If you want your pets to see eye to eye (or paw to paw), then this key step is not one you’ll want to ignore.

If you want your pets to see eye to eye (or paw to paw), then this key step is not one you’ll want to ignore.
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Pets

This is the ultimate trick to help your dog and cat get along from day one

Calum Roche
Sports-lover turned journalist, born and bred in Scotland, with a passion for football (soccer). He’s also a keen follower of NFL, NBA, golf and tennis, among others, and always has an eye on the latest in science, tech and current affairs. As Managing Editor at AS USA, uses background in operations and marketing to drive improvements for reader satisfaction.
Update:

Cue menacingly deep voice: “Since the beginning of time, a war for planet Earth has been fought between two worthy adversaries. A war so secret, so covert, that it could be happening in your own living room.”

For everyone who sat through the 2001 movie Cats & Dogs you’ll be more than aware of the phrase “fighting like cats and dogs,” a saying that has stuck around. Sometimes, as is often the case, it’s dead accurate.

But there is another side to the relationship. It’s entirely possible for cats and dogs to get along just fine. Some even become proper friends, like napping-on-the-same-couch kind of friends. But, experts suggest, only if you don’t screw up the introduction.

What is the biggest mistake in pet intros?

Pet owners often assume the animals will figure it out themselves, so advises certified animal behaviorist Stephanie Gibeault with the American Kennel Club. Tossing a cat and dog into a living room together isn’t just “letting them meet.” It’s a recipe for growling, claw swipes, and potentially long-term tension.

What to do instead is wait... at least a little.

You want both animals to get used to each other without being in the same space. Let’s say you’ve brought a new puppy into a cat’s home. Don’t introduce them on day one. Keep the dog in a separate area, ideally a room with a door. Then bring in something that smells like the cat – a toy, a blanket, even a cushion. Hand the dog a treat while they sniff it.

By doing this, you’re teaching the dog that the smell is something good. And the same goes in reverse for the cat. If you feed them near something that smells like the dog, you’re rewiring their instinct to hiss at anything that pants and wags.

Teaching toleration

Just like in our own human society, sometimes we are forced to work - or even live – with people we’d rather not. This is where tolerance comes into play and most domesticated animals are capable of peaceful cohabitation if you set the tone early.

This is especially true if either animal was socialized with the other species when young. Breed matters too. Some dogs were literally bred to chase small animals. Not ideal. But even then, training and setup can go a long way.

Baby gates, screens or even just a door left slightly open can reduce the dramatic intro, letting them have a peek at their cohabitant but sparking curiosity more than anything.

This is the ultimate trick to help your dog and cat get along from day one
Goo boy! Dog gets treat after staying calm with cat.

Then, when it all feels calm, you can try putting them together, but there’s still more advice from Gibeault at this stage, pointing to the rule: ‘cat free, dog controlled.’ This means the cat can wander, and the dog is on a leash. And good behavior from them can be rewarded with a treat, while every attempt to chase gets a firm “leave it” and redirect.

Scent not sight: how to know when it’s worked

After following these steps, you’ll be watching for signs that you can let them be. So, if your dog knows to sit when the cat walks by, you’ve won. If your cat stops sprinting into another room every time the dog yawns, you’ve won. And you know your pets best so spot their comfort signals.

But these wins take time – sometimes weeks - but it’s an effort worth making for you, for them... and for your furniture!

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