It is every pet lover’s dream to have a cat and a dog that are best friends. This adorable connection, however, is often rare. If you are planning to get a Sheepadoodle, you may be wondering whether this designer breed is calm enough to be around a cat.
As a general rule, with their gentle and loving nature, Sheepadoodles get along with cats and other pets just fine! They enjoy the company of other pets and like to play with everyone. That being said, this can depend on the right training and socialization, as well as your dog’s individual personality.
If you own a cat and are bringing a Sheepadoodle into the home – or vice versa – it is important to understand how likely it is that your dog and cat will get along and what you can do to help make this possible.
Do Sheepadoodles Like Cats?
Sheeppoos are a cross between the English Sheepdog and the Poodle. Both of these breeds are friendly with humans and other animals, so the offspring almost always gets along with cats.
The breed generally has a non-aggressive nature so that you can rule out aggressive behavior towards the cat. However, whether or not your Sheepadoodle ‘loves’ your cat will depend on a number of factors.
Socialization –
The absolute best bet is to raise a puppy and a kitten together so that they are both socialized at the same time. However, this is obviously not always the case. In most cases, you would be bringing a puppy home to a cat.
It is important that you start socializing the puppy very early on with your cat and other cats and dogs. This will establish other animals as non-threatening and promote calm behavior as an adult dog. It is also essential to ask your breeder about the puppy’s socialization since most of it is done even before eight weeks of age.
Training –
You can employ positive reinforcement to help your puppy get along with your cat. You must also perfect basic commands with your dog to ensure you can monitor and instruct their behavior during interactions with the cat.
If you are bringing home an adult Sheepadoodle, it is advised to keep the introduction gradual and controlled.
Personality –
If you have had pets before, you would know that all animals have unique personalities. While they are certainly more predisposed to having certain personality traits due to their genetics, they can still have remarkably individual preferences and behaviors.
Depending on personality, your Sheeppoo might love, tolerate, or simply be indifferent to your cat. The same holds true for the cat as well!
Pet owners often see that their dog is friendly and eager to play with the cat, but the cat does not seem pleased or interested.
It will eventually come down to what both pets like and are comfortable with.
Are Sheepadoodles Calm?
Sheepadoodles are gentle and calm dogs if trained well. As puppies, they have lots of energy that needs to be spent through physical activity and mental stimulation.
They have vibrant personalities and can sometimes be overly energetic and need to be trained out of behaviors like jumping, pulling on the leash, and being overly excited while playing with other pets.
They may have herding tendencies that often lead to them nipping at small dogs, cats, and young children in an attempt to ‘herd’ them.
This is a behavior that needs to be monitored and eliminated through distraction and training. The good news is that they are not aggressive by nature, and you do not have to worry about them attacking another pet.
How to Introduce Your New Puppy to Your Cat
Sheepadoodles are likely to get along with the family cat, but it is still your responsibility as the owner to ensure that this process goes smoothly.
Here are the steps to help your pets get along.
Prepare Your Home
Before your new Sheeppoo puppy arrives home, it is important to make your cat feel safe and provide private spaces that will not be intruded on. This means creating high resting spaces to which the cat can retreat until it is ready to interact with the new puppy.
You should also assign a specific area to the cat’s food and litter trays and keep this separate from the puppy’s area. Neither pet should feel threatened, afraid, or abandoned.
Let the Puppy Explore the Home
When you bring your Sheepadoodle home, it is advised that you don’t introduce the cat and the dog immediately. Instead, let the cat rest in a comfortable room while the puppy explores the rest of the house on a leash.
You can then secure the puppy in a crate set away in one room and let the cat roam around in the house. Let both pets out I the house separately for a few days. Meanwhile, begin the puppy’s command, obedience, and crate training.
Introducing Your Pets
You should ideally introduce the new puppy to the cat when the puppy is crate trained. This usually takes around one week with regular training. When the puppy first meets the cat, he should be calm and should already have had playtime and walks for the day.
Additionally, the introduction should take place in a room where the cat has higher surfaces to retreat to.
Follow these steps for the first interaction:
- Secure your puppy in the crate or on a leash. Check our favorites here!
- Ask another family member or friend to help, with one person assigned to each pet.
- Keep treats and favorite toys handy for both pets. This will help them build positive associations with one another.
- Bring the cat into the room. Let both pets notice each other, but also keep them distracted and happy with treats and toys.
- If both pets seem calm, let them approach each other while still keeping the puppy on a leash.
- If the Sheeppoo gets overly excited, end the interaction immediately.
- Keep the meeting short, and repeat it during the day and over the course of the next few days until the pets warm up to each other.
The process can take several days. Remember not to reprimand either pet because this will build a negative association with the interactions. Keeping these meetings supervised for several weeks is also important since this can be stressful for the cat.
The same process should be followed if you bring a cat home to a Sheepadoodle puppy or adult dog.
With good luck, your Sheeppoo may become best friends with your cat. However, remember that your goal should be both pets getting along and not displaying fearful or aggressive tendencies to one another.
Some cats and dogs may never become friends due to their unique personality traits and preferences, but they should be fine as long as they learn to share one home!