Getting a dog, how do I make him friends with the cats?

make sure the cats have there own area. don't let the dog just come in and have free run of the place. The fact that both of your cats are young is good, they most likely arent too set in their ways and wont be traumatized by the new addition. Maybe set up a baby gate to keep the dog confined into a certain room or area, and let the cats check the dog out at their own pace.

Hissing and growling from the cats will be normal right?

yes, i would expect some hissing, maybe even a bop on the nose. Should let the doggy know not to get too close too soon.

shan841 said:

yes, i would expect some hissing, maybe even a bop on the nose. Should let the doggy know not to get too close too soon.

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But all in all, it should be just like introducing another cat right?

Here's some good tips on introducing the dog to the cats.
Dog Tip: Introducing a New Dog to a Resident Cat

A Chihuahua-mix is likely going to be a very energetic (probably yappy) dog that can have a very dominant personality. A lot of people don't bother to train toy dogs properly because they think its antics (like growling and biting) are "cute". They should be trained and go to obedience school the same as big dogs so they learn to behave well around people and other pets, otherwise they can become little tyrants and rule the house.

Hmm well I guess it'll be a nice burger alarm...lol

How much is obedience school, or a trainer?

Also, we have a huge garage to put the dog in if he gets too wound up. The cats are really nice and playful to everyone they meet so it should be fine.

Congratulations! I, too have a chihuahua. He's one year old, but I got him at 9 weeks old. They definitely need to be trained. You do not want to be a victim of small dog syndrome. Some people think that because they are small, they can get away with bad behavior.

I thought that since our cat already lived with dogs (she is 7yrs old) that getting another puppy would be okay! Well, not so. She has retreated to my bedroom. But, she is beginning to come out a little. Your cats are young and it shouldn't be a problem. But they can get along very well.

Last night on our way up to bed, our golden retriever and the cat met on the stairs and the cat just started meowing like crazy. She loves our golden retriever!! And she will eventually learn to tolerate our chi!

Also, I am a member of the chihuahua forum. If you want to check it out is chihuahua-people.com.

athomas said:

But all in all, it should be just like introducing another cat right?

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All in all, it should be much easier than introducing two cats, unless the dog has a high prey drive. Cats often have a harder time getting used to their own kind than to others.

When we got a puppy just over a year ago, Blacky did not like her at all, the puppy even chased her several times and wouldn't listen to us telling her to stop. However, after the puppy got used to the idea that the cat was part of the family pack (and stopped just seeing her outside) things started to settle down. The puppy also has been trained to listen to us now, you can train them on your own. Blacky and the dog now sleep on the bed together, sometimes side by side. There is occasionally hissing towards the dog when she is really in her face constantly but otherwise they're really good together.

Yeah I dunno why people say dogs and cats hate each other. We got my sister in law a cat for her birthday last year. The dog and cat were instant friends. The dog even carries the cat around by the scruff, it's adorable.

athomas said:

Yeah I dunno why people say dogs and cats hate each other. We got my sister in law a cat for her birthday last year. The dog and cat were instant friends. The dog even carries the cat around by the scruff, it's adorable.

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I use to have a Persian and a Shih Tzu living together. The dog definitely liked the cat a lot, but the cat hated the dog with heart :lol:

Here's another good intro article

Cat-to-Dog Introductions | Little Big Cat

You will definitely have a good burgler alarm! Chihuahuas tend to be suspicious of strangers and definitely bark when they hear someone near your door or see someone outside a window.

Obedience schools or personal trainers vary in their prices, so you would have to check around. Go to a school and/or ask to observe the training. You want trainer who is strong on "positive reinforcement" and does not use any coercive methods, such as jerking the leash to force attention. A Chi's neck can be damaged by such methods, and I really don't agree with this type of training at all. Good luck and let us know how it goes. :razz:

Well so far so good, only one cat is kind of scared of him.

One issue though, the second he had access to the litter box, he was eating out of it. Should I be worried? I use clumping litter.

Also, how do I keep him out of the laundry room where the cat box is, but let the cats get in?

Dog do like to eat those cat poos!.....and clumping litter can be binding, so you really don't want him snacking in the litter box. Anyhoo, you'll have to put your cats litter box in a place that is elevated that your dog can't get at, such as a card table or counter top in the laundry room. A pet door wouldn't work here as the dog is the same size or smaller than the cats.

He was down there for MAYBE 5 minutes. No big chance of him getting stopped up because of the clumping stuff?

Hi, I had that problem once. A baby gate worked for me. The cat could jump over it, but the dog couldn't. It was especially important to me that the dog couldn't get at the poop. He had a condition called megasophagus, and could only eat a certain way or he would bring everything he ate up again. So, if he were to eat the poo, he would bring all the poop up again. It was dangerous to the dog, because there was a chance he could aspirate it and have cat excrement in his lungs would not be good at all.
Also, there is nothing worse than cleaning up poop vomit.
Sorry, way too much information, I know. A baby gate was our solution.