Dog breeds that get along with cats
The deck doesn't have a “with cats” axis, but it has the one that weighs most: prey drive. These 11 breeds score 1 or 2, and that's the best predictor we have.
How this list was built
The rule, out in the open
- Prey drive ≤ 3/5
11 of 30 directory breeds qualify · 11 don't · 8 have no data for a field in the rule (left out, named below)
The numbers come from the Lord Chucho deck: the scale published by the AKC and the books in our library, with a citation on every bar. Where there's no data, there's no breed: we'd rather leave the gap than make it up.
Here the gap is big and we say so: 8 breeds in the deck have no data for this axis, because the AKC doesn't publish it and no book in our library rates it.
With their bars and their citations
The 11 breeds that qualify
French Bulldog Bulldog Francés
- With other dogs4/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: Dogs Unleashed (Tamsin Pickeral) · confidence high
- With strangers5/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive1/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Labrador Retriever
- With other dogs5/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- With strangers5/5waryparty with everyoneSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Golden Retriever
- With other dogs5/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers5/5waryparty with everyoneSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The Dog Encyclopedia (DK Publishing) · confidence high
Cocker Spaniel
- With other dogs5/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers4/5waryparty with everyoneSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Poodle Caniche (French Poodle)
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers5/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Rottweiler
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers3/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The Dog Encyclopedia (DK Publishing) · confidence high
American Staffordshire Terrier
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers4/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Xoloitzcuintli Xoloitzcuintle
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers3/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
Dalmatian Dálmata
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: Dogs Unleashed (Tamsin Pickeral) · confidence high
- With strangers4/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: Dogs Unleashed (Tamsin Pickeral) · confidence high
Saint Bernard San Bernardo
- With other dogs3/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- With strangers3/5waryparty with everyoneSource: Dogs Unleashed (Tamsin Pickeral) · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: Wikipedia (2006 compilation, secondary source) · confidence medium
Chow Chow
- With other dogs2/5lone wolflife of the dog parkSource: Dogs Unleashed (Tamsin Pickeral) · confidence high
- With strangers2/5waryparty with everyoneSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Prey drive3/5lowchases anything that movesSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
8 breeds were left out for lack of data
We didn't rule them out by guessing: they meet everything we do know, but the rule's data point is missing. They'll come in when a source supports it (D-022).
Chihuahua (no data for prey drive), Bulldog (no data for prey drive), Pug (no data for prey drive), Doberman Pinscher (no data for prey drive), Belgian Malinois (no data for prey drive), Maltese (no data for prey drive), Shih Tzu (no data for prey drive), Pomeranian (no data for prey drive).
And for your life, which one?
A list narrows things down; the recommender crosses your home, your energy, your kids and your neighbors with these same data, in seven questions.
Other collections
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- Small 13
- Medium 8
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- Large calm 3
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