How to Introduce Cats to a Weimeraner

Confine the cats and the dog in separate locations of your home for about 1 week, while your new Weimaraner adjusts to its surroundings. If the cats get along, confine them together. Make sure to have food and water dishes, along with a litter box available for your cats in their room, and separate food and water dishes for your Weimaraner in its room.

Teach your Weimaraner obedience skills, or refresh them for a previously trained dog, before introducing it to any cats in your home. Weimaraner's are highly intelligent, trainable and obedient, according to the American Kennel Club. Train your dog to "sit," "stay," "leave it" and "come." Use food rewards, such as small pieces of chicken or cheese, to reward your dog for performing these commands. Make sure your dog fully understands and responds to these commands before introducing it to your cats so you can control the dog during the meeting.

Rub the cats with a blanket or towel to obtain their scent. Give this item to your Weimaraner to smell and start learning the scent of the other animals. Do the same in reverse with the dog's scent, allowing your cats to smell its scent with the towel or blanket. Continue to do this, refreshing the scent until the animals don't react to the scent.

Place the Weinmaraner inside its room and feed it near the door to the room. Feed the cats on the other side of the door. This allows each of the animals to safely smell and sense each other with the safety of a door in-between, during the pleasant experience of eating. Continue to do this until none of the animals show signs of aggression such as growling or hissing.

Secure a baby gate to the opening of the doorway to either the cats' or dog's room. Allow the animals to meet in person with the protection of the gate in-between. Verbally correct any aggressive behavior by telling your dog to "leave it" to stop it from focusing on your cats as prey. Reward any non-aggression by any of the animals with a food reward such as chicken or cheese. Do this for about 1 week or until the animals do not show signs of aggression.

Allow the cats out of their room to wander your home. Put your Weimaraner on a leash and place a muzzle on it. Sit calmly with your dog and allow the cats to come over and investigate their new companion. Correct aggressive behavior on the part of the dog with a verbal correction and a command to "leave it." If the dog begins to aggressively follow or try to chase the cats, command it to sit and stay. Continue these supervised, short, 10 to 15 minute, leashed and muzzled sessions until the Weimaraner displays no signs of aggression or of wanting to chase the cats.

Put your Weimaraner on its leash, but do not use the muzzle. Allow it to interact with your cats under your supervision. Immediately correct your dog verbally and restrain it with the leash if necessary if it tries to lunge at your cats. Continue to do this in small sessions of 10 to 15 minutes until your dog fully responds to your commands and shows no interest in chasing or harming the cats and vice-versa. Reward friendly or neutral behavior for each animal with food treats.

Allow your Weimaraner off of its leash to interact with your cats under your close supervision. Keep the mood light and calm to encourage friendly interaction between the animals. Once the animals show no aggressive or threatening behavior, allow them to coexist in your home without confining any of them to a room. Make sure there is always someone to supervise their interactions for at least 3 to 4 months, even if the Weimaraner shows no signs of prey instinct. Keep the Weimaraner well-trained with its commands in case you need to use them to stop any potentially harmful interactions with your cats.