>From: "marie i. schatz" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Dogs and Ferrets >he said the owners were responsible owners and the dogs and ferrets had >tolerated each other well up until the point the dog just sort of "snapped" >and grabbed and shook the ferret. <snip> >Mary who's still thinking about a dog, but starting to lean more toward a >cat:) Well, I would question the comment about the dogs being "tolerant" with the ferrets until they "snapped." In our house, our dogs must be more than tolerant of the ferrets, they must respect them as being more alpha than they dogs themselves. And since we are the ultimate alpha (humans that is) our actions carry the most weight. We taught our dogs very young that the ferret can bite them, but they cannot bite the ferrets. Many a time our Border Collie has come running to us with a ferret hanging off her tongue, asking for help to remove the weird "growth." As for cats, we have a big male cat that is 6 years old now, and was raisined from teeny kittenhood with the ferrets. He cannot be trusted with them, and once ripped open BooBoo's skin in a 6 inch long strip down his back. BooBoo was just sniffing him, nothing threatening. Same cat also knocked wee Ashley flying off the back of the couch by smacking her in the cage with all claws outstretched. It was very traumatic for Ashley. So now he is not allowed in any of our three ferret playrooms while ferrets are out of cages. >P.S. One of the things I have been doing is researching breeds with >low-prey drives. So far the herding group seems good. Collies, Shelties, >Bearded Collies have good reputations for being relatively easy going and >good in multi animal households. This is a good start, I think, but some herding dogs are more inclined to "snap" at moving objects, and could snap at a ferret. Although as a rule we wouldn't have most terrier (ie ratter) breeds with ferrets, temperament is often a better indicator than breed. Our Pit Bull is terrific with the ferrets, and has his favourites just like the Border Collie does. However, since the Pit Bull is 5 months old and weighs 40lbs (he'll top out at 80lbs, no problem) he needs to be extra careful about where he places his paws. Now he's learning to dance delicately around the little critters, and sometimes lays down on his side so they can climb all over him and stick their noses in his funny floppy ears. Sometimes they try to drag him away by his "mean dog" collar. Also, neutered males (well trained and socialized with ferrets) often tend to be more relaxed than females. Something to think about. Sheena - [log in to unmask] | "To Err is Ferret ... To Forgive| VP - Greater Vancouver | "... Well, That's Our Job" | Ferret Association (Wherret Web Pages Coming Soon!) We're on the Web! http://www2.portal.ca/~cmc/ferrets/fagv/ [Posted in FML issue 1828]