The Finnish Spitz is a great dog as a housemate; he is lively, friendly, playful, sensitive, and good-natured. Above all, intelligent and confident of its owner. But what about other pets?
Do Finnish Spitz get along with cats? The Finnish Spitz doesn’t like spending time alone, and it’s one of the main reasons he gets bored. A cat from this perspective can become a good companion if the dog is adequately trained.
It is a dog that properly socialized will get along well with other animals, including cats. However, being a hunting dog with instincts to chase, it can become a problem when living with a cat.
You can try to get hold of him while running, and no cat wants to be in this situation.
This mainly happens with small animals like birds, but it is also possible that it happens with a cat.
It does not mean that a Finnish Spitz cannot get along with cats. It can even be good for them.
How Can A Finnish Spitz Be Good With A Cat?
Achieving this is a matter of training. Finnish Spitz understand through repetition, and you have to be patient to train them.
Remember that they get bored very quickly, so the training must be creative but short. Positive reinforcements and rewards will be enough for this smart dog to understand the message.
The repetitions must be more than 20 for there to be a result.
Find out if they are good Family dogs here.
How Should A Finnish Spitz Be Trained To Live With A Cat?
Finnish Spitz mature slowly, so we cannot expect that overnight we can completely change this dog’s behavior.
However, repeated action guarantees that you will learn a new pattern or command that you will adopt from that point on.
It is recommended to persevere and repeat positive reinforcements for at least 25 or 40 times until the dog has adopted the new behavior.
This predatory tendency of the breed can generate chase scenarios with the cat where action must be taken calmly, causing it to stop and give positive reinforcement when he behaves correctly towards the cat.
It really is simple, but the owner who trains must be patient and must have time available to teach in this way. Short and repetitive training is really effective for this breed.
Do They Adapt Better As A Puppy With Cats?
Definitely yes, the earlier the coexistence of a Finnish Spitz with a cat, the relationship can quickly be excellent.
Finnish Spitz puppy contact can allow the dog not to see the cat as prey. Behavior similar to a cat chase can be quickly corrected.
It is essential to have a good relationship with cats from a young age and consider them your friend and playmate.
Early socialization is definitely the key to a good coexistence of this breed of dog with a cat.
I you are interested you can read my article on getting a Finky puppy here.
Can A Finnish Spitz Play With Cats?
In fact, this breed of dog is very active, and they have high energy to run and play. The first few times that the Finnish Spitz plays with a cat, it must be watched to correct any aggressive behavior, but if this is not the case, we will know that they can play calmly.
The Finnish Spitz is easily bored, and if you don’t have your training dose and daily walks, you can feel sad.
A cat as a playmate can prevent him from feeling sad if he has not had regular games.
This makes the cat an excellent playmate for Finnish Spitzes as long as the dog has shown no aggressive behavior or has been previously trained to respect cats and their space.
This dog loves attention and will also appreciate it from a cat.
Prevent The Finnish Spitz From Constantly Barking At Cats
This breed of dog comes naturally ready to bark and bark. It must be trained early to reduce its amount of barking. It will be impossible not to hear it constantly barking, so our goal will be to simply reduce it.
If a cat is introduced to the dog at a young age, it can be trained not to bark frequently when in its presence.
It should be understood that Finnish Spitz’ tend to bark when faced with strangers, strange dogs, or other animals. They can do it even out of shyness.
Getting him to socialize will allow him to naturalize other animals that have appeared, be with strangers without barking excessively, and in this case, be a companion to a cat. It will work with positive reinforcements and lots of constant praise.
The Finnish Spitz must constantly be exposed to the unknown. So it assimilates its presence, recognizes it as a new pattern, and its desire to bark at it is drastically reduced.
With A Cat, The Finnish Spitz Will Never Be Alone
Consider the fact that there will be situations in which you will not be able to be at home with your dog. If there is no other family member who will accompany him, there may be emergencies.
You will not want to return home to meet your uncontrolled dog; when it can be avoided with another companion pet.
In this case, the cat will ensure that the Finnish Spitz remains happy and playful as always.
The Finnish Spitz needs ample space, a large, clear place within the home that allows it to run freely. This will help the dog to play with the cat without tripping over objects in the house. You can find out if they are good apartment dogs in my article here.
It is also essential that the cat has a safe place, only for him, if he wishes to withdraw from the game. The Finnish Spitz has a lot of energy, and perhaps the cat wants to play less time and go to its safe place without problems.
If the cat does not have this place, it could generate a conflict if the dog forces more than the cat owes, and it has nowhere to go.
The Finnish Spitz tends to lead behavior that can exert on the cat and feel overloaded at a certain point in the game.
The Cat As An Ally Of New Challenges For The Finnish Spitz
We know that this breed is not very empathetic with strangers, especially with people and other dogs of the same sex. But in general, he is suspicious and fearful of the unknown.
We must consider how to make the cat a new acquaintance for the dog, considering that it can be the perfect ally of new mental training challenges for the Finnish Spitz.
The Finnish Spitz continually needs new challenges that allow him to develop his mental ability since routine games can generate frustration and sadness.
Cats can be very creative when it comes to playing, in this case, the Finnish Spitz will start the game moment, but the cat will challenge him in his way of playing.
The Finnish Spitz And Their Instinct For Domination
Some males may try to dominate themselves, but this action can also be corrected with effective training and prevent the Finnish Spitz from behaving in this way with the cat.
This can create an uncomfortable relationship for him and one that will make him feel insecure.
However, it must be understood that the Finnish Spitz does it by nature. Although it can be corrected, they pride themselves on doing this while barking.
Conclusion
Finnish Spitz’ can be perfectly good with cats, but it will depend a lot on the education and training they have received from their owners.
He can effectively learn new things and ways of behaving when faced with different stimuli or animals in a very intelligent dog. Still, you have to have the patience to do it.
They get bored with strenuous workouts and limit their learning process. The key with this breed is repeated action with constant stimuli.
This breed of dogs is not really the enemy of cats. They just come with a natural instinct that drives them to chase other small animals, but this usually happens with little birds.
Besides, the quick presentation and socialization of the Finnish Spitz with cats, when they are still puppies, makes this process more durable and natural.
It is a tame dog even though they have a very independent character by nature. The perseverance in the training will allow their behavior to be molded properly. It is certain that despite their independent temperament, they tend to listen to their owners.
A cat as a companion to this beautiful breed can help them drain their excess energy with games. His simple company guarantees that Finnish Spitz does not behave hostile by being alone or feeling sad. This will even help to decrease barking as these indicate boredom or anxiety.
To achieve this goal requires patience and regular attention to change behavior. Still, it is totally feasible and even beneficial to have both pets at home if you like this breed of dog but adore cats too.
If you want to read more about this breed? I have an article about everything there is to know about the Finnish Spitz here.
