While there is a long-standing feud between cats and dogs, as evidenced by the movie Cats and Dogs, plenty of dog breeds get along just fine with cats in real life. Likewise, if trained and socialized early on in their lives, most dogs can get along with the felines in a family.
The Rottweiler is no exception. While they get a bad rep in most cases, the Rottweiler is a gentle, loving, and curious dog. So, are Rottweilers good with cats? Can they be kept together? We’ll answer these questions and more.
Are Rottweilers Good with Cats? They Can Be
As with any dog breed, how well a Rottweiler gets along with a cat depends on the individual dog and how well socialized and trained the dog is.
For example, if you have a Rottweiler that’s never been around cats, it might not react well to one joining your family. On the other hand, most Rottweilers get along fine with cats and grow to love them.
A Few Reasons Rottweilers Are Good with Cats
Like most breeds, there are a few reasons that your Rottweiler might be good with cats.
Rottweilers Are Easy to Train
Rottweilers have been listed as one of the nine most intelligent dogs in the world, making them easy to train. In addition, the dogs can learn easily from just watching people, and if you’re sweet and loving to a cat, your Rottweiler is likely to be as well.
Rottweilers Are Lovable and Loyal
Regardless of their size and bad reputation, Rottweilers are extremely lovable dogs. Rottweilers are trained to be guard dogs, and it’s instinctual for them to protect anyone or anything in their home. In other words, if the Rottweiler considers a cat as one of his family members, it will be loyal to the cat and protect it as if it’s one of the children.
If your Rottweiler takes a cat under its wing, so to speak, you don’t have to worry about it mistreating the cat. However, you might have to worry about your canine pal being mean to other animals if they try to harm the cat instead.
Rottweilers Have a Low Prey Drive/Great Personalities
Believe it or not, Rottweilers don’t have a high prey drive, and they have bubbly, gentle, sweet personalities to boot. As long as you socialize the dog around the family cat, you should have no problems.
A Few Reasons Rottweilers Aren’t Good with Cats
As with any dog breed, there are also a few reasons that a Rottweiler might not get along well with cats.
Rottweilers Have an Aggressive Background
While Rottweilers were originally bred as guard dogs, they were also bred for fighting purposes. Some instincts stay with them, especially if the dog isn’t socialized and trained. Since Rottweilers have aggressive backgrounds, some dogs might not get along with cats very well.
Rottweilers Are Fiercely Independent
Although Rottweilers are easy to train, they can also be fiercely independent, which sometimes means they don’t listen the way they should.
Since the dog is independent and stubborn, they may ignore your commands regarding cats. This happens mostly when the dog hasn’t been socialized around cats.
You can train your Rottweiler to be around cats, but you’ll need to start slowly. For example, don’t toss a cat into your home and expect it and your Rottweiler to get along just fine. You should introduce the dog to your cat a little at a time and with a fence between them, just to be safe.
Final Thoughts
Rottweilers can be good with cats, and it is possible to keep them together. However, that depends on the individual dog, as with any breed. It’s best to socialize and train your Rottweiler before introducing it to its new friend. After the dog feels comfortable around the cat, it’s likely to develop a lasting friendship with the feline.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock
