Our black Labrador Lola is now 6 mths old and quite well behaved for her age but no matter what I do our 10 yr old cat and her are still not able to get on with each other in fact, Sweep our cat has retreated to living upstairs and although, he is virtually an indoor cat he did like to venture out now an again. He can get down stairs through the spindles and sit on a tall chair at the island but as soon as Lola sees him, she is jumping up and down at the work top and the cat is hissing and snarling but then retreats back through the spindles or he sits on the stairs meowing for most of the day. Can anyone give us any tips to help to improve the situation so that sweep our cat can also be with us. Thanks
All I can suggest is time. When I brought Zeke into our home at 8 weeks old we had 4 indoor cats, and 2 small dogs, NONE of them wanted anything to do with Zeke. The cats would hide or run, and of course he was curious. I don't recall exactly when but they all ended up getting along just fine, even to the point where all of them would be asleep on the same bed. Just give it time and and start occupying Lola with something else fun to do each time she reacts to the cat.
Our first Lab, Ginger, raised 2 kittens, and they always got along. When we got Tilly, the remaining cat got along fine with her. They would play, and chase each other but it was just play. Cooper has never been around cats close up, but I'm sure she would chase them initially and maybe never get over it. I think if you dog doesn't chase your cats, they will probably become friends, but it may not happen.
Please view the following video. The slippery floor is not something to emulate. In other threads we have touched on the health benefits of getting your dog to walk on rugs. The lady however has the right idea. Reward calmness. Keep the dog on a lead/house line, while you are teaching/training and initially proofing. Protect the cat while you are teaching the desirable behaviour. Ski_patroller is correct: There is no guarantee they two will be friends. But there is no harm in nudging your dog in the correct direction. If you can introduce the puppy to cats from about 3 weeks of age, then an issue of dislike/fear will probably not be present.
