Which dogs are likely to live safely and happily with cats?

[MariaWaria]

I know that dogs with a strong prey instinct (whippet, lurcher etc) may be unsafe and that it often depends on the individual dog (and cat) and their upbringing. But are there any breeds (I'm after a small one, preferably rescue) that are likely to be safe with cats?

I've only had medium to large dogs which were bought up with cats from a very young age so basically thought they were part cat so can't really help I'm afraid.

What I would be more concerned about is not their size or breed but if they have had decent training, especially in a rescue pet where you have no idea of their past history.

A lot of small dogs have very strong "hunting" instincts and combine that with no proper training because their owners treated them like a "child"/accessory you are opening up a hole can of nasty.

I have a Maltese x Yorkshire terrier and he is small, lap dog sized. He is super annoying with cats but he does live with one! He will chase her sometimes but there is not much physical contact and she holds her own. Sometimes he ignores her. Cats he doesn’t know he will chase and warn off very determinedly. It is not an ideal mix

They didn’t grow up together and ddog gets very jealous of cat attention. You also have to put the cat food up high or he will eat it. I have to separate them at night because he will chase her otherwise

So don’t get a bloody terrier! I think training them helps but it’s so instinctual. Ddog will chase her usually when she makes him jump. Cats tend to creep around silently and surprise dogs and that can often set them into chase mode

Someone might have another breed that does work

If you get one from a pup they are more likely to live happily with a cat, I have had a jack Russel, greyhound and lurcher live quite happily with my cats, all trained from pups.

I've just got my first puppy. She's a Eurasier, and they are supposed to be good with cats.So far mine have only ventured downstairs to glare at her through the bars and she just looks bemused! We have basically divided the house so she can't go upstairs and they come in through the bedroom window and have a safe place. They are not impressed but it's only day 5 and neither have left home so I consider that decent progress.
She saw a couple close up on a 'socialisation carry' walk yesterday and didn't react at all. I'm hoping it's a good sign as Eurasiers aren't supposed to have much of a prey drive.

I have 4 outdoor cats. I have just adopted a massive staff. She is not bothered at all about them and they all seem to co habit ok.

We lost our collie x lab earloer this year, who lived very happily with our cat. The cat is missing her I think, he keeps wandering around (possibly looking for her) and sitting on her bed. Our new puppy arrives in a couple of weeks and I'm confident they'll be okay. Our old dog would attempt to chase every other day she saw, but never laid a paw on our cat. It was like they understood they were family to each other.

I've had a jack Russel living happily with a cat and currently have a cavalier and dachshund very happily getting along with my current cat.

In my opinion it just needs to be done from a puppy, for acceptance on both sides. Cat doesn't recognise it as a threat, and puppy isnt phased.

If you’re looking at rescues, it’s really is about the individual dog... there’s really no need to narrow the field by worrying about breed traits when the actual dog has personality traits already.

All depends on the individual dog. I have 2 Yorkshire terriers that live fine with my 2 Ragdoll house cats

I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback who has lived with 3 cats fine. They're not friends but they walk past each other peacefully in the house and garden.The dog doesn't chase her even when she runs. The dog will chase other cats/squirrels etc. in the garden so he does have a prey drive. He doesn't like it when the cat hisses at him as he's a softie even though he's 10 times her size.

Herding dogs seem to do well with cats. Maybe they think of them as something to herd? Collies, Shelties, etc.

I have a Jack Russell x Pug who I successfully trained when she was 3 years old to get on with the new kitten. They are best of friends now but will chase any other cat.

My Border Collie was fine with cats. He was bought up with one from a puppy but was scared of him really. The cat used to smack him on the nose if he got too close and he never retaliated bless him would just come running to get one of us.

My greyhound has an extremely high prey drive and would kill a cat if the opportunity arrived (it never has he's lead walked all the time).

I think it’s down to the dog rather than the breed really. I have a sighthound - not always a good type of dog with small furry things - and he is brilliant with my cats!

It is down to the dog - I have two lurchers and three cats, and the cats are most definitely in charge. I also foster lurcher puppies, and though the vast majority are cat trainable, I have had a few whose urge to chase and catch is very strong. My friend has a chihuahua and he can't be near cats as he has a very strong prey drive

We have a King Charles who Im pretty sure thinks he is a cat. They all get on well but girl cat has been known to smack his nose to tell him off. He always looks suitably ashamed.