So the wifey was surfing around the other day, and happened upon an ad for some puppies that needed homes. They were found in a dumpster. Coincidence, I ask?
“Yo-bo!” said she (that being the Korean version of “Hey you! The fool I married!” Those of you watching Lost will recognize that word from Jin and Sun’s interactions, but I digress), “Let’s get a puppy!”
I dithered.
Feminine wiles were applied.
In a moment of weakness, I said, “I suppose we could go look…”
Now we have to assimilate the stupid cats to their new younger brother. As could easily be predicted, the cats are not impressed. Ool-Bo keeps hissing. Mung-Chi is unhappy but seems to be adapting.
Any advice on acclimating established cat stupidity to a new stupid dog?
As for acclimating - they’ll figure out their pecking order. Just keep them from drawing blood in the meantime. That’s how it worked in FairyChatEstates.
Oh, I want one. Mr.stretch says four dogs is enough, though.
Usually animals can work these things out on their own. The cats will get along with the new puppy as soon as they realize he can be used. My dogs have all grown up around cats and have a respect for them.
The cats love to sleep with the dogs…extra warmth. Our girl cat grooms the dogs, much to their chagrin–I think the Goldens believe they do an adequate job in the grooming department and don’t always appreciate the assist from her.
Speaking of crap, do yourself a favor and look into crate training and positive house training methods. I used entirely positive methods to housetrain the practically feral stray pit bull terrier we adopted last year…she had no idea of what to do or how to interact with humans, but she learned very fast and hasn’t had an accident in the house since May, and we used no punishment or scolding at all. Remember you’re building a long-term relationship, and teaching a baby, not instilling discipline in a recruit.
Starting early makes a huge difference. Being consistent and providing guidance and leadership is huge.
Puppies are a LOT of work, and can be trying. Just remember, during the house-training period, any time you’re comfortable, you probably ought to get up and take the puppy outside.
One of the ladies at knitting usually brings her dogs… basically expensive mutts but the cutest ones IMO are the bichon frise/shi tzu/yorkshire terrior crosses… every time I see them I want to grab up Juno or Honey (the smallest ones) and run.
Seems to depend entirely on the cat. Some I’ve had think dogs are giant toys that make funny noises, some see them as a great evil.
If you ever find a way to change the alleged mind of a cat, be sure to let me know.
We went to a dog show over the weekend :smack: Now I’m trying to keep from acquiring a puppy very similar to this.
Cute puppy. Cute name. Good thing it’s on the other end of the state. It gives off a very strong “come hold me” vibe.
My puppy ended up being a little too rambunctious for the cats. I had to make the cats a dog-free zone that they could crash in. Your puppy may be brighter, so that your cats won’t need it, but I ended up with a cat door on my bedroom. The cats fit, the dog doesn’t.
Eventually Kayla did learn that she was supposed to leave the cats alone unless they were being bad. That is, whenever I hiss at them for being up on something, she’ll run them under my bed. Since they know that the hiss means the dog will be coming, they book fast.
