# Cats around a Schutzhund dog?



## shehulk (Jan 18, 2010)

My two cats love dogs so I just want to make sure the dog I bring home will love them back! 

Am I courting disaster if I bring home a dog that shows the kind of high drive desirable in a Schutzhund prospect? Do any of you have cats or other small non-canine furry animals that live harmoniously with your Schutzhund GSD?

Thanks!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Yup!!! Three cats here! No issues!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have two cats, the dogs are fine with them. But my cats aren't the type to wander the house, they stay upstairs mostly. I would love to have a kitty that acted more social.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

No cats, but I have two hens who are perfectly fine and alive. Drives are one thing, boundaries are other. Diabla was not raised with other animals, was even encouraged to chase cats away, but had no problem respecting my roommate cat in the past. The day the hens arrived she chased them, then I said No! once and it was the end of the story. Now she has perfectly clear that the hens are part of the pack and no feathered tug toys.

There are some birds of prey around (too small to take away an almost adult hen, but chickens are... chicken) and the girls only venture far from their house if Diabla is around in the yard.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

I have 4 cats.


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## fightin14 (Feb 18, 2010)

correct me if I am wrong but i would be worried more about a dog that is not schutzhund. By obtaining these credentials it is saying that your dog is well disciplined and smart along with having high drive. Also from the very little I have been around shutzhund dogs the aggression did not start till they saw the sleeve. I can't speak from experience because I don't have a shutzhund (yet fingers crossed) and I will never ever own a cat (greatly dislike).


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

I am doing shutzhund with my dogs, they are crazy for our cat but they no better and listen well when I tell them to leave ms Luna alone..it does take some training but even a dog with a high prey drive can learn to respect some boundries.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have three cats and do not let them mix with my SchH dog but it was a problem before he ever started SchH. Right now all the cats are living in the basement b/c I'm dealing with one who was marking, but otherwise there is a cat door so they have free reign at night but stay in the basement when the dogs are out. Sometimes if it's nice I put a litter box out on the porch and shut them out there for a while. They are all OK with my other two dogs but these dogs have never shown any interest in them. I don't think it has anything to do with SchH, it's just the way my third dog is. It would be the same living arrangement if we quit SchH tomorrow and like I said, he was fixating on cats long before we got serious about SchH.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I have a 17.5 yo cat who has lived with all kinds of dogs. Currently I have a mal x gsd who is very high drive and he is an absolute angel with my cat. She sleeps with him, grooms him, etc.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

It makes absolutely no difference if the dog is a high drive dog or not; what matters is if the dog is cat safe or not. Drive level and being cat safe are not related; a low drive, couch potato dog can just as well be non-cat safe. This is an individual dog thing and not a drive thing.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Elaine said:


> It makes absolutely no difference if the dog is a high drive dog or not; what matters is if the dog is cat safe or not. Drive level and being cat safe are not related; a low drive, couch potato dog can just as well be non-cat safe. This is an individual dog thing and not a drive thing.


Exactly!!! And so far, neither of my dogs have mistaken a cat for a sleeve or tug toy-reward. The cats are seen as pack members and pesky and annoying family members, and litter-box treat dispensers . . . all get along great!


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## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

I have 3 cats in the house and so far all 3 are in one piece. ;P Odin will chase them if they come up to him and then run away but he's young and his OB isn't solid yet. When he does catch them he licks them for a few seconds and lets them go back about their business, lol.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Does that answer your question?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Mrs.K said:


>


How can you let that cat pick on that poor German Shepherd???


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Hey I have BOTH of those rugs in my living room!


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

SchH3







http://www.wildhauskennels.com/galleries/At Home/athome95.jpg

SchH1









SchH1


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Liesje said:


> Hey I have BOTH of those rugs in my living room!


I guess we went to the same store then. IKEA!


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## SandiR2 (Sep 15, 2009)

Elaine said:


> It makes absolutely no difference if the dog is a high drive dog or not; what matters is if the dog is cat safe or not. Drive level and being cat safe are not related; a low drive, couch potato dog can just as well be non-cat safe. This is an individual dog thing and not a drive thing.


 
Exactly. My Aussie is low drive (and I mean low... doesn't play with any type of toy, tug, ball, dog chasing games, etc.) except for when a cat or mini dog is around. At that time, all bets are off. His ears don't function and he's not even "there," his drive is so high. He would probably kill one within a few minutes if left alone and they got to stalking/chasing each other. Our kitten didn't last a month in the house before she had to be rehomed. It would have been ugly. He's off the charts in anti-cat-safe.

But, my 2 mals who do SchH are perfectly fine with them. So, I don't think being a sport dog has much to do with it, just the dog itself.


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## smerry (Dec 5, 2009)

Catu said:


> No cats, but I have two hens who are perfectly fine and alive. Drives are one thing, boundaries are other. Diabla was not raised with other animals, was even encouraged to chase cats away, but had no problem respecting my roommate cat in the past. The day the hens arrived she chased them, then I said No! once and it was the end of the story. Now she has perfectly clear that the hens are part of the pack and no feathered tug toys.
> 
> There are some birds of prey around (too small to take away an almost adult hen, but chickens are... chicken) and the girls only venture far from their house if Diabla is around in the yard.


That's SO Cool


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## shehulk (Jan 18, 2010)

*OMG!!! Mrs. K & Chris Wild - THOSE PICS ARE ADORABLE!!!* Definitely answered my question.  

I'm relieved to hear everyone's input. A number of you mentioned it depends on the dog him/herself - do you mean this is beyond socializing the dog as a pup around cats and that even in puppyhood, there's a way to assess whether a puppy is likely to see a cat as a chew toy?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

It will take time to get them to know each other though. 

My female wanted to eat the cat first and I had to lock the cat into the crate for about two days. I never let them alone unattended and unsupervised in the first two weeks. 

My male loved the cat from the very first day but the female literally wanted to eat it, yet she learned to accept and even love her too. 

It will take time for some dogs.


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

Question, those with high prey drive dogs...did you do any training to get the dog to accept the cat as part of the family?


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