Introducing Puppy to your Cat
Puppy may not be your first pet. He may be another in the growing brood that is your pet family. Because of this you’ll want to introduce puppy to your other pets with care.
Dogs are social animals. Most puppies love being a part of a group. In their natural habitat, puppies in a group must establish their place. Your puppy will try to determine his place within your family and amongst the other pets in the house and remember this is normal, even instinctual.
When you introduce your puppy to the cat, don’t leave them alone. Supervision is necessary until they get to know each other. If puppy is smaller than the cat, he could get trounced when your back is turned and vice versa.
During the first meeting, let your cat take the lead. Since cat was in the house first, he gets to examine puppy. Be on the lookout for any aggression on the part of either animal. If the meeting goes sour, take puppy away and try again at another time.
Cats are territorial animals by nature. They may be nice enough to puppy, but there are going to be places in the house where they want to be left alone. Not respecting their privacy could cause tension between puppy and cat. The cat may even get miffed at you.
Teach puppy that certain places are off limits. Think of a command that you can use to keep puppy away from those places. You will use it often at first until puppy learns cat’s “unwritten rules”.
Puppy may start out by chasing the cat around the house. This is a normal behavior for a dog and may even make you laugh. When the chuckle is over, however, put an end to the chase and encourage puppy not to do it again.
On the other hand, the cat may catch puppy minding his business one day and get him back. If cat is chasing puppy, don’t scold your cat either. Territorial disputes are normal also, but since they will both be in living under one roof now, this can’t continue either.
Cats and dogs that live together should eventually come to an understanding. As long as their private areas are respected by each other there should be no problems of any consequence. But, the relationship may not turn to love right away. Don’t get frustrated with your pets. This, too, takes time.
Puppy needs to be introduced to the other pets living in the house. If one of the pets is a cat, take the introductions slowly. They may not warm to each other at first, but keep at it, eventually they will learn to live together in harmony.
Originally posted 2008-12-08 21:32:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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