What Other Pets Get Along With Dogs?

Pet owners often want to have more than one pet, such as having a dog and another type of animal in the household. To ensure that all of your beloved pets are safe, you will need to understand which dogs get along with which animals and if supervision is required. For the most part, dogs are gentle animals that can be trained on which animals are friends and should not be harmed.

  1. Cats

    • Cats and dogs in the same household may get along if they are introduced to each other with the right circumstances. The best way to have a cat and dog get along is to adopt both of them around the same time, preferably as a puppy and kitten. The other way that is beneficial is to have the dog in the house first, then introduce a cat. Cats have dominant personalities by nature, so when you have a cat in your home first, it may automatically reject and possibly resent any other pet to be introduced later on. You may notice that your dog wants to play with your cat, but the cat may not be very interested.

    Birds

    • It is possible to have a pet bird get along with your dog, however you want to provide supervision when the bird is out of his cage. Dogs are kind, gentle creatures but often times may get out of hand and cause harm even when they do not mean to. When you first introduce a bird to your dog, you want to keep a close eye on both of them.

    Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Ferrets

    • Other caged animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets won't necessarily mind being around a dog, but they may not want to interact with the dog much. As with a pet bird, you want to keep a close eye on them and not leave them unsupervised when out of their protective cages. With a ferret, you want to watch over the playtime between these two animals and when you are not at home, keep these animals in separate rooms to ensure their safety.

    Other Dogs

    • Most dogs will accept another dog in the household and soon get along with it, including playing and sleeping together. However, not all breeds mesh well so you want to be sure to get a breed that gets along with the dog you currently have. It is also recommended that you have a male and a female dog, as opposed to the same gender and have both of them spayed or neutered for the best behavior.