r/GermanShepherd • u/peas4567 • 8d ago
Adopting German Shepherd with cats?
Planning to adopt a German Shepherd as a guard dog, though really just as a member of our family. My main concern is my cats. I know some German Shepherds can be aggressive toward cats so for anyone who has experience adopting one, how can you tell whether a dog will be safe around cats? I prefer to adopt an adult dog rather than a puppy but Can their behavior toward cats change as they get older? Any advice or input would be appreciated. Thank you!
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u/Minimum_Type7902 8d ago
Oh, I thought this was something about adopting a shep and âtheirâ cats⌠like you canât just adopt the shep, you have to take the shepâs cats too!
Any dog can be a jerk to a cat, just as cats can be a jerks to dogs! All luck of the draw I suppose?!
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u/smile_saurus 8d ago
Not all German Shepherds are guard dogs automatically. That is a stupid reason to adopt one. Yes, they are protective but actual guard dog GSDs go to Guard Dog School.
Not all GSDs are good with cats, either. Remember: GSDs excel at Herding - AKA chasing small, fast-moving things. Cats are small, fast-moving things. And more GSDs than not have high prey drives.
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u/Ghosthits187 8d ago
You have no idea how that adult dog will be around cats. I would get a puppy. That way itâll grow up with the cats. GSDs have high prey drives and an adult one that hasnât been around cats could easily kill yours.
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u/peas4567 8d ago
Oh.. I saw that some shelters label dogs as safe with cats but I guess that makes sense. So thereâs really no way to know for sure, even if theyâve been tested around cats?
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u/Different_Cable7595 8d ago
At the very best you know that the shepherd is good with those specific cats. It doesn't mean that to will be good with YOUR cats. I've had multiple shepherds in my life, and they were all raised with cats. Even at that I would be careful if I was introducing new cats, or a new environment with cats they haven't met.
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u/Warm-Challenge-7239 8d ago
if youâre adopting they will normally tell you if they are good around cats before they let you adopt them
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u/peas4567 8d ago
Yep, I saw that some shelters do this which gives some assurance but wasnât sure how much I should trust it
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u/Warm-Challenge-7239 8d ago
i definitely wouldnât 100% trust it but i think as long as they are introduced in the proper manner should be okay. can be the same with puppies you could get a puppy and then the dogs drive starts getting higher as they grow and they attack the cats. theres always that risk with cats and dogs being together unfortunately :)
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u/band-of-horses 8d ago
Mine was cat tested and they said he ignored the cat. When I got home he wanted to murder my cat. I watched the video of the cat test, and it was clear he was very stressed and scared in a new environment and was so freaked out he was just trying to avoid the cat and get out of there.
I wouldn't really trust a brief cat test. If they were in a foster home with cats living day to day that would be much better.
My dog now lives in a separate part of the house from cats with a baby gate separating them. Not ideal, but you do what you gotta do. He's gotten better at not reacting to the cat when he sees it, but there is no way I would ever trust him face to face and unsupervised.
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u/peas4567 8d ago
Oh no.. this is what I fear that mustâve been a terrifying experience, but Iâm glad you found a solution that works! Does your cat stay away from that area?
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u/1cat2dogs1horse 8d ago
I wouldn't trust word of mouth a great deal. A lot of people aren't necessarily going to tell the truth when surrendering a dog that could have issues to a rescue, or shelter, for fear the dog will not be accepted.
I've had GSDs and cats for many years. What always seemed to work, though it was never intentional, was If if there was an older, well established in the household, female cat., when a new dog was introduced into the home. But I never got a GSD older than I4 months old
I do question you wanting an adult GSD as a guard dog/companion.. Especially if you have never had one before. They can be quite challengingl if you are not experienced with the breed.
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u/YTraveler2 8d ago edited 8d ago
Some Shepherds are good with cats, some are not.
My first GSD was a puppy when I got her and she was great with the cats my gf had. I moved, got a new gf and she got kittens. The GSD was great with them too. Our current GSD was fantastic with the cat owned by the lady who rescued her from the dumpster (she was abandoned), which was the icing on the cake to convince us to adopt her.
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u/The_NextSupreme 8d ago
We adopted a 2 year old cat when our GSD was also 2. They are both now 7. They adore each other but the treat situation is very serious. If one gets a treat the other must also get one or they star barking and meowing and will have justice.
They cuddle, sleep, play, get into shit. Our cat is quite active, busy and curious. If she is up to no good he will herd her away. He also gives her baths which she loves. We take them to the vet together and they comfort each other and are very chill. Watching them interact and love on each other it delights me everyday.
From day one they just touched noses and were off. Never have we seen any fear or fighting amongst them.
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u/ghostoftheradio 7d ago
Had a 75 lbs GSD that would rip the stuffing out of any stranger that came to the door, but wouldnât go up the stairs if our 5 lbs cat didnât want him to.
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u/CoDaDeyLove 7d ago
GSD's are so smart, I bet the dog will figure out that the cat was there first and has a "higher rank" in the household. Make sure your cat has a high spot they can retreat to if they feel threatened. I've had 4 GSD's, both males and females, and they were all fine with my house cats after their introduction.
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u/PNWBlonde4eyes 6d ago
We got a cat 3 yrs after current shepherd. Dog chases squirrels, rabbits & cats in his yard. However, his fur sibling rules his world. It's all in how you introduce the cat into the house. You need consistency in boundaries (which duh, all working breeds need it). If you have an untrained or spoiled dog consider getting yourself trained. Good luck
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u/SadIndependence3475 5d ago
My boy is 7. When we bought him home we already had a cat. She is not friendly so he learned real quick that those cats have murder mittens. We have since adopted 2 more over the years. One he chases and she lets him chase her. He loves to show his teeth but go in for kisses. My orange cat he stays away from. Like if he is on the steps my dog is not going on those steps. The cats have an escape and he has to be reminded to stop chasing tail. Some do not like cats no matter what you do.
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u/EastwardSeeker 3d ago
My boy is great with cats, he likes them but they don't always like him, in which case he just keeps his distance.
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u/Affectionate-Crow605 7d ago
I've had 5 GSDs. One was raised from a puppy, and the others were all brought in as adults (well, I guess my current one was 7 months, so still puppy, but a trained puppy). All of my GSDs have enjoyed the sport of cat chasing, but all have also been fine around my cats. In other words, yes, they are herding animals with prey drive, but also they can be taught not to eat the fluffy things with knives.
First thing to do is make sure you have a dog-free area for your cats to escape to. Mine have the upstairs, the master bedroom downstairs (with a cat door), and cat trees downstairs. At night, dogs are in one large room with couches and crates, and cats are in the rest of the house.
Second thing to do is to go through a rescue and find a GSD that has been fostered with cats.
You will still need to train you dog! I teach "leave it" and use that command for cats as well as food or nasty things they shouldn't touch. My cats can walk around my GSDs. If the cat swats the GSD and runs away, the dog is going to chase. Cat runs to safe zone, dog is told to leave it and stops chasing. The funny thing is that a 7 lb cat can be sitting in the middle of the kitchen, and my 100+lb GSD will not go across that room until the cat is out of the way. đ