buying a puppy... but we already have a kitten.. help please?

Question

so my sister has a kitten... maybe about 6? months old.
were going to move into a new place together in january and i wanted to get a puppy sometime in the summer..
would they get along...?
i wanted to get a meduim-large dog.. will this be a problem?
the breeds i was looking into were:
chow chow
rottweiler
chocolate lab
boxer

i will be getting the dog as a puppy.. im not sure which breed yet..

and the kitten is a female... if that makes a difference..
and im not sure which gender im going to get for my puppy..

thanks in advanced : )

ohh right i forgot to add german sheperd! wow silly of me. i love thoes dogs :p.

and i will be getting professional training because ive never owned my own dog before and i thought it would be best for myself and the dog.

and too bad about the chow chow
i have heard things like that too.. : (

hey again.. i wasnt given an email to contact anyone at..
so i hope someone goes back here and reads this...

anyways..
i am a small girl (5' small frame)
will this be a problem with "knowing whos boss" if i were to get a dog?
oh and i will definately be attending the dog training sessions. : )

and an update im leaning closer and closer to the rottweiler.

Answer 1

Chow Chows are one person dogs and have a lot of dominance issues no no matter how old you start them out at. And most often than not they only like their owner and can become a problem for others in the household.

As for the others listed it depends on how protective you want the dog to be.

Rottweilers are protective, but very loving to everyone that you hold dear, and will adopt the kitten very quickly. They are very playful, but can be calm just the same. Basically little people. Medium to high level of protection. I raised them for years. Would deifinately be my first choice.

Labs tend to be extremely active especailly for the first several years of their lives. They don't tend to calm down until they are old. But are very good dogs. Low level of protection. Very nice dogs, will do well with people and kitten. But, more likely than not to welcome anybody than to stop them.

Boxers are good dogs. Runs pretty even in the same category of protection and loving as the Rotweilers, but are much more posessive. Will probably adopt the kitten, but at the same time you run into the problem of the dog thinking that the kitten belongs to it and will not even let you near it. This is also the dog's nature. Boxers also fall into the same category as Pit Bulls, and can be treated as such by others. They were bred to fight, and run into the same problems as the Pit, when it comes to "snapping". I have personally seen both lose their minds. Don't get me wrong. Boxers are good dogs, you just have to leary of them when it comes to children and other animals. Protection level high to dangerous.

All in all you need to do a lot of research on the dog of your choice and on the breeder. You don't want to get your dog from a puppy mill. And you want your breeder to reputable.

Also, make sure that you get a puppy. Bonding is very important between animal and owner, or if you know a dog that has been already trained. Either way, the younger thay you start training your dog the faster and better the dog will learn and retain the training. The training also goes both ways. If you take your dog to get trained, you also need to be very involved in the training, or there will be a lot of acting out on the dogs part.

I have trained dogs for over 21 years, many different breeds. I refuse to train attack. So, make sure that you do your research on, breeds, trainers, and be ready for all the responsibilities that having that size dog entails. Big dogs are not dogs to just throw out in the yard and forget about. (Not implying that these are your intentions by any means) But I have seen it time after time. Owner thinks that it is great for a while, and they just get tired of the animal. Everyone has their own openions, but it will be yours that matters the most.

Feel free to email if I can help you in any way.

Answer 2

You will be fine. I had a kitten that was 6 months old when I bought my rottie (8 week old pup). at first the cat hissed and ran off. but it didn't take long (2-3 days max) they were the best of friends....in fact the cat was bigger than the puppy so he liked to wrestle and roll the puppy. I used to giggle and say to myself...enjoy that while you can kitty b/c cairo will get bigger and will roll you. In fact when they were both 3 years old my cat was stolen on Halloween (he was a black cat) Cairo was ssssooooo depressed.

In fact a few years after we got our 2nd dog we rescued a kitten and Cairo loved her immediately, Titus would avoid her till he got used to her.

As long as they are both young and introduced in a good environment you will not have a problem.

Answer 3

AREN'T YOU THE LUCKY ONE?

Well, I would take the Chow Chow out and put in a German Shepherd as a choice.

Actually then all of your breeds of choice will get along with the kitten.. they will grow up together.

However, the chow-chow can never really be trusted... Some sports dis allow them because of their unpredictable temporment... even if trained.

Hope that helped a little bit
H.O.T. Dog
Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's

Answer 4

Any dog can get along with any other animals including a cat....they just have to be taught.

Before you get a puppy be sure to do a lot of reading about animals, both online at breed web sites and check out trainer Cesar Millan.

You can test your puppies personality before you buy one. And don't forget to check with the rescue groups because they always have dogs available.

A lab is a good loving animal. All of the breeds you mentioned are good. Rotties tend to be very protective and since they are so massive people tend to be afraid of them> Chows can be agressive. But all the breeds you mentions are stong powerful animals and I consider them large breeds. They are all high energy dogs and need to be walked and deciplined or they will run your household.

http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/

Answer 5

it depends if your a bit lazy then a kitten and if ur very active then i would say puppy as puppies are a lot more work as u should walk them around 3 times a day i have a dog and a kitten and the kitten is so much less work than my dog!!!

Answer 6

We once had a cat and then got a puppy, they got along fine. Best of friends although they were just like siblings always "picking on" each other. QUite a few times I saw her (the cat) with a claw stuck in his face. And I've seen her head in his mouth, but he would never hurt her just kind of hold her for a minute. He was a mixed shepard so he wasn't a small dog. But the cat started most of it cause she would "hide" and then swipe her paw at him when he walked by. Those 2 were crazy, but they actually got along fine.

Answer 7

Oh, yeah. A puppy that grows up with cats is OK with them (Although in my experience, the cat is less than thrilled with having a dog around, but the cat will usually tolerate a dog.)

Look for a puppy that is friendly and non-aggressive to his/her litter mates, that will usually insure he/she will be that way with the cat.

If the cat doesn't want tthe dog around, a cat will tell the puppy to go away by a quick hiss and slap to the nose....puppy's first training session.

Answer 8

The dog if well socailized as a pup with cats will most likely get allong with the cat the ? is will the cat get allong with the dog? Will if so all systems are a go for a new puppy! Wish you luck!!!!!!!

Answer 9

In my experience when you raise a puppy and kitten together it usually works out. We raised a pug with a kitten and a baby raccoon and everything was fine. Our pug did start to act like a cat, digging a hole to go in and then covering it up, but that was it.

Answer 10

Very much depends on the demeanor of the cat, the breed of the dog, and the training. Labs are traditionally laid back, but any dog not given proper training will want to make that cat an appetizer.