Bernese Mountain Dog reacting to new Kitten?

Question

Hey guys, just posting on her for some advice &/or any tips? I have a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog who is exactly 2 & a half months old. She's such a good dog.

She's still gets excitable & very playful & still very puppy like, however she loves a good chill & a good cuddle throughout the day also. She's met cats before but only ever while out on a walk in the street & just seen them in passing. She gets so excited & head goes square when she she's one & she's just dying to meet a cat to play with them. She's really good with other dogs, always gentle with smaller breeds when they come up to her & if anything gets fed up & just stares at you for a treat.

However I am picking up a male kitten on Wednesday & wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation & got any tips for introducing them? Or methods on how to do so? Of course l'm going to keep a close eye & they won't be together alone for a while obviously but has anyone had any experiences that could possibly just help in some way that helped them? Anything you wouldn't do?

If anyone has had a BMD we know how lovely & beautiful they are & I'm sick of people saying "well it'll be a nice snack for Pudding" (Pudding is my BMDs name)

As I said she's so good with smaller breeds & with owners who are not completely reluctant to let their dog near her just because of her size & them dogs that do come near her yap, bark & growl at her & she just trots along not even phased.

Pic of Pudding & her soon to be little brother🖤🐈🤎🐈🤍

ginglis-ext · Answer

Hi GenerativePug7125,

Congratulations on your new arrival! Pudding is absolutely beautiful and she sounds like such a sweet girl.

In terms of getting off to the right start together, I think offering them separate spaces is always really helpful.. somewhere your new kitten can retreat to whenever she needs the space. Kitty highways can also work really well for this, so she can move around the room and observe everything without feeling too overwhelmed. Depending on the layout, a long line for Pudding can also help keep things calm, giving you the ability to move her away if she starts to get overexcited.

You can also help make her presence a positive experience for Pudding, by rewarding any calm behaviour. One example of this is the 'Look at that' game, whereby Pudding gets a treat every time she looks over towards the new kitten.

Just as you mentioned, it's definitely a good idea to keep them separate when you're not there to supervise, and also to avoid access to toys, food, resting spots at the same time - at least until they're really comfortable and bonded. Hopefully they will learn to enjoy each other's company and settle in well together :)