Hi I have reserved a pedigree GSD puppy & will be bringing him home shortly but have a need for some sound advice. I have owned a dog b4 & he was a GSD cross, a sweet loving chap he was..& he got on so well with my cats (two toms). I am worried that my cats will not accept the new fella, & how he may react to them.. I dont want him to get over excited with all the new fuss, but at the same time I dont want him tearing after the cats & ending up in such a scrap. Does any one have any ideas how I can intermingle to two together without either getting to upset with each other.. I hope someone can help as we are really looking forward to our new member but dont want to disrupt our old fellas to much. :)
cheers.

Hi Catsie,
Congratulations on your new puppy :) :D :) Welcome to CD :)

My suggestion for the day to you ;) :D :D
Just make sure your cats have a safe/quiet place to retreat when puppy gets wearing on their nerves where he can't follow or annoy them :) :)

Also become prepared for when he's to be left on his own
--- does he have his own room or crate that he'll be safely left? Somewhere that everyone is NOT loose and in contact with one another. Otherwise, you could return to some interesting household arrangements :P :)
best wishes,
toodles :CooL:

Hi thanks for reply... he will not be left on his own as only my partner works & if i go out I`ll be taking him with me but he will be sleeping in the kitchen with the door shut on a night so he will not be in the way of my fella`s. :). I had thought of buying a baby gate & maybe placing it on the bottom of the stairs so that the cats can escape without him ! do you think this would be a good idea? or may my puppy try to jump it ? :o.

welcome to cd, the gate is a good idea, but buy a dog gate as they are a bit higher than the baby gates, we have one to stop blade getting from dining room to kitchen. your pup will probably be a bit to playful for your cat to handle, introduce them slowly, they can watch each other through the gate, and as long as the cats can have somewhere to escape the dog they will be fine, our cats have started to come closer to blade now, but when he gets a bit much for them off they go upstairs they know they are safe upthere because blade cannot go up, let us know how you get on and good luck with your pup
carol

Hi Catsie,
When I said "Also become prepared for when he's to be left on his own "..... I wasn't meaning if you or your partner left him for work on a daily basis...
but more like when you leave the house (someday ;) ) without your puppy/dog for errands or visits to other houses :) There are times he will have to remain behind and it's really good to have a plan thought out beforehand. :)

best wishes,
toodles

Just wanted to congratulate you on your puppy :)

thanx all for the advice. I suppose when I leave him alone for errands etc I`ll leave him in the kitchen ( his sleeping area), hopefully he`ll be ok as I`ll give him plenty of toys. does anyone know where you can purchase a dog gate for the stairs? Any ways thanx again & I cant wait to get him.. only 4 weeks left to go b4 he can leave his mum.. aaaah.:) but dont despair folks I may need advice in the future so I`m pleased to have found this web site! :) Gosh I`ve just thought I`m gonna have to find him a pet name.. Any suggestions of names with a difference for a handsome fluffy GSD. My cats are called Garfield & toffee..any suggestions that may go with these? hope to chat to you all soon .. cheers..:)

Hi

You can get a dog gate from Argos Item number 870/4346.

Tracy

Hi Catsie,
don't know if these will be any help to you, but you can certainly have fun looking (and probably in some cases laughing!) ;)

http://www.bowwow.com.au

http://www.petrix.com/dognames/

the first gives you meanings as well, the second is just alphabetical listing

Enjoy! :)

Hi, I wouldn't consider having a puppy and not having a crate for him to sleep in at night and when you need to go out for an hour or two without him. They are invaluable, though I know quite costly for a large breed. You could start with the one from Argos that will fit him for a few months at least. You could alternatively get some puppy panels and corner off a section of the kitchen as a little "playroom" for when you are out or busy, but it wont be long before he can jump over. Kongs and Buster Cubes are great toys to buy, but avoid all rawhide chews. Have you bought any books - I like the puppy training books by Ian Dunbar and also The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey. I think Amazon sell them more cheaply than the shops.