The Best Dog Breeds That’ll Actually Get Along With Your Cats

If you’re already a proud cat parent, but you’re looking to add a dog to your furry family, you might be wondering if there are any breeds that are more likely to get along with your cat.

There are definitely some worth considering, but it’s actually not so much about the breed at all!

The Dodo spoke with Iris Ulbrich, a behavior consultant and owner at Trust Your Dog in Los Angeles, who explained that it’s really a dog’s personality traits that will help you find the best match for your cat.

It’s important to note that any breed of dog can get along well with cats.

While some breeds may be a bit more predisposed to having good relationships with cats than others, a dog’s personality and individual social ability are the most important things when it comes to making sure your pets become BFFs.

“A dog’s attitude influences the cat/dog dynamic,” Ulbrich told The Dodo. “Strategic socialization to the cat is very important when introducing the dog to the home.”

That being said, there are also some dog breeds that — on average — have natural personality traits that allow them to get along with cats pretty well.

Some of these breeds include:

“Bulldogs are very kind and well-tempered dogs,” Ulbrich explained. “Labs and [goldens] are very sweet and inclusive dogs that also adapt very easily to whichever family setup they get thrown into.”

If your cat is a little on the bratty side, some breeds are also less likely to get bullied by him.

“Cavalier [King Charles spaniels] are quite sassy, and cats don’t intimidate them much, which can be good if you have a feisty cat in your home,” Ulbrich said.

And some breeds are simply used to getting along with other animals — including your cat.

“Beagles are pack dogs, which usually makes them a bit more relaxed [around] other animals,” Ulbrich said.

There are definitely reasons why those breeds are more likely to get along well with your cat, but it’s important to remember that’s not a guarantee.

That’s because it’s so much more about your dog’s personality traits than her genetics.

If you really want your dog and cat to get along, don’t put so much stake in her breed.

Instead, focus on the characteristics that’ll really take her relationship with your cat from housemates to BFFs.

“The dog shouldn’t be too shy around cats, but not display too much prey drive during play,” Ulbrich explained. “A healthy middle ground would be best. A soft mouth and strong ‘stay’ and ‘leave it’ training is recommended.”

Still, you might be wondering if it’s impossible to get a dog who isn’t one of the above-listed breeds to develop a good relationship with your cat.

“Not at all, especially if you get a kitten and a puppy at the same time,” Ulbrich explained. “Or introduce them at a relatively young age.”

According to Ulbrich, even breeds that get an unfair rap can get along well with a cat.

“I had the joy of introducing a pit bull puppy to a kitten not too long ago, where we focused on socializing, home management and healthy boundaries during training,” Ulbrich said. “They now sleep in the same bed.”

As long as you focus on those things and make sure your pets’ personalities are relatively aligned, then any breed of dog can be the best breed for cats. (Whether your cat will like him back is a whole other story.)

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