A dog that isn't a nuisance/danger around small animals

[skinnydipper]

Firstly, I would look at the breed's original purpose, that would give you some idea of suitability. It isn't always down to training - don't underestimate the power of genetics.

A friend of mine had a lovely Dobermann who helped to raise a litter of house rabbits. Having said that he may have been exceptional because I've met some pretty nutty Dobies.

Good luck. I hope you find your perfect companion.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It isn't always down to training - don't underestimate the power of genetics.

Thanks, I just said on another thread that I've been a bit disturbed by how many times I've seen that said today. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.....

 

[skinnydipper]

Thanks, I just said on another thread that I've been a bit disturbed by how many times I've seen that said today. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.....

Off to find the thread.

Found it

 

[Clodagh]

I had a Kelpie and a Heeler and a Doberman x in Oz, as well as a rabbit and a Guinea pig. The dogs single purpose in life was to eat the smalls. They were not allowed to (obviously) but an open topped run would not have been an option. If they were in the same building constant vigilance was the answer. Mind you the dogs were mainly happy to stand and stare and click their teeth if the smalls moved. The smalls completely ignored them, they seemed to know they were safe.
I would assume whatever you get will need to always be kept away.

 

[ArklePig]

I agree with you @CorvusCorax , that's why I've been in anti terrier camp. My friends Dachshund has never met a rodent in her life I'd say other than my three, but goes batsh!t crazy when she comes over to mine, no surprises there, she's doing what she's been bred to do and doesn't really get why we tell her no.

@skinnydipper I think dobermans (dobermen?) are class but not a dog I've ever had much exposure to, and I rightly or wrongly don't think I'd be comfortable with something who has a reputation- be it deserved or not.

Dogs are gonna dog, so what I suspected, and what this thread has confirmed is that I ideally need something with a retrieving/herding instinct as opposed to a hunting instinct.

Edited as I've just seen @Clodagh post. Vigilance will be maintained at all times and they will never be loose together, but my pigs live in the heart of the house and they were there first so I don't want something that can't even be in the same room with them without them constantly being barked at or eyed up if that makes sense.

 

[Clodagh]

But a Labrador will still kill a GP. Mine wouldn’t, I don’t think, if they catch a rabbit it’s delivered to hand, but a pet one may not be soft mouthed.

 

[ArklePig]

My husband grew up with a boxer/labrador cross and she caught an escaped hamster, brought the hamster back to her humans, and her tooth had gone right through the poor sod's eye. That's my horror story and why I don't plan on leaving them loose together, can you imagine

 

[CorvusCorax]

I had German Shepherds and rabbits as a kid. This did not end well. **cue Bright Eyes**

My current youngster has had very little dealings with cats but she was still up on her hind legs barking at one she saw in the street last night, because, genetics.

 

[Karran]

My pair came with me to visit a friend recently who has two house rabbits and two guinea pigs. I introduced them on leads, and the smallies secured in a safe pen.
Mrs Spaniel was predictably terrified of the piggies, but very interested in the rabbits and has in the past chased live ones and bought me a dead one she's found (it had been shot and not picked up, rather than her killing it).
Mrs Collie was super interested in both and will go for squirrels in the park. She's not yet come across rabbits etc in the wild properly (more of a fluke I suspect than any real intent) but I have no doubt the chase drive would kick in and she'd be off and there would be one less bunny hopping about if she could manage it.

 

[Clodagh]

My husband grew up with a boxer/labrador cross and she caught an escaped hamster, brought the hamster back to her humans, and her tooth had gone right through the poor sod's eye. That's my horror story and why I don't plan on leaving them loose together, can you imagine

Oh that’s so ?

 

[ArklePig]

Sorry I should have said, the vet came and removed the eye and sewed him up. He lived for another year or so looking really tough

 

[planete]

If you have dogs and small furries, it is not really a good idea to 100% trust the dogs, no matter their breeding or their training. They are all after all predators by nature, some will be more amenable to a veto on chasing and killing than others but it will also depend on the individual dog's make up as well as their breed. Be prepared to put a large amount of time and effort into training and managing most dogs to keep other pets safe. You can habituate most dogs to their family's small pets but the same small animals will still be fair game outdoors or in somebody else's house. Our old whirrier was obsessed with the guinea pigs when we got her, a year later she would go into their pens to harvest their droppings without even looking at them. She was still as obsessively bloodthirsty in all other scenarios though. My ex-racing greyhound ended up sleeping with our cat but nearly killed herself hurling herself across our car park after a neighbour's cat. The cat thankfully jumped onto a high wall and the greyhound did not actually break a shoulder blade on the wall, just bruised it very badly.

 

[Prancerpoos]

My brother had a golden retriever, a lovely dog, a real softie. He used to lie in front of the hamster cage for hours, just staring. One morning my brother came downstairs and found the hamster cage open and no hamster. Nothing could be proved, but the dog never went back to staring at the cage again...Not sure any breed could be trusted not to eat a little furry should the opportunity arrive and no human be around to see it.

 

[windand rain]

My goldie bitch used to dash around picking up birds that had flown into our plate glass window she would bring them back and drop them in cupped hands nudging your hand as if to say fix it. Sometimes they flew from my hand some had died hitting the glass but she never gave up on them. We had to be very careful disposing of the dead ones as she got very upset if they didn't fly away they were never damaged or even damp but some had broken necks or died of shock but more lived than died

 

[TheresaW]

We have two collies. One is 12, a bit deaf and a bit short sighted, and lives in her own world.

The other is around 7. He can’t be loose and around the horses. His herding instinct is so strong. He locks on, nips heels, and the risk of him getting a kick to the head is high. If we go to my mums, who has a cat, he will just sit and lay and stare at him the whole time we are there, until Ronnie (cat) gets bored and goes out. I don’t think Bo would deliberately hurt a small, but the nipping could do damage.

Both ours are rescues. No idea if Ellie would have been fine having her as a pup, but for Bo, the instinct is just there.

 

[laura_nash]

I think any dog can be trained to be good around small furries but it can be more difficult with a rescue as you don't know what has happened to them. Having said which our Lurcher was a rescue at 9 months and she is cat friendly. Here she is with one of our cats and the neighbours cat.

View attachment 85816

I'm not sure any dog can be trained to be safe, TBH. At least not easily. We had 3 sighthounds. Two could have been cat safe, with work, one no way. We got her to the point we could recall from a cat out and about, but I just can't imagine trying to get her to be able to safely live with one.

 

[laura_nash]

Well we have almost always had terriers. They seem to understand the difference between pets belonging to our families and other peoples pets.

We have had cats with terriers - the cats ruled the roost. We have chickens - they will peck and corner the terriers if they think the eggs are being stolen! My son has a terrier with a hamster. Our dogs are super interested in the hamster but don't bark at it if it is staying with us. A firm LEAVE will make them back away from the cage.

Ours is also like this, the cats rule and the hens used to see him off when we had them. He's never chased either because we told him not to (though he'd love to see off one of the cats, she likes to come and lay by him as he's warm and he hates it). I'm confident he would be fine with GP's if we told him to leave them (though not loose unattended). That's him though, not our training, he's very keen to please and can easily ignore his instincts (certainly compared to our previous sight hounds). He's a larger terrier, and a rescue, and I do sometimes think he might have a bit of collie in there.

OP I wouldn't completely rule out a terrier type with the right temperament, if you're getting an adult as pups are harder to judge individually.

 

[splashgirl45]

i had guinea pigs with my lurchers and they virtually ignored them. i would never trust them if the pigs were loose but in their cage on the table they were safe. when i had the pigs in the garden on the grass they were in a run with a roof and the dogs were only in the garden when i was there . i also had a border collie cross who wasnt bothered by them. my piggies lived a good life and never seemed worried by the dogs. i now have 2 small terriers and wouldnt have any small furries in the same house as i can imagine that they would be more interested in eating them....

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’ve always had rabbits and dogs.
I don’t know why, I’ve always been fairly laid back about introducing and it’s always gone well.
In our old house the rabbit lived free in the garden/shed and we had a lab and terrier. The lab was never an issue. The terrier was smaller than the rabbit at first and they were actual buddies, slept together (spooning ?) lay in the sun, took turns at being the chaser. Properly cute.
Cecil is a chaser, he chases wild rabbits. He does however get into my rabbit run (to steal carrots and pellets ?‍) I wouldn’t trust him 100% as In if I’m not around the door is shut, just incase.
The lab is fine and I would trust. Old collie and daughters terrier I wouldn’t let in with them.
If I loose Cecil (nb, auto correct turned that to devil which is quite apt ?) then he’s in the rabbit run!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My sister's lurcher, collie/greyhound type, chases cats squirrels, rabbits etc but lives with free roaming chickens in the garden and the rabbit too when he was still alive. If anything she looks after them.

 

[JoannaC]

I'm not sure any dog can be trained to be safe, TBH. At least not easily. We had 3 sighthounds. Two could have been cat safe, with work, one no way. We got her to the point we could recall from a cat out and about, but I just can't imagine trying to get her to be able to safely live with one.

You're right I phrased that wrong, what I was meaning was it's not necessarily breed specific and if you have them from a puppy it should be possible to train them to live with cats etc. as part of the pack. Some take more work than others, our newest Lab has been far more challenging and it has taken a lot of time and careful introduction and he still isn't 100% but is getting there. All mine will chase unfamiliar cats although are fine with neighbours cats that they know. I also wouldn't ever go out and leave the cats and dogs together in a room however well they get on normally as you never know, same as I would never leave a dog unsupervised with a child.

 

[scats]

We have 3 crossbreeds and they live in harmony with the Guinea pigs and cats.
My cats also live happily with our hamster, to the point that I can have the cats and hamster on the same bed with no issues (wouldn’t leave them unattended). Our animals seem to recognise that others in the house are part of the family and off limits.

Saying that, when I got our kittens, it took 6 weeks of pretty constant work to get our then 7 year old Husky x Dane to accept them as part of the family. This was before we had our other dogs and previous cats had stayed upstairs and gone out windows etc, so it was quite a big thing for her to accept two small, fast kittens that she could have easily killed in one motion. It worked though, within 2 months I could leave them all with no worries.