Introducing new dog to resident cats

Hello

We recently got a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, he is a year old. The previous owner said he had never met a cat before. We have put our two cats in the dining room with all their stuff and put a stairgate on it so the dog can't get into them. We have let him in a few times, but the cats just hiss and make a growling noise at him, he just either whines or barks. Is there a tried and tested method in getting the three to get on?

Thanks

If the cats growl and hiss and he respects that you should be fine. We have a "no barking at the cats" rule in this house, so if he does he's removed from the situation. Other than that we leave it up to the cats to teach him proper behavior and the barking is almost gone now. The cats think it's fun to tease him, so it's not entirely his fault.

You could also get out some treats and a clicker (or make your own noise) and then try shaping the behavior you want - meaning to click and treat the dog for being around the cats without barking..

Here's an article I found on the subject: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1687