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Thank You. I can get a couple of cat trees. I was looking at labs and golden retrievers. But are they also good "watch dogs" or are they just to sweet?
They could be fine as watch dogs; ie when they hear something or see something bark to alert you. If you mean a guard dog, then no, they will be terrible at that.
Breed matters, although it's no guarantee. Any dog in the terrier or hunting group is probably not going to be good around cats or small animals.
If I was thinking off the top of my head what dog would fit into the "watch dog" category and usually be OK around cats it would be a poodle. Really though a lot depends on the individual dog and a good breeder should be able to help. If you're getting a puppy it should be introduced to the cats as soon as possible – make sure the cats are up to date on their vaccinations. For an older dog you need to do things slowly to ensure the safety of the cats.
Breed matters, although it's no guarantee. Any dog in the terrier or hunting group is probably not going to be good around cats or small animals.
Add the herding group to this...with the usual caveat about individuality. I've been owned by 4 cattledogs over the years. One was death to most critters smaller than she was and would tell off the bigger ones in no uncertain terms. One would make a bee line for anything that twitched but not hurt it. One was only casually interested and easily redirected. The fourth was afraid of everything, including dropped socks .
My neighbors got a momma cat to be that died giving birth... She bottle fed the kittens but spent a Lot of time around the neighbors with dogs. Not sure if the cats thought they were dogs or humans.
I had a female cat and got a dog, then another dog. (She was elderly and passed away 6 yrs ago. I still have the dogs.)
My cat lived in my bedroom (ensuite bathroom with litter box). The dogs HATED her and she hated them. They have a strong prey drive. They had to be kept separate. I had a cat tree just in case the dogs were able to slip into my bedroom. I managed to keep them separate except for the two times that my female dog thought she could kick Pretty Girl's ass and got a claw stuck in her nose - twice. She still thought she could win a fight. (The claws never grew back.)
I did split my time sleeping in the bedroom and on the couch in the living room, because dogs are pack animals and they don't like to be separated from their pack leader (in this case, you and hubby). Your cats are probably used to being in your bedroom so that's something I think you need to think about.
Interesting that someone would suggest a puppy. I think a calm senior dog would do better around cats, but your husband probably doesn't want a senior dog.
It really does vary. My dog has a very high prey drive, but pretty well trained. I'll let him chase a rabbit when out for a walk, but he comes when I call him off.
For the first few times he met my sister's cat, you could tell he was confused, he would look at me, look at the cat, look at me, look at the cat...... now the cat jumps on the bed at night with the dog. I still keep a very close eye on the two of them, but they seem to have accepted each others existence. I think it helps that two large dogs live with the cat, and two small dogs are always over visiting, that he watched and learned that the furry/ouchy thing is pack.
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It is chaos. At Christmas everyone came to our house, and 6 extra dogs. We've been looking at getting a 2nd dog, but told my sister I was worried because I felt it would make it harder to visit...... she was like "it's already chaos, one more dog won't make a difference." But good lord...
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I once had 30+ living beings other than human in my house, when my kids were little. It was nuts, but I miss those times.
Wow. My husband would be that way, he wants goats, alpacas, and burros. You can throw in a miniature cow if you find one.
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At Christmas everyone came to our house, and 6 extra dogs. We've been looking at getting a 2nd dog, but told my sister I was worried because I felt it would make it harder to visit...... she was like "it's already chaos, one more dog won't make a difference." But good lord...
