Do dogs naturally hate cats?

Q: Do dogs really hate cats and mail carriers?

A: There are plenty of myths about our dogs. We turned to the American Kennel Club to help sort fact from fiction.

Myth: Dogs and cats are enemies.

Movies and television have pitted dogs and cats against each other as natural enemies. But they don't hate each other at all. Especially if raised together from young ages, dogs and cats can peacefully coexist and even become companions. If you have a dog and want to add a cat to your home, make sure your dog breed is compatible with cats. In some dog breeds, the sight of a small animal can trigger their hunting instinct. Let them sniff each other out and give them time to get familiar with each other.

Myth: Dogs hate the mailman.

There's no specific reason for dogs to dislike people who deliver mail in particular. Many, however, have a natural instinct to protect your home, so any stranger who comes onto your turf is worthy of suspicion. Since mail carriers approach your home and then quickly leave, it may reinforce the idea for your dog that its barking is effectively scaring an intruder away. Try closing the shades around the time the mail is usually delivered, or turn on the TV to distract your dog with background noise.

True: Dogs have a look of love.

Puppy love is absolutely a real thing. When dogs lock eyes with their owners, it's not always because they want a treat. Sustained eye contact from a dog can be a genuine look of love and trust that dogs bestow upon their closest human companions.

TBD: Dogs' mouths are cleaner than human mouths.

At one point in history, it was rumored that dog saliva was antiseptic. Dogs and humans have different kinds of bacteria. Dogs have more gram-negative bacteria, humans have more gram-positive.