What kind of dog do you have that is good with cats?

We have 2 cats (18 years, and 3 years old) 2 cavalier King Charles Spaniels (8 and 9 years old), and an 8 month old, 80 pound German Shepherd. They all do amazing together!

If you get a big dog, just make sure you get it as a small puppy. It'll learn quick who the boss is, and as it grows the other animals adapt easy.

My beagle is excellent with cats.

Shelties are fabulous with cats, well mine anyway.

I have two cats (rescues) and one dog. Our dog, Bailey, is great with the cats and we haven't had any issues with her being aggressive towards the cats. She is also a rescue, but we think she is a Pointer/Spaniel mix, with possibly some lab in her. She's about 40 pounds, so a medium sized dog.

Some dog breeds may be better with cats, but also the individual temperament has a lot to do with it. My dogs are both fine with our cats but the cats are standoffish about the dogs.

Our yellow lab is ruled by the cats, too. The cat recently started sleeping in her spot on the love seat. The look on the dog's face was pitiful. The love seat had been sacred ground. 

Our lab considers herself a lap dog by the way. 

OP, the other dog is a Pomeranian. He's the smallest of our animals. Poor thing...smaller than both cats. LOL!

I have 3 cats and a five year old English Bulldog. He could care less about the cats and vise versa. He doesn't need a big yard because they are the laziest breed in the world. I have to force him to go outside to go to the bathroom. That being said, he's not a lap dog. He weighs 80 pounds. 😳

2 labs and 2 cats. The cats rule the house! The dogs defer to them. My labs think they are lap dogs too! They are gentle and loving with the cats. We got one dog and one cat at the same time and the others have been adopted in at various stages with no issue!

I'm not sure what size has to do with a dog wanting to sit on your lap. My 50+ pound lab/border collie would tell you that.   lol

Also, although there may be some breeds who are working type dogs who will chase things that move -- such as my half-border collie -- I think it's more on each dog's individual temperament. If there's anything in our yard that doesn't belong there -- fox, squirrel, rabbit, or -- horrors!! -- the Enemy Cat From Next Door -- my dog is on it. Chases them away immediately. But, if she meets a cat face-to-face she's a chicken and hides behind me. And when she visits her friends' houses where there are cats she never chases them. Those cats are used to living with dogs and they stand their ground and act fierce and my dog slinks away with tail between her legs. lol.

Also, for some good laughs go to YouTube and search for "cats stealing dog beds" or something like that.

 

I believe any dog can be okay with cats as long as you take the time to introduce them properly. When I adopted my Aussie Cattle Dog from the shelter they said he should not go to a home with cats. I had two cats and adopted him anyway. We took our time introducing them, now Gibby is just fine with any cat.

I have labs, and the smaller of the two (50ish pounds) thinks she is a lap dog. She plays with the cats sometimes, but she mostly just lets them be.

The bigger one though - the cats think he is their mamma. They cuddle with him at night and suck on his ears sometimes (frequently when they were kittens). He makes himself "little" to play with them. Why he allows their nonsense, I'll never know.

ETA: I thought I wanted a little dog, too, but both of mine fell into my lap.  I have learned that there are some benefits to bigger dogs. Their bladders are usually bigger, so you can be out of the house longer, and they are easier to potty train, from my experience.  If you want to give the cats access to rooms that are off limits to the dog, the dog can't get under your barriers (I used a raised baby gate to allow the cat access to my room but not the dog), and a big dog can't fit through the kitty door that I use to keep my dog separate from the cat food and litter.  Not to mention that, while they just lick an intruder to death, they LOOK like they are scary, and Gingersnap's bark is definitely intimidating. With just 2 females in our house, I appreciate his size and bark.

We have had 2 rat terriers in our home.
The first one thought the cat was her baby and loved the cat all the time. She would groom the cat etc.

The second one (long story) had not been trained to love cats. We had to teach her that the cat was her friend and house mate. She watched older dog and within 2 months had accepted the cat as her friend and companion. The second dog was a smaller one (included chihuahua in her blood line) and had that temperament.

Rat Terriers are a very loving breed. Jack Russells have surpassed them in the dog popularity. IMO, rat terriers have a better disposition and are more family friendly. Rat Terriers are more often found on farms.

We've always had German shepherds with cats and every now and then a lab comes into the mix.

I think how they get on together is also down to the owners attitude. If you are antsy when they first meet they will become antsy but if you just let them get on with it and are calm around them they should do just fine.

Our current GSD and cat snuggle up with each other, drink out of the same bowl (food is off limits!), are pleased to see eachother and just get on. The cat likes to lick inside the dog's ears. The dog doesn't mind but I go ewww.

I had a Yorkie and he was great with cats.

Once, a friend of mine had to live someplace for 6 months and she asked if her cats could live with me - she brought them over and my dog took right too them as if they had been family for years.  My sister later got a cat and my dog liked the cat just fine - no chasing, barking or anything - he was very calm around them.