Introducing dog to cats

[Greyhorses]

Hi everyone,

Which is the best way to do this without stressing either party too much?

In a new house who should move in first? Cats or dog? Should I let the cats settle before introducing dog?

Dog in question has never lived with cats and has a tendency to chase but is usually well behaved. He is quite nervous. The cats have lived with small dogs previously but never one as large as this (GSD)
One cat is confident, the other is nervous.

I won't be leaving them alone together, but they need to tolerate eachother or at least be able to be in the same room ideally (otherwise one of them will have to be banished to the kitchen!!)

Any ideas would be great!

goodness i think that you may have your work cut out. The only time i did this the cat was very bossy and dog aggressive so i had to protect the dogs from the cat and i didn't leave them alone together ever for a year. My concern is GS are so quick and strong if it kicked off it could be difficult to manage. Can you crate the GS and reward for ignoring and being calm? You will probaly get some very good advice here but i would say most certainly dont let them at it face to face for a very long time. very best of luck OP.

Thank you, my gs can be crated so I have no problems doing that. He tends to be quite nervous and is more likley to run than fight, however he does have obsessive tendencies and I'm worried he might obsess over the cats!!

The reason for this is that I am moving in with my partner, he has two cats (who I hand reared!) and I have one dog. Neither of us wants to part with our pets so we are trying to find a way to make it work so we can all live together. The cats have lived with dogs in my partners parents house so they should be okay once they are used to him, but the dog is not used to cats at all.

Is there a way to desensitise him to them before the move?

I've never done this before though so I believe it's going to be very difficult!!

You need to ensure there is a space the cats can escape to - having a stair gate and allowing the cats upstairs but not the dog will help. You could try introducing the cats' scent to the dog and vice versa - rubbing a blanket against the cats and letting the dog sniff it and doing the same with the cats may help.
It is really important not to rush it - we are just starting week 4 of introducing our 2 year old cat to our young puppy. The cat is still not happy being in the same room as the pup but will now at least sit and watch from a distance - and will let us stroke and fuss him whereas in the first few days he would hiss when we went near. I am prepared for it to take a while yet! DO NOT let the dog chase the cats - if need be fix a lead to the dog when in the house so you can grab it and stop him if he tries to chase the cats.

This may help, ICC are very reputable, also I have linked before to one by the Dogs Trust I think which has some tips.

Hand reared cats, a whole different ball game! :) (Usually they are quite psychotic to all but their rearers...)

I introduced a puppy to my two older cats, and so far so good. Took about 5/6 weeks for the bolder of the two cats to be in the same room without running.

It is do-able, but patience is a must.

Thanks everyone for your help, will definitely do some reading! We are not moving until next year so plenty of time to prepare.

My dog does not go upstairs so that can be the cat safe area.

Sebastian, my cats are typical of hand reared cats. They are almost dog like in mannerisms at home and with me or my partner (we joint reared them) however if they are taken out of the environment or with strangers they are psycho- hence the worry!! The male is particularly feisty and will defend himself I am sure!! The female is much more shy and prefers to hide, I just hope they manage to cope with dog and we can all manage to live alongside eachother.

It's a shame rescue animals don't come at the best times! We weren't planning on any pets as circumstances weren't great but we have them anyway so are trying to make the best of it!

Thanks again!