miniature poodle mix behavior

Question
Do miniature poodle mixed dogs get along well with cats? We want to adopt a 3 year old miniature poodle mix and we have 3 cats.

Answer
Hello Blanca,
Whether or not this particular dog will get along with cats or not depends on the individual dog, not the breed as a whole.  It depends on if this dog has been around cats before or not, and whether its cat experience was positive or negative.  My suggestion would be to first ask the people who have the dog to see if it has been exposed to cats or not.  If not, then I would suggest taking the dog for a trial period to see how it gets along with your cats.  

When you first bring the dog home, I would put it in a crate and leave her in there in the middle of the room.  Let the cats come around and investigate, sniff and check out the dog before just letting the 4 of them together.  Next, put the cats in crates (or at least pen them up for a bit) and let the dog check out your house and the cats while they are put up.  If there doesn't seem to be any aggression or unacceptable behavior (barking, growling, hissing scratching, or trying to bite) from either party, let one of the cats out (try and get the most laid back cat) and see how they interact.  
Get on to the dog if he/she tries to chase or bother the cat.  Leave them out for awhile (maybe 30 minutes at the most) then put the dog back in the crate and let the remaining cats out.  Later, you can bring 2 cats out and see how they react, and eventually the third cat.  Be respectful with the cats because this is there home and the dog is the newcomer.  Take it slow and pet and praise the cats if they act accepting towards the dog.
If you correctly introduce the cats and dog together, they should get along fine, even if it takes some time before everyone is good ole' buddies.

I hope this has helped you some.  If you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim