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Which to get first?

1K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  kaloric 
#1 ·
I've recently fallen in love with the Doberman breed, ever since my aunt brought home her sweet dobe girl and have been a silent lurker and researcher on this forum for quite a while to ensure that its the dog for me.....and it is!

I have a question though that I'd be grateful for input on.


I absolutely love cats as well as dogs (in fact my family has 4 cats right now xD ) but decided not to get a Dobe until i move out and have an appropriate housing situation to keep him in. A cat though is something that can be kept in many types buildings.

Would getting a cat first or a dog first matter? is it easier to introduce a cat into the dobes house or a dobe into a cat house?

I'm planning to get a male Dobe (because i heard that they are big goofballs which i love though I'll trust whichever the breeder thinks suits me best) and a male Ragdoll cat. I figure since Ragdolls as a breed are known for being very pleasant and affectionate (one of our 4 is a Ragdoll and he couldnt be sweeter) that they should get along pretty well. The male-male aggression is only towards other dogs i believe right?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Its will be a long while before i will be getting a dobe but I figure its better to be prepared ^_^
 
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#2 ·
IMO it has always worked for me to have a cat settled and established in a household that already contains dogs before adding another dog. My kittygirl Saffron has adjusted best from being first introduced to Mocha (who is calm and sweet) and establishing herself as confident in her house before trying to introduce any other dogs to her. She has done best when introduced to dogs as puppies, rather than adults that might decide to chase her.

Even still, she was beginning to warm up to Skoll. Actually, she came downstairs the day I'd gotten him home and moved to greet him, he saw her moving and chased her, which ended whatever civility she'd had in mind until several weeks later when she was willing to try again. Her standard greeting for calm non-chasers is to rub against their legs or headbutt their chins. She even initiates play with Mocha when they're together. She was a young adult when I first got her and had never interacted with a dog in a house before my parents' dog Mocha.



I have also heard that kittens are easier to introduce to dogs, but dobes do tend to have some amount of prey drive at least and I'd worry that a dog not raised with cats would want to chase and might not know kitty back-off signals. Skoll learned very quickly but I still didn't trust him 100% around them. Skoll was also a young adult rescue, but had previously lived with cats and did not bother the ones in the clinic he'd been fostered at.
 
#3 ·
thanks for chiming in Jazi! yeah I'm planning to get each one while they are still a kitten/puppy.

I love your kitty and dobe names xD I'm not very creative when it comes to naming lol. Like I was thinking Thor or Ares for a dobe (very common i know, haha)

Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines that it would be easier to have the cat already have its territory in the house and then introduce the puppy. Plus this way the puppy will grow up with the cat and will learn while its still young not to mess with or play too hard with kitty. Though i've seen how incredibly gentle older dobes they can be with kittens too (youtube can be a blackhole of cuteness lol).

I think ragdolls would get along fine but while breed generalizations are good for one thing, as we know they dont always hold true to the individual. Like Riley, our ragdoll, is mouthy and likes to playfight with the other cats while the breed is generally more docile and quiet.
 
#6 ·
Saffron was rescued at Sassy. The name fits her but I found it too generic for my liking, so I changed it to Saffron aka Saffy. Initially I was debating naming her Comma or Tilde. :lol2: Likewise, Skoll was rescued as Caesar (or Simba, or Salem), but due to his past I was concerned that he'd associated his name(s) with the abuse he'd suffered and changed it. Skoll is a Norse god- a wolf that chases the sun... his brother is Hati and his father is Fenrir, and his grandfather is none other than Loki himself... lots of potential for inspired names in mythology :)

I too really like ragdolls, though because I won't pay more than ~$50 for a cat, I've limited myself to whatever I pull out of a shelter. One of my sitters growing up had one that the child-me could pick up very rudely and haul around the house, and he'd roll over begging for more when I finally put me down. I do know that some breeders are keeping their ragdolls so placid that they will not correct a rude puppy just like my sitter's did not correct a rude child, which may be problematic for you. I'd look into a breeder that knows how their cats interact with dogs, tbh. Claws can take out an eye yes and you have to be careful, but imo a cat needs to be able to stick up for itself until you manage to get over there and separate them if puppy is being overly obnoxious/rough.

One thing I like about Saff is that while she's very laidback and accepting of polite dogs (like Mocha), she does not hesitate to correct a rude one (like Skoll was, or Titan). She is a lot of noise before she starts swinging, and her initial hits are without claws extended. I do believe this is from a combination of her life prior to me, being an outside cat that had to tolerate the antics of children under 6, and also from introducing her to a polite dog like Mocha who is mostly deterred by a hiss. She also stands her ground against a dog on her cat tree, instead of running away which triggers prey drive. BTW there is a strict no-chasing-the-cats rule, and play is monitored so they can be separated if it's too rough. Saffron will actually wrestle with Mocha when they're together, and when I lived at home they shared the dog bed.
 
#4 ·
I have a VERY feral cat, another cat, and my dobergirl. My cat, Mimi is 8 years old, Baby is 6, and ******* is a year old. My main concern was *******'s reaction of course. Basically, if ******* wanted to "play" or if ******* wanted to "kill."

On paper, my situation sounds like it should be avoided. However; it's amazing how animals acclimate sometimes. There's a strict no chasing the cat's policy in my house. ******* would love nothing more than to play with her sisters, but her big floppy self is a little much for them at times. *******'s become very protective of them, however. She's learned to settle down around them.

The cats have also claimed the upstairs, and they sort of have a routine. The cats have also claimed a guest room as their spot too. Funny thing is that my two cats hated each other before I brought ******* home. Now, they stick up for each other and I catch them sleeping next to each other!

Anyways, it could be bumpy at first regardless of which one you bring home first. With a Doberman obviously being the larger animal that could inflict the most damage, my main concern would be his/her prey drive towards cats.

Mimi is a force to be reckoned with. I am the only person who can pet her or pick her up. All of my pets came from rescues or shelters. Mimi's definitely the boss around here, but it's amazing how accepting she's been of *******, and vice versa. Baby on the other hand, tries to play with *******. She riles her up late at night (grrr...don't get me started lol).

Here's a pic of Mimi "tolerating" my goofy doberbutt...


This is pretty indicative of Baby and *******'s relationship. ******* wants to play at her mercy, and Baby messes with her to no end...
 
#5 ·
Having the cat first would be the best in my experience. Especially a docile breed. Or, even getting both young ones at the same time is okay, but you would need to monitor the puppy so he didn't get too rough.
 
#7 ·
I think getting the cat first would be the best thing. It would give you time to bond with the cat as well as giving the cat time to settle in with you and learn the routines of your daily life.

Any animal, be it a kitten, puppy or full grown cat or dog, needs time to adjust to their new homes as well as their owners.

Every animal is different and I'm sure there are successes where people have brought both in at the same time, but I don't think that is the norm. Going to a new home can be very stressful for any animal without having to worry that something might eat you.

I had a cat that was very sociable to all people and dogs. He never met a stranger ( dog or person), but he was not the norm either. I've had cats for over 40 years and I have yet to have a cat that was like him. He truly loved all people and dogs.

Cats and dogs can live in harmony if introduced correctly and boundaries are set. I'm sure there are some that would never get along, but there again it depends on the animal.

I got my Dobergirl when she was 3 months old. I had thought of rescue at first, but the fact that I had 3 cats made me decide on the puppy instead.

I have three senior cats (all 16 years of age), that had never seen a dog. I was concerned, as any owner would be, about introducing this new creature to them!

It was not as easy as I had hoped. For the first 3 weeks that I had my puppy, I kept her leashed to me so that should couldn't chase the cats. This gave the cats time to get used to her being around. It also kept my puppy safe from the cats and their claws.

Keeping her leashed to me also helped us bond as well as aided me in potty training her. She didn't have a chance to have accidents, because she was always with me.

After that 3rd week, I let Jazzy have more freedom. She was free from the leash, but at any time that she attempted to chase them, I leashed her back up and she finally learned that if she chased the cats, she lost her freedom. It also helped that I got a gate where the cats could go through to safety and Jazzy couldn't get to them. It still took quite a while to get to the point where she didn't chase them. She definitely has a high prey drive as well as being very stubborn and tenacious. I think some puppies would have learned much sooner than mine did, but we eventually got there in the end.

Jazzy is now 8 and half months old. She doesn't chase the cats, but will still occasionally try and play to rough with them. They let her know pretty quick with a swat and she backs off.

The cats do not seem to care that she is here anymore. If Jazzy is calm and ignoring them, then they will lay near or sit near her. If she starts to get mouthy, they just move away.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do. I love my Dobergirl, but I love my cats too. I will always have cats.
 
#9 ·
i would also say, a cat would be best first. Cats tend to have a very big attachement and association with "home" and what home is.
From my experience...the cats i owned prior to getting a doberman were much more "dont give a care" when the dog came...they pretty much ruled the roost. They also had their already designated areas they were familiar with that they went to for quiet time to get away from the dog. they knew HOME...they knew their space...and they knew how and when to get away from the dog. I introduced a kitten in to the mix after the dog. She was much more skiddish then the other 2 i already owned. When Jazz my dog would see her, she would chase her...and so Mew Mew never really got used to a place she could feel safe..in turn, she bolted out the door to get away from the dog..and she became and indoor/outdoor cat. She HATED the dog,..and she hated the fact that she could never really find a place to be left alone.
Cats are smart...and they are fine tuned to their surroundings....the less they feel connected with their surroundings, the more of a skiddish cat they will become...and the harder it will be to introduce any additional animal..including other cats.

I currently dont own a cat...and knowing Logan my new dob...i dont think it would be a good idea trying to introduce one. i dont want the poor cat bolting out the door or associating HOME with ...big scary dog either.

best of luck with your new future additions. :)
 
#10 ·
My vote would be get the cat first or get them at the same time. And you'll want to have a room or area that the cat can get to that the dog can't. This way the cat can feel secure that they have a safe place to sleep or eat without worrying about the dog. My laundry room has a cat door and that's where the cats food and litter box are. She also has a guest room and half of the Florida room blocked off for her. She hates everyone and only tolerates me, scares Snoop and despises Hades.

"Don't even look at me!" -Kitty

"Sorry. I'm not worthy" -Hades



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#13 ·
We had two well established cats in our house when we brought Henry home. Both cats have since died. I rescued a kitten and they were best buds. I rescued another kitten a year later and the cats now are best buds. They prefer sleeping in Henry's bed. Henry will chase them to play, but never to hurt them. Then we decided to add more chaos to the mix and adopted a dachshund about a month ago. So, between the cats and the dogs, all get along very well.
 
#14 ·
In my experience, it's better to have a halfway mature dog like a Dobe and then get a kitten. An adult dog has a better sense of the fragility of a kitten, as long as the dog's prey drive isn't too out-of-control, they'll have the restraint to play nicely.

Previous Dobe Bridget was about 3 when I got the kitten. She loved little Katrina kitten and was very gentle with her. They maintained a very good relationship until Bridget died, kitty even spent time with her as her health declined.



On to second Dobe, Kira doesn't play too nice with kitten, she's too rough and doesn't temper her prey drive with the maturity to play gently and not give chase, which makes kitty scared. :(

But here's a cute picture of Kat in a box, and Kira pondering if it's worth it to get a claw-slap across her nose. Of COURSE it was worth it to her, I'm pretty sure there were claws impacting a snout not long after this photo was taken, because Kat doesn't like being nose-poked by a rough & rowdy whippersnapper of a Dobe who is a 5th of her age, she's TOO OLD FOR THIS CRAP.
 
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