Hi, all.

My wife and I are considering adopting a rescue dog. Colby is a beautiful boy! He’s a Bluetick Coonhound mix who is 1.5 years old. After this June, it will just be my wife and I. My son is getting married in May and my daughter is starting med school in June. We do plan to convert our basement into a living quarter for my mother-in-law to move in in a few years.

When I was growing up in NH, my family owned 2 dogs at different times. One was a Chesapeake Bay retriever, and the other was a retriever mix. The Chessie was quite protective of the family and a bit aggressive, which was uncomfortable. The retriever mix was great with everyone. We would like a loving dog who is friendly to everyone, and Colby seems like the ticket. He is certainly mixed with one or more other breeds since he seems quite quiet without the traditional hound howl, and his appearance is a bit different, but still have all the bluetick markings and coat. He may have some blue heeler or pointer in him.

I do plan to train the dog (as well as train us!). This would be the first time in about 30 years that I've owned a dog, and the first time for my wife. We have only owned cats during this time. We have 2 orange sisters at home. Both are a bit anxious and kinda loners. One cat is completely blind and has some neurological issues. The other (her sister) is rather mischievous. They do not like being together, though.

I would like to better understand how best to introduce a dog into this type of home. We both work from home most days a week so we will be around the dog constantly. We travel now and then but it’s not very often.

The cat food, water, and litter box is in our mud room which is between the garage and kitchen. We will certainly need to put up some sort of gate that allows the cats in but keeps the dog out. That may be a challenge, especially for the blind cat who feels her way around and memorizes everything. We go out the garage all the time, so the gate will have to be easily opened for humans to walk through, but high enough that Colby cannot jump over it. Any recommendations? It’s a normal sized doorway. That’s the main logistical challenge, I think.

The other challenge is how the introduction will go and how they will gradually get to know each other and live together. That’s the biggest worry. We don’t want any problems, or anyone getting hurt. Colby is a bit jumpy right now, very playful, and loves to chew toys. I suspect he’ll likely really want to play with and chase the cats, so I know the cats need a place to hide and feel safe too.
What are your recommendations for a slow introduction?

We do plan to get a crate since Colby already loves his crate, and we know where he’ll likely enjoy sitting and looking out the window, as well as where his food bowls would go.

Like I said, this is my first time having a dog in a very long time, and my wife’s first time. We met him today and took him for a walk. My wife really loved him much more than she or I expected. So we are excited at the possibility, but also a bit concerned about the logistics. We want to do what's best for both Colby and us.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Chris

I had a blue-tick mix mutt for 13 years. (also a rescue dog).

They are very high energy and can be destructive when they get bored. (digging, etc.). Set up routines to keep the dog both disciplined and entertained. Long walks daily for sure.

Not sure about the cat situation. Generally, the older the cat is the less tolerant they become with doggy shenanigans.

Good luck.

Our black cat Morticia had the run of the house for ten years until we got a Boxer pup. She just couldn't get over it. Never went upstairs again for the rest of her life. I felt so bad. Shelby would come down and want to play with her, she would sit against the wall between the sofa and end table and hiss at her. The dog just wanted to play.
I hope yours will be compatible.

Ask the shelter (or foster or whoever it is that you're thinking of adopting the dog from) if they can arrange to test Colby with a cat or two to see how he reacts to them. Preferably on the cats' home turf. Being curious about the cats is fine. Sniffing is fine. Chasing or growling is not.

If that goes OK, then figure out a way to keep Colby and the cats physically separated before you bring him home. Let them see each other, but not be in the same space at the same time. That might be tricky given a cat's ability to defeat obstacles. Give them all some time to get used to each other before allowing them to approach. How much time that is, depends on the animals. Could be minutes, days, weeks or months.

Another thing you might think about is moving the cats' "space" from the mud room to a different room that you don't have to pass through so often. A spare bedroom or utility/laundry room. You could put a gate across the door to that room that doesn't have any holes in it big enough for the cats to get through. Maybe replace the door with a sheet of Plexiglas or something, with hinges on it. When you want the cats to be able to roam the house, put Colby in his crate so the cats can investigate him in safety.

I can't help with that cat part, but also keep in mind that it can take up to three months for a rescue dog to feel safe and comfortable in his new environment.

It took almost all of that for our rescue Pit mix to settle in; she is an awesome, sweet dog now and my constant companion.

Be patient with him.

At that age, he is likely to want to play more than the cats will tolerate, but I'm sure they will put him in his place pretty quickly.

Training, early, often, and consistently will make both of you happier, setting and enforcing limits is a key part of that.

I wouldn't worry too much about the structure of the doggy gate, he will learn quickly that it is a no-go area. With Clark, a line of tape on the floor is usually enough of a reminder that he's restricted. It may be necessary to locate the cat's feed bowl somewhere not in his direct line of sight as food is a strong temptation for most dogs.

Hounds are much harder-headed than retrievers in my experience. Lots of training is how you manage this. Clark (mostly foxhound) took basic/intermediate/advanced training courses from a PetSmart trainer in a group class, and then some follow-up individual refresher training from the same person. The group training made more of a difference, many dogs are quite competitive and enjoy out-doing their classmates. If you can get him focused on doing better than the other guy he will learn quickly and well. Most dogs really want to please their pack leader, don't let him take that role from you.

The previous responses are all good. As to integrating the dog into a cat environment:
Don't just turn them in together. Ease them in. Let the cats around Colby while he's in his crate and maybe keep him no a leash in their presence, for a while. It may take days, weeks, months or forever.
Try feeding the cats on one side of a door, and feeding Colby on the other side, so they get used to each other's smells while eating, but feel safe.
Exchange blankets or other items that they sleep or play on, so they get used to each others' smells.
And don't be surprised if they start marking their territory because all will be insecure and under stress.
Lastly, watch to be sure they are eating and drinking enough and digesting. Sometimes the stress can be physically harmful.

As mention introduce them slowly so they adjust to each other.

We had bloodhounds and cats for the last 25 years all inside.
Some things I did were to turn litter boxes around with the openings towards the wall. These are enclosed boxes. This keeps the dog out of them and stops the snacking.
We choose areas to feed and water the cats that i could use small chains and hooks leaving the door open 4-5” so the cats could walk in and out but keep the dog away. We free feed the dry food for everyone. Stops the crazy wild aggression at feeding times. Always measured out what was recommended and it was close enough to not worry about over feeding.
Sometimes we would see the cats snacking and drinking out of the dogs bowls and because of free feeding no one cared or was aggressive.
Sadly we are six cats only after our last bloodhound Dixie passed about a year ago.
We decided against another one due to our age and the costs. Its been hard without a bloodhound after so long of having them.

But six cats keeps me Entertained and they are either around me or follow me around the house.

With our first bloodhound we also got two kittens from one of our daughters liter of cats so they grew up together and really loved each other and loved playing with Busters tail.
The second bloodhound Dixie was tolerant but was never really as close with them and at times would bully them. Nothing real aggressive but would chase them off when she didn’t want them bothering her. But when she slept it was deep so they knew when it was fine to do as they wish.

Just give them time to adjust. Cats move fast, have claws and can go where dogs cannot so its a short distance to a safe area.

I've never integrated a dog with cats, but I have rescued a bunch of feral cats and have experience integrating the cats. We used to close of a bedroom and let them sniff through the door. This wasn't a great long-term solution for HVAC. I found an extra-tall metal gate for the doorway. It's got straight bars and isn't climbable. The animals can meet without much contact.

I think this is what I got:
https://www.amazon.com/Qonimm-...s%2C155&sr=8-27&th=1

Has the pup been around cats?

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Has the pup been around cats?

Thanks for all the replies so far, everyone. Appreciate it. No, the dog has not been around cats yet, so we don’t know how he’ll behave.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris17404:

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Has the pup been around cats?

Thanks for all the replies so far, everyone. Appreciate it. No, the dog has not been around cats yet, so we don’t know how he’ll behave.

My guess is the girls will not like it. And will not adapt well to him. And because of that he probably won't do well around them either. I hope I am wrong and wish you well.

quote:

One cat is completely blind and has some neurological issues.

quote:

That may be a challenge, especially for the blind cat who feels her way around and memorizes everything.

My suggestion would be to consider delaying the dog idea until this cat is no longer with you. I can only imagine what a transition like you are contemplating would be like for a blind cat, having a large unknown dog permanently share living space.

Roll the cats in bacon grease and the dog in tuna water.

Crate employed when you are not directly in the position of referee.

It will sort itself out.
(Facetious answer)



My first impression is this will be a 3 Body Problem.

(Serious answer)