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There’s really no way to truly know whether your cat and dog will get along well. The best way to make a good match of your cat and dog is to understand what their personalities are. Many of the personalities that match well among humans tend to match well among animals. You should take these factors into consideration.
You certainly know your existing pet’s personality. And although it may be difficult to tell, you’ll want to find as much out about your new pet’s personality as possible to make a decision as to whether the two might get along. Ask the breeder or previous owner as many questions about the pet’s personality as possible. Then make an educated decision about whether they’d get along.
When you’re first introducing your cat and your dog, you’ll want to make sure you do so after they’ve each had a big meal and are a bit on the tired side. You want to be with them for a good while when they’re first introduced. Praise them excessively. You want to give them plenty of “Good boy”’s and “Good kitty”’s. Watch them closely and don’t let them fight.
Then after they’ve been around each other for awhile, let them be alone for a bit. But you need to be sure to stand somewhere where they don’t know you’re watching them. Keep an eye on them. Make sure they get along. If things get out of hand, you need to step in and get things under control. If they get out of control early in their relationship, you need to spend plenty of time with them in order to encourage positive behavior and shun negativities.
The key to trying to implement a positive relationship between your pets is plenty of praise when they are properly behaving. When they aren’t behaving, make sure you let them know that that kind of activity is not permitted.
It’s not essential that your dog and cat get along, but it helps. You certainly want to have as civil a home as possible. You should keep in mind that not all cats and dogs get along. If your pets don’t get along as well as you’d like, you just need to accept it and play referee once in awhile.
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