My dog is too rough with my new kitten. How can I introduce them?

Great question! I can give you a method for introducing them to each other: Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring your kitten home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your kitten has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the dogs' smell in the kitten's room, and a blanket with the kitten's smell in the dogs' room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your kitten and a DAP for your dogs. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once all the pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the kitten in the dogs' room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are all comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce the dogs on a leash to the kitten while he is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward the dogs for being calm and quiet near the kitten. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your kitten has a cat tree where he can escape from the dogs as needed, and don't allow the dogs to chase the kitten. I hope this helps!

The best way to begin introducing a large dog to a cat is with a basket muzzle, on a leash, with extremely careful supervision. This is particularly true if you already know that Loki has a high prey drive. If Loki is a Border Collie, his intelligence may work for you or against you depending on his temperament. It is all about positive reinforcement in this sort of situation, and taking things slowly and carefully. I would not throw the kitten and dog together in the same room freely right away. Keep one of them in a crate and the other outside of it so they can see and sniff each other but not have any direct contact. After a couple of days, I would try the above thing I mentioned ( you will obviously require your mom's help with this ), making sure to have plenty of treats available on hand to reward any sort of positive response. If there is any negative response or act of aggression, do not punish Loki. Simply end the interaction and walk away for a few minutes, return, and try again. Punishment is ineffective in this instance and in most in my opinion. Once you are convinced after several sessions that Loki is not acting in an aggressive manner, try the same exercise but without the basket muzzle. Continue to do this until you are comfortable enough that they are buddies instead of foes. Hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would allow the cats to safely sniff and see the puppy through a baby gate for 2 weeks. Then when you let them interact the puppy should be on a leash 100% of the time so you can control him. The cats should have a safe place (cat tree, a room with a cat door only then can fit through) to be able to escape from the puppy. If the puppy shows any form of aggression towards the cats he should never be allowed to be alone with the cats and off a leash in the house. That means he is crated when you are not home. Hopefully since Moose is young the will be easy to teach and the cats will put him in his place! Good luck!

There is no specific answer for this question because every dog responds differently to cats. If you truly think your dog is just interested in cats and does not want to hurt her, then allow them time to interact with each other (under supervision of course) as often as you can. The more Phoebe is around the kitten the more used to her she will become.

You can try acclimating him to one dog or cat at a time. Do this on "neutral" ground and begin with very short periods of time. Once he is fine with sight and smell, physically introduce them under strict supervision. Choose a new pet when he accepts one and begin the gradual process again. Praise and reward him as he progresses. be patient and be consistent.

Bringing a kitten into a home with a dog that has high prey drive, especially if that dog has a history of killing small animals like squirrels, etc. can be very dangerous - because of this, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person and help you do this as safely as possible. You will likely need to keep your dog on-leash at all times around the kitten for quite a while, so that you can prevent any chasing and reward calm behavior with treats and praise. The kitten and dog should never be loose together when you aren't home, or when you aren't able to supervise. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who can help you in person here: www.dacvb.org

Good question! Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring your kitten home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your kitten has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the Jax's smell in the kitten's room, and a blanket with the kitten's smell in the his room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your kitten and a DAP for your dog. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once both pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the kitten in the dog's room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are both comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce Jax on a leash to the kitten while he is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward him for being calm and quiet near the kitten. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your kitten has a cat tree where he can escape from the dog as needed, and don't allow Jax to chase the kitten. Best of luck, I hope the helps!