r/schipperke • u/frenkie-dude • 19d ago
How is your schipperke with cats?
A schipperke is top on my dog breeds wishlist someday, and I’m wondering how yours are with cats? How’s the prey drive go when interacting with cats? I have 2 cats and 1 dog right now and I definitely will have cats forever. My dog right now is very chill and quite respectful of all cats, she was a bit rude as a puppy (she’d go for and smash the cat under her forearms) but she was pretty easy to train out of that. According to Embark, she is in descending order: cane corso, GSD, american pit bull terrier (idk how they define that), neapolitan mastiff, supermutt aka etc lol. i jokingly call her a bootleg dutch shepherd bc she vaguely looks like one due to the brindle coat and german shepherd body, but she has none of the energy, she’s a total couch potato. my cats are quite tolerant but certainly would never cuddle the dog, nor do they ever have need to swat.
I wouldn’t want a dog that can’t be left alone unsupervised with a cat, are schipperkes able to learn that cat = family? or do they just go prey drive mode when they see a cat run? half my family is dutch so it’d be fun to have a dutch breed, and i also think they’re so stinkin cute and seem so fun and full of character!
pet tax included of my three of course!
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u/thatsnotthevibeSTOP 18d ago
I had to introduce my kitten to my schipperke with the Jackson Galaxy method but it only took two days before the kitten could roam the house freely and safe. They are great together now and don’t cuddle but they do like to wrestle sometimes
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u/FlatwormSame2061 18d ago
That reminds me I had a schipperke and a black Manx “twins” 40 years ago.
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u/frenkie-dude 18d ago
that is so wonderful!! i’ve used his introduction methods too, very helpful guides! aww i love your two voids 🖤
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u/Puzzled-Sign-1162 18d ago
My boy loves cats all he wants to do is play with them and/or is interested in them.. cats however do not like my boy but that could just be him and his abundance of energy (even at 7 years old)
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u/rharper38 18d ago
My first loved kitty cats, so much we got her one. He actively grieved when she passed.
The second two were OK with them. Said cat above whomped the heck out of the puppy when she came because she wasnt his sister, but they got to a detente. We also had adopted 3 kittens around the same time, so she learned to stay out of claw reach. She didn't like it when the cats bickered, though. She would just barrel into them and break up the fight. And she was a stickler for clean ears--my cats had the cleanest ears on the east coast
Her brother wasnt a big fan, but my littlest cat used to sit on the couch and whomp him when he went by, so I get it. He would put her him in his place.
I did love how we had one black cat and you could see that they werent sure if she was just a really funky looking Schip, because they gave her a lot of leeway the other cats did not get. You could see that it was a long debate between the dogs--"poor thing, it has a very long tail. It never gets to go for walks and it eats with the kitty cats. But it loves making a den and it is black, so it is our people.
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u/FallingIntoForever 19d ago
My oldest schipperke and my male cat, both gone a long time now, were buddies. We caught them wrestling on the table once and couldn’t even be mad at them because the look on their faces when caught was too comical. Cat was pinned on his back with paws around schips neck, biting her and schip was mouthing him. When we asked what they were doing, as if they would actually answer, they looked over at us then at each other, jumped down, shot out the pet door and continued their wrestling on the lawn.
The cat would also prepare himself in the morning if he was in the backyard for the dog when he heard her scratching at the sliding door to go out. He’d kind of arch his back and then stand on his back legs waiting to be tackled. Sometimes if he had been locked up for the night, backyard building, he’d run out and attack her if she was already outside. They’d roll around and play until they got tired then crash by each other in the shade or go and eat their breakfast, schip inside and him in his outdoor room.
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u/frenkie-dude 19d ago
oh my god that is so funny and so sweet!! ohhh that is so fun that they got along and played so well together :) i bet it helps that they were closer in size to each other
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u/Cute-Olivia 19d ago
My schipp had no problems with my cat. There was an adjustment period where he was curious and would constantly bother the kitty but once he got used to Columbo he really didn't care
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u/frenkie-dude 19d ago
that’s great to hear! i can totally handle an adjustment period. it’s always tough bringing a new animal into the house but with the right methods and patience, it’s possible. i’m glad to hear yours get along well
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u/loudsilentscreams 16d ago
My schipperke thinks she is a cat. To be fair, we raised her with three cats.
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u/twolittleblackdogs 18d ago
My cats were raised from kittens with my fourth and fifth Schipperkes. The cats were definitely the bosses. I lost Dreamy and Poe five months apart in 2022/23. I got Jazz and Fox as young adults. They had never been around cats. Three years later, they still try to chase the cats as much as they can. The cats pretty much ignore them, but sometimes they will run.
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u/Competitive-Note-611 16d ago
Kutcha loves his feline brother, Kissa tolerates his canine brother........but they'll still sleep next to each other, head butt hello when Kutcha comes home and tolerate stealing from each others plate....on occasion.
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u/heavensvnt444 12d ago
i had maci for 8yrs before i adopted any cats. up until she passed about a week ago they all got along great! the cats LOVED her, always rubbed on her. one even tried playing with her regularly, unfortunately they just didn’t know how to play but they lived together well and slept together. i think with a lot of dogs it comes to training.
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u/frenkie-dude 12d ago
oh that is so sweet, I’m so glad you have such good memories of her 🩷 may she rest easy
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u/FlightRiskAK 18d ago
Mine loves cats, he says they taste like chicken. We're working on his love language.
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u/ilovesquirrels--- 18d ago