Hey in two days I am going to be adopting a new gsd and the previous owner says that he has quite the prey drive for cats. Well I have a cat and have a few ideas of my own to eventually have everyone in this household calm and loving. Hense cat and gsd. I was wondering through experience how were some of you able to overcome this common issue.

Non Sequiter

What is non sequiter

This is a recipe for disaster if you know the dog has a high prey drive for cats and have a cat but think they will eventually get along is not smart thinking and you would most likely have to keep them permanently separated;however I am not an expert and others may chime in that it is possible this is just MHO

First pin the owner to the wall for their definition of high prey. That can be mean anything from being interested in the cat to having many cat deaths notched on their belt.

If there is any "cat" drive at all forget having the cat outside. My dogs will co exist with the cats in doors but out doors, he wouldn't last long.

Introduce them slowly and have the means to control the dog at all times, probably by a long line.

And know that the dog can be totally neutral to the cat and that it can change abruptly once he feels at home. I've seen this happen from after a couple of weeks to several months.

One high prey drive gsd and one cat in our home have learned to live together in harmonious tranquility by keeping them apart pretty much 100% of the time. High prey dogs look at cats as....prey.

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

One high prey drive gsd and one cat in our home have learned to live together in harmonious tranquility by keeping them apart pretty much 100% of the time. High prey dogs look at cats as....prey.

Same here.

Although Vigo can see Oliver(the cat) from his crate and act 100% uninterested, in the open house, it is a huge game of chase. Our cat is a darter and does nothing to hold his ground, dog thinks this is great fun. They have very limited interaction, essentially only if Vigo is in his crate or I am doing laundry and he comes in the room. The cat is allowed free roam of the house at night and stays in the laundry room during the day. Our family GSDs, who primarily live with my parents, include Grace, who was raised by a dominant Siamese and is fine with cats, and Kira, who likes cats a lot (the taste of them anyways...). She would kill a cat if given the chance.

 Quote: joseph eubank

What is non sequiter

Latin for "it does not follow"

having a high prey drive dog in the same area that has an animal that will act like prey or will fight to defend itself and then the dog thinks it has to attack it first.

So it does not follow, Prey driven dog and cat getting along

@ joseph: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non%20sequitur

absolutely agree with all the above responses. a high "prey drive" dog should not be allowed outside with a cat--the cat runs, usually dies. i have inside cats (one inside outside): when they are inside they are kinda/mostly off-limits, but they are VERY careful moving around the house.

bottom line--living together can be done easier in house, outside i would go to an e-collar (with a LOT of foundation/proofing first). but it would take a LOT to trust a new dog (and i would not).

initially, introduce if possible with the DOG crated, then if the dog's loose, the cat crated. that's just to start.

Well the cat is an inside cat. He is part of the family and actually the cat holds her own and very playful with our lapdog. However that can easily change when you put a 90lb gsd in front of her. As far as him well I used prey drive in the sence cats have his attention. I don't know if its a negative one or just a possitive play one, I haven't put it to the test. But I know training him is a must and can be done so that they co-exist and if I can turn it into a perfect world then play wiht one another out of love like a pack. That may not happen but I still want it to where everyone can roam the house freely without issue which will take lots of training. My friend has two gsd's one of them has this so called drive and has to be monitored but after training the dog knows to leave the cat alone and if it looks like she is testing the boundaries she is easy given a command to break her from the thought. That is how I want it. I was just hoping through some of yours guys experience that you maybe able to help and point me in a direction to make this a positive training experience.