I have a cat and might be getting a golden retriever. They say that if a golden gets bored he/she will chew on things. Would a cat keep him/her busy so he wouldn’t chew on things?
Thats going to depend on so many things. How old is the retriever? How old is the cat? Do the retriever and the cat get along? Are they inside or outside when they are alone?
If its a puppy, it will probably still chew on things cause thats what puppies do. Be sure to get lots of chew toys and take it out to run around and get lots of exercise. That way it won’t be so active in the house and be looking for things to play with and chew on. Be careful with rope toys. They are great for tug-of-war but do not leave it alone with the dog to chew on it. The dog can swallow the rope which can wrapped around the dogs insides. (Ive seen it and it isn’t pretty)
Now that being said, having two animals does keep them entertained more when they are left alone. It gives them a buddy to play with. It works great when you get two dogs instead of one. But dogs will be dogs and they will chew on things no matter how many animals you have,
Don’t rely on a cat to keep your dog busy. Golden retrievers are active breeds and will, at minimum, need two hour long walks daily by the they are a year old. Plus an hour of high activity play time. Making sure the dog is well exercised will prevent it from chewing-also get puzzle games to mentally stimulate the dog.
As for whether or not a golden retriever will get along with a cat-it depends on the individual dog and the individual cat. They may get along greatly, or they might just tolerate one another existence, keep interactions between them short and sweet at the beginning. Let the dog sleep with a blanket that the cat usually sleeps on(or a piece of clothing) and let the cat be around/have a blanket/piece of material with the dogs smell on it. This way they will get use to one another-keep all socialization between the cat and dog supervised for the first few weeks.
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All dogs have a high prey-drive, meaning they will want to chase the cat. Probably won’t hurt the cat but still, the cat won’t be too happy about it. Then again, once the dog gets a nose full of razor sharp cat claws, it’ll know better than to mess around and then they should get along fine.
Also, when you do introduce the dog to your house, don’t forget about the cat. Show her lots of love and attention so she knows she’s still wanted.
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That really depends on the dogs history with cats, if you’ve seen it around a cat and the dog doesn’t seem threatening or threatened it should be fine.
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Thats going to depend on so many things. How old is the retriever? How old is the cat? Do the retriever and the cat get along? Are they inside or outside when they are alone?
If its a puppy, it will probably still chew on things cause thats what puppies do. Be sure to get lots of chew toys and take it out to run around and get lots of exercise. That way it won’t be so active in the house and be looking for things to play with and chew on. Be careful with rope toys. They are great for tug-of-war but do not leave it alone with the dog to chew on it. The dog can swallow the rope which can wrapped around the dogs insides. (Ive seen it and it isn’t pretty)
Now that being said, having two animals does keep them entertained more when they are left alone. It gives them a buddy to play with. It works great when you get two dogs instead of one. But dogs will be dogs and they will chew on things no matter how many animals you have,
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Owner of multiple dogs
Vet technician
Retriever breeds can be good with cats if socialized properly with them. I own a retriever breed (Black Lab) that used to run wild killing and eating cats.
This dog today cohabits and actually cares for our two cats. I cannot guarantee the safety of any errant cat that tries to access my property, but I totally trust this dog with the two cats he has under his care and protection.
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Golden retrievers are very people oriented and will form close bonds with other animals. I have a Golden and a cat and they get along so well .
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