Hi all i am very new (only joined yestrday) my problem is my 8 month old springer who wont stop barking/chasing my 3 cats. i have put a stair gate up so the cats can escape upstairs and if they are not hiding on top of shed then they are sleeping in my bedroom which wouldnt be a problem exept i have 10 week old baby and worry about smothering etc when i have put baby to bed. she is such a lovely good natured dog and well behaved exept when she spots a cat. The cats also are very upset and hiss and growl and wind her up even more! Anybody got any tips on how to get them to get along? This is the only time she wont listen to me and i cant control her. Help!

She will learn & as long as the cats can escape upwards they will be fine, have you tried putting them a box filling with soft bedding as an alternative to your bed The hissing etc is the cats putting her in her place, some dogs & cats do take longer to get used to each other

You could try distraction & reward when it stops using training discs or similar, a water pistol  also coems to mind

No i didnt think of that at all and its quite obvious! Im fairly confident that she will learn but i dont thinks the cats will! they are so stubborn! Thanks for the tip. x

Hi and welcome to the site.
When I first got my dog, my 3 cats would not even come into the house, but slowly they got used to each other (except one cat who hated the dog).
After 6 years of harmony, my partner moved in with his staffie and 2 years on, he still whines at them (anyone that owns a staff will know what I mean), not to hurt them though. I had to rehome one of my cats as she suddenly became aggressive not only towards this dog, but to the other cats, so watch out for this, give as much attention to the cats as well as the dog.
Give it time, the dog will get used to the cats, it is hard work, but your dog is still a baby. If your cats are anything like mine, they come for a walk with us...
Sorry that I can't be of anymore help.
Good luck.

Hi that is what im worried about my oldest cat 8yrs hates the dog but is willing to come downstairs and try to come and go as he pleases just giving a very loud hiss as he does so! But my younger two are actualy petrified and i have to pick them up and carry them out! I really dont wont to have to rehome them if it doesnt improve. but its good to know someone had the same problem and it turned out ok in tne end! x

The hissing phase should pass as your dog gets older. 2 of my cats are brilliant with the dog, but when my 3rd cat started attacking the other cats is when I started to worry. My dog who recently died was older when I got him it only started when the 2nd dog came in. I am getting a pup in a few weeks, so I plan to keep her in a crate while the cats get used to her, and she gets used to them walking around freely. They have a room in the attic they can escape to though that the dog can't get into. As long as they have their own space, they should be fine. I think at the beginning, I didn't give enough attention to the cats, but have learnt that when I get my new pup in a few weeks to have some quality time alone with them.
I signed my lovely girl over to the vet and they found her a good home. I didn't to put her into a rescue centre. To be honest, although I miss her, there is harmony at home now and it was the best thing I could have done for her and she was 9 years old.
I hope it works out, I know how you feel as I have been there, but there are many people that have success, it just takes time.

Regarding the baby, you can get cat nets to protect her in her cot, or would it not be possible to allow the cats in another bedroom and keep your bedroom door closed?

I do keep meaning to get some nets! My eldest daughter  says they keep her awake at night because of their purring or if they start play fighting! And has banned them from her room - bless her she is only 5! The only other room is babys and although he is still my room i know they will end up in his cot with cat hair eveywhere!                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Cheers for advice x

Hello there, thanks for all the advice and to be honest i think maybe i havent payed my cats as much attention as i used to - with 2 kids and a new dog they probally feel pushed out (and cats really do it show when they have the hump) But now i have some ideas and someone else just sent me a good tip also.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                So sorry to hear your dog recently passed away  xxx                                                                                                                                                                                   

Thanks. I am going to have to go through it again, I am sure that I will put the cats noses ups, but have learnt from experience, that I will give them the time, I didn't the first time round.
I want to start a family next year and thats why I am getting the pup now, so I don't have these problem when the time comes.

My cats are like yours too!

Sweet isn't it?

Although mine don't actually walk with us, they hide behind in the bushes and 'stalk' us... and run across when they think I'm not looking! :)

What is the pecking order in your house?  Is the dog top-dog or is it one of the cats?  Something you could try, along with the other suggestions, is making sure YOU pay attention to the cats before even looking at the dog.  And after your children of course.  So, first thing when you re-enter your house you say hello to the cats, pet the cats, feed the cats.  Ignore the dog till last.  This should help give her the idea that she is not the most important member of the household.

Have to admit though, that this did not work for our springer, but she was a four year old rescue when we got her and perhaps too old to make this adjustment.  We had to keep the cat and dog separate.  This approach did work admirably with our Lab puppy, who succeeded the springer and came to live with the same cat.

Hello jetstone jewel, my oldest cat has always been top cat, we had him before we had kids and has always been my baby he is 9 later this year. But  i suppose the dog feels like its her whose top dog! charlie (the top cat) also took months to exept the two younger ones and even now will still put them in their place! Thanks for advice it makes sense, why i didnt think of these things myself i dont know!!

We have had problems with our newest addition when he first came to us as a puppy.  Luckily the eldest male cat put him straight in his place and the dog will even give him a bath if the cat will sit long enough.  Unfortunately the other cat just hates him.  She was a runt and is therefore only very small for her size.  We have tried everything but the dog still stalks her.  Luckily she gets through the bannisters in the stair gate etc and sleeps on top of the wardrobe so they have reached a bit of a stale mate.  He doesnt try to chase her at all just keeps an eye on her and will poke her with his nose if she is close enough which she doesnt appreciate and will sometimes hiss at him but this is rare.  Its all good fun isnt it!

Claire

After 10 years of insanely jealous springer spaniel that could never be trusted with my pre-dog cat, Twitchie, I said never again.  Jet was firmly led to believe that she was subservient to the cat.  Not so hard really as Jet was only 8 weeks and 8 pounds when we got her and the 18 year old, 12 pound cat laid down the law.  Twitchie died when Jet was almost a year old.  We now have three cats, all coming to us at about a year old and somebody else's reject.  All three cats love our dog but they hate each other.  Hate to the tune of $360 worth of Vet bills after one encounter.  So now we'e gone from keeping the dog separate from the cat to keeping the cats separate from each other.  You just can't win sometimes.

I have been using the newspaper and it seems to be affective more times than not, Charlie and Jas do seem to be able to stay in the same room ie the kichen with charlie safe on the window sill! My smallest cat seems a little braver but with a down side - tries to attack jas! the middle one though is still wanting to be carried in and out of house like a baby! He is a typical snooty cat and when i call him from bottom of stairs he just looks at me like im not going down there with that dog!

Our golden retriever charlie is 7 and our cat is 9, so in all have been living together for 7 years and most of the time they lay in the frontroom together and dont really take any notice of each other, but sometimes charlie cant help himself bless him and has to have a sniff and she lets him so he then sniffs some more and she gets angry and starts a fight! Its funny to watch coz they both wind each other up, charlie gets exited and chases her then she sits up high on the table and stares at him, giving him the most evil looks! He never gets aggressive with her tho, he thinks its all fun. Its as tho she winds him up so she can tell him off! little minx! They love each other really! :)