It's all common sense so don't get too worried about it.

As you introduce them make sure that the cats have somewhere to escape to and that you can quickly restrain the dog if things do get ugly.

But unless the dog is truly aggressive towards cats (and the shelter should be checking for such aggressiveness) the cats should be able to dominate the relationship if need be. Puppies are usually friendly aggressive more than violent aggressive a couple swats to the nose from the cat and that will start to resolve itself..

There is no guarantee that they'll be become great buddies (especially with older cats) but they'll eventually work out their own structure and ground rules for getting along.

The only way to guarantee that the dog doesn't eat the cat poop is to make sure the dog can't get to the cat poop. But not all dogs are interested.

You could also try mixing in some natto...

I guess 5 months is a puppy- even when they are almost full grown.

According to the info on him- his reaction to cats is to try to lick them- same as people......I mean, he licks people, not that people lick cats- well some might...

Any opinion on the nervous pee issue? WB? Since you have that breed-

She outgrew the nervous peeing pretty much- it was only an issue for like the first year or so. Once they really settle in and become part of the family I think it tends to go away, unless they are unusually skittish. Now, Mellie has taken to drooling, which is messy and annoying. She sits in front of the pantry and drools when she wants treats- I'm thinking about changing her name to Hooch.

I'm home now (with a dog on my front porch :rolleyes:). Aussie Shepheards are FANTASTIC dogs (I'm not as familiar with the Kelpie). When you first introduce them, keep the dog on a leash in the house and hold on so you can control the dog if you need to. Expect a lot of hissing from the cat camp. But, cat's do pretty well adjusting and/or taking care of themselves. Dexter lived with an Aussie Shepheard for a while and they were total buddies. I was sitting 2 mini Aus. Shep. pups for the first year of their life and they moved into a household with 2 cats. They adjusted just fine. They also ate poop and one had the sympathetic pee reaction. To solve the poop proble, they got a covered cat box with a door and placed it with the door towards the wall so the dogs couldn't manouever into it, but the cats could. As far as the sympathetic pee thing, only one puppy did it and he grew out of it. AS's aren't known for having that trait for long (spainiels are another story). I think once he gets settled and comfortable he will grow out of it.

It actually sounds like a good match. AS is a great breed with the only downside being heart defects that effect them when they are older. Not all AS's have it, but it does run in the breed and can shorten their life. But, any breed has some sort of issue or another.

...just got home. Here's some visual proof of what everyone here is saying:

Our cat thinks the puppies tail is the best toy ever:D

No dog tonight.



We all went to see him- and he was sweet but he did not seem to be as comfortable with Rose as I would like. In fact he seemed to want to ignore her and only pay attention to the males in the family.



He is also listed as "will not go bathroom outside"



Ummm....no. Too many reservations- so we are going to do some research and go out to some shelters tomorrow- maybe.

Zeus is still there- but I am not sure I can get past the reservations I have.

He thinks he is a lap dog- it's hilarious. That little nub tail going a mile a minute-

I want it to be just right-is that a bad way to approach it?



Thanks for all the help-

Well, the potty thing is a BIG deal. They can be trained, but it takes lots of time and effort. Any puppy will require this sort of time commitment.

I peruse petfinders.com on my free time (yeah, I'm obsessed). This is a clearning house for most rescue groups in your area (search by zip code and miles).

My phone hasn't been ringing off the hook about the dog I currently have in my living room, so maybe I can just put him on a plane. He's cute (see the sooooooo thread).

awwwww - if I was there I would love him!