# 8 week old puppy & 4 year old Maine **** Cat-Advice needed (2 kids under 2 also)



## mnadraus (Jun 7, 2015)

We are about to get a Vizsla who is 8 weeks old and we have a 4 year old Maine **** Cat (mr. snuggles). What can we expect? The cat is quite friendly. The Vizsla is a puppy. Will this ruin my cat, his lifestyle or personality? Anyone had a cat get hurt or worse? We also have a 2 yr old son who loves the cat and man handles him but never goes too far. We also have a 3 month old girl who is precious. Stay at home wife to raise the kids and cat and this puppy. I want any and all advice in the next day or 2 so I can have as much wisdom in this as possible. We have both owned dogs and grew up with them, among other animals (cats, prairie dog, hermit crabs, fish, mice, rats etc). We know our kids would love the puppy. When we get an animal, thats now part of the family, for good or bad forever. PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE ABOUT IT ALL ESPECIALLY THE CAT PART. Thanks guys!


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## mnadraus (Jun 7, 2015)

*New 8week old V, 4yr old cat, 2yr old son, 3month old daughter, whatcan i expect*

Well, we took the plunge and know all about the Vs as best we can. We are set on one. We have a 4 year old cat, 8 hermit crabs, 2 yr old son and a 3 month old daughter. Any advice to help all them get along? What can we expect in the 1st few days and weeks?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

*Re: New 8week old V, 4yr old cat, 2yr old son, 3month old daughter, whatcan i expect*

Your braver than me. I waited until the cat had passed away, but she was old and had always been shy to new people, and animals. My youngest child was already a teenage, and could handle the puppy nipping stage.
It can be a tough road with puppies and young kids, but I wish you all the best on you new adventure.


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

*Re: 8 week old puppy & 4 year old Maine **** Cat-Advice needed (2 kids under 2 also)*

I don't have a cat, or children, but I can tell you this... you and your wife are going to have your hands full (and very likely bloody) for the next few months. Vizslas are very mouthy dogs. If the puppy is really sharky - he's likely tired/over stimulated. Crate training will be your best aid. He needs a safe place to relax and calm down. Crate games will teach him to love his "place". Also, look into bite inhibition and how to properly teach it.

I would get a lot of safe toys, bully sticks etc for the puppy to spend time chewing on, otherwise it'll be your feet, hands, clothes he'll be ripping into. Routine will be a good thing for the puppy and your family. You may be tempted to exercise him a lot to tire him out, but it should be limited at first, and always on soft surfaces (for their growing bodies/joints). Training will tire the puppy, and teach him the rules. Short sessions several times a day, always ending in fun/play! 

You should set rules and boundaries with your wife beforehand, and stick with them. It's easier on the pup to figure things out if for ex. he cannot go on the sofa at all, instead of you allowing him to, and your wife not letting him.

PATIENCE - understand puppyhood is a process and doesn't last forever. I cannot imagine the first few months/year of raising a vizsla being easier than raising a baby. That being said, these are hands down the best.dogs.ever. Every member here will tell you despite all the headache at times, they are sooo worth it. If you open your heart to it, you will fall in love with this dog and it will be like nothing else. 

Lastly, there's so much information on this website, do a search and you'll get a lot more info on things that may come up as your pup develops. 

I've attached a few articles on Bite Inhibition, Puppy Biting, as well as a handout on Crate Training we received from our breeder.

Good luck & post pics when you bring him home!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

*Re: 8 week old puppy & 4 year old Maine **** Cat-Advice needed (2 kids under 2 also)*

I merged the two topics together so all the information could be found in one place.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

*Re: 8 week old puppy & 4 year old Maine **** Cat-Advice needed (2 kids under 2 also)*

We have 2 cats. They were 2 years old when we brought home our then 8 week old Vizsla, Ruby. 
My advice is to have somewhere that your cat can run to and get away that the dog can't access. We have a baby gate at the bottom of our stairs and our cats will jump over the gate if they've had enough of the dog.
Our Vizsla has never hurt our cats, but she (especially when she was younger) would chase them and occasionally corner them. We didn't do anything special to introduce them together, we just let it happen naturally. When we first brought Ruby home our cats were bigger than her, so that helped them gain some authority.
Teach your dog "leave it" asap, this will become a very common command you give to teach the dog to leave alone the cat. 
Our male cat adapted pretty well, but our female cat took an entire year to come out of hiding --- not even kidding! She stayed upstairs pretty much 24/7 for the first year. Now that the dog has calmed down she has rejoined the family.
I wouldn't ever let the dog near the hermit crabs! 

As far as your kiddos -- they're very young and I just want to warn you in advance to be prepared for lots of tears both from the kids and possibly on your end! Our girl is very good with kids now, but when she was a puppy she would knock them over because she was so excited. Vizslas run, jump and mouth/bite in a playful way. Please be very careful letting them play together. Your V can/will knock down your 2 year old or trample your 3 month old if he/she is playing on the floor.

Another big piece of advice I can give is don't let your puppy do anything that you wouldn't want a 50 pound, full grown dog to do. Jumping up onto your legs and onto furniture is cute and fine when they are a 8 pound pup, but it's not so cute when they are full grown. Many people make the mistake of allowing it when they are young and it's not fair to the dog to expect them to not do it anymore when they get bigger. 

Best of luck!


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