Terriers and cats

[janem_g]

As a family we own one dog - mongrel poodle/schnauzer perhaps. Almost 6 and great as a family pet. Good with our 3 cats and other dogs but very much my dog. We (eldest daughter and I) puppy walked for Hearing Dogs a poodle for a year and successfully trained him and he is now with his recipient and doing a great job. However she would really like her own dog. Outdoorsy, horses etc, studying from home as a vet phys so could look after it but she likes a terrier type. I am afraid for my cats! Any top tips or suggestions or is she mad? I guess puppy would be best? Her favourite are border terriers or a cross. She has money but not a ridiculous amount and I don't want her to be fleeced and am horrified at some of the prices currently. She just wants a rough with a hint of scruff to accompany her on her adventures and not be my pet which realistically is what the others are.

All and any advice gratefully received.

 

[ihatework]

Puppy.
The cats will sort it out from a young age, especially if they are already dog-proof/tolerant.

 

[Foxglove]

Agree with getting it young.

When I was a child my parents got a JRT and the first thing my black cat did was march over to him and gave him a good whack! The JRT always respected the cats and there was never any problems

Similarly when I got my Boston Terrier (despite websites declaring they are terriers in name only I can assure you mine has plenty of classic terrier traits!) my Tortie declared martial law on him and they have lived very much that way ever since!

 

[Apercrumbie]

If she gets a puppy and makes sure it spends as much time with your cats as possible from the beginning, you will have no problems at all. We've nearly always had terriers and while they do have to learn to bounce less, we've never had any real incidents. With our current puppy the main issue is that he adores our cat so much that he just wants to lick him to death...

 

[SOS]

As per others get it from a puppy.

From a household with a whippet, saluki X and cat!

ETA: that said my partners dog the saluki X was 2 when I got my cat/they met. We had very controlled meetings at first with him muzzled/on the lead and let the kitten come up to him and he was praised for ignoring him. Now if the cat gets a bit much he comes to us for a treat.

 

[misst]

My old JRT was introduced at 9 weeks to the cats. They showed her who was boss. They would pin her down and wash her face and ears thoroughly if they felt like it. They also made a point of taking her food if they felt like it at meal times. She grew up respecting our cats. When we lost them and moved house next door had huge cats - she showed some interest once and they just hissed and puffed themselves up and that was that. My two terriers that I have now are okish with next doors cats - one is very submissive with them but will bark and chase in our garden. The one year old puppy barks and chases in our garden but has not yet shown interest outside of her "territory". Ours are good with chickens as well.

 

[Cloball]

This terrier thought he WAS a cat for quite some time

 

[poiuytrewq]

This terrier thought he WAS a cat for quite some timeView attachment 65510

What a brilliant photo! I love it ?

 

[Cloball]

What a brilliant photo! I love it ?

When he was a puppy he once flew out of a window (low ground floor into garden nobody panic) trying to copy the cats jumping onto the window sill.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Border terriers are great dogs. Mine loves the cats, free range guinea pigs, rabbits and any rehab baby doves. He even indulges the doves by allowing them to use his water bowl as a bath.

 

[GSD Woman]

I know my wire fox terrier was a bit unusual but she was 5 when I got her. She was good with my indoor cats but anything out of doors was fair game.

 

[DabDab]

Never had a problem with terriers and cats.

 

[Kaylum]

We had a cat chaser jrt we also had a stray cat that would walk in straight past the dog and lay on the sofa. First time this happened the terrier went up to the cat the cat got his claws out and the terrier never went nead again.

 

[meleeka]

Terriers aren’t the easiest when it comes to outdoor life, aside from the cat issue. Lots of them have a selective deafness when it comes to recall. My JRT can’t be trusted off lead at the yard, she’ll get a scent of something and she might be very close, but still appears not to hear me when I call her! I definitely couldn’t trust her to visit anyone else’s yard. My stables have a few holes in the kickboards where she’s decided there’s a rat behind and she’ll keep going until she gets to it, or where it might have been. I don’t have a huge rodent problem so I dread to think what she’d be like if there was actually loads of them.

Although I love her character and wouldn’t be without her, I think a dog that is obsessed with balls, rather than small fluffy things would be a lot easier.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Although I love her character and wouldn’t be without her, I think a dog that is obsessed with balls, rather than small fluffy things would be a lot easier.

We had a pair of JRT's, they made us laugh and swear in equal amounts. Their recall was brilliant on a walk but if they managed to escape from the garden, they would *not* come back until they felt ready. We are very firm on 'never again'

However they were born in a kitchen with cats around all the time and never troubled any of our cats.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I adored my terrier x (mongrel not designer!)
He died a few years ago and I think I definite remember him with rose tinted glasses ?
He was hilariously best friends with our rabbit and just a little bundle of stubborn personality.
Disliked by all but me ?

 

[janem_g]

Thankyou everyone, you've made me feel better. Now just to attempt to find one at some point!