. Its more of a game to him, and we have one cat that gets to go into the house and they in up sleeping together. I got "Jack" his name from the local shelter his around ten years give or take. The only thing he does kill is snakes he comes across in the pasture, and tries to get the mice in the barn.
I agree that its in certain breeds of dogs to kill but not all breeds and it does take a little time to integrate an older dog around other animals but one can do it if they take the time to work with them.
I have to say that my adult boxer is good with my three cats in the house, they sleep together, eat together and generally hang out together. But if they are outside and one of the cats scoots off, there goes Blade in full chase. I don't let them out together unsupervised.
I just wanted to mention that some of the breed rescue organizations that foster pets before adoption usually know if a dog is cat friendly or not.
Very interesting hub. Some dogs like cocker and springer spaniels, while not having a 'prey drive', are just a bit too playful, especially when young. They love to play, run and chase around ... cats don't appreciate that sort of behavior. They generally like to be left alone.
Interesting to know which breeds aren't cat tolerant. We have 5 dogs & 4 cats. The dogs were here first - all the cats came to our home as little kittens. They really do get along pretty well - sometimes they even nap, side by side. The most important part with the animals is to give them attention and affection. Our cats behave more like dogs - they are very social & don't run and hide when people come over; and they're accustomed to the dogs.
My shih-tzu, Boudreaux, does love to antagonize (he wants her to play chase, I think) our alpha kitty, Pixie. She will bop him on the head - he learns pretty quickly to leave her alone if she's not in the mood to play. Kind of like your average human relationship!!
At any rate, in my experience, bringing kittens into a home with dogs (no matter the age of the dog - but assuming the dog isn't a cat-hater), they will most likely do well. Just remember to give the cats as much attention as you would the dogs. The more they're socialized, the more social they'll be...
We have a border collie and two cats. One of the cats doesn't particulary care for the dog, she was there first, so the dog stays away from her. The other cat can't decide if she's a very small border collie or if the dog is a very big cat. They love each other, play with each other, bat each other around, and sleep together. She (the cat) will actually lay on her back and scoot under his nose to get him to play with her. I don't think you can generalize about what breeds are more "prey" driven or not. It depends a LOT on the way they are brought up.
Interesting article... I have a rescued Greyhound (on your high prey drive list) who lives perfectly happily with two cats, the youngest even shares a bed with him sometimes. The cats were there first and he has been fine with them ever since we brought him home.
Very interesting article! I enjoyed reading it!
Very interesting article - our Lab cross and cocker spaniel love the stray cats in our garden - I didn't realise that the breed had a lot to do with it!
Yes, I agree - owning 2 malamutes - the way to get them to move the fastest is if they see a cat! Or a squirrel - I believe it has to do with the "small prey" syndrome. I have also seen them react to toy breeds, which is not good. Lots of training....it appears to be a "natural" instinct though very unsettling when it is your neighbor's cat!
Good hub. You're certainly right about Akitas - ours hated cats!
Good article. Beautiful Rottweiler -- I love them!
My mom lives about 300 miles from here. I went to visit her and I took my miniature schnauzer, Meadow. Mom feeds a gray cat that comes around, but he is not tame. The cat has learned to come up, but only at night, to eat the food she leaves out on the front porch. Well, when Meadow saw the cat, she chased him.
But I did notice, that while my dog was there, mom's cat would start coming around at 9:00 AM! I think for him it was just a game, and he knew he could outwit my dog -- especially since my mom's place is out in the country and he has plenty of places to run and climb.
Miniature schnauzers generally are not safe around small birds. I found new, better homes for my cockatiels a few months after I got Meadow.
thankhyouuuuuuuuuuuuuu:)
I would add German Shorthaired Pointer and Pit Bull (perhaps even Staffordshire Terrier) to the list of prey driven dogs that will attack small animals. Even when raised among cats, they often have a tendency to chase and play, resulting in the death of cat. I have seen it time and time again. Thanks for the disclaimer that not all dogs fit the mold, and that each animal is an individual and will do what it wants, when it wants.
I see that you have boxers on the "More Tolerant Dog Breeds" list and you are correct. I raised boxers or at least 3 families of puppies and I had a few that was cat killers because the boxers were kept in a fence yard together. Once I only had one boxer I never had any more problems and my last two boxers sleep with our cat and if we don't let the cat in the house at night our boxer will tell us quickly that she wants the cat inside. Oh and yes they share food together!:) Good hub!
l1blonde says:
5 months ago
Good hub. I didn't know there was a difference. Something to think about if you have a cat.