How do I get a new kitten to get along with my dog?

My dog, Lucy, is an Airedale and weighs close to 100 pounds. She is 3 years old and has a lot of personality. Bella, the new kitten, has only been in the house for a little over a day. She tolerates Lucy being close to her, but only if she's occupied (ex: playing with string, eating). Any other time, she hisses, growls, and swipes at Lucy's nose. The poor dog doesn't know what to do, and neither do I. My cat of 15 years passed away in March, so I would really like to keep Bella, but I owe more allegiance to Lucy. If they can't get along, Bella has to go.Any suggestions welcome, and thanks!

keep them with each other all the time.. if that doesnt work after a while there may be nothing you can do, cats have alot of personality

Give it time, they will come to it.

You have only had this kitten for ONE day.This is a big adjustment for everyone involved.The kitten was taken from its mother and siblings I presume.It will take some time to adjust several days to a couple of weeks.You certainly are not giving this enough time and perhaps you thought everyone would become one big happy family instantly.TIME is what is needed.good luck

Well, they say to get animals used to each other in the beginning you should keep them separate but give them something that smells like the other so they can get used to the presence. What I did when I got kittens was pretty easy. I got a baby gate. They're set up in my room and the roommate's dog roams. They can see each other, get used to each other and the cats can decide when they're ready to be near her with no barrier because they can get around the gate and the dog can't. One of the kittens is pretty friendly with the dog now and the other is still a bit shy. But they tolerate each other. It's been about 4 weeks since they came home. There are bound to be spats. Dogs will try to play and the cat won't want any part of it. The cat will hiss and swat and the dog will learn. They happened between my parents dog and my first cat every so often for the whole 4 years they were together. It's just the way cats and dogs are. But they can have the ocassional spats and still be friends.

cats are so territorial, it could take awhile for it not to box your dog's nose

I can imagine after 15 yrs of having one cat in particular, it is hard to start over with another. But if Bella has only been in the house for a little over a day, she will need time. Make sure she sees you sitting and loving on Lucy. And maybe play with both of them at the same time let Bella see that Lucy isn't going to hurt her. Any time a large dog comes into contact with a kitten, there will be the hissing, etc. If there is alot of excitement around because of Lucy playing and romping, it may startle Bella and she may not stay calm but instead be jumpy and defensive. I think if you give her time, the two will be able to bond. You should keep them apart if you aren't at home, like keep Bella in a seperate room so there won't be any conflicts that you don't know about. My sister had to do this and now, things are fine...she has 3 dogs and has introduced 3 cats as kittens into her house over the past year. I do wish you luck as well as Bella!

A lot of good suggestions ahead of me- the best one is to BE PATIENT! Also, giving the dog something that has the cat's scent and vice-versa was very helpful to our lab/rott mix and our kitten. Another thing that helped us was to pet the dog and the cat, and then to switch hands- and getting the cat's scent on the dog and the dog's on the cat.Give it time... our dog practically "adopted" the kitten we got, and two years later they share toys, a bed, and lots of kisses!

if your dog has been around a cat before she will get acustumed to being around this cat as well. the kitten is a little scared of your dog but in all due time they will play together.the cat will grow up to love the dog.mine did now the cat and dog eat from the same dish and drink from the same dish.they even sleep together.signed pet lover.