I am about to get a 7 week old collie puppy and have an 8 year old cat. I was a bit worried about the cat bullying the puppy. Does anyone have any ideas about keeping any confrontation to a minimal ?

Some background:
Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about
Biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting
Another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are
Alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months
They are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking
Moment biting or chewing. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another
Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find
One that won't yelp and jerk their hand away, or growl "Bad dog." and clamp
Their mouth shut. Then offer a chew toy. They keep trying despite hundreds
Of corrections. Another good technique is to quit playing and go away. Be
Sure to praise them when they are playing nice and not biting.

The puppy will want to play with the cat like it was a littermate. Most cats will not put up with that. You need to provide the cats a place to retreat to. Usually they prefer retreat to confrontation. Some of the cat furniture with the poles and boxes with small holes should be good. At first, the puppy will still be able to go in the small holes. Koriani may have some good cat management tips.

Even without cats, crates make managing a dog much easier. They are the safest place for the puppy when you can't watch it. They also help housebreaking.


Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
Puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
Around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
Realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
Seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
Enough to avoid all accidents There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
Inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
It up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
A crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
Already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
Something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start in crates as
Little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
In the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
The dog have its crate all its life.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
The less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
Non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
To the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
Repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
Praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
And maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
But it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
Inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
Go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
Inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
House until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
Needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
Drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
Sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
Have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
They go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
To going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
Your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
Even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
Effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
It going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
Puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
Sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
It and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
Work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
The other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
Plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
Shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return top the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.

Hello,

A 7 week old puppy should be too young to cause any damage to an adult cat as long as your cat is able to get away. As Labman pointed out, you should provide a secluded, quite place for your cat to retreat to if the puppy gets too rambunctious.

7 weeks is acutally a good age as the cat will be able to put the puppy in it's place. They have to each learn the others boundaries and sometimes this entails hissing, spitting, barking, slapping, and other behaviors.

One thing you can do to make the cat's transition easier is to use a Feliway Comfort Zone plug-in. This device contains phermones which help calm stressed cats, making them feel relaxed and happy.

An herbal/homeopathic remedy placed in the water such as Bach Flower Remedy: Rescue Remedy could help both puppy and cat.

Keep a close eye on your cat. At 8 years of age, health problems can start popping up. I recommend you get some baseline labwork done and check your cat's weight monthly to make sure there is no weight loss.

Be aware, some cats can get a urinary infection or other illness due to stress. If your cats starts urinating inappropriately, please don't just assume it is behavioral. Get it checked out medically.

I hope this helps prepare you for integrating a puppy into the household. Good luck!

Regards,

Thanks for the useful advice - I think I am more mentaly prepared for the introduction of the animals

Will the puppy affect the cat socially? I have a 9 year old cat and I want to get a new puppy from a friend but I am worried that my cat will become less affectionate and will spray all over the house. Is this true

It's possible that, if your cat is very territorial and/or possesive of you, then he/she could start spraying. This is sometimes behavioral but, a lot of the time, it is a bladder infection brought about by the stress of a change in environment.

I suggest confining the puppy to a small area of the house to give it more time to smell like the house. This will also make it easier for your cat to avoid the puppy until he/she has come to terms with a new pet. Introduce the puppy slowly to your cat and don't leave them together unattended during the first week or two.

Make sure you give your cat plenty of attention, get a Feliway Comfort Zone Plug-in to help with stress, and be sure to consult your vet before deciding that any negative behavior from the cat is merely an attempt to "get even" or "display it's dislike" for the situation.

It's always a risk to introduce a new pet. I wish you much luck!

Regards,

Cats tend to get jelous and hiss but just remember to give them both the same amount of attention. So your cat doesn't think you replaced it OK. Remember the cat will hiss at frist this is normal so let them get to know each other don't in fer