If you own cats and you're looking to add a dog to your family, you should take the time to consider which dog breeds will be best able to integrate well with your pets. Although each animal has a unique temperament and personality and may respond differently to the presence of other animals in the house, certain dog breeds do tend to be more compatible with cats than others. However, there are a number of other ways that you can help to encourage a healthy coexistence between different pets in your house, so the environment in which you introduce a new pet is also very important.
Labrador
Labradors are known to be very gentle and good with animals and humans both. This is one of the reasons that they make such excellent and popular choices for pets. However, because Labs do tend to be on the larger size (males may range up to about 80 pounds), they are often a bit too strong for cats. If your young Labrador is playing with a cat, he may easily overpower him without intending to cause him any injury. Therefore, it's a good idea to monitor a Labrador carefully while he's around cats.
Great Danes
Although they are among the largest of the dog breeds, and many people wonder if they will be able to properly get along with cats, Great Danes are very kind and easygoing, making them excellent companions to cats. As with other dogs, the earlier on in your Great Dane's development that you're able to introduce him to cats, the easier it will be to acclimate him to living alongside other pets in your house.
Shihtzu
Shihtzus are good choices of dog breeds for homes that already have cats in them for a number of reasons. Shihtzus are naturally very friendly and will get along well with cats. Shihtzus are very small and are unlikely to be able to accidentally cause a cat any harm by playing too roughly with them.
In addition to the breed of dog that you choose, it's best to introduce your dog to your cats as early as possible. Dogs that grow up as puppies alongside cats have a much easier time of getting along with those cats later in life. While puppies may be a bit rambunctious, they are learning how to interact with other animals and people in the house. It can be much more difficult to integrate a new dog into a home with cats if the dog is already fully grown and isn't accustomed to other animals.
Training your dog to be good with your cats involves a strict watching over his playing and his aggression. If necessary, you may need to keep your animals separated while they become used to each other's presence. Ask your vet for additional advice in this particular regard.