There should be no reason you would have to deny your husband (and
yourself) a dog as Alexandra emphasizes. All dogs are different even
within breeds. I currently have a Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendale) named
Boon and he has delt wonderfully with our pet rats and all of our
ferrets. Even Tweek who used to make a game out of dangling from poor
Boon's lips and paws by his teeth. We had Boon since he was 4-5 months
old. We started teaching him the word "gentle" from the beginning. We
never leave him unsupervised with the ferrets but he plays tug of war
with Garrison and treats them all like little puppies. The keys I have
found with Dogs and ferrets are-

1.) Knowing your dog and their limits
2.) Supervising your dog with the ferrets
3.) Slow introductions followed by short visits gradually made longer
4.) Training you dog commands that will stop or distract it at any time
    (I haven't had to use this one yet)
5.) Know your dog!

I have been traing dogs for years and know just how much is possible
(good & bad) from them. Most dogs get along well with animals they
were brought up with- but there are always exceptions. A good shelter
will notate how well a dog gets along with cats-that is great starting
point. Sometimes a test with a muzzle might be in line too when
visiting a shelter. I could go on forever, if you have any questions
please feel free to PM me. Good Luck!

Kristy
Clyde, Garrison, Artemus
Missing Tweek

[Posted in FML 5905]