Are Puggles Good With Cats? [Ensuring Love At First Sight]

When bringing a new dog into your home, one of the most important things to consider is whether they are a good fit for the household’s existing members. This particularly applies to families with young children and other pets.

Cats and dogs have long been thought of as enemies, but there are countless homes out there where they live peacefully alongside each other. However, some breeds are likely to live less harmoniously than others. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at puggles.

Are Puggles Good with Cats? As a crossbreed, a puggle will inherit a unique mix of traits from its pug and beagle heritage. Of these, the most relevant to this question is what’s called a prey drive. On average, puggles have a low to average prey drive. This means that they are unlikely to have an intense instinct to chase after smaller animals, including cats. However, beagles possess a very high prey drive, translating into a puggle’s genetic traits. In this case, a puggle will have a stronger urge to chase after other pets.

If the puggle you’re considering adding to your family seems to have inherited strong beagle characteristics, it may not be the best fit for a household with cats. While puggles generally possess good temperaments and will not attack or purposely try to harm other pets, the chase alone will probably cause significant stress to your cat.

It’s a good idea to do plenty of research on the breeder you’re buying from, ensuring they’re responsible and have a track record of producing good-natured puggles. Overall, in most cases, puggles and cats can share one household.

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Do Cats Like Puggles?

Cats are very flexible creatures in that they can live happily either as the sole pet or when sharing their owners with others. In either case, they are independent and like to set their terms – a cat can never be forced into anything (and woe betide anyone who tries).

The idea that cats are cold and distant is a myth. Once their trust has been gained, they can be incredibly affectionate. Despite popular belief, this affection is often extended to other pets in the family, including dogs.

The question is not necessarily if cats ‘like’ puggles, but whether they can trust them.

Suppose a union is carefully, gradually made, where both animals can get used to one another and become comfortable in each other’s company. In that case, a cat can come to trust – and therefore like – puggles.

After all, there are families all over the world with cats and dogs that happily coexist. The secret is in how they are introduced to each other.

How to Introduce Puggles and Cats

The best time to introduce a dog and a cat to one another is when one or both are still young. By doing this, you have a much better chance of ensuring that they grow up with a tolerance (or even affection!) for one another.

It’s important to understand that this is a gradual process, so you will need to be patient while your pets get used to one another.

Start by introducing each pet to the others’ scent.

This could be by swapping toys, bedding, or even by stroking one pet and then letting the other smell your hands. The scent is one of the most critical ways cats and dogs gather information, so it is the best first step you can take for a calm, minimal-stress union.

For at least a few days, keep each pet in separate areas of the house. You could continue their scent-mixing by allowing them into each other’s spaces without them meeting.

When it’s time to introduce your puggle and cat to one another properly, it’s best to do it in a calm, relaxing environment, such as a quiet room of the house when only household members are around.

One of the most recommended methods for this stage is to place your cat into a pen or large dog crate.

This means that they can meet your dog in the flesh but still have the security of a barrier between them. The cat should be provided with a hiding place if they become nervous, which can be as simple as a cardboard box.

Once they are settled, bring your puggle into the room – ideally on a leash – and let them meet face-to-face. Remember to award each pet with treats as long as they both stay calm and quiet.

If this careful introduction goes well, you can move forward to open meetings without the crate or pen.

Again, this should be done in a quiet, stress-free environment.

Remember to remain patient, rewarding good behavior and allowing your pets to set their own pace and terms. Most importantly, make sure all of these meetings are supervised, just in case you need to step in.

Do Puggles Kill Cats?

Puggles are not an aggressive breed. Even those with higher prey drives will not go further than to chase a cat; they are very unlikely to try and catch, harm, or kill them.

However, as with all animals, you need to be prepared for a meeting to go south. This is particularly important when a puggle and cat have only recently been introduced to one another, as trust is still being built.

If you’re worried about either of your pets getting harmed, you can prevent severe damage by ensuring they are always supervised when together. The longer they live together, the more trust you will have that they will not suddenly turn on one another.

Until you reach that point, the simple solution is to stick around so that you can put a stop to any worrying behavior.

What do I do if my Puggle Chases my Cat?

Often, behavioral issues come down to training or overexcitement. If your dog is living with a cat or any other pets, you need to incorporate that into their routine. It’s best to eliminate bad habits and replace them with good ones as early as possible, starting with the introduction process.

While you supervise your puggle and cat becoming acquainted, keep an eye out for any signs that your puggle might try and take chase, such as barking or becoming overly fixated on the cat.

If they start to show signs of overexcitement, immediately (but calmly) remove them from the situation and take them somewhere quiet and familiar.

Give them time to calm down before trying again.

Training is not just about suppressing bad habits; it’s also about encouraging good ones. Use positive reinforcement, such as treats, to reward your dog when they keep their cool around your cat.

Puggles are a lively and energetic breed, so giving them enough exercise is crucial to maintain good behavior.

A puggle will need around an hour’s exercise every day (though individual exercise needs can vary). If your puggle doesn’t get the chance to exercise, they may release their pent-up energy in undesirable ways – such as chasing other animals.

Are Puggles Good with Other Dogs?

Thanks to their excellent temperaments and social nature, puggles can happily live with other canines. The important thing is to ensure they are introduced to one another with patience and care – ideally when one or both are puppies.

If you’re concerned about how your puggle might react to another dog (or how your existing dog might respond to a new puggle), make sure they’re already well-socialized with others of their kind.

You can do this in several ways: taking them to a dog park, visiting a doggy daycare, setting up playdates with other owners, going on group walks, etc.

If your dog already socializes well, then that’s great!

If not, then you’ve made the critical step of identifying a problem and can now work on fixing it.

What About Other Types of Pets?

If your puggle has a strong prey drive, you will want to take care with pets such as rabbits, birds, or small rodents (e.g., hamsters, guinea pigs). Even if your puggle wants to play, they could accidentally kill a small pet, either through rough play or overstressing them into a heart attack.

For these reasons, it’s best to keep small pets and puggles separate, even if they’re trying to be friendly.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t own both a puggle and a smaller pet – it merely means that you should make sure their cage or pen is puggle-proof.

To go the extra mile, keep them in a separate room that your dog doesn’t enter. In some cases, small animals and extra-gentle dogs can get along just fine.

However, when owning multiple pets, you are responsible for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of each of them.

Final Thoughts

Puggles are good with cats, provided that they are introduced to each other carefully. Ideally, these two animals should be introduced when they are still young, as cat/dog duos tend to be most successful when they grow up together. With patience and supervision, it is entirely possible to own pets of both species.

However, owners need to consider the possibility that their puggle may inherit the high prey drive of a beagle and be prepared to take responsibility for this outcome. Suppose your puggle does begin to cause trouble around your cat. In that case, you can work on their behavior by reinforcing their training, ensuring they have enough exercise, and potentially re-introducing them altogether.