Can dogs tolerate being with other pet animals or birds? This question often arises when the current dog parent plans to adopt a non-canine pet or vice versa.
If you too have been planning to add a new member to your family and are anxious about the response of your dog, keep reading this post to find the answer.
According to The Dogs Journal, dogs can live with most of the animals such as cats, birds, horses, rabbits, chickens, and exotic pets. However, knowing the personality and behavior of your dog is essential. Secondly, some dog breeds are highly vulnerable for small pets due to their hunting habits, you need to keep that in mind too.
So, without any further ado let’s resolve your doubts.
What are those pets that your dog can live with?
You can choose from a wide variety of pet animals if you have a dog. Dogs get along well with a variety of different pets such as cats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, other dogs, hamsters, etc.
The friendship of a dog and a cat can be exemplary in most cases. Although, you may have heard the phrase “fighting like dogs and cats”, you may be surprised to know that dogs and cats can live together happily.
Can dogs live with an Exotic animal?
You can find exotic animals which are peaceful, compact and don’t require a lot of space. Below are a few exotic pets that can easily be adapted by your dog.
- Ferrets
- Rats
- Mice
- Hamsters
- Guinea Pigs
- Reptiles
- Hedgehogs
- Frogs
- Hermit Crabs
- Tarantulas
- Chinchillas
Even though exotic animals can get along with your dog, proper training and socialization are the keys to improving your dog’s behavior. Additionally, these pets can be kept in apartments, condominiums, and other small living spaces.
Can dogs live with Farming animals?
There is no problem for your dog living with farm animals. Many dogs are used as guard dogs or herding dogs for farm animals. Here is a list of farm pets that you can keep with your dog:
- Goats
- Chickens
- Ducks
- Cows
- Sheep
- Quails
- Rabbits
Pet-friendly Dog Breeds
Because it is impossible to predict how a dog will behave, you should choose your coming pet according to the dog you already own. Every dog has a unique personality and temperament, which can be used to predict how it will react while meeting the new pet. Apart from the common traits, training and socialization are also important factors that improve your dog’s behavior towards other animals.
If you are wondering which dog breeds would be ideal to keep with other pet animals, the following are some of the dogs that are intelligent and tolerant enough to make up with other species.
- Golden Retriever
- Goldendoodle
- French Bulldog
- Pug
- Corgi
- Basset Hound
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Labrador Retriever
- Havanese
- Beagle
And there are even more dog breeds that can do well with other canine and non-canine pets.
Is your dog a high prey drive?
The Behavior or the Excitement of performing a hunting-related task that is inherently present in the nature of certain dog breeds is called Prey Drive. Recently, modern breeding has changed the nature of breeds and affected the prey drive as well as other behaviors.
In the past, dogs were bred for specific purposes. Some dogs were bred for high prey drive and some dogs for other purposes such as herding or guarding. So, the high prey drive dogs have strong jaws which means they can apply strong force with their mouth. The dog breeds with high prey drive belong to the herding, terrier, hound, and porting groups of dogs. If you too have one of these dog types, you need to be highly careful if you want to get another pet, especially the small ones such as a parrot or a rabbit.
No one knows better than you
Without any doubt, no one knows your dog’s temperament and personality better than you. If it is herding a dog then obviously a cat or a rabbit will not be appreciable to be its constant fellow. Similarly, if your dog is a natural chaser like Jack Russel, then birds or other small pets are not suitable or it will not tolerate their presence.
However, it is possible that a herding dog can live with other small pet animals but entirely depends on the personality of your dog along with its socializing skills.
Easy living pets
Interestingly, some pets are easily adjustable and easily add to a small house without any fear instead of having a dog. Some small size pets for example hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. All of them spend most of their lives in small cages without interacting with a predator pet. However, you should keep them protected in a safe room where your dog doesn’t try to figure out its curiosity and prey-drive concerning small pets.
Planning for another dog
If you are a dog owner and considering another pup, you should consider a few things before getting one. For example, like your dog’s physical traits its personality traits will be entirely different from one other and are unique.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it is highly recommended that as a second pet you should choose an opposite-gender dog of the same age. It will give you so many benefits such as they will give each other company whenever you left them alone. They will become very good friends so that is why this thing must be kept in mind while adopting another dog.
You also need to keep your dog’s size in mind. If you have a Great Dane which is the largest dog, and you are planning to get a Chihuahua which is the smallest dog, it may be disastrous because the Chihuahua may get injured even during the playtime due to the size of the Great Dane.
If you have a Cat and planning a Dog:
If you are an owner of a cat and adding a dog to your family then you can adopt one. However, most dog breeds are good with cats, mainly if they are raised together from a younger age. While some dogs are specifically bred for herding purposes such as Terriers and Sighthounds, these dogs can be very dangerous for cats they even kill cats.
Along with that, you must consider your cat’s temperament and choose a “cat savvy” dog because it will ignore the presence of your dog. Dogs like Golden Retriever, Bichon Frise, and Boxer are living examples that live along with cats under one roof sharing the same space.
Final Thoughts
One thing you should understand is that there is no guarantee about the dog’s behavior because each dog has its specific temperament. Which can also vary depending on their socialization, training, and many other important factors. Therefore, it is recommended to know your requirements, as well as, the dog or pet you are looking for. Compare your lifestyle with its living requirements and decide after proper research.