Adopting a dog - first time dog owner

[Couchpotato3]

We're adopting a dog from our local animal shelter. She is two years old and seems very good natured and extremely energetic! We have had several visits already and everything is looking good.

I will need to introduce her to three fairly elderly cats - any tips?

Also items for my shopping list - I think I've got the basics covered - bed, crate, food, bowls, toys, collar and tag, lead.... anything else I must have?

[Giraffe31]

Treats & old towels to dry her with when she comes in from a walk in the rain!

[EmmaJR1]

With regards to the cats, keep the dog in a lead with the cats until you are 100% sure it won't chase. Once my dog chased my cats once she chased them all the time because she thought it was a game! She never hurt them and they were the best of friends eventually but still chased them!

[Theresahairbrushinthefridge]

Agree about the cats. Once they run the dog will chase them. You need to get them into a safe face off where the cats stare them down. So dog on the lead.

Our cats are used to dogs that don't chase them and so stand their ground. Hissing if necessary. We had a cat chasing dog to stay. Two cats stayed strong. One turned and ran. every time the dog saw that cat he went for him.

[Rockyrockcake]

Worm and flea treatment
Mind stimulation toys
Poo bags (buy in bulk much cheaper)
Kong feeders, stop them gulping her food. Charcoal biscuits of wind
Lots of chew toys
Loads of old rags in case of accidents in early days
Enzyme cleaner which stops them going back to wee or poo in the same place if the do have an accident.
Harness. Get one with a double ring, like the easy fit. It has a loop under the chest with another on the back. This prevents her from jumping at things when out for walks.
Good leads that are comfortable for each member that walks her
Fur lined waterproof boots. For you not her

I would also suggest some old blankets and quilts folded up in various places around the house. To begin with she may not like the bed or want to be in the room you place it. Having a cosy corner where she feels safe will help her settle.

[TallSlutNoPantiesthe2nd]

Very exciting! When you get home show her where her water bowl is, show her the garden and then just let her have an explore and a sniff without making a fuss of her.

Does she have somewhere quiet to go and sleep if she feels like she doesn't want to interact? (A crate or just a bed).

Start as you mean to go on - if you don't want her on the sofa or whatever then be firm from the beginning.

Has she been "cat tested"? And what breed is she? Sadly some dogs don't only chase cats which run - it depends on what they have been taught by previous owners. (Speaking from personal experience or a rescue lurcher previously used to hunt )

Do you have a brush and some old towels for use after walks in the rain?

Good luck!

[Couchpotato3]

Thanks everyone, lots of great advice. She had a cat test today and the cat hissed and tried to attack her through the grille, so she was pretty terrified :(
I'm planning on introducing them very gradually, certainly not for a few days, so that she can settle in first.

We've discovered that she loves water, so I'm going to get a small paddling pool that she can splash about in. She's already used to a harness, so that's great. I've found a local trainer who is going to give us some one-to-one sessions so that we get off on the right track.

She's a Heinz 57, but friends who know about dogs think she probably has some German shepherd/lurcher in her. She's certainly very lively and fast! She hasn't barked with me at all yet and the staff don't recall her barking at all, so hopefully she isn't going to be too noisy. We've had several visits and she's met all the family now, so just waiting for the home inspection and then we're ready to go. So exciting :)

She's had a bit of a sad life so far and spent a lot of time in the pound, so she isn't used to playing with toys. She had a lot of fun destroying the squeak in one that I gave her today and she seems to have picked up the idea of chasing and fetching very quickly. So funny when she didn't want to go back in her pen at the end of the visit - she sat down and refused to budge.

Will try to post a picture...

[Wolfiefan]

Oh she's gorgeous. We introduced a giant puppy to two terrible tiny torties. The Blue Cross has some great advice on introducing a dog to a cat. Stair gates. Teach a look at you command. Use a longline. Scent swapping etc.

[GingerCatBigBalls]

Gorgeous!

[Aprilshowersinaugust]

Ah what a sweetie, put a baby gate up between her and dcats for now.
We successfully mixed a ddog ( a Lurcher who used to kill small furry things regularly) +2 cats.

[Jenda]

She looks lovely!!!! What a lucky dog. I just popped on to say we have a glass door in our loungewhich was great for introducing animals at distance. Also, if you can take a blanket to her which the cats have slept on and rub a towel or something over here and give it to the cats it helps them become familiar with each other's scent

[FelicisWolf]

I think a stair gate others have suggested is a great idea. Make sure there are some rooms/areas of the house the cats can access but she can't in case they want to get away from her. If you haven't had a dog with them before, they need to get used to her being in the house as much as she needs to get used to them!

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

She's gorgeous! If you're curious about her breed mix, you can get a dog DNA test done. We used Wisdom DNA and found out ours was a mix of three sighthounds. It's been quite helpful in terms of understanding certain traits (selective deafness, for one...)

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

PS my guess is GSD/staffie/sighthound

[kennelmaid]

Make sure that you and your family sort out some ground rules between yourselves before you bring a dog into your lives. For example - is the dog allowed on the sofa/on your bed/in your bed? Is sharing your food with the dog from your plate while you're eating acceptable? Would you leave chew treats out all day for your dog to help herself? If the dog doesn't come to get her food straight away when you put it down would you take her bowl into the lounge and start hand-feeding her even though she's perfectly able to feed herself?

Sorry if this sounds wierd but when we got our first dog I just assumed that my dh would have the same ideas about a dog's place as I did. That was a mistake and it has caused so many arguments between us over the years.