Hi all

I just wondered if some breeds of dogs get on better with Cats than others? 

Thanks

Nicky

In my experience, yes. Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Cavaliers tend to get on with everything -those I have personal experience of but there's bound to be many more. Think breeds NOT bred to hunt and kill! My main breed Malinois only get on with cats if they are used to them from a very early age.

my breed... bearded collies get on with my cats but they do tend to follow them around and want to keep them in groups but that is the herding instinct kicking in . I find the cats  tend to 'rule the roost' letting the dogs know thier place.!

well i have a Rottie and 2 English Bullys and all mine get on great with the cats,
but the cats were here first so they have grown up with them and were tought as puppys not to chase them as tempting as it was to do so :-).
my young bully was the hardest as he is more exitable that the other 2 dogs were he just wants to run and play with anything that moves, but the Rottie dont flutter an eye lid at any small animals even squirels nothing fazes him,,

I have Bernese and they are fine with cats, love them a bit too much for the cats liking sometimes though.
Have Labs and Jacks around them no bother.

I know a friend with sight hounds and they won't allow them near cats for the fear they will chase and kill them.

Think it depends on the cat and the dog and when they are introduced! Our old moggy used to rub up against Dakko who was here when he was a kitten (Swedish Lapphund - no issues with cats), yet he hates Bramble (Bernese) and Treacle (Gordon Setter). My two Ragdoll cats are fine with Bramble and she is fine with them but Treacle is still a bit freaky with them and would chase them if they were outside! IME quiet, calm breeds are fine, anything used for hunting - not so good - unless very well socialised with them when young!

> know a friend with sight hounds and they won't allow them near cats for the fear they will chase and kill them.

I grew up with Afghans with cats and they were always fine, in fact one of them mourned for a long time when we bought home one cat when it was killed on the road.  My mum now has a lurcher who grew up with my two cats, she adores cats and if she gets out of the house will go up the road to mums friend to see her cats (who thankfully are used to her !!)

My two boys (irish setters) are fine with the cats.  I think most breeds are fine, not sure about malamutes and huskys though, im sure ive heard they are not to be kept around small furries.

I think it depends on the dogs, my collie and kelpie are fine, both were brought up with cats but it took years before the collie stopped chasing. My springer and goldie wil chase with an intent to kill. The goldie was brought up with shy cats that used to run and so they never really met. Springer came to us at a year and was never good with cats and taught the goldie very bad habits.

All of our dogs GSD's, Rottie's, Staffie, Leo and Akita get on with our cats.  Although a closer eye is kept on the Akita because she does like to hunt!

The Staffie and one of the Devon Rex's play all the time.

My breed is a hunting (tracking) one but are excellent with cats, with many owners having both.

So it may just be those breeds like terriers with a strong killing bent that are less good.

I have three collies with two cats.  One cat they dont bother with at all because he wont take any crap, our littler cat spooks easily so two of the dogs follower her around constantly although she has sanctuary in our bedroom.  The other dog just pretends they dont exist.

All my Pugs and American Cockers have got on with my cats fine, to the point they curl up together.  Years ago I had an Afghan who brought up a litter of kittens as they had a non maternal Mum - Tilly the cat did the feeding, but Tanya did all the washing and babysitting, she used ot pick them and sort of stick them into her coat, and they wouldlcing on to her as she transported the whole litter along an corridor and inot the living room where she kept htem warm and entertained on the sofa till Mum came back to feed, when when did return trip to the Kitten box, with them all hanging on to her coat again, looked like a lot of ginger sticky burrs in her hair!

I had cats (Burmese) when I got my forst 2 Bedlingtons - they were fine with them!   Wouldn't trust them with cats OUTSIDE tho ;)   My youngest one has grown up minus the cats as they both passed away through old age, she has met cats while out and wanted to play at first, but got walloped on the nose    Now she pretends she can't even see them LOL

I really think it very much depends on the dog/s, the cat/s and the owner!   at worst it can be a very volatile mix, at best it can be really lovely to watch them together, but there are no guarantees ;)

In Germany, LM's are used to hunt wildcat as well as various other animals but I've found mine are ok with my own cats.   Munsters not bought up with cats and then introduced to say an adult cat in a garden, I wouldn't trust at all.  My 2 will still run after a strange cat outside but with my cats are fine.

wouldnt most dogs be good with cats if dog was a puppy brought into a house with cats already?

> wouldnt most dogs be good with cats if dog was a puppy brought into a house with cats already?

Depends entirely on the cat!! My two were puppies when they met Sunny but he hated them on sight (he is semi-feral) and they are a bit scared of him! In fact Bramble was scratched by him, right across the eye so don't believe anyone who says cats won't go for the dogs eyes, they will. Fortunately he missed the eyeball but it could have been a disaster. Sunny was Ok with Dakko and would rub against him but he was a kitten when he met Dakko so possibly a kitten introduced to grown dogs would be better.

yes i no what you mean 2 of my cats are feral one very much so but they now tolarate the dogs fine one will even share my girl bullys bed but then this cats getting quite old now and i think shes become much tamer in her old age shes about 13 years old from what my neighbour at the end of the road tells me,

but the dogs have always been tought to stay away and leave the cats from day dot as the younger feral one would go to scratch them if they came at her to excitedly as puppys, my 2 older dogs are fine with her now and she with them but she would take a swip at my younger bully as he is still hyper, and its not been as easy with him to make him leave the cat alone,

I think it is down to the dogs personality. My first gsd was bought up around cats I nave phots of her playing with my burmese and the 2 of them curled up asleep together. Cats outside were a different matter. My flat coat no problem with cats at home or outside but then she wasn't inclined to chase small furries. Current gsd bought up with cats and still 2 years later will chase both my cats if he gets a chance and other small furries so have to watch him. The chihuahua is no better just smaller although the kitten we got at the same time as her she still playswith on equal terms.
I thought all would be well with current dog as he was bought in to a home with friendly cats from 12 weeks old but no I was wrong.  

wouldnt most dogs be good with cats if dog was a puppy brought into a house with cats already?

Indeed, but the question was if certain breeds are known to be good wit cats -and that I take to read as you could bring in an ADULT of the breed, NOT used to cats an it will still be okay in the majority of cases. :) After all a lot of rescue dogs are adult when acquired.

I think it is down to the dogs personality

yeah see this is my worry with my young Bully he has a totally differant personality from his mum and although he listens better in some ways ands been more responsive to training than his mum was he still got that naughty puppy ways about him he's a very cheeky boy indeed i think he would have done well in shows like his daddy did but he has a black tick mark in his fur on his back only small but it  put off showing him cos of that but i do think he would have been a natrual ( or maybe im byest) lol

he just has something about him bless him but his a bit to fast for the cats still lol

do you think dogs inherit their parents ways by that i mean his dad was a ch reserved winner crufts 2004 , i do feel my boys inherited  potential show quality from his dad, but im not as experanced as most on here in the show world so im probley chatting rubbish lol

my springer we had she loved cats :) she would sleep with ours ...we got the cat after her and she still loved it ...our gsd is good with them 2 :)